Taiwan Escapade 2025 (April 26-29, 2025)

The Famous Taipei 101

     Taiwan is located just north of the Philippines. Since they started visa-free entry for several countries, including the Philippines, more and more Filipinos are going there for a quick vacation. But aside from the famous Taipei 101, what else can we see there?

Last April, I went to Taiwan for a short tour with my friend from Canada. We were a total of 11 people on this trip. However, we took different airlines since the booking was not done together. I was on the earliest flight—we took EVA Air from Manila, which departed at 5:45 AM. We were already at NAIA Terminal 1 by around 1:00 AM, but the long queues at the check-in counter and immigration took us more than four hours. By the time we cleared immigration, our flight was already being called for boarding. When we finally reached the gate, boarding had just begun, so we didn’t even have time to sit down and rest.

Inside the spacious cabin

It was my first time flying with EVA Air and riding the Boeing 777 aircraft. It was huge and spacious. There was in-flight entertainment, but I chose to sleep for most of the flight. The meal served was enough to fill our stomachs, but nothing particularly special.

Our Inflight Meal

Upon arriving at Taipei-Taoyuan International Airport, we stayed for a bit to wait for the others who took another airline and were arriving at a different terminal. We were at Terminal 2, while our friends landed at Terminal 1. While waiting, we tried our luck at Lucky Land, but unfortunately none of us won. From the airport, we secured our EasyCards and took the airport bus to Taipei Main Station. From there, we walked to our accommodation. Finding our place was a challenge, and the language barrier made asking for directions even harder. Luckily, the guesthouse owner guided us, and we realized we had been standing right in front of the building all along!

Since most of us lacked sleep, and with two more friends arriving later, we decided to take a nap first. Once recharged, we went straight to Ximending Night Market, where we took photos at the famous rainbow crossing and sampled various street food. We also tried the popular Xin Fu Tang Boba Milk Drink, which was definitely worth it.

The next day, we went to Taoyuan City and had lunch at Wow Inasal, a famous Filipino restaurant popular among overseas Filipino workers who miss the taste of home. After our meal, we headed to Gloria Outlets, a shopping haven where you can find international brands at discounted prices. This is where I scored a pair of Puma running shoes for only 1,090 NTD (around ₱1,700 at that time). Back in the Philippines, I saw the exact same pair priced at ₱3,999 in a Puma outlet store! So, if you ever plan to shop in Taiwan, Gloria Outlets is a must-visit.

That same night, we indulged in more local street food—I lost count of how many different snacks I tried! Afterwards, we walked to Carrefour, a 24-hour store, to buy items to take home. We found great bargains, such as Taiwanese noodles and snacks. From there, we took a taxi back to our accommodation to rest and prepare for the next day’s tour.

On our third day, we woke up early for a day tour we booked through Klook. Pickup time was scheduled at 11:00 AM at Taipei Main Station. That morning, it rained, and we were a bit worried it might ruin our plans. Luckily, the rain stopped just as we were about to leave. From our accommodation, we simply walked to the meeting point, ready to start our adventure.

Our bus departed at 11:30 AM, and we went straight to our first destination, the Yehliu Geopark. Here you can find magnificent rock formations facing the sea. These rocks were formed over millions of years by weathering, wave erosion, and geological movement. The park is most famous for its “Queen’s Head” rock formation, which has become a natural icon of Taiwan.

Our next destination was Shifen Old Street, located in Pingxi District. This area was originally built for transporting coal during the Japanese era and is famous for its railroad tracks that run through the middle of the town. Today, it is one of the most popular spots in Taiwan to release sky lanterns, each carrying people’s wishes written on them. From here, we went down to the old railroad track where we flew our lanterns. Aside from lanterns, you can also find various street foods here, including delicious Xiao Long Bao, which we tried.

The Shifen Waterfall

Our next stop was the Shifen Waterfall, often referred to as the “Little Niagara of Taiwan” because of its 20-meter height and 40-meter width, making it the broadest waterfall in the country. On our way here, we had to walk down from the main road and cross a hanging bridge right beside a railroad. We were lucky enough to see a train pass by. It took quite a walk before we finally reached the waterfall. Here, we took some photos and ate the Xiao Long Bao we bought from Shifen Old Street. There are many shops along the way, but we decided to take our time to rest and enjoy the view of the waterfall.

Shifen old street

View from the top

Our final stop was the Jiufen Old Street. This place is located high up in the mountains, so we took some zigzags before reaching our destination. Jiufen is a historic gold mining town that became prosperous during the Japanese occupation. Today, it is best known for its narrow alleyways, traditional tea houses, and the nostalgic atmosphere that inspired the famous Studio Ghibli film Spirited Away. There are many shops and souvenirs here, but we skipped those for now since we decided to have dinner instead. We ate at a local restaurant and enjoyed delicious Taiwanese food. After filling our stomachs, we did some sightseeing while walking back to our meeting point.

 

Once the entire group was complete, we walked to our bus and headed back to Taipei Main Station. We arrived at around 8:00 PM. Upon reaching our place, we organized our things in preparation for the next day’s departure. For dinner, we ate at a nearby Japanese restaurant before bidding goodbye to some of our travel buddies who were taking a red-eye flight back to Manila.

On our final day, we still had enough time to explore since our flight back to Manila was scheduled for late in the afternoon. After checking out, we brought all our luggage with us and headed straight to Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall.

Fact: The Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall is one of Taiwan’s most iconic landmarks, built in honor of the former President of the Republic of China, Chiang Kai-shek. The white structure with its blue octagonal roof symbolizes the colors of the national flag. The memorial is surrounded by Liberty Square, which also houses the National Concert Hall and the National Theater. Inside the main hall, a large bronze statue of Chiang Kai-shek sits prominently, guarded by ceremonial soldiers and accompanied by an hourly changing-of-the-guard ceremony.

From the MRT, Exit 5 of the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall Station leads you directly to the site. Unfortunately, we were unable to explore much since it was too hot that day, so we proceeded to Taipei Main Station and transferred to the Airport MRT.

EVA Air provides convenient check-in and baggage drop services at Taipei Main Station, but we missed the opportunity to use it since we had already entered the platform before discovering it. Thankfully, the airport train offers spacious luggage areas, making the ride comfortable.

At the boarding gate, we were pleasantly surprised to see our aircraft, an Airbus A330, painted with a playful Hello Kitty livery—a special themed design that EVA Air is well-known for. Our flight back to Manila was smooth, and we landed on time.

Although it was a short trip, I enjoyed it a lot. In fact, I booked another flight in October of the same year as a surprise birthday gift for my mom. I also reserved another trip for February 2026, this time to experience Taiwan’s cherry blossom season and share the experience with 13 more friends.

Taiwan may be small, but it is packed with countless attractions and cultural experiences. I will surely return again and again to explore more destinations, such as Kaohsiung, Taiwan’s vibrant southern city. If you’re looking for a perfect mix of modernity and tradition, come and visit Taiwan—especially now while they continue to offer visa-free access for Filipinos and other nationalities.