9D8N Taiwan Trip

Hi, I and my 2 other friends are planning to go 27 Mar to 4 Apr. Please kindly help to look at the below itinery and give some advices.

Day 1 - Taipei (Ximending %26amp; Shilin Night Market)

Day 2 - Taipei (Zhongshan, Zhongxiao Dunhua, Shida Night Market)

Day 3 - Taichung (Sun Moon Lake) ~ How do I go to Sun Moon Lake from Taichung?

Day 4 - Taichung (Lavender Cottage %26amp; Fengjia Night Market) ~ How do I go Fengjia Night Market %26amp; Lavender Cottage (台中縣新社鄉中和村中興街20號)?

Day 5 - Alishan (Fenchihu %26amp; Alishan Post Office) ~ How do I get to these 2 places?

Day 6 - Alishan (View Sunrise %26amp; Alishan Forest Recreation Area - Cherry Blossom) How do I get to the best viewing place for sunrise and cherry blossom?

Day 7 - Taipei (Taipei 101, Wufenpu %26amp; Raohe Night Market) ~ How do I get to Raohe Night Market from Wufenpu?

Day 8 - Taipei (Yangmingshan National Park Flower Festival %26amp; view calla lily) - How do I get to Yangmingshan National Park from Ximending?

Thanks a lot!!!!

Merry

9D8N Taiwan Trip

Day 3 - Taichung (Sun Moon Lake)

From Taichung %26gt; Sun Moon Lake (via Puli)

Take a Nantou bus (南投客運) from Taichung Railway Station to Sun Moon Lake. Fare: NT$200 Travel time: About 2.25 hrs Nantou Bus: http://www.ntbus.com.tw/032.htm

Renyou bus (仁友客運) also serves Taichung to Sun Moon Lake route

Renyou Bus: http://www.rybus.com.tw

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Day 4 - Taichung (Lavender Cottage %26amp; Fengjia Night Market)

From Taichung Railway Station %26gt; Lavender Cottage

Board a Fongyuan bus at the front of Taichung Railway Station. Alight at ”中興嶺” stop and take a short cab ride to Lavender Cottage at Shin-she (新社莊園). Travel time: About 1 hr.

Fongyuan Bus: http://www.fybus.com.tw

Lavender Cottage at Shin-she: http://www.lavendercottage.com.tw/map.htm

From Taichung Railway Station %26gt; Fengjia Night market

Taichung Bus 33, 35 Fare: NT$23 Travel time: About 30 mins

Renyou Bus 22, 25, 45, 125 Fare: NT$26 Travel time: About 30 mins

Of course there are other buses to Fengjia Night market.

Public bus services in Taichung City and outskirts: english.tccg.gov.tw/living.php…

Bus information: travel.tccg.gov.tw/english/05/index.asp…

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Day 5 - Alishan (Fenchihu %26amp; Alishan Post Office)

Chiayi bus to Fenchihu and Alishan: http://www.cybus.gov.tw/timetable.jsp

The Alishan forest rail service linking Fenchihu and Alishan had resumed service from 25 December 2008 according to the announcement in Hangtu Alishan website http://www.ht-alishan.com.tw/news.asp

The rail service linking Chiayi and Fenchihu is still temporarily halted due to landslide.

Please check Hangtu Alishan website: https://ticket.ht-alishan.com.tw/welcome.php

for Alishan forest train schedule, online booking and announcement on when full service would be back to normal.

Alishan Post Office is near Alishan Bus Station.

Please refer to Map of Alishan Forest Recreation Area: eng.taiwan.net.tw/lan/Cht/map/ShowMap.asp…

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Day 6 - Alishan (View Sunrise %26amp; Alishan Forest Recreation Area - Cherry Blossom) Best spots in Alishan to view cherry blossom (mid March ~ mid April) would be Alishan Police Station, Alishan Guest House and Alishan Work Station.

Jhushan Observation deck is the most popular spot in Alishan to watch sunrise.

From Alishan Station %26gt; Jhushan Station to watch sunrise (阿里山←→祝山車站):

Rail timetable and sunrise times: https://ticket.ht-alishan.com.tw/schedule.php (In Chinese)

www.ali.org.tw/chinese/other/03sunrise.php

Fare: Adult -- NT$100 (one-way) NT$150 (return), Child – NT$50 (one-way) NT$75 (return) Travel time: About 30 mins.

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Day 7 - Taipei (Taipei 101, Wufenpu %26amp; Raohe St Night Market)

Raohe St night market is about 10 mins’ walk from Wufenpu.

Map of Wufenpu, Houshanpi MRT Station, Songshan Railway Station and nearby Raohe St Night Market: home.trtc.com.tw/INFO92/Lmap.asp?SID=095

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Day 8 - Taipei (Yangmingshan National Park Flower Festival %26amp; view calla lily)

To get to Yang Ming Shan from XMD, board bus 260 from bus stop outside Ximen MRT Station Exit 3. Fare: NT$30 Travel time: About 1 hr 10 mins. You can also board bus Red 5, 260 from outside Jiantan or Shihlin MRT Stations. Bus Red 5 serves the route between Jiantan MRT Station and Yang Ming Shan. The bus journey takes about 45 ~ 50 mins. Alternatively take MRT train to Beitou MRT Station and transfer to minibus S9 terminating at Zhuzhihu (white calla lily farms) or bus 230 to Yang Ming Shan. Bus journey takes about 35 ~ 40 mins.

9D8N Taiwan Trip

Thanks a lot for your info. I still have some questions so hope you can help me.

1) I have never actually took a public bus in Taiwan so I not familiar with their system there. How do I know which bus stop to alight for Yangmingshan National Park, Lavender Cottage and Alishan and can we use yoyo card for the bus fares?

2) Is it very expensive to take taxi from the airport to Taipei Rainbow Hotel as I and my friends are worried that if we take the airport shuttle bus, we may need to walk quite a distance to reach the hotel.

3) Is it always raining during end of Mar to the beginning of Apr?

Merry

1) For Yang Ming Shan (YMS) National Park, alight at the last stop -- YMS bus terminal. YMS leisure shuttle bus 108 brings you to the many attractions in YMS with 11 designated stops along the bus route. Purchase a NT$60 coupon at the bus terminal for unlimited number of rides for the day on bus 108. Operation hours for bus 108: 0700 to 1730 hrs.

Taipei Easycards (悠遊卡) can be used for rides on Taipei Metro (MRT), Taipei city buses, some Taipei county buses, some railway train stations in Northern Taiwan, ferry rides at Danshui and for payment of car parking charges. Taipei Easycards cannot be used in Taichung and Kaohsiung cities. Each city has its own Easycards for use on the city’s public buses.

For Lavender Cottage in Taichung County, board a Fongyuan bus 東勢－中興嶺－台中 at the front of Taichung Railway Station. Alight at ”中興嶺” stop and take a short cab ride to Lavender Cottage.

For Alishan in Chiayi County, alight at the last stop in Alishan Station.

Uphill by bus from Chiayi Bus Station to Alishan takes 2.5 hrs. Bus fare: NT$214

Chiayi %26lt;–%26gt; Alishan bus schedule: http://www.cybus.gov.tw/timetable.jsp

2) Airport taxis charge according to the meter in addition to a 50% surcharge (highway tolls not included) and provide transport to anywhere in Taiwan. A typical taxi fare from Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport (TTIA) to Taipei city is approx. NT$1,200

Kuo Kuang (国光客运) buses from TTIA to Taipei (桃園機場往台北) terminate near Taipei Main Station. Bus service hour at TTIA is from 0540 to 0030 hrs. Bus service hour at Taipei Main Station is from 0430 to 2320 hrs. Bus frequency: 15 mins interval. Fare: NT$125 (one-way) NT$230 (return) Travel time: About 55 mins. Board a MRT train from Taipei Main Station to Ximen Station (one station stop away). Fare: NT$20 Travel time: 3 mins. Taking a cab from Taipei Main Station to XMD cost about NT$90 ~ NT$100

Kuo Kuang Bus: http://www.kingbus.com.tw

3) Taiwan’s climate, average temperatures and rainfall: …taiwan.net.tw/lan/…

May I know where can I find info on the Yangmingshan Flower Festival and does it need to pay admission fee for it?

I and my friends will be staying at Season Star Home Stay at No.18, Siding, Fanlu Township, Chiayi County 602. May I know how to reach this place and how to travel to Fencihu and Alishan from this place.

Thanks

February and March are the traditional flower season in Yang Ming Shan National Park. The flower festival event is usually held near flower clock and car parking area. Admission is free of charge. The dates for 2009 Flower Festival have not been announced yet. Check out these websites for the announcement:

Yang Ming Shan National Park: http://www.ymsnp.gov.tw

Taiwan Tourism Bureau: eng.taiwan.net.tw/lan/Cht/search/index.asp

Taipei City Govt: http://english.taipei.gov.tw