Beyond the Main Island: Taiwan's Outlying Islands
Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu, Green Island and more — Taiwan's outlying islands offer beaches, history and unique cultures. A guide to the archipelagos beyond the main island.
Taiwan is more than a single island. Scattered across the surrounding seas are several archipelagos and islands, each with its own landscape, history and character. For travellers who venture beyond the main island, these outlying territories reveal surprising diversity, from windswept battlefields to coral-fringed beaches.
The Penghu Islands, a cluster of dozens of islets in the Taiwan Strait, are known for their beaches, basalt rock formations, traditional stone-walled fields and strong maritime culture. In summer they become a popular destination for water sports and seafood, while their distinctive architecture and windy landscapes give them a character quite unlike the main island.
Kinmen and Matsu lie close to the coast of mainland China and carry a very different weight of history. For decades these islands stood on the front line of Cold War tension, and today their old military tunnels, bunkers and fortifications have become poignant tourist sites. Kinmen is also famous for its well-preserved traditional villages and its potent sorghum liquor, a signature local product.
Off the eastern coast lie Green Island and Orchid Island. Green Island, ringed by clear waters and coral reefs, is a favourite for snorkelling and diving, and is home to one of the world's few saltwater hot springs; it also carries a solemn history as a former site of political imprisonment. Orchid Island is the home of the Tao (Yami) indigenous people, whose seafaring culture, distinctive boats and traditions remain vividly alive.
Reaching these islands is straightforward, with domestic flights and ferries connecting them to the main island. Each rewards visitors with a slower pace and a strong sense of place, whether that means cycling past old villages, diving among reefs or reflecting at a former front-line fortress.
For international visitors, the outlying islands add depth to any understanding of Taiwan. They show that the island's story is not monolithic but plural — shaped by the sea, by conflict, by indigenous heritage and by isolation. To travel among them is to appreciate how much variety is packed into the wider territory that Taiwan encompasses.
