Visit Yilan county from Taipei

Being only 1,5 hours away from Taipei city with public transportation makes the Yilan county the best getaway from the city for a daytrip or overnight trip. Filled with things to do, in Yilan you will find whatever that suits your needs! From hiking in the nature, relaxing on the beach or getting lost in beautiful towns Yilan has it all!

Some of our favourite places in Yilan that we will be discussing :

• Luodong nightmarket
• Jiaoxi
• Waiao/Toucheng
• Guishan island
• Yilan city

Luodong nightmarket

The luodong nightmarket is one of the most famous nightmarkets of Taiwan, this makes it also one of the biggest and most crowded ones of the country. There are many different local specialties to be found like for example the peanut ice cream roll, iced tapioca with red beans, oyster ommelete, herbal soup and many more. Furthermore are there also a lot of stalls that sells clothes and gifts. The nightmarket is located in Luodong township in Yilan. The nightmarket is very close to the Luodong trainstation what makes it easily accessible.

Jiaoxi

Jiaoxi or Jiaosi is known for its ground level hotsprings, this is very rare. Usually people have to drill in the ground to get to the source of hotsprings, in this place are they already ground level. Its believed they are very healthy for the skin. The Jiaoxi hotsprings are the most famous hotsprings to visit in this area. You can also go to the older ones in Tanweigou hotsprings park and they are also a bit cheaper. While being in Jiaoxi visiting the Wufonci waterfalls is also a must do. You can get to Jiaoxi by train or by bus and the hotsprings are located fairly close to the station.

Waiao/Toucheng

This place in Yilan is known for its stunning grey sand beaches and amazing scenery of mountains in the back. Also being a paradise for surfers because its one of the best surfspots closest to Taipei city. Waiao is the place were most surfers stay and they have some cozy surfer bars that are worth the visit.

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Even if you’re not a surfer you can have an amazing time just chilling at the beach. You can stroll around Wushi harbor and take a look at the ships that come in and go. There is also the Lanyang museum where you can learn about the history of Yilan. There is a lot to discover about the communities, fishing, cultivation, animals in the region so its definitely an interesting place.

Guishan island

Guishan island or turtle island is the biggest island of the Toucheng region and has it name because the island looks like a turtle. It also has the only active volcano of Taiwan. You can do a tour to this island and go dolphin and whale spotting around the island. And the tours also offers hikes on the island, walking through military tunnels and stunning cliffs!

Yilan city

Even though Yilan city is not the most popular city of Taiwan, there are still a lot of fun and cultural activities to do in this city! For example you can visit the kavalan whisky blending factory and do some tasting, go to the national center for traditional arts or walk around the Meihua lake. You will certainly have a great time if you come here for a day before exploring the rest of the magnificent Yilan county.