Taitung City

Understand

Taitung was developed by the Japanese in the early part of the 20th century and they were responsible for the construction of the roads and railway to the area. This in turn brought an influx of Han Chinese settlers into the area that already had several indigenous groups, creating a diverse city of indigenous, Hakka, and Hoklo populations. This uniquely Taiwanese blend is still easily discernible in part because a lot of the recent advances in Taiwan's economy have passed Taitung by. This has prevented Taitung from devouring itself the way more successful cities have. There are still large areas filled with Japanese houses in various states of use and disuse. There are still winding alleyways filled with single-story Chinese-style houses with their unapologetic rustic appearance. There are still neighbourhoods that are largely aboriginal with their own celebrations and unique attributes. One thing that is relatively sparse, however, are 7-Elevens. All this is surrounded by miles of quiet rice fields and orchards. The city has an artistic feel to it and is much more relaxing than other Taiwanese cities.

1 Tourist Information Center, Old Railway Station on Tiehua Rd (on the South side of downtown.), ☏ +886 89 357-131. This might be a good first stop in finding information on any local aboriginal or temple events that are going on, maps and general information.

Getting there

By train By train, Taitung is on the main East Coast express route. From the north, the journey from Taipei takes 5½-7½ hr depending on the type of trains you take. From Hualien, expect about 3 hr. From the south, from Kaohsiung to Taitung on the Southern route, the trip takes from just over 2 hr to a little over 3 hr depending on the type of train. From Tainan, expect about 3 hr.

1 Taitung station (台東車站), 598 Ln 101 Yanwan Rd. The train station is quite a walk from the centre of town, but you can catch a mini-bus from the stop to your right when you leave the station. The driver will likely be familiar with the phrase Taitung Bus Station, which is in the centre. It seems the bus ride is free with an EasyCard (this may only be true if you have used it for the train immediately before). (updated Jul 2019) There are also 2 smaller stations in the city:

2 Kangle station (康樂車站). This is the closest station for the National Museum of Prehistory. (updated Jul 2019) 3 Zhiben station (知本車站). (updated Jul 2019)

By plane By plane, Taitung is served by a local airport with flights to Taipei, Lanyu and Lyudao.

4 Taitung Airport (臺東機場), No.1100, Minhang Rd, ☏ +886 89 362530. 07:00–last flight take off. The airport is accessible within walking distance south-east from Kangle Station. (updated Feb 2026)

By boat 5 Fugang Fishery Harbor (富岡漁港), No. 305, Fugang Street, ☏ +886 8 928 1050. 08:00-17:00. Through its jetties, it serves as the gateway access to Taiwan offshore islands, like Orchid Island and Green Island. (updated Jul 2019)

Getting around

On foot The main part of Taitung is small and compact enough to make walking a pleasant way to explore the city.

By bus There are car and scooter rentals near the train station if you have an international drivers license. If not, you can take a bus or taxi to the city which is some distance from either the train station or the airport. Taitung's public transportation is somewhat limited compared with other Taiwanese cities. There are bus routes, while these are inexpensive, the timetables are in Chinese. The bus 8101 does the Taitung-Sanxiangtal route and can be used for day trips out and back into the city.

By bicycle Bicycles are a good alternative form of transportation and can be rented at several locations beach side, or near the entrance to the Forest Park at the north end of Jhongshan Rd. For excursions to the attractions on the outskirts of town a taxi may be your best option. Taxis are quite plentiful around the Old Railway Station downtown (near the intersection of Guanming Rd. and Sinsheng Rd.)

See

1 National Museum of Prehistory (國立臺灣史前文化博物館), 1, Buowuguan Road, Fengtian Village, ☏ +886 89 381-166, fax: +886 89-381199. 09:00-17:00 (closed M). In the 1980s and 1990s, a team of archaeologists from National Taiwan University excavated over 1,500 stone coffins and more than 20,000 stone and pottery artifacts belonging to the Peinan culture. This museum is dedicated to this discovery and is located a few kilometers from the actual archaeological site. It also houses an extremely in depth exhibit on the current aboriginal groups in Taiwan. Outside the Museum building there are beautifully sculpted grounds and garden area. NT$100 (main museum), NT$30 (Peinan cultural park); discounts for students and groups. (updated Apr 2025) 2 Taitung Art Museum. (updated Jan 2020) 3 Taitung Story Museum. (updated Jan 2020) 4 Beinan Cultural Park (卑南文化公園), Wenhuagongyuan Rd., Nanwang Village, Taitung City, ☏ +886 89 233-466. 09:00-17:00 (closed M). Associated with the Museum of Prehistory the Beinan Cultural Park contains the largest and most important prehistoric archaeological site in Taiwan. Beyond the archaeological site the park also consists of beautiful grounds with a commanding view of the surrounding area. Tours in Chinese begin twice a day at 10:00 and 15:00. English tours must be planned in advance. Free admission (except visitor center: NT$30). 5 Moving Castle. (updated Jan 2020) 6 Taitung Railway Art Village, Tiehua Rd (鐵花路) (at the old railway station). Taitung City converted several buildings of the old railway station into an exhibition space for local artists and artist in residence.. Taitung Culture and Tourism Center, 25 Nanjing Rd (南京路), ☏ +886 89 320-339. Two buildings really, one houses the tourism center and library. The other has exhibition spaces, one of which houses the Aboriginal Artifacts Exhibition. 7 Tianhou Temple, Jhonghua Rd. (one block south of Sihwei Rd 1st Section). While there are seemingly temples on every block this one dedicated to Ma

Do

1 Liyushan Park (鯉魚山公園), Next to the old train station, on the southwest side of downtown. With its trails and lookouts Liyu Shan offers a panoramic view of Taitung. Also, Long Feng Tower near the monastery gives a great panoramic view of the city.

Islands Green Island – A quite beautiful island off the east coast near Taitung, featuring one of the world's few saltwater hot springs. 2 Orchid Island (蘭嶼). (updated Jul 2019)

Festivals Bombing of Master Han Dan, All over Taitung, but at night on Nanjing Rd. On the 15th of the first lunar month (right after Chinese New Year) is the Festival which in Taitung is played out with a unique and spectacular display known as the Bombing of Master Han Dan. In the course of this display a man wearing nothing more than a pair of shorts and a face mask stands upon a sedan chair while onlookers lob strings of lit firecrackers at him. It is unique to Taitung and a must see. Makapahay, Throughout Taitung City, Taitung County, and the East Coast. Every mid-July several aborigina