Taiwan

Day 1 | Saturday 17 October
Arrive Taipei
Our tour begins in the morning as we gather for an introductory talk in the hotel, offering an overview of
Taiwan’s history and the themes that will shape our journey. Late morning, we begin our exploration of the city with a visit to the Lin An Tai Historical House, one of Taipei’s finest surviving examples of traditional Fujian-style domestic architecture. With its elegant courtyards, timber halls and sweeping tiled roofs, the residence offers insight into elite life during the Qing period. We then continue to the historic Dihua Street district, long associated with trade, medicine and tea, where we pause for lunch in a local restaurant. The afternoon is at leisure, allowing time to rest after the journey or to begin exploring the surrounding neighbourhood independently. Overnight Taipei (L)

Day 2 | Sunday 18 October
Taipei to Taroko
Taiwan’s east coast presents one of the island’s most striking natural contrasts, where the Central Mountain Range descends abruptly to the Pacific, creating a landscape of cliffs, forest and deeply incised river valleys. Taroko National Park is the most dramatic expression of this geology, its marble gorge carved over millennia by the Liwu River and long associated with the Truku Indigenous people. Departing Taipei, we travel east along the coastal highway, pausing in Xiulin for lunch at a local Indigenous restaurant, offering an introduction to regional culinary traditions. Continuing into the national park, we follow the gorge road as it winds through tunnels, cliff faces and river crossings. Access within the park is subject to permit regulations and road conditions on the day, and our exploration is therefore conducted as a scenic drive with stops where permitted. At Tianxiang, we visit Xiangde Temple, positioned above the valley with expansive views across the gorge. Later we continue to our hotel and check in. Dinner is enjoyed in the hotel’s restaurant. Overnight Taroko (B, L, D)

Day 3 | Monday 19 October
Through the Central Mountains to Sun Moon Lake
Taiwan’s mountainous interior has long shaped the island’s patterns of settlement and movement, with the Central Mountain Range forming a formidable natural barrier between east and west. The Central Cross-Island Highway, completed in the 20th century, represents a significant engineering achievement, cutting across this terrain and opening access to remote alpine regions. Leaving Taroko National Park, we follow this remarkable route westward, ascending through forested valleys and high mountain passes. The road reveals a changing landscape of steep gorges, waterfalls and cloud-wreathed peaks as we traverse the spine of the island. En route, we pause in the alpine region of Hehuanshan for lunch, surrounded by some of Taiwan’s highest elevations. We then descend towards Sun Moon Lake, the island’s largest body of water, checking in to our lakeside hotel on arrival. The remainder of the afternoon is then at leisure to enjoy the setting or walk along the shoreline paths. Overnight Sun Moon Lake (B, L)

Day 4 | Tuesday 20 October
Sun Moon Lake
Set at 1,000 metres above sea level, Sun Moon Lake occupies a central place in Taiwan’s cultural and environmental landscape. Long associated with Indigenous Thao traditions and later shaped by Japanese-era infrastructure, the lake’s distinctive form – its eastern side rounded like the sun, its western side crescent-shaped like the moon – has inspired centuries of artistic and literary response. This morning begins with a visit to a nearby Assam tea farm, where Taiwan’s tea industry was expanded during the Japanese period, learning about cultivation and processing before sampling local Oolong and black teas. We then continue to Xuanguang Temple, dedicated to the 7th-century monk Xuanzang, whose travels to India and translation of Buddhist texts shaped religious life across East Asia. Later in the afternoon, we spend time in Riyue Village before returning to our hotel for an afternoon at leisure. Overnight Sun Moon Lake (B)

Day 5 | Wednesday 21 October
The Chung Tai World Museum
Buddhism has shaped Taiwan’s cultural and intellectual life for centuries, with monastic institutions continuing to play an active role in education, art and spiritual practice. The Chung Tai World Museum represents a contemporary expression of this tradition, combining religious purpose with the preservation and interpretation of Buddhist art. After a morning talk in our hotel, we travel to Puli to visit the museum, affiliated with the nearby Chung Tai Chan Monastery. Before entering the galleries, time is spent in the monastery’s vast lobby, where a monumental Buddha introduces the scale and ambition of the complex. We then continue into the Wood Gallery, before exploring the main collections with a guide. These collections trace the development of Buddhism across Asia, from early Indian sculpture to Chinese and Southeast Asian devotional works, alongside calligraphy and finely carved timber figures. Following a break for lunch, we return to the hotel in the afternoon. Dinner this evening is in the hotel’s fabulous Japanese restaurant. Overnight Sun Moon Lake (B, D)

Day 6 | Thursday 22 October
To Tainan via Taichung
Taiwan’s western plains have long formed the island’s political and cultural core, linking major centres through trade, industry and artistic exchange. Taichung reflects this evolution as a modern cultural hub, while Tainan preserves the legacy of earlier periods as Taiwan’s first capital under Dutch and Qing rule. Departing Sun Moon Lake, we first travel west to Taichung and visit the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts. Its galleries trace the development of Taiwanese art from traditional Chinese foundations through the Japanese colonial period to contemporary practice. After time here, we transfer to the High-Speed Rail station for our train journey south. On arrival in Tainan we visit the Chimei Museum, where there is time at leisure to explore its diverse collections, including European painting, sculpture and one of the world’s most significant violin holdings. Later we check in to our hotel before heading out for dinner along Shennong Street, a historic lane of traditional shop-houses now home to small cafés, artisan boutiques and local eateries. Overnight Tainan (B, D)

Day 7 | Friday 23 October
Tainan and Chiayi
As Taiwan’s earliest urban centre and former capital, Tainan reflects successive layers of Dutch, Qing and Japanese influence, visible in its temples, fortifications and civic spaces. The city remains central to understanding Taiwan’s historical development and cultural identity, and with a later start this morning, we begin in the old quarter. Here we visit Anping Fort, established in the 17th century by the Dutch East India Company as a strategic trading base. We then continue to the Tainan Confucius Temple, founded in 1665 and regarded as the oldest Confucian temple in Taiwan, its courtyards shaded by mature banyan trees and reflecting enduring scholarly traditions. Lunch is enjoyed in a local restaurant before we depart Tainan and continue our journey north to Chiayi. On arrival we visit the Southern Branch of the National Palace Museum, whose contemporary architecture houses collections exploring the artistic and cultural exchange between China and wider Asia. Later we continue to our hotel, with the evening at leisure. Overnight Chiayi (B, L)

Day 8 | Saturday 24 October
Alishan
Rising above Taiwan’s western plains, Alishan National Scenic Area remains one of the island’s most distinctive landscapes, long associated with forestry, rail engineering and highland culture – its slopes once dominated by valuable cypress forests during the Japanese colonial period. Our excursion into this area begins at Chiayi Train station, where we ascend into the mountains aboard the Alishan Forest Railway, originally constructed to transport timber and now celebrated for its winding ascent through forest and cloud. En route, we pause at Fenqihu Old Street, a former railway settlement where timber houses line narrow lanes, and enjoy lunch featuring regional mountain cuisine. Continuing into Alishan, we then explore the highland environment on foot, walking through stands of ancient cypress, along shaded paths and past small shrines that reflect the area’s cultural significance. We return to Chiayi in the late afternoon. Overnight Chiayi (B, L)

Day 9 | Sunday 25 October
Lugang
Once one of Taiwan’s principal ports during the Qing dynasty, Lugang preserves a rich architectural and cultural legacy shaped by maritime trade and religious life. Its name ‘Deer Harbour’ recalls an early economy based on the export of deer hides, while its temples and merchant residences reflect the prosperity of the 18th and 19th centuries. Travelling north from Chiayi today, we arrive in Lugang by mid-morning and explore its historic streets by motorised rickshaw, well suited to the town’s narrow lanes and traditional layout. Our visit includes the richly ornamented Tianhou Temple, dedicated to the sea goddess Mazu, whose worship remains central to coastal communities. We also pass along Market Street, where long-established shopfronts display regional crafts and local produce. Lunch is enjoyed in a local restaurant before our afternoon is spent at the Koo Family Mansion, now the Lugang Folk Arts Museum, offering insight into merchant life in the late 19th century. We then check-in to our hotel for an evening at leisure. Overnight Lugang (B, L)

Day 10 | Monday 26 October
To Taipei
Lugang’s temples represent some of the finest surviving examples of traditional architecture in Taiwan, reflecting the town’s prosperity during the Qing period and the enduring importance of religious practice in daily life. The Lugang Longshan Temple is particularly noted for its refined timber construction, intricate carvings and carefully ordered sequence of courtyards and halls. After visiting the temple, we depart Lugang and travel north across the western plains to Taipei. On arrival, we take part in a traditional Taiwanese tea ceremony – from preparation and brewing to the appreciation of aroma, flavour and setting. We then continue to our hotel, with dinner this evening enjoyed in a local restaurant. Overnight Taipei (B, D)

Day 11 | Tuesday 27 October
Wanhua & Zhongzheng
Taipei’s historic core reflects the city’s transformation from a Qing-era settlement to a modern capital shaped by Japanese colonial planning and 20th-century political change. The districts of Wanhua and Zhongzheng preserve key sites that illustrate these overlapping histories. Following a morning talk in the hotel, we explore Wanhua, the city’s oldest district, beginning at Longshan Temple. Founded in the 18th century, it remains an active centre of worship, its richly carved timber structure and layered decorative elements reflecting enduring religious traditions. We then continue to the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, whose vast plaza and formal layout express the political symbolism of the 20th century. After a break for lunch in the Taipei 101 precinct, we ascend Taipei 101 for sweeping views across the city and the surrounding mountain ranges. The remainder of the afternoon is at leisure to explore further or relax. Overnight Taipei (B)

Day 12 | Wednesday 28 October
The National Palace Museum
The preservation of China’s imperial collections in Taiwan represents one of the most significant cultural transfers of the 20th century. The National Palace Museum houses more than 500,000 objects, tracing the development of Chinese civilisation across millennia, with works once held in the Forbidden City and relocated to Taiwan in 1949. We visit the museum this morning, beginning with an introductory tour before there is time to explore the galleries in greater depth. The collections encompass ancient bronzes, jade carvings, painting and calligraphy, alongside the refined ceramics of the Ming and Qing dynasties, offering insight into both artistic achievement and imperial patronage. After a break for lunch, the afternoon is at leisure to revisit the museum or explore Taipei independently. This evening, we gather for a farewell dinner in the hotel’s Teppanyaki restaurant. Overnight Taipei (B, D)

Day 13 | Thursday 29 October
Depart Taipei
Our tour concludes after breakfast. Day-use hotel rooms are available until 6.00pm before evening departures. (B)