Traveling with your kids is expensive, but it will be one of the most precious presents you can give. If you are looking for an international destination aside from Hong Kong to visit as a family that is not costly, I recommend Taiwan. Taiwan is not just pocket-friendly but I find the country, child and family-friendly.
I don’t bring my kids to places I haven’t been to and Taiwan is where all of us in my family of four, are first-time visitors. To my fellow moms who are planning their vacation to Taipei and its nearby cities or those looking for the best 72-hour itinerary in Taiwan, hope this helps.
Note: Before traveling with your kids, you may want to avail a travel insurance.
Day 1: Arrival and Settling In
Based in Iloilo, that means we have to fly via Manila or Cebu (AirAsia will start serving Kalibo-Taipei in March 2019). We flew via AirAsia from Cebu to Taoyuan International Airport in Taipei.
My first time to fly from the new Mactan Airport.
Tired from our land trip from Iloilo but we made it to our flight. Hello, Taiwan!
Though communication was a challenge (I don’t speak Chinese), transit from the airport to our hostel – 4Plus Hostel– was a breeze. From the airport, we took the bus to Taipei Main Station and then took a taxi to our hostel.
When planning your itinerary especially with kids, don’t plan an activity that has a fixed schedule on your first day. Most flights are delayed or you may get lost along the way. One thing I’m sure of, you will be all tired. It is best to keep your itinerary for the first day flexible.
After we checked in, we took long showers and had a good afternoon nap. Recharged, we started exploring our neighbourhood. Again, no fixed schedules. I like to see our area and get acquainted with Taipei.
We walked until we reached the nearest station from our hostel – Shandao Temple Station – visited the temple and had a glimpse of Taipei101 from the distance. We continued walking and stumbled upon one of the most popular attractions in Taipei – Huashan Cultural and Creative Industries Park.
Taiwan was under Japanese rule from 1895 until the end of WWII and there are many sites that date back to Japanese times. Huashan 1914 Creative Park used to be a winery and now it is a hub of dining, film, and other attractions. From the looks of it, I think this is one of the places were locals go to in Taipei.
Because we had more time to spare and right before dinner, I decided to go to Shilin Night Market. There are many night markets in Taipei but Shilin is the most popular and it was closer from our location. We took a taxi and it was a comedy how the driver corrected my pronunciation of “Shi”. haha! More on how to deal with language barriers in Taiwan.
One of the entrances of Shilin Night Market, this is just a few steps away from Jiantan Station ( nearest station from Shilin Night Market).
At first we only saw few food stalls that I started thinking, “This is it?“. The drizzling rain didn’t help either. So just walk and walk and we got the right turn and saw plenty of food stalls. Liam had the best time at the night market that he requested for night markets every time.
We ate from grilled wagyu to Octopus tentacles. And unlimited milk tea. Burp! Bringing the kids to the market was one of my concerns, I asked online – some said, it is fine while some said never to bring. But I guess, it is totally fine to bring kids. Kids need to be exposed to real-life hustle (Taiwan is safe anyway).
With heavy tummies and damped from Taiwanese rain, we called it a day.
Day 2: Out and About with Taipei Sightseeing Bus
I highly recommend parents to book your tour with Taipei Sightseeing Bus – it really made a big difference on our trip. Since it was our first time, with two kids and no knowledge of the Chinese language, joining this tour bus in Taipei was a great decision.
Taipei Sightseeing Bus has two routes and there are 20 stops covering not just Taipei’s top tourist attractions but giving you quick access to popular areas like shopping.
To maximize our day, we went straight to Taipei Main Station (where the first bus stop is) for the first trip – 9:10am.
The Red House
Formerly a theater house, specifically for Peking Opera during the Japanese colonial period, this octagonal building is located one of the busiest streets of Taipei – Ximen. A few steps from Ximen Station, The Red House now showcases the history of Taipei. You can also buy some souvenirs here.
Ximen is known for shopping. Some opt to stay in hotels and cheap hostels in Ximen for easy access to shops and dining venues.
Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall
Always on each Taipei itinerary is the memorial hall of Generalissimo Chiang Kai-Shek. Covering a total of 24 hectares, this immense area is Taiwan’s tribute to their founding father. To each of his own, I always bring my kids to historical places. I want them to love history and travel makes it easier to teach them as well as making it less boring to learn history.
Though it was drizzling (Taiwan as I read is a rainy country), the open space was great for kids as I tell them the story of how Chiang Kai-shek, leader of the Chinese government Koumintang forces retreated to Taiwan after his defeat from the Communist leader Mao Zedong during the Civil War. Chiang Kai-Shek founded the Republic of China, hoping to return to mainland China but we all know he never realized his dream. However his legacy of what it today’s Taiwan is beyond commendable.
This part of Chinese history is one of the most difficult (from a challenging East Asian History subject) topics when I was finishing my History degree from UP. Made me think, it could have been easier for me to analyze everything if I traveled. Well, that’s why I want my boys to see the world.
Don’t miss the changing of the guard as well and see the colossal statue of Chiang Kai-shek. The memorial hall also has concert halls and gardens. If you have plenty of time, feel free to wander around and go on a slow travel. The gate is also lit at night, giving the area a different regal feel.
Shilin Official Residence
Right after his memorial hall, we proceeded to Chiang’s official residence when he was on exile. I was expecting a more Chinese-style residence, but it was a typical Western-style home with large gardens. Because it was Monday, the main house was close but we got to roam around and see some garden. It gave me a chance to imagine how the great leader spent his life on exile.
My boys brought these home.
An interesting structure within the residence compound is this pavilion Chiang built in memory of his mother. It is quite slippery and the steps are narrow. The pavilion is simple but it has great views, but the most notable is how a powerful man still yearns for this mother.
National Palace Museum
Most of Taipei’s attractions are walking distances from train stations except for the National Palace Museum. I’m not a pro when it comes to buses, that’s why I only travel by train or taxi. Glad we took the Taipei Sightseeing Bus – this is the last stop for the hop on/hop off Taipei Bus.
The National Palace Museum is home to 700,000 pieces but the interesting story is how these treasures where transported by land and sea from China to Taiwan. Chiang ordered it for safekeeping, fearing the communist will just destroy them.
Due to some miscommunication, we failed to get to the Palace. My contact was currently out when I arrived leaving no instruction to the reception area. I only read their response later that day but we were too pressed for time.
I was a little bit disappointed because I really wanted to see one of the best museums on the world and ancient Chinese artifacts. But I guess, there’s a reason and one of them is our lack of time. That only means, I have to go back to Taipei and finally immerse myself with ancient Chinese history.
Taipei Expo Park-Maji Square-Baoan Temple
After hopping on to Taipei Sightseeing Bus from the National Palace Museum, we proceed to Taipei Expo Park. Across it are other attractions and museums as well like Taipei Fine Arts Museum. We came here to have a late lunch at Maji Square.
I really wanted to go to Lin An Tai Ancestral House and I read online that it is close to this area. However, I thought it would take time to find it but I’m glad I spotted temples within the area. We followed road directions and found one of the most popular temples in Taipei – Baoan Temple.
We passed by this temple while on a bus from the airport going to Taipei Main Station and I was attracted to its unique design. Close to it is the Confucius Temple, but again it was close every Monday.
We went inside and walked around. We tried our best to be discreet and be respectful to such holy site – thankfully, the locals and the worshippers were nice to us. We watched as believers offered prayers and some rituals.
It was almost 4pm that we reached back to Taipei Expo Park and missed Taipei Sightseeing Bus by a few seconds ( we went to the wrong bus stop). We took a taxi back to Ximen and walked around, spotted some renovated Japanese heritage structures and then took another taxi to the Presidential Palace.
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We then took another taxi to Ximen Station to catch the Taipei Hop on-Hop Off Bus going to our last destination.
Taipei 101
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I guess we unintentionally saved the best for last – Taipei 101. Lived for a short time in Japan, I thought it is just another tall building like Yokohama’s Landmark Tower but Taipei 101 is one beautiful edifice. With the lights, it is not just any skyscraper that used to hold the record of the world’s tallest building.
We took some time to admire its aesthetics and went inside filled with luxury shops. We had our dinner at their food court, where friendly locals helped us find the right place to queue.
If the weather is fine, you can go to the observatory and have a great view of Taipei. On the other hand, you can try to squeeze in hiking to Elephant’s Trail (we skipped due to time and weather constraints) to get that iconic shop of Taipei 101.
It was past 8pm that we took the Taipei Sightseeing Bus again from Taipei 101 stop to the nearest stop from our hostel – Huashan Cultural and Creative Industries Park.
It was a long day yet productive as we practically visited all major attractions in Taipei. Thanks to our friends from Taipei Sightseeing Bus for giving us passes – it made a big difference. We covered plenty of attractions within a single day without the rush or fast paced sightseeing kind, like what I experienced when I went to Hong Kong and Macau (though it was ultra fun with my college friends).
Note: Other family-friendly attractions in Taipei are Taipei Zoo and the Gondola.
Day 3: Day Tour to Shifen and Juifen
Another good thing about visiting Taipei is the wide choices of day tours that is still convenient and comfortable even when tagging your kids along. Like most first time visitors, I decided to visit the most popular day trips from Taipei – Shifen and Juifen.
I will write a separate blog on our trips to Shifen and Juifen including how to get to Shifen and transportation from Taipei to Juifen and vice versa. I strongly recommend though that you just book a bus tour to avoid getting lost and to make sure you’ll make back to Taipei at your most preferred time 🙂
Shifen
Home to one of the most beautiful waterfalls, also dubbed as their own Niagara Falls, Shifen is a tourist magnet. Taiwan is a mountainous country and in Shifen, you will travel to the smaller towns and see the countryside of Taiwan without going too far from the capital city.
Shifen is a mining town and still kept some of their history where Japanese built railroads and tunnels. There are two main attractions at Shifen – Pingxi Railroad and the Shifen Waterfalls.
As soon as you alight the train, you will be tempted to eat (again!).
Scenery is nice with gorges and rivers. I thought this is the famous bridge that leads to Shifen Waterfalls.
We took a taxi from the main exit of Pingxi Station to Shifen Waterfalls (NT$100 one-way). From there, you have to walk. It is not long or treacherous but be careful if you have strollers or traveling with seniors. There are many trails as well and we just took the easiest one.
Shifen Falls is well-planned and maintained. Food stalls, viewing areas, and comfort rooms. It is quite beautiful. We didn’t stay long because we have to go to Juifen and then back to Taipei. We took another cab back to Pingxi and did one of the most touristy thing ever – the Sky Lantern.
We did it just for the kids but if you can skip this, skip it.
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We went back to Pingxi and almost missed the train. We made it to Riufang Station to catch the bus to Juifen.
Jiufen
Our bus slowly climbed the mountains of Taiwan and I was amazed how there were people who used to live in such remote villages. Juifen has an interesting history and a hot spot for Japanese mining, specifically gold.
The bus driver again was very helpful, tried his best to talk to us in English (me in “sign language) when I asked where is the bus stop going to Taipei. Once you get out of the bus, you will feel a different cold breeze. Don’t mind the crowd, Jiufen is located up and up in the mountains!
Again, I went there only for this – Spirited Away!
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I just can’t skip Juifen and I’m glad we didn’t. The best part is enjoying tea at the tea house. It would have been better if we have plenty of time but it was the best way to end our Taiwan trip.
Bought some souvenirs like No Face Pen and nougats and buying Taiwanese sausages before going to the bus stop bound for Taipei.
Bus ride to Taipei was highly convenient and I felt relieved that we never got lost throughout our journey. It was really my main concern. Good thing my boys ( husband included) were all well-behaved. haha.
Taiwan is easy to navigate with plenty of information online but if you have children or if you want to be totally relaxed, join a tour group like booking this bus going from Juifen to Ximen (Taipei)
Departure
The next day, we left our hostel on a cold January morning and took a cab to Taiwan Airport MRT. This is one superb facility Taiwan has – a dedicated MRT and Bus Station for their airport. This is something new and I love the color scheme – purple 🙂
Taiwan is a great place to visit even for those who haven’t traveled abroad. With visa waived as of the moment for Filipino tourists, it is time to visit the amazing island of Taiwan.
Are you excited to visit Taiwan? Check out some hotel deals below!
Thanks for reading!
3 Comments
Thanks for sharing! Such a big help in our trip to Taiwan
Amazing writing as usual. I wished you have another chance to visit other part of Taiwan with the family. May be plan a two.week trip will allow you enough time to cover the whole island or one week to deeply explore Taipei and its surrounding.
Yes, I wanted to explore Taiwan more like Taroko Gorge. What places do you suggest? Thanks Mike!