Travel: Taiwan - Taipei

[Busymom]

KiasooLaupa:

Went to Taipei last mth from 10/11-15/11.

weather was so good w/o rain :imcool:
went up 101 but don't think really good to see. think the monies used for food will be more meaningful

Lucky you!

Yup, I saw the weather for the entire Nov 2012 and compare it with Nov 2011. For this year, the first half was good and the second half wet. Last year was the exact opposite. :roll:

[Busymom]

allseasons:

Hi all,


I am planning to visit Taiwan (Taipei, Taroko Goorge, etc) during Lunar New Year Feb 2013. We are 2 adult, 2 children. But recently I read, Taiwan will have one full week holiday during Lunar New Year 2013.

My questions are:
1. Is it a good time to visit Taiwan during Lunar New Year? Will it be very crowded? Or maybe all shops, restaurant, museum, attraction places will be closed whole week?

2. Will the hotel be fully booked during that period? More expensive?

3. How about transportation? Will it be difficult to catch buses / taxis? If we go out from Taipei, will the highway fully jammed with cars?

Hmm... really want to go holiday during the Lunar New Year. But do not know where to go.. I am thinking some alternative destinations e.g. Korea or Japan.. but I heard that both Korea and Japan are very cold in February... :((. Please give me some advises... :))

Thanks a lot

Am only able to answer your question 2. Answer is yes and yes.

When I was checking out various minsu and hotels for the Nov trip, I already noticed that the rates for 春节 period is higher and rooms quite fully booked.

Korea in Feb is indeed very cold. Also Korea celebrates the same NY as Chinese, so you may have the same issue in korea as Taiwan. I think Feb in Japan would have nicer weather.

[ter_wen]

this alot busy mom.

is it common to rain in tw during nov and dec?

[ter_wen]

busymom - u self drive? which part? we r also self driving

[SarChar]

ter_wen:

SarChar:

Just back from 16 days trip.


I will suggest a good quality light windbreaker and waterproof shoes. We wore waterproof boots for the whole trip. Dont even think of wearing track shoes for your kids. Track shoes will be soaked and wet.

I saw some kids wear Crocs Wellies . You can go to their night markets or Taiwan shoes shops to buy jelly boots/Wellies from NT390.

If you are going to Hehuan Shan (like 1 hr visit cos it is too cold to hang around long), good quality gloves and winter coat/jacket is necessary. A family that we travelled with was not dressed for winter at Hehuan Shan, their kids cried becos it was too cold.

u brought boots from sg to tw?
Yes we have our own waterproof boots which I brought from Singapore to TW. If you have time in Taipei, you will be able to find some decent shoes for the trip. Just dont wear track shoes.

how cold is hehuashan? got frost?

The wind was very strong which made it cold.

Have fun!!!

[Busymom]

ter_wen:

this alot busy mom.

is it common to rain in tw during nov and dec?

Yes, according to the locals.

[Busymom]

ter_wen:

busymom - u self drive? which part? we r also self driving

Yes, we started after Leofoo, drove to Miaoli, moving on to Sun Moon Lake, Cingjing, He Huan Shan, and finally to Taipei. Last trip was to jiufen and shifen. We gave up going to shifen at almost the last leg as it was raining and dark and we worried about it getting foggy. The mountain road was steep and winding and we couldn't imagine going back to Taipei with this same road... Not worth risking our lives this way. Took the opportunity to turn back when we pass by a house/shop sort of.

My advice for you is to leave early and try to get to your destination before dark, as what one minsu owner told us. This was in Miaoli and for some strange reason, we were led onto a route which was a mountain road with no road reflectors along the way, and very foggy at some points. Cingjing on the other hand, was not tough even though it was raining and we arrived past 6pm and was dark. Road reflectors can make a lot of difference!

[ter_wen]

Busymom:

ter_wen:

busymom - u self drive? which part? we r also self driving

Yes, we started after Leofoo, drove to Miaoli, moving on to Sun Moon Lake, Cingjing, He Huan Shan, and finally to Taipei. Last trip was to jiufen and shifen. We gave up going to shifen at almost the last leg as it was raining and dark and we worried about it getting foggy. The mountain road was steep and winding and we couldn't imagine going back to Taipei with this same road... Not worth risking our lives this way. Took the opportunity to turn back when we pass by a house/shop sort of.

My advice for you is to leave early and try to get to your destination before dark, as what one minsu owner told us. This was in Miaoli and for some strange reason, we were led onto a route which was a mountain road with no road reflectors along the way, and very foggy at some points. Cingjing on the other hand, was not tough even though it was raining and we arrived past 6pm and was dark. Road reflectors can make a lot of difference!

oh so u drove from cingjing through the central hwy across to taroko? hows the road condition?
yours is clockwise, ours is anti clockwise.
here's my iti, any comments?
Taipei -> hualien. rest.
-> taroko, hehuanshan, puli. rest.
-> sun moon lake day trip
-> cingjing farm. rest
-> flying cow. hshinchu. rest.
-> leofoo. taoyuan. rest.

thks for your advice, we also intend to reach destination before sunset.

[keroppi]

We’re thinking of travelling to Taipei next week (the usual itinery to sun moon lake/toroko gorge, kaoshiung) . I am wondering what the weather condition is like now, so that I can pack the right clothes for my kids. Is it cold and rainy? Thanks.

[mfseng]

keroppi:

We're thinking of travelling to Taipei next week (the usual itinery to sun moon lake/toroko gorge, kaoshiung) . I am wondering what the weather condition is like now, so that I can pack the right clothes for my kids. Is it cold and rainy? Thanks.

Hi,

I just came back from Taiwan one week ago. The first day weather were good and we could enjoy the beautiful scenery, but the subsequent days were drizzling the whole day, it was rather inconvenient. It is advisable to bring the the water proof jacket with hood.