Discover Taiwan: Nature, Culture and Landscapes

Taiwan offers a wide range of starting points for a trip: an alpine lake with an island in its center, protected landscapes, trails and cultural sites. The national parks showcase different sides of nature, from mountains and forests to sand dunes, beaches and coral reefs. There is also volcanic geography, hot springs, a museum steeped in tradition and the food culture of night markets. When planning your hotel stay, you can consider whether landscapes, activities, culture or food should take center stage.

Landscapes Between Lake, Mountains and Coast

Sun Moon Lake is an alpine lake in Yuchi Township. Lalu Island lies in its center and divides the lake into a crescent-moon-shaped section and a round, sun-shaped section. The island is therefore the reference point for the lake’s characteristic division into two parts: both shapes belong to the same body of water and can be seen as different sides of one place.

Kenting National Park covers 33,268 hectares of land and sea. Its landscape includes mountains, forests, grassland, lakes, sand dunes, beaches and coral reefs. This variety brings very different natural settings together, from forested and open areas to coastal scenery. Yangmingshan National Park offers a different focus. It is the only park in Taiwan with volcanic geography and hot springs, and it is also a place for butterfly watching.

Mt. Jade and the Alishan National Forest Recreation Area also offer clear points of reference for nature-focused travel interests. The main peak of Mt. Jade stands 3,952 meters above sea level and is considered Taiwan’s number-one peak. The Alishan National Forest Recreation Area covers 1,400 hectares; its main tourist area lies at about 2,200 meters above sea level. Its five internationally renowned attractions are sunrises, seas of clouds, afterglow, forests and railways. Alishan thus brings nature and railway sights together, while Mt. Jade is defined by its main peak and its elevation.

Trails and Scenic Experiences

At Sun Moon Lake, the 400-meter-long Shuishang Bikeway connects Shuishe with the Xiangshan Visitor Center. The Lulin Trail is about 1.1 kilometers long and shaded by forest. The two routes differ both in length and in what characterizes them: for the bikeway, the connection and its endpoints are named; for the Lulin Trail, its approximate length and forest shade are highlighted.

A trail from Niumuping leads to Niumuping Bay. At Taroko Gorge and the scenic Liwu River, the Central Cross-Island Highway offers a different perspective: both landscape features can be viewed comfortably from the road. These examples illustrate different ways of including nature in your trip planning—a trail with a named destination, a cycling route and scenery that can be viewed from a road.

Culture, Museums and Night Markets

The National Palace Museum was established in 1965 in Waishuangxi, Taipei, through the merger of two museums. The combined collection comprised 608,985 cultural artifacts. The museum also offers an immersive, magical theater for visitors of all ages. It combines digital interactive technologies with physical teaching aids. The museum’s history thus goes hand in hand with a visitor experience that brings together digital and tangible elements.

Night markets are also part of Taiwan’s food culture. Typical Taiwanese snacks are especially plentiful there, and each night market has its own traditions and distinctive features. If you want to include culinary experiences in your trip, you can consider not only the snacks on offer but also the character of each market. Together with museums and landscapes, night markets offer another way to experience the range of travel interests in Taiwan.

Planning Your Trip

Taiwan has ten national parks and 13 national scenic areas. The places mentioned show how varied travel interests can be: a lake with a distinctive shape, mountains and forests, coastal landscapes, trails, museum history or food culture. If you are looking for hotels for your stay, this selection can help you plan your trip around the experiences that matter most to you.

Discover More Destinations

Discover more destinations: Jinhu, Jinning, Penghu, Chiayi, Dongshan, Hualien, Taoyuan, Kaohsiung, Pingtung, Taipei, Changhua, Miaoli, Nantou, Hsinchu, Yunlin, Yilan, Taitung, Taichung City, Taichung City, New Taipei, Tainan, Jinsha, Xiyu Township, Jian, Keelung.

For the broader travel overview: Asia.