Yilan County

城市概覽

Yilan is a county located next to the Taipei metropolitan area. It is famous for its beautiful scenery and Children's Folkore Festival held during the summer.

如何抵達

By bus There are 3 operators that offer frequent and efficient services from Taipei to Jiaosi, Yilan, and Luodong. Some buses are express/direct buses and don't stop at all stops so be sure to confirm your destination before boarding. They also start at different stations.

Capital Star -- Routes start from Taipei City Hall Bus Station at MRT Taipei City Hall Station. Follow the signs and take exit 2. Ticket counters are to the left. There are no reservations, so it's good to arrive early as there is often a small line. You can purchase your ticket on site or use an IC card. Fares are NT$92 to Jiaosi, and $128 to Yilan or Luodong as of April 2017. Schedules are online [1] Kamalan -- Routes start from Taipei Bus Station at MRT Taipei Main Station. It's quite a maze so do your best to follow the signs. Routes also start from Banqiao bus station (served by MRT and rail) and stop at MRT Technology Building Station. You can make reservations and buy tickets ahead of time. Fares as of April 2017: to Jiaosi (NT$110 from Taipei, $135 from Banqiao), to Yilan ($132 from Taipei, $155 from Banqiao), and to Luodong ($141 from Taipei, $165 from Banqiao) Schedule is online [2] Kuo-Kuang -- Routes start from MRT Yuanshan Station. Take exit 2. There are also stops at MRT Nangang and Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center stations. By car The quickest way from Taipei is on the Taipei-Yilan Freeway No.5 (北宜高速公路) south. It takes around 40 minutes on a good day. By taxi Taxis outside the West Exit #4 of Taipei Main Station will take you to Yilan or Luodong for NT$ 300, but you can ask for a discount to NT$ 250. These taxis wait for 4 passengers before leaving (which is why the fare is so reasonable). By train The rail route is longer than the freeway, but avoids congestion. Take the Yilan Line (宜蘭線) and North-link Line (北迴線) Tzu-chiang train (自強號) to Toucheng, Yilan or Luodong Stations. For other destinations change to a local train (區間車).

當地交通

As busses here are irregular and taxis are expensive, the best way to get around is by scooter. There are scooter rental shops near the train stations. Just remember to get a good map and driver's licence is required. The Capital Bus also serves the routes to many spots in Yilan County from Luodong [3]

必看景點

1 Water Geothermal Square (Chingshui Geothermal Field / 清水地熱) (50 km west of Luodong. Best to take a scooter from the Luodong railway station, NT$120/2.5 hr.). It is the largest geothermal area in Taiwan. The geothermal power comes in the form of hot springs. The spring is rich in sodium bicarbonate and its temperature is 95°C or above, which is too high for bathing. People can take advantage of the hot springs to boil eggs and other foods because the temperature is up to 95°C, higher than other hot springs. The foods boiled in hot spring water are softer and will contain the odor of the hot spring. In addition to boiling eggs, visitors can also soak their feet in a who-can-bear-the-hottest-water competition like locals at another hot spring pool. After the foot-soaking, you can also enjoy a massage applied by the blind. However, not a geyser-like attraction. No admission. (updated Jan 2018) Wufengchi Waterfalls - Yilan County's most famous waterfalls. Annong Creek - white water rafting. Yilan's answer to Xiouguran river in Hualien County. Fushan Botanical Garden - protected forest area. Permit required. Long waiting lists - especially for weekend visits. Honeymoon Bay - Surfing Mecca. Meihua Lake - a wonderful place to stroll and relax. Many B&Bs nearby. Taipingshan Forestry Recreation Area - a historic logging area and one of Taiwan's most scenic spots. This includes the Jiuzhize (Renze) Hot Springs, and the Qilan Forest Recreation Area potential World Heritage Site. Turtle Island - protected volcanic island. Great for whale watching. Permit required. Museums

National Center for Traditional Arts, Wujie - a very large centre that preserves and promotes Taiwanese arts and culture. Features a recreated "old street" selling traditional crafts. Entry NT$150. Lantang Museum, a newly-established museum aimed at presenting Yilan’s overall geographical environment, cultural and humanistic trails. Entry NT$100 [4]. Bei Guan Leisure Farm,Toucheng - famous for its crab museu

體驗活動

Dongshan Water Park (冬山河親水公園) -- an awesome water park which is a great place to visit during the sweltering summer days. It has various water activities (a giant slide, an octopus with a water-bed like surface underneath to slip and slide on, and an elevated surface with 'jumping' water jets) all complimented by techno music. Luodong Nightmarket -- Many unique clothing stores nestled off the streets, along with lots of "famous" snack foods -- try the Lamb Soup, Baoxin Fenyuan (look for the douhua shop with the hearts on it), runbing (stir fried veggies with dried meat and shaved peanuts wrapped to look like a burrito in a thin, crepe-like wrapping), and ice cream with shaved peanut brittle and cilantro, wrapped in the same wrap as the runbing.

購物

Arts & crafts

National Center for Traditional Arts, Wujie – a great place to pick up that truly Taiwanese gift such as hand puppets, masks, glass and wood sculptures, paintings, clogs, etc. Baimi Clog Village, Suao – famed for producing modern and traditional clogs.

美食

Must eats

Green Onions - most famous produce in Sanshing. NiuSeBing - cow tongue biscuits. So named due to their uncanny resemblance to cow tongues. Gaozha - a tofu-like snack made from chicken lard, pork and starch flour. Yashang - dry, salty smoked duck - sold in most gift shops. Mashed Taro - famous traditional snack. Dangan - dried pigs liver Preserved Kumquats - popular snack with a few flavours. Po-ba - A type of meat sold in Yilan that was complemented for its taste in "Taiwanese cuisine". Hamigua, Wujie - sweet and juicy honey dew melons. BaoXinFenYuan - created in Yilan County - a tapioca like dessert food with red bean centers, served on ice or dou-hua, with various other toppings (such as red beans and boiled peanuts) Chinese/Yilan cuisine

Wild Smoke, 21-8 Shuang Bi Rd, ☏ +886 3-922-8966. Yuan Shan. Good food and great views of Shuanglianpi - a lake near Fushan Botanical Garden. Caters to groups.

飲品與夜生活

Tea - Yulan tea and Susin tea popular. Alcohol - Yilan's famous alcohols include Hongluh Chiew and Kumquat Liqueur. Yuanshan is home to Kavalan, Taiwan's most famous whisky distillery that has picked up many prestigious international awards.