Yilan Itinerary 3d2n

A few years ago, the construction of the Shue mountain tunnels cut the winding 3 hour journey down to 50 minutes so Yilan is now a popular destination for the city folk of Taipei to get away. 

Imagine Yilan county as a waning crescent moon. Luodong is a city in the center of Yilan County. The city of Yilan is a bit to the north and Jiaoxi is even more north, but towards the mountains. Toucheng  is a bit further north, but closer to the coast. Su-ao is south of Luodong, close to the coast. Railway connect each of these cities.  

We rode the capital bus company bus from City Hall to the city of Luodong. The ride was beautiful as we pierced through mountains and traveled across valleys on super highways. The bus even had free wifi. As soon as we got on the bus, we headed towards the back so that we could have the whole row of seats to ourselves. Nathan brought a few cars and between looking out of the window and playing with his cars, the trip ended quickly. 

 We had made previous arrangements with the minsu (B&B) to check in early. This place was perfect for our family.  More details about the place can be found here. Child Fun Tong Wan B&B The best part about it was that there were toys there for us  Nathan to play with. The owner even provided us with a baby bath tub.

 The owner gave us a map of Luodong, which also had the free tourist shuttle schedule on it. We used this bus as much as possible, but it only ran about once every 45 minutes. So after we ate lunch and the children took their naps, we took the shuttle to the train station and talked with the lady at the information desk. She is super helpful in providing tips for touristy things in Yilan, not just in Luodong. We decided to go check out the beach, so we rode the train to Toucheng and hailed a taxi to the beach. Normally there is a free shuttle bus that takes you from the station to the beach, but it stops at 4:00.

 Make sure you take a picture of the train schedule so that you can time your trips and not be waiting around for the next train because you just missed the last one.

The taxi fare was about $200NT out. Make sure you ask for a taxi number so that you can get back into town if the shuttle isn't running. 

 
There's a little cafe, along with showering and changing facilities at the beach. The weather was a bit on the cool side, otherwise we would've changed into our beach gear and spent more time in the water. But it was fun for us to dip our feet in the waves as they washed towards the shore.

 We arrived back to Toucheng and asked the taxi driver where a good place to eat was. He was very nice and pointed out restaurants that were close and we stopped when one sounded good. Both taxis that we rode had beehives hanging from from the rear view mirror. I asked the first taxi why he had one hanging and he explained that his taxi is like the hive with passengers coming in and going. Interesting.

Our train arrived back to Luodong and we had just missed the local free shuttle so we decided to walk back. Not too bad of a walk 20 minutes (if you don't get lost), and you can walk through the night market on the way back to the B&B.

After a restful night of sleep, we decided to tackle the Wufenchi waterfalls early in the morning. (Most places in Yilan open at 9 am as opposed to 11 am in Taipei). We rode the same train to Jiaosi and waited for a shuttle bus (not free) to take us to the Wufenchi scenic area. Here is the highest of the 3 waterfalls.

 Here is the first waterfall.

It's quite a beautiful hike. There are ferns, flowers along the way as you follow the river up the mountain. It's all steps, so you don't have to worry about a toddler tripping over random rocks. There's even rest spots along the way.

 When you get back down and have some time to kill (while waiting for the shuttle bus) you can definitely hang out by the river.

 Jiaoxi is also known for their hot springs, so if you have the time, be sure to go and take a nice relaxing soak. We were contending with nap time so we booked it back to Luodong. Ideally, we would've stopped in Yilan for lunch and spent some time looking at the cool little statues that they have at the train station.

That evening, we went to the night market and had dinner there. We rode the shuttle there and made a 20 minute walk back to the B&B.

 If you don't quite like stinky tofu, you should try these tofu fries. They are stinky tofu, but they are way mild and you can get them drizzled with different sauces from nacho cheese, honey mustard, to Thai chili sauce.

The next morning, we decided to go to the National Center for Traditional Arts. We were going to go to the crayon factory, but since there was not public transportation to it, we would have to taxi it and the fare in addition to the entry ticket was just not worth it for 1-2 hours of fun. There were different shows ranging from silly opera, to traditional Chinese instruments that occurred throughout the day. For the year of the sheep, there were Shaun the sheep themed things everywhere! 

I wish we went when it wasn't rainy because everything looked so beautiful, like a botanical garden; we could see it, but just couldn't get out to it. 

 The main attraction is a row of shops that feature traditional craft items and goods. Most of them have demos, with sections of DIY things to make.

Unfortunately, it was raining that day, otherwise we could've taken a boat to visit the Dongshan township. The lady at the Luodong information center gave me the bus and boat schedules. 

We had lunch at the center and called it a day. We were originally planning on traveling south to Suao cold springs to soak in the carbonated springs, but we were just not in the mood to make a bunch of transfers in the rain to get there. We decided that we would just save that for another trip;

If you didn't have kids that napped, you probably could do all of these activities in 2 days and if you had a car, one day, but we were in no rush and just took our time. There's a lot of things to do in Yilan, but we tried to pick things that would be interesting to both our children and us. If I were to make the trip again, I would actually come to Yilan the first couple of days to help with the jetlag. Things here are more outdoor oriented and places open earlier (no waiting around until 11, like in Taipei).

Toddler-Friendly Travel Guide to Taipei

We just came back from a month-long trip to Taipei. While there are many blogs that have been written about traveling with children, I found none that catered specifically to preschool aged children, so I'm going to put my 2 cents in. Being a little island in the Pacific ocean, the weather in Taipei can be pretty temperamental. One day you experience heavy rains, and the next day is clear and sunny. I will put in my notes whether or not each "activity" is suitable for rainy days.

Breastfeeding in public is not as widely accepted as it is in the U.S. If you must do so, make sure you have a nursing cover. Most places have designated rooms for you to nourish your little one, equipped with water fountains and couches, but don't be too surprised if people give you looks when you are nursing in public.

Oh, also on a side note, your parenting skills will be judged and corrected by older women. I tend to be pretty relaxed on letting my children be "explorers" but several times people have come up to me and said, "you shouldn't let him do that, he is too young." Also, Taiwanese people wear light jackets when it is 70 degrees, so don't be surprised if people constantly hound you about not having socks on your 8 month old baby when it is 80 degrees outside. Just remember, they only have good intentions.

When you arrive in Taipei, plan on using the super convenient MRT system. If you are staying close to a station, great, but you may have to take a bus or walk about 15 minutes to get to the nearest station. Google maps does a great job to help you find bus routes to take you where you need to go. I recommend that you save this map on your phone, or pick up a paper map at any station.

Tips for riding MRT.
1. If you are carrying a stroller, the first car of the trains are usually the least crowded. The last one is as well, but I find that the first one, with designated spots for wheelchairs is usually the best one to get on.
2. Taiwanese people are super helpful and nice. Traveling with 2 young children, I have always had a seat offered to me. I've even had people take the hand of my toddler to help him up a bus, or had someone take my stroller down a flight of steps for me.
3. Not all exits will have an escalator or elevator, but all stations will have at least one of these. Look at the maps to find a suitable exit.

In Taipei
1. Brown Wenhu Line 
This line is mostly above ground and terminates at the Taipei Zoo. Try to find a seat in the first car and get a 270 degree view of the city.

• Taipei Zoo: Most of the people riding this route either go to the zoo, or the hospital that is a few stops ahead of the zoo. This zoo is wonderful in that they have a wide assortment of animals in cage-free habitats. Since this is outdoors, I would advise that you visit it on a cloudy day. Strollers are available for rent at $50NT (with a $1000NT deposit) and the information desk has bug spray for the kids in case you forget yours. There are various restaurants throughout the zoo and plenty of beverage vending machines for your little ones to throw tantrums over.  
  -The zoo opens at 9 am and you can use your "yo-yo" card to avoid having to stand in line for tickets. $60NT for adults, $30NT for children, pre-school children are free.
  Go when it first opens and either grab lunch there, or if you can wait 30 minutes, you can visit Maokong and eat at the top of the cable-car ride.
  -Tip: When you go in, get on the train and ride to the back of the park for $10NT per person, then walk your way to the beginning of the park. 

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  No cages here!

• Maokong Gondola: Cable cars that take you up Maokong mountain. This is about a 30 minute ride. Starting from Taipei Zoo Station, walk about 5-10 minutes to the Taipei Zoo Maokong station, or if you are inside the zoo, you can ride a train to get to the Taipei Zoo South Station. Just note that if you are renting a stroller from the zoo, you must return it before you get on the cable cars.
  -There are 2 types of cable cars, normal ones and glass-bottom ones. The line for the glass bottom ones are always longer, but wait for the ride down to ride those, because the line for those are relatively much shorter then. At the top there is a small food court with typical Taiwanese street food.
  -If your children don't take naps, you can walk and look around the tea plantations and visit the tea visitor center. Our kids still nap so we pretty much had lunch and then headed back to the city. 

  

  Breezy once you get out of the station. 

2. Tamsui-Xinyi Red Line

This line has two trains that terminates at different stations, so be sure to ride the correct one if you are headed to anywhere past Beitou. On the way to Tamsui, if you have a train enthusiast, be sure to have them look for the train depot. 

• Tamsui: At the end of the red line is the Tamsui station. There you have Tamsui old street, which is a market with various vendors and parallel to it is a boardwalk with more vendors. Take one street going away from the station and return via the other.

Quail eggs from the old street.

Giant cones you can get in various flavors. You can get tall or extra tall.

Ferry to Bali from Tamshui

Playground on Bali

 

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  -This place gets crowded around 3-6, so if you come then, almost all the stores will be open, but don't come before noon. We arrived around lunch time and just snacked as we walked. Towards the end, you will see a few docks with ferries to Dali and Fisherman's Wharf. We only traveled the 8 minute ferry ride to Dali this time and there, we found more boardwalk stores. If your kids are older, there are little 4 person bicycle carts for you to rent, but we decided to just walk since our kids are so young. There's a playground for the little kids and an education center that you can visit. I think it is best to go when it is cloudy, but it is definitely not suitable to go when it is raining beyond a light mist.
  
• Jiantan: The Science Museum and Astronomical Museum. Both of these museums are right next to each other and once you get out of the station, there are buses that take you directly to the area in front of these museums. Both museums are very hands on, interactive and the exhibits seem sturdy enough for toddlers. They are even encouraged to simply button smash at more complex exhibits. (I was stopping Nathan from button smashing and a worker told me that it is ok, let him explore his way). 

  

  Huge marble run right outside the doors. Entertained the older kid while I nursed the young one.

  
  

  

  Button smashing heaven!

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  

  IMAX theater. Be sure to ask for English headphones at the ticket counter unless you are prepared to sit through these movies in Mandarin.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  The science center has a food court inside. The one downstairs has a better selection, but I don't remember the space center having one. So, if you aren't restricted by naps, you can go visit both in one day. We ended up making 2 separate trips to the area so that we could fully experience both museums in the morning.
  Also, the new amusement park is also in the same area, but we didn't go because our guys are too small.
  
• Chang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall: You can climb to the top and see the changing of the guards every hour. There are lots of people there to see this and the crowds clear out quickly afterwards.  This is definitely a clear day visit. Visit in the morning and then head somewhere afterwards for lunch. You can spend about 1.5 hours there. 
  
  
  
  
  
   -My son's favorite thing to do there was to feed the giant koi fish in the gardens that are located to the right of the memorial (if you are facing it). You can purchase tubes of fish food from a little fish machine for $10NT. Beware of the pigeons that are perched on the branches above. 
• Da-an Park: This is a huge park and is the "lungs" of Taipei. We didn't get to go, but if you are close, I'd suggest that you go. My son was happy to play at the playground near where we were staying. Taipei has many playgrounds throughout different neighborhoods. Make sure you scope out a close one to take your kiddos to when they wake up before businesses open (typically 10 or 11 am) or after nap time, before dinner, when you that awkward 2 hours to kill. 

3. Songshan-Xindian Green Line

• Nanjing Sanmin Station: The Living Mall. This place opens at 10 or 11. It's a giant sphere shaped mall that is a block away from the station. The main levels include a skating rink on the 8th floor, a baby spa on the 6th floor (where babies float around with a floatie around their neck), and 2 pay to play areas on the 7th floor. The aquatic area is an ocean themed playground for younger kids and baby boss is job themed for slightly older kids. We didn't have our kids go in because we were going to travel in a few days and didn't want them to pick up any germs. Throughout the mall are stores where you can get any kid-related goods possible. There is also a food court with plenty of seating, and a movie theater. 
  
  
  
  
• Before you head out, be sure to stop by the famous Chia-Te bakery and pick up a box of their award winning pineapple cakes. The pastry layer is thin and the pineapple filling is perfect. They run about $28NT per cake. 

4. Zhonghe-Xiniu Yellow Line

• Jingan Station: From here, you can take a bus that takes you to "Windows on China" or xiao ren guo, as known by the locals. This is a amusement park best for kids who are taller than 3 feet or 90 cm. That height will get you on about 80% of the rides. The beginning of the park has a bunch of well landscaped models of different structures found in Taiwan, China, and once you ride a mini train to the other side, you can see well known Japanese, European, and American landmarks. On the other side is also where you will find the amusement park.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  There is also an indoor area with a play structure (bring socks), a boat ride, carousel, indoor roller coaster, and bumper cars to entertain you if it is rainy outside. My son, who barely made the 90 cm requirement LOVED this experience. It opens at 10am, so plan to spend at least 3-4 hours there.
  
• Xinzhuang: Night market. I am recommending this night market for if you have kids because it is not as crowded as the other more popular markets in Taipei. This is located a bit out of the way in New Taipei (suburb of Taipei). Most food stalls have seating area so you won't have to worry about your toddler poking themselves with a skewer. At the end of the market is a pretty cool temple that you can also check out. 

5. Bannan Blue Line

• Xinpu: Ling Family Mansions and Gardens. This place has been recently remodeled (within the last 5 years or so) and now is free for visitors. While it is not terribly stroller friendly, we got through it with 2 adults picking up the strollers to cross foot thresholds and up stairs. 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  The garden area is great to let older toddlers run around and overall is a great place for them to experience what how other people used to live. We saw a kid feeding fish there, but didn't see any fish food vending spots. We may have missed them, but if you happen to go somewhere, buy an extra tube for the fish here.
  
• Ximen: Ximending Area. This is a pretty hip area with lots of things to see. This was one of the spots where we started and ended our MRT journeys, so we've been here a lot. There are lots of shops, and bubble tea places.
  
• Taipei Main Station: We visited this station 2 times. Once to travel to Keelong, to go to its night market, and the other time we decided to stop there for lunch at one of its many underground malls. The one between Taipei Main station and Zhongshan is actually the better one so don't waste your time at any of the other 7 (not kidding) underground malls accessible from that station. Also, at the station, you can get these deliciously light cheesecakes for $199 NT. But they only make 10 cakes every 12 minutes, so be prepared to stand in line for these puppies. 
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Taipei City Hall: Eslite bookstore. On the 5th floor of this shopping center is a huge children's bookstore that you can spend some time reading on a rainy or hot day. Surrounding the bookstore are baby-toddler geared stores that also have crafts area for older kids. Like most shopping centers, this place opens at 11, so head over at opening, read for a little bit and then head downstairs to the basement for some lunch. You can also visit the shopping center that is attached to the MRT station and shop at Muji or Uniqlo. Tip: Bring your U.S. passport and get a 10% discount off your purchase at the bookstore.
  
• Taipei City Hall: If you are visiting Yilan County, this is a good spot to board the express buses to Yilan. I'll have a separate post for Yilan. 

So there you have it. These are the tried and true places to visit with little ones if you are visiting Taipei for a few days. I found the trip to be very enriching for my 2.5 year old, as he got to experience a lifestyle very different from his life in Austin suburbia. He loved the hustle and bustle, the foods on a stick, and most of all, traveling on buses and trains. He disliked all the different smells, the crowds, and choice of breakfast foods. 

The jetlag, I'm not going to lie, is going to be rough. especially with 2 kids. So my best advice is just to go with the flow and sleep when they sleep. 

A few of the other places that I wanted to go to, but just didn't get to include Songshan cultural and creative park, Xinyi foundation read and play, and riding the jiji small rail line. Feel free to post your experiences below in the comments.