We were due to spend 24 hours in Chiayi but ended up with 48 hours after escaping Tainan due to a typhoon. Chiayi is a small but hustling city- I personally think 24 hours would be enough, particularly given how much Taiwan as a whole has to offer, but you won’t be bored in 48 hours. As we understand, most people head there to catch the Alishan Mountain train.
Getting there
The best way in is by train but there are heaps of buses too. We trained in from Tainan and headed out by bus to the mountains (see next article for our mountain adventure).
The buses all take EasyCards and train tickets can be purchased at the station.
What to see
- Explore the market street: Every day this is packed with incredible fresh produce, food stalls and lots going on. A feast for the eyes if nothing else.
- Jiuhua Mountain Temple: A beautiful 4 story temple which also has amazing views. Definitely worth a look, and worth the stairs!
- Hinoki Village: Sadly the shops were shut due to the incoming typhoon but the buildings are beautiful and there are lots of information boards and we could still wander through. I imagine it gets very busy so maybe a blessing that it was all closed for us.
- Baseball park: Due to the typhoon the games were all cancelled but I imagine it would be insane! All through the city you’ll see references to baseball and Kano (read the boards near the high school) – its something Chiayi is very proud of.
- Parks: Chiayi Park should be top of the list with its temples however the Botanic Gardens, and park bear there is also worth a look. We ended up in Beixianghu Park which was nice but a bit of a trek.
- Japanese Police Station: Worth a quick walk past as you’ll almost definitely end up there. Again, closed for us but normally open daily.
- Alishan mountain train depot: It will only take 15 minutes or so but its a beautiful building. Take a look. The trains were all cancelled whilst we were there (did I mention the typhoon..?!) but we enjoyed it.
- Night markets
- Songs of the mountain: Only head here if you have 30 minutes to kill. It’s nice but nothing super special.
What and where to eat
- Bao buns: We went past this place after visiting [] temple and looped back towards the end of service time. Needless to say, they’d sold out. We went back later (at the start of serving time!) and I was happy we did. I LOVE black sesame so a black sesame filled bao was delightful. I was less impressed with the pork and beanstalk but would be keen to try the sweet potato. There were two other options: pork and corn which we’d actually had two nights prior elsewhere and lions head (I assume this was a Google Translate special but I only had eyes for the sesame bun).
Here’s the Google pin and an image of what the shop looks like: https://maps.app.goo.gl/CzVmVYh9rz4Rqx9f6
- Soy milk tofu pudding: We read about this online and initially struggled to find it. Eventually, we found a shop with the nicest guy serving. I had the original flavour with sugar, but would top it with some red beans if I could go back in time. I’d very happily have this again.
https://maps.app.goo.gl/KGfDD4hHgBJM9Wbv7
- Scallion pancake: This is available all over Taiwan but it was delicious at this place which I believe has Korean heritage:
We also had the pot boiled udon which were very good too.
https://maps.app.goo.gl/e9vh1tXZKfpo7tqcA
- Turkey rice: A Chiayi special, you’ll find it in many places. We went to [] and had a chunky ($55) and a shredded ($35) turkey rice. Both were excellent and again, the staff were delightful.
https://maps.app.goo.gl/YeN4AamZZJxxxdLv6
Where to stay
We stayed at the Anna king Hotel. In my wisdom, I hadn’t realised this was Thai when I booked it – I love Thailand but as we were in Taiwan, would have preferred something more Taiwanese. Its a good option though with reasonable rates and breakfast included. I’d recommend staying somewhere between here and the rail station if you can.
Enjoy!