Southern Taiwan

Southern Taiwan, made up of Chiayi, Tainan, Kaohsiung and Pingtung, combining historic sites and street food in the old capital, port-city flavor, the Alishan forests and the Kenting seaside.

Southern Taiwan, following the commonly used five-region division of Taiwan, includes Chiayi County and City, Tainan City, Kaohsiung City and Pingtung County; Penghu is grouped into Taiwan's outlying islands region in this dataset and is not part of this region. Tainan is one of the oldest cities in Taiwan, with a dense concentration of historic sites such as Fort Provintia, Fort Zeelandia (Anping), the Confucius Temple and Shennong Street, and snacks like beef soup and danzai noodles are famous across Taiwan. Kaohsiung is the largest port city in the south, where the Pier-2 Art Center, Cijin, Lotus Pond and Formosa Boulevard Station each have their own character, with Fo Guang Shan in the suburbs. Alishan in Chiayi County is known for its forest railway, sunrises, sea of clouds, sacred trees and high-mountain tea, while Chiayi City is famous for turkey rice. Kenting National Park in Pingtung lies at the southern tip of Taiwan, where the Eluanbi Lighthouse, Maobitou and Nanwan Beach are popular spots, and Xiaoliuqiu offshore is good for snorkeling with sea turtles. A classic route runs from north to south: one to two days up Alishan from Chiayi, two days in Tainan, one to two days in Kaohsiung, then one to two days south to Kenting, for six to eight days. For transport, Kaohsiung International Airport is the main gateway, Taiwan High Speed Rail has stations at Chiayi, Tainan, Zuoying and others, and Kaohsiung has a metro and light rail; to reach Alishan, take the Alishan Forest Railway or a highway coach from Chiayi, and to Kenting you can choose between coaches and self-driving. The sun is intense in the south, so wear sun protection and drink plenty of water; Alishan has big temperature swings between morning and evening, so bring warm clothing, and mountain roads may be damaged after typhoons.

Destinations

Itineraries