With my wife, we’re planning a trip to Taiwan in the end of February, mainly to catch the lantern festival.
So given that we. don’t know much people from Taiwan or that have travelled there, I figured I’d ask here for any recommendations on things to do/places to visit/experiences to be had that would be compatible with that time of the year.
The only limitation we have is that we’ll be travelling with a baby just over 1 year old, but we’re otherwise ok with travelling around the country a lot. We’ve heard that travelling by train is the best.
Se yeah, what would be your recommendations for a trip like that? Any essential etiquette things we should be aware of before going to Taiwan?
Thank you very much in advance for any tips or info !
If anyone recommends Alishan, do not go. It’s totally not suitable with a baby that is pushchair bound due to almost zero wheelchair access (it is a mountain, to be fair)
Is it like a hard trek or or just like trails with some amount of slope steps? I ask because we will be travelling with a baby carrier for those kinds of things as long as the trail isn’t too hard.
Like for example, last summer we did some walks with him on the baby carrier down into an old crater (trail had good steps) and then back up the other side. It was a tiring but nice experience, so if it’s not too hard we would be down for it.
l think you should narrow down your question and ask something more specific after you have done a search on this site. There are a lot of threads that give general suggestions about places to visit in Taiwan here already, including during that time of the year and with young children.
Everywhere you go you’ll need to pick it up and get up steps sometimes, but it’s manageable. Not worth going up mountains where the trails are almost all steps though. Alishan is way overrated in my opinion anyway. I don’t know where I’d recommend people to go with a kid.
I don’t have specific recommendations. Just writing to say that I’ve traveled around Taiwan with three kids ages: infant, 2, and barely 3. I used a double stroller and a baby carrier and had fun everywhere. People are generally welcoming and understanding, and nicer shops and businesses (such as large shopping malls or nicer / larger restaurants) often have baby changing tables, feeding rooms, etc.
My only tip: Spend money for nicer hotels and also for taxis, if necessary. It’s worth it. When I tried to save money with a cheap hotel I saw dirty, scary places. The “nice” hotels can be quite nice.
I’m also searching around the forum for some recommendations at the same time.
But I don’t know, I feel that sometimes super open questions like this can get people to give their subjective opinion on what are some “must see/do” and you end up with a lot of varied suggestions because people like different things, which is cool, you know?
what do you normally want in a vacation? I know many that go hiking and camping with little babies. under a year old. just depends on the family. smaller younger babies may limit things a bit, but not by much. as mentioned sarcastically, alishan ain’t.so different than most places i taiwanoutside of the most developed areas. although alishan is by far safer! The only reason not to see alishan is if you are from.somewhere with better coniferous rainforests, like western Cananda. though taiwan is WAY more accessible than anywhere in north america as far as that goes…! it’s all boardwalk and easy walking. carry your baby and you are fine. it’s cold there, for Taiwan but still warm compared to say canada. Depends on the family.
there are people that like cities and crowded areas. there are those that like beaches. some want to mingle with locals, while some want to be left alone to enjoy the scenes.
describe your vibe, and good suggestions will follow
you can possibly see snow today, shoot off to an overcrowded sea of tourism then be half naked on the beach with a bonfire in the same day in Taiwan.
Taiwan is what you make of it. granted,.it can be difficult to navigate online.
My approach would be to first come up with a 10-day itinerary myself (there are tons of Taiwan-travel-related sites out there), then share it here and see if people find it do-able. You will get much more responses and suggestions this way.
Also there are certain things other people should know before you ask for recommendations.
For example
Where will you be based?
What lantern festival events do you plan to visit?
What type of transportation do you prefer (any self-driving or just public transport; only self-help travel or also guided tours?)
The whole island or just part of it?
You prefer the cities or the outdoors?
What type of accommodation (homestay, hostel, 5-star, etc.)
and so on.
I highly recommend you first browse through Nick Kembel’s site. He has done an amazing job over the years compiling all sorts of practical information about traveling in Taiwan (including family travel, based on his own experiences with two kids).
My advice would be for some trips in a large city local transportation. Some travel you would be better off renting a car for a few days or hiring a van with a driver who does tours so you can enjoy the view instead of driving.
Alishan is where I live and you really want a few days and do so mid week and avoid weekends as it’s a traffic jam on weekends. really better to have a car if traveling outside of major cities in my humble opinion
