15天6800元——台湾自由行全攻略，玩到high!15 Days, 6,800 Yuan: The Complete Taiwan Independent-Travel Guide

What I love most about Taiwan isn't its bustle, but the refined, intimate mood that seeps into every corner of its cities — and its brimming human warmth.

Foreword

Walk every country a Taiwanese passport gets into visa-free and you're a seasoned traveler; walk every country a mainland Chinese passport gets into visa-free and you're an explorer. — A visa waiver is a form of recognition, and what it recognizes isn't a nation's wealth but the way its people live and the basic quality of their character. The mainland's visa-free destinations cluster among island nations, most of them running on tourism.

For me, Taiwan is Lung Ying-tai, Jonathan Lee, Wu Nien-jen; it's Blue Gate, Bleak Youth, The 36th Story; it's the cross-strait talk shows that sound nothing like the traditional anchor's voice — Face to Face Across the Strait, Looking at the East Coast — it's the Blue and Green camps, democracy and freedom; it's 7-Eleven, the MRT, the night markets; it's Taipei 101, Eslite, the Palace Museum; it's the wind off the Pacific, the calla lilies on Yangmingshan, Tamsui's Fisherman's Wharf, the coffee houses of Jiufen, walking Zhongxiao East Road nine times over, the scenes that are at once vivid and blurry from countless films, TV dramas, and music videos. It's the moment I decided to set foot in Taiwan alone. Excited and nervous.

A word before we start: in Taiwan you absolutely must travel independently, and you absolutely must slow down — to feel, to daydream, to experience. Now for the guide. Enjoy:

Visas

Mainland tourists heading to Taiwan need "two permits and one endorsement": the Taiwan Travel Permit + the Entry Permit + the G endorsement.

1. Taiwan Travel Permit:

Where to apply: the relevant entry-exit authorities in provinces and cities already open to independent travel.

What to prepare: household register (hukou), a 2-inch photo, ID card, and application form (not strictly required — blank forms are available at the entry-exit hall).

Processing time: 5–10 business days.

Cost: 30 yuan for the permit, 20 yuan for the G endorsement.

Validity: 6 months from the date of issue. This means you must enter Taiwan within 6 months, but your exit date doesn't have to fall within the endorsement's validity.

2. Entry Permit:

Where to apply: through Taobao/Tmall; if you're uneasy about applying online, a local travel agency can handle it.

What to prepare: quite a lot — the Taiwan Travel Permit, ID card, household register, emergency contact, proof of assets, itinerary, application form, and so on. Search "Entry Permit" on Taobao and the required documents are all listed.

Processing time: 5–7 business days; if you're up against a long holiday like National Day, be sure to apply a month ahead.

Cost: usually around 300 yuan on Taobao/Tmall, for which you'll need to color-scan your prepared documents. Local travel agencies generally charge 500+.

Validity: 3 months from the date of issue.

(Figure in original — Taipei Main Station.)

Money

After comparing, here's the exchange-rate value ranking: Mastercard/Visa credit card > UnionPay credit/debit card > debit-card ATM withdrawals in Taiwan > exchanging NT dollars at a Taiwan post office > exchanging NT dollars in Taiwan > exchanging NT dollars on the mainland > exchanging NT dollars in Hong Kong.

Many of Taiwan's night markets, small shops, and old establishments don't take cards — cash only — so keep some money on you.

Little tips:

1: Bring a small notebook — nearly every train station and tourist spot in Taiwan has a stamp you can collect.

2: With a Huaxia Bank card, your first withdrawal each day at another bank's ATM is fee-free (the ATM must support UnionPay).

3: Apply in advance for a "baby machine" (portable Wi-Fi); each person can apply for one SIM card. The baby machines are few and harder to get, but SIM cards are plentiful — just pop one into your phone and it works — and each SIM comes with NT$50 of credit.

4: Baby-machine application site: http://tour.youthtravel.tw . Once your itinerary and flights are set you can apply — usually at least 2 weeks ahead. The baby machine requires you to leave your ID or driver's license as a deposit, so whatever you do, don't lose it. Pick up and return it free at the airport.

5: If you need to be online a lot plus call the mainland, consider an "all-you-can-eat" N-day plan from Chunghwa, Taiwan Mobile, or FarEasTone. Also, China Mobile and China Telecom offer Taiwan roaming: turning on roaming is free, you can receive texts for free, and call rates are about the same as the baby machine — fairly good value.

Wi-Fi: I signed up for the free "TPE-Free" Taipei Wi-Fi hotspots beforehand but basically never used them — I always got online with the guesthouse's free Wi-Fi. Every 7-Eleven has free Wi-Fi too: 3 sessions per person per day, 30 minutes each.

Youth card: it seems you can no longer get one at the airport; I got mine at Taipei Main Station.

(Figure in original — Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall.)

Itinerary

Taiwan's attractions are generally small and lovely — refined and delicate. For anyone used to the mainland's grand scenery, the real, lingering "view" in Taiwan is its people. Only after that come the scenery and the mood.

People with no particular preferences, on a first trip, with plenty of time, usually loop the island clockwise or counterclockwise. Here are the places commonly hit on an independent Taiwan trip:

North: Taipei, Keelung, Jiufen, the Pingxi line

East: Hualien, Taitung, Green Island

South: Kenting, Kaohsiung, Tainan

Central: Taichung, Changhua, Chiayi (Sun Moon Lake, Alishan, Cingjing)

Here's my own National Day itinerary — I circled the island clockwise:

9.26: Arrive Taipei at noon, on to Hualien in the afternoon

9.27: Hualien — Taroko, Qixingtan, Qingshui Cliff

9.28: Hualien — the Hua-Dong Valley

9.29: Hualien to Kenting — Guangfu Sugar Factory, Ruisui Ranch, Duoliang Station, Tropic of Cancer

9.30: Kenting — snorkeling, Eluanbi, Nanwan, Baisha

10.1: Kenting + on to Kaohsiung — Southernmost Point, Longpan grassland's wind-blown sand, Formosa Boulevard MRT station, Lover's Wharf, Liuhe Night Market

10.2: Kaohsiung + on to Tainan — Banana Pier, Takao British Consulate at Xiziwan, Garden Night Market

10.3: Tainan + on to Changhua — Anping Fort, Anping Tree House, Tianhou Temple

10.4: Lukang day trip — Breast-Touching Lane, Lukang Old Street

10.5: Taichung — National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, Gaomei Wetlands

10.6: Taipei — Tamsui, Beitou, Lover's Bridge, Fisherman's Wharf

10.7: Taipei — Jiufen, the Pingxi line, Nuannuan

10.8: Taipei — National Palace Museum, Shilin Residence, Ximending

10.9: Taipei — Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall, Eslite, Taipei 101

10.10: Taipei — Maokong, shopping

10.11: Taipei — head home

(Figure in original — the hill town of Jiufen.)

Attractions

National Palace Museum, Taipei: Centered on the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, it spans almost five thousand years of Chinese history, with more than 655,000 pieces, and enjoys the name "treasure house of Chinese culture." The building's exterior is Chinese-palace style; floors one to three are exhibition space, the fourth a tea lounge. One trick for really taking it in: follow a tour group and listen to the guide. Taiwan's guides are mostly well-traveled and knowledgeable, explaining things clearly without losing their humor.

Most people assume the museum's signature "pork-and-cabbage hot pot" — the Meat-Shaped Stone, the Jadeite Cabbage, and the Mao Gong Ding — are its crown jewels. In fact the museum's truly peerless treasures are Fan Kuan's Travelers Among Mountains and Streams, Guo Xi's Early Spring, and Li Tang's Wind Through Pines Among a Myriad Valleys — though you only get the chance to see these three during special exhibitions.

The museum is busiest from 10:00–12:00 and 14:00–16:00, and tour groups cluster in the jade, porcelain, and bronze galleries — so for a quieter visit, see the paintings and calligraphy during those windows and come back for the popular pieces afterward. Quieter still are the Friday and Saturday evening sessions until 21:00; after 17:00 most visitors have gone.

Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall: Completed in 1972, the work of the renowned architect Wang Da-hong, and one of Taipei's landmark buildings. People usually come to catch the honor-guard changing ceremony on the hour, and you can also see some of Sun Yat-sen's calligraphy. The plaza is one of the best spots for photographing Taipei 101.

Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall: The Hall and Liberty Square are also must-sees. The whole complex includes the Memorial Hall, the concert hall and the theater, plus the surrounding park. Built to commemorate Chiang Kai-shek, its form borrows the top of Beijing's Temple of Heaven and the pyramid shape of Egypt for the main structure. Today the guard of honor stationed in the main chamber changes on the hour, and the shift before the 17:00 closing is the most striking. On the ground floor, the permanent exhibition displays all kinds of artifacts and materials connected to Chiang Kai-shek, and there are sometimes arts performances.

The best thing at the Memorial Hall isn't the bronze statue or the architecture but the ever-changing, cheap, and inexhaustible programming at Taiwan's top venue, the National Theater and Concert Hall.

Eslite Bookstore: Suzhou has one now too, but the atmosphere still can't touch Taiwan's.

Shilin Residence: Chiang Kai-shek's official residence and grounds in Taiwan, where he lived for 26 years. Before 1996 it was a mysterious, off-limits forbidden zone; after being wrested bit by bit from the military it gradually opened, and once the second-floor living quarters of the main house opened in January 2003, it basically held no more secrets.

Ximending: Taipei's most bustling commercial district, on the cutting edge of trends, a pilgrimage site for students and tourists alike. It's Taipei's famous fashion quarter and most distinctive pedestrian shopping street — the Red House, Tattoo Street, Movie Street, KTVs, the Wannian Building, Wanguo Department Store, Eslite, and all sorts of boutiques everywhere you look.

Beitou Hot Spring Museum: In Beitou, free to visit. Every kind of hot spring you could want, at price points for every budget.

Pingxi day trip: You don't actually need to get off at every stop. Trains come only once an hour, so — recommend Shifen.

Tamsui: Lover's Bridge, Fisherman's Wharf.

Jiufen: I caught the sunset and the night view — gorgeous. At night it feels like Santorini; the sea breeze is pretty cold.

Hualien: Hualien — the sea's temperament is as fierce as the indigenous people's. Qingshui Cliff plunges straight into the ocean, dizzyingly sheer. The water often hurls up astonishing waves, with the force to swallow everything — the call of the Pacific.

Qixingtan: Not a lake but a crescent-shaped bay. The bay takes the Pacific's waves head-on, with the towering Central Mountain Range in the distance; far from the city's clamor, this stretch of beach is a fine place for travelers to wander between blue sea and blue sky.

Qingshui Cliff: One of the east coast's great wonders, and one of Taiwan's Eight Views. Over a thousand meters high, it presses against the Pacific at nearly 90 degrees; the highway winds on for more than 20 kilometers, twisting and turning — sheer cliff on one side, boundless sea on the other — perilous and ever-changing, heart-stopping and jaw-dropping. Beside the Chongde Tunnel on the Suhua Highway, a trail leads to two lookout platforms that take in the Pacific and the cliff's mountains and waters all at once. Along the way you can pick from scenic spots like Beifang'ao, Nanfang'ao, and Wushibi.

Taroko National Park: Nicknamed "Taiwan's back mountains," with a Taroko carved by God's own hand and the boundless blue Pacific. Qixingtan is not a pond, Taroko is not a pavilion; only trains and the highway pass through, at a slow, unhurried pace. Maybe the point of travel is that it lets me misread life — a life in which we are all passersby with nothing to shoulder, easy-hearted onlookers, expectant strangers.

Ruisui Ranch: Tucked in a corner of the mountains, Ruisui Ranch — nourished by the pure water of the rivers and the fresh air of the valley — produces the fresh milk famous across Taiwan. So any foodie passing through Ruisui simply must walk into the ranch, taste the freshest milk, try the cheesecake and fresh cheese, then leave with a big bag of nougat. Feasting while soaking in the leisurely, holiday-like pastoral scenery — that's the essence of Ruisui Ranch.

(Figure in original — Qingshui Cliff: gorgeous!!!)

(Figure in original — Hualien, on the road to Kenting.)

Kenting: A gorgeous place — as long as the sun's out, Kenting is beautiful! But, handsome guys and pretty girls, slather on the sunscreen.

Kenting Main Street: By night the "Kenting Road," under two kilometers long, turns into the lively, bustling "Kenting Main Street," and studs Kenting's night with color — a must-wander for tourists come evening.

Eluanbi Lighthouse: Kenting's landmark, a century old. It sits inside Eluanbi Park, near Taiwan's southernmost point. The lighthouse at night has a heart-stirring beauty, and evening also makes it one of Kenting's best stargazing spots — but do watch your safety!

Eluanbi Park: At Taiwan's southern tip, once a submerged reef, so the park is covered in coral-reef and limestone terrain; eroded by waves, strong wind, and rain, it's a wonderland of giant reefs, strange peaks, and caves. Crisscrossing trails lead to scenic areas like Haohan Rock, Canghai Pavilion, Youyicun, the Secluded Valley, and the Welcome Pavilion. The trails wind through like a maze — Haohan Rock, Canghai Pavilion, Youyicun, the Welcome Pavilion — endlessly enchanting. It has the most powerful beam of any lighthouse in Taiwan, earning the nickname "Light of East Asia." Beside the tower stands a giant statue for visitors to admire, and before it a "Eight Views of Taiwan" commemorative stone tablet for photos.

Longpan Grassland: You can't go rolling around on the Longpan Grassland — on the contrary, you can only stand on the heights and gaze out. And yet it's absolutely stunning. A vast sweep of green under a deep, deep blue sky, endless above you — it will melt every ounce of your stress and worry away.

Kenting, Cape No. 7, clear skies. This end-of-the-earth in Taiwan is a paradise for the young — whether the beach music festival or the surfing, it all releases the most hot-blooded hormones of youth.

Kenting's flirtatious coast and inns let youth's finest love linger just long enough. With the sea for company, go embrace your youth.

Kaohsiung: The weather here shifts as unpredictably as a girl's mood. It has the world's second-most-beautiful subway station and the most street snacks. The ordinary is exactly as it should be; travel is an aspirin — for all the soul-stirring the pill gives us, it's for a lovelier ordinary afterward.

Tainan: Thick with humanities and the air of an ancient capital.

Lukang: "First Tainan, second Lukang, third Bangka" — the town of Lukang still holds onto its early simplicity and weathered charm; relics like Breast-Touching Lane, the Half-Side Well, the old Ding Family Mansion, the Nine-Turn Lane, and Tianhou Temple tell stories of the past, while traditional treats — phoenix-eye cake, lard lao, meatballs — are full of the taste of years gone by. A nostalgia trip, and a fun one.

Breast-Touching Lane: Lukang's most famous spot — a narrow, deep lane, less than 70 centimeters at its tightest, so if a man and a woman happen to walk toward each other, it gets very awkward. The origin of the name is disputed: one version says that when a man and a woman met in the lane, the woman had to let the man touch her chest, hence "Chest-Touching Lane," which morphed into "Breast-Touching Lane." Another says that in the old days people longing for children dreamed of them day and night, and since this long narrow lane was dream-like, it was called "Dream-Qilin Lane" (Mengling), but its Mandarin pronunciation resembled the Taiwanese for "Breast-Touching Lane," so that's what it became.

(Figure in original — the far-famed Breast-Touching Lane.)

Lukang Tianhou Temple: The only temple in Taiwan enshrining the founding Mazu statue from the ancestral temple on Meizhou Island. There were originally six such founding Mazu statues from Meizhou; the one in Lukang Tianhou Temple is among those the early settlers brought to Taiwan, while the other five that stayed on the mainland were destroyed during the Cultural Revolution.

Lukang Old Street: This street, paved with red bricks and lined on both sides with all kinds of old shops and homes packed tight together, was once the main artery of Lukang's harbor district. Since old Lukang lived on trade, the area near the port — convenient by geography — became a key base for shipping firms and merchants; the buildings on both sides were once ship agencies, where negotiations over cargo and sailing schedules went on inside while carts rolled past outside — just like the old streets of Quanzhou on the mainland. Don't be fooled by the narrow shopfronts: they run very deep, generally about ten times as deep as they are wide.

Taichung: The Gaomei Wetlands are stunning, okay!!

(Figure in original — so good.)

(Figure in original — sunset in Taichung.)

Transport

As one of the former Four Asian Tigers, Taiwan still has very developed transport: Taipei has the MRT, and between cities there's the TRA (regular rail), the HSR (high-speed rail), and coaches.

By price, the TRA is the best value, then coaches, with the HSR relatively pricey. Many people buy early-bird HSR tickets; since I carpooled the whole time in Hualien and Kenting, I didn't.

The HSR site (Taiwan High Speed Rail) offers 10–30% off if you book 28 days ahead. The HSR only covers the west (Taipei–Taichung–Tainan–Kaohsiung–Kenting); the east and center require the TRA. And on an independent trip your timing can't be too precise.

The TRA site (Taiwan Railways Administration, Ministry of Transportation) gives a 5% discount. After booking, once you're in Taiwan, collect your ticket at a TRA station or a 7-Eleven (7-Eleven charges a fee of around NT$10).

TRA tickets are released at 6 a.m., 15 days ahead. Trains in eastern Taiwan need to be booked in advance; the center and north don't. For example, Taipei–Hualien (or Ruifang–Hualien) and Hualien–Fangliao (the standard TRA route from the east to Kenting) need advance booking.

(Figure in original — Kaohsiung's True Love Wharf. I hope that next time I visit, it's with the one I love.)

The TRA has Tze-Chiang, Chu-Kuang, and Fu-Hsing/local trains. Tze-Chiang is the fastest; Chu-Kuang is the best value. Local trains aren't sold on the website — they generally serve short hops between nearby cities, run very frequently, and are cheap, so if you're not in a rush you can just hop on a local once you're in Taiwan. Taipei–Ruifang, for instance, has many locals, and in the north you can also tap an EasyCard (like our transit cards) for a 15% discount.

The EasyCard (YYK for short) can be topped up at any 7-Eleven/FamilyMart/MRT station, in multiples of NT$100. Returning it after use incurs a NT$20 fee (since I'd had it under 3 months), with a NT$100 deposit. The MRT, most buses/coaches, and the TRA all take the EasyCard, with varying discounts.

HSR and TRA: mainlanders can book directly through the websites. When buying TRA tickets with a mainland passport, switch to the English interface and pay by credit card.

Taiwan has many coach companies; Kuo-Kuang is probably the one most people have heard of. There are also Keelung Bus (for Yehliu, Keelung, Jiufen), Nantou Bus (for Cingjing, Sun Moon Lake), Chuan-Hang (for Taichung), Taiwan Tourist Shuttle (for scenic areas like Kenting and Taroko), plus Free-Go, Aloha, and others. You can check schedules and prices on their official sites — and best of all, none of them are blocked!

To look up bus routes in Taiwan, do it in two steps: first use this site — http://yoyonet.biz/index.html — or Google for a basic search, then confirm on the coach company's official site the search mentions.

For example: first find on yoyonet that A to B takes Kuo-Kuang route XXX. Then go to the Kuo-Kuang site to check that route's timetable and map, to make sure you don't slip up.

As for getting around within a city, the spots on an independent trip are usually popular ones with frequent service. If in doubt, ask once you're there (no passersby? ask at a 7-Eleven, heh) — pretty reliable.

Transport on my trip: round-trip flights, Dragonair/Cathay direct Beijing–Taoyuan, 2,800 yuan/person including tax, bought 4 months ahead.

(Figure in original — whale-watching in Hualien.)

D1: Airport to Taipei, Aloha NT$90; TRA to Hualien NT$440

D2: Hualien day trip, carpool NT$700

D3: Hualien day trip, carpool NT$700

D4: Hualien to Kenting, carpool NT$1,200

D5: Kenting, scooters with friends, no cost

D6: Kenting + to Kaohsiung, scooter carpool NT$350

D7: Kaohsiung + to Tainan, MRT + TRA NT$106

D8: Tainan + to Changhua, TRA NT$279

D9: Lukang day trip, bus NT$106

D10: Taichung, TRA NT$249

D11: Taipei, MRT

D12: Taipei, TRA NT$103

D13: Taipei, MRT

D14: Taipei, MRT + bus

D15: Taipei, MRT + bus.

Recommended Itinerary

Hualien and Kenting — in my view Taiwan's most beautiful natural scenery is all here, the magnificent Pacific.

Kenting is best for snorkeling, okay!! Great value, A+.

(Figure in original — goofy photos — Qingshui Cliff, Eluanbi Lighthouse.)

Cingjing Farm is fantastic.

Taipei: mainly for the surroundings — Tamsui, Jiufen (Jiufen at night looks like Santorini).

(Figure in original — the filming location for Spirited Away.)

Taichung's Gaomei Wetlands — I caught the burning clouds and the sunset there and it was cry-your-eyes-out beautiful, okay.

Not recommended: Alishan and Sun Moon Lake — pretty ordinary and a real hassle.

Night Markets

Since I ate at a night market every night and hit diminishing returns, in Taipei I only had beef noodles and lu wei (braised snacks).

Zijiang: Hualien's night market; the whole area is stalls, and there are plenty on Zhongzheng Road too.

Kenting: wander the liveliest stretch, Kenting Main Street — tons of good food.

Garden: super crowded, and not one big area but a plaza filled with stalls, and not open every day.

Fengjia: super crowded, a big commercial district — recommend all kinds of seafood and fruit.

Lodging

Common booking sites in Taiwan: Booking, Agoda, and the local EasyTravel (http://www.easytravel.com.tw/), among others.

Lodging is basically around 300 yuan (a standard double); even a hostel bunk works out to roughly 50 yuan mainland-equivalent. Every guesthouse has its own site where you can check prices. Rates usually split into weekday and holiday prices — Friday and Saturday generally count as holidays in Taiwan, though at some places Friday isn't a holiday; go by what the site posts. If mainland tourists don't book through Booking, Agoda, or EasyTravel, they'll need to discuss with the guesthouse owner whether to pay a deposit, usually 30%–50%; in the low season some owners will waive it.

When planning, I kept Kenting and Hualien off the National Day peak and saved Taipei for last — perfectly dodging every rush. These are places with big weekday/holiday price gaps, whereas Tainan and Taipei don't differ much. In planning I weighed location first, then value: clean and tidy is enough, no other hardware requirements, but it must have Wi-Fi.

On whether to stay in Jiufen: I feel it's a bit over-commercialized, and lodging there isn't cheap. Really, just avoid the holidays and go see it for one evening.

(Figure in original — a map of Kaohsiung. As a map junkie, I couldn't pass this up.)

(Figure in original — Kaohsiung MRT station, the world's second-most-beautiful subway station; first is in Canada.)

My lodging principle: clean and tidy, easy transport, save where you can. You're usually only sleeping there one night anyway. My one non-negotiable was a private bathroom.

Where I stayed:

Taipei: Hua Bao House, NT$490/night; address: No. 87-1, Section 2, Changsha St., Exit 1 of Ximen MRT.

Hualien: Sister Hui-ling, NT$600!! A suite. Contact me if you want the info.

Kenting: A-Fei Surf Inn, NT$600/night, across from Nanwan.

Kaohsiung: Liuhe Inn, NT$400/night; address: No. 8, Lane 6, Zili 1st Road, Xinxing District.

Tainan: Lüsi Guesthouse.

Taichung: North-South Backpackers Hostel, NT$500/night; pretty ordinary, not recommended.

Changhua: —

(Figure in original — Tamkang High School.)

Recommended Food

Tamsui: fresh-milk mochi, Grandma's iron eggs.

Gongguan Night Market: So Free pizza, Chen San Ding.

Ningxia Night Market: papaya milk, taro pastry.

Ximending: Ay-Chung Flour-Rice Noodles.

Huaxi Street Night Market: Longdu ice desserts.

Yongkang Street: Yongkang beef noodles, Formosa Chang braised-pork rice.

Maokong: the Big Teapot's cold guomao greens, rose shrimp; the mushroom health-tonic soups are good too.

Zijiang Night Market: coffin bread, avocado milk, taro milk, peanut spring-roll crêpes, Gao Da Xia grilled shrimp.

Hualien: Zeng Ji mochi, Gongzheng steamed buns, bomb scallion pancakes, Manmei pork trotters, Guangfu Sugar Factory ice cream.

Kenting: Nanwan beef noodles, fried king oyster mushrooms, Houbihu salmon.

Tainan: winter-melon tea, Du Xiao Yue, Chou's shrimp rolls.

Garden Night Market: fried rice balls.

Fengjia: "big sausage wraps little sausage."

Miaokou: nutrition sandwich, ding-bian cuo, Li Hu pastry shop.

Jiufen: Auntie A-Gan's taro balls.

Cost Tally

Total: about 6,850 yuan; the average exchange rate while in Taiwan was around 4.63.

Flights + transport + tickets + visa: 3,821

Lodging: about 1,466, averaging 110–120 yuan/night

Food: 1,565, 15.1% of the total

Shopping: 0

The greatest thing travel gives you is that you should go through what you haven't gone through. What's in books will never give you the felt sense of it. Don't walk for fear of falling, don't chase a dream for fear of losing your way — a youth like that is truly pointless.

Impressions

Attractions: the sea is magnificent, and the artsy classics dominate — that's Taiwan's calling card and character. You have to dig slowly to feel the beauty in it.

Humanities: probably the richest in all East Asia, leaving the mainland, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Malaysia in the dust. The people are generally of high quality — warm and nice!

Urban development: broadly, Taipei looks like a tier-2 or tier-3 city; after riding the MRT it feels tier-1; and chatting with locals it feels beyond tier-1.

Food: I'd give it 85 points~ Hard to run into anything bad; but if you don't like sweets, Taiwan will do you in.

Favorite part: ripping around on scooters! If I get the chance to visit Taiwan again, I'll definitely tear it up on the outlying islands! And diving — I fell in love with diving in Taiwan.

What I miss most: the food, the scenery, and the nicest people, plus the almighty 7-Eleven, which answers every prayer — collect tickets, ask directions, use the restroom, withdraw cash, and more. A model for the mainland to learn from.

(Figure in original — "The World Belongs to All.")

In Taiwan, the artsy cell lives in everyone's heart. Even middle schoolers will cram a bit more into their heads just to browse Eslite. It's this cultural atmosphere that sets Taiwan apart and makes it captivating.

Here, a mainland soul and an island's geography seem to make Taiwan better at choosing and treasuring. Whether it's the chance to go back and rediscover culture, or to go find that scene you've long yearned for, it seems everyone has a reason to go to Taiwan.