How to Get Around Central Taiwan

High-speed rail reaches Taichung from Taipei in under an hour, and the station connects to the conventional TRA line and to buses. This is the easiest way in.

Buses to Sun Moon Lake run from Taichung HSR station in about two hours, frequently and cheaply. Around the lake, a shuttle bus, the boats and bicycle hire cover everything; the ropeway links to the culture village.

The Alishan Forest Railway runs from Chiayi and is an attraction in itself, though sections have been closed by typhoon damage for years at a time — check before relying on it. Buses from Chiayi HSR station are the reliable alternative.

A hire car genuinely helps for the tea farms and the mountain roads, which buses reach slowly. Roads are good but steep, winding, and subject to closure after rain.

Taichung has a new MRT line, extensive buses free for short journeys with an EasyCard, and a bike-share scheme.