Taipei 2026

October 20–27 · 8 Days

A recreated itinerary with optimized timing — from red-eye flights and night markets to Alishan sunrises and Jiufen lanterns.

MNL → TPE Longshan Base THSR Pass

Day 1 Oct 20–21 NT$1,976 (~PHP 3,560)

Flight to Taipei + Banqiao + Ximending

Red-eye from Manila · Longshan Airbnb

8:00 PM Meet at NAIA Terminal 3 ▼

Check in, boarding pass, immigration. Prepare beforehand: online check-in (24–48 hrs before) on CebPac; printed ticket + Airbnb accommodation; E-Travel QR for PH departure; pay travel tax — PHP 1,620

11:00 PM Board plane ▼

Cebu Pacific red-eye flight MNL → TPE

2:00 AM Arrival at Taoyuan Int’l Airport ▼

Pass immigration, baggage claim, withdraw NTD

2:30–3:00 AM Uber / taxi to Longshan Airbnb ▼

No. 7, Lane 72, Section 1, Xiyuan Road, Taipei City 108

12:00 PM David and Alpaca Cafe — Shilin ▼

Prepare for lunch and day tour at Shilin. Afternoon: Banqiao day tour.

4:30 PM Ximending Shopping District — dinner ▼

Neon-lit pedestrian district, street food, shopping, night vibe

Day 2 Oct 22 NT$4,630 (~PHP 8,330)

Yehliu → Shifen → Jiufen

Coastal rock formations · Sky lanterns · Mountain teahouse

7:30 AM Wake up + breakfast ▼

Prepare for full day tour

9:00 AM Leave Airbnb → Longshan Temple MRT ▼

Blue Line toward Taipei Main Station (~10 min)

9:20 AM Bus 1815 → Yehliu (~1h15) ▼

Kuo-Kuang Bus 1815 from Taipei Bus Station (next to Taipei Main Station). Arrive ~10:45–11:00 AM

11:00 AM Yehliu Geopark ▼

Queen’s Head, Mushroom Rocks, Candle Rocks, ocean cliffs, scenic coastal viewpoints. Tip: head straight to Queen’s Head first before the queue gets longer.

12:45 PM Lunch near the harbor ▼

Seafood noodle soup, fried squid, oyster omelet, bubble tea

1:45 PM Travel to Shifen ▼

Bus toward Ruifang, then transfer to Pingxi Railway to Shifen (~1.5 hrs)

3:30 PM Shifen — sky lanterns + waterfall ▼

Release a sky lantern, walk to Shifen Waterfall, eat street snacks, watch the train pass through the old street. Recommended stay: 2 hours

6:15 PM Jiufen — golden hour → night ▼

Tea at a traditional teahouse; eat taro balls, peanut ice cream roll, fish balls, herbal rice cake, grilled king oyster; explore the famous alleyways. Stay until ~8:45–9:00 PM

9:00 PM Bus 965 back to Taipei ▼

Bus 965 stops near Ximen/Taipei Main Station, transfer to Blue Line back to Longshan Temple. Arrive ~10:15–10:45 PM

Day 3 · Optimized Oct 23 NT$2,200 (~PHP 3,960)

Alishan National Forest

Sea of clouds · Forest railway · Giant Tree Trail

Key change: HSR moved from 9:45 AM to 7:30 AM — doubles mountain time from 2h45m to 5+ hours, same arrival home ~11:30 PM

6:30 AM Early wake up + grab-and-go breakfast ▼

Skip the sit-down lunch — eat on the way

7:30 AM HSR to Chiayi (~1h20) ▼

Taipei Main Station → Chiayi HSR. Arrive ~9:00 AM

9:15–10:00 AM Transfer & early lunch ▼

Taxi or HSR shuttle bus to Chiayi TRA Station (15–25 min). Grab Chiayi specialty: turkey rice, fish ball soup, bubble tea

10:00 AM → 12:00 PM Bus 7322 to Alishan (~2.5h) ▼

Sit on the right-hand side for the best mountain views. Arrive Alishan ~12:00–12:30 PM

12:30–6:00 PM Explore Alishan (~5+ hrs) ▼

Giant Tree Trail · Xianglin Sacred Tree · Sister Ponds · Alishan Forest Railway Station · Tea House (authentic Alishan High Mountain Tea) · Souvenir shops

6:00 PM Early dinner on the mountain ▼

Bamboo rice, tea-smoked chicken, mountain vegetables, wild boar sausage, tea ice cream

6:45 PM → 11:30 PM Return journey ▼

Bus 7322 back to Chiayi (~2.5h, arrive ~9:15 PM) → HSR to Taipei (~1h20, depart 9:45 PM) → MRT back to Longshan Airbnb (~11:30 PM)

Day 4 Oct 24 NT$4,300 (~PHP 7,740)

Taipei Classic Tour

CKS Memorial Hall · Taipei Zoo · Elephant Mountain · Raohe Night Market

9:15 AM Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall ▼

CKS Hall, Liberty Square, National Theater, National Concert Hall, Changing of the Guard (check schedule), wide plaza. Blue Line one stop from Longshan.

11:20 AM Taipei Zoo ▼

Giant Pandas, Koalas, Asian Elephants, Tigers, Reptile House, Formosan Animal Area. Explore 11:20–2:30 PM (lunch inside).

3:30 PM Elephant Mountain hike ▼

Short but steep (20–30 min to viewpoint). Taipei 101 panoramic views, Six Giant Rocks. Stay for sunset if clear. Bring water + grip shoes.

6:15 PM Raohe Night Market ▼

Fuzhou pepper pork bun, fried chicken cutlet, grilled squid, oyster omelet, mochi, fresh fruit, bubble tea, shaved ice. Food crawl 6:15–8:30 PM.

Day 5 Oct 25 budget not listed

Taichung & Chung Cheng University

Zhongshe Flower Market · Miyahara · Meteor Garden campus

Note: CCU is in Chiayi County (Minxiong), ~25 min from Chiayi HSR — routing Taichung → Chiayi → Taipei is a smooth HSR continuation, not a backtrack

9:45 AM HSR to Taichung (~1h → arrive 10:45 AM) ▼

Taipei Main Station → Taichung

11:10 AM Zhongshe Flower Market ▼

Seasonal flower gardens, lavender (if blooming), sunflowers, Dutch windmills, photo spots. Explore 11:10–1:00 PM.

1:15 PM Miyahara — lunch + ice cream ▼

Must try: Miyahara ice cream, pineapple cakes. Nearby: beef noodles, braised pork rice, fried chicken.

2:45 PM HSR to Chiayi (~35 min) ▼

Arrive 3:30 PM at Chiayi HSR

3:45 PM National Chung Cheng University ▼

Meteor Garden filming locations: main entrance, campus fountain, tree-lined walkways, administration building, famous campus views, cafeteria (if open). Explore 3:45–6:00 PM.

5:00 PM Dinner in Chiayi ▼

Turkey rice, fish ball soup, bubble tea

8:00 PM HSR to Taipei (~1h30) ▼

Arrive Taipei ~10:45 PM, MRT back to Longshan Airbnb ~11:00 PM

Day 6 · Light Oct 26 budget not listed

Free Day: Beitou & Tamsui

Hot springs · Riverside sunset · Rest day

Rest-day note: Oct 22/23/24 were three consecutive long late days — this plan is deliberately gentle. Pick and choose, or skip entirely.

9:00 AM Sleep in + lazy breakfast ▼

Longshan area — local cafe or breakfast shop

10:30 AM (opt) Beitou — hot springs & culture ▼

Red Line to Xinbeitou Station. Beitou Hot Springs Park (soak or stroll), Thermal Valley, Beitou Public Library. Mild morning.

1:00 PM Tamsui Old Street ▼

Red Line to Tamsui Station. Waterfront stroll. Eat: A-gei, fish ball soup, iron eggs (Tamsui specialty), taro ice cream.

4:00–5:00 PM Sunset at Fisherman’s Wharf ▼

Lover’s Bridge sunset — only if energy allows. Easy Red Line return, early night before the flight.

Day 7 Oct 27 budget not listed

Flight Back to Manila

TPE → MNL

6:00 AM Wake up + breakfast + pack up ▼

Final packing, check out Airbnb

7:00 AM Travel to Taoyuan Airport ▼

Airport MRT or taxi

10:20 AM Board plane → MNL ▼

Goodbye, Taiwan!

Budget & Pacing Notes

Day 1 · Oct 20-21

NT$1,976

Flight + Ximending

Day 2 · Oct 22

NT$4,630

Yehliu · Shifen · Jiufen

Day 3 · Oct 23

NT$2,200

Alishan

Day 4 · Oct 24

NT$4,300

Taipei Classic

Days 5-7

—

Not listed in sheet

Alishan timing (applied): early HSR (~7:30 AM) + grab-and-go breakfast + mountain Bus 7322 by ~10:00 AM → 5+ hrs on the mountain instead of 2h45m, same arrival home (~11:30 PM). If possible, an overnight near Chiayi/Alishan would be the most comfortable option.

CCU location (noted): National Chung Cheng University is in Minxiong, Chiayi County — ~25 min taxi from Chiayi HSR. Routing Taichung → Chiayi → Taipei is a smooth HSR continuation, not a backtrack.

Pacing (noted): Oct 22 (~10:45 PM), Oct 23 (~11:30 PM), Oct 24 (~9+ PM) are three consecutive late days — keep Oct 26 genuinely light.

THSR pass (check): Oct 24 and Oct 26 are all-MRT days (no HSR). If the 3-day consecutive pass window is flexible, activating across Oct 22/23/25 or 23/25/27 may squeeze more value.