Taiwan: Road Trip - Taiwan

[Voodooman]

So would you recommend a self drive? I have been to Taipei and the traffic is challenging for a foreigners, especially Singaporeans more used to keeping tomthe rules, but I heard outside Taipei, it is quite manageable.

[Kiadaw]

I just google, & the hehuanshan is quite scenic. When it snow, almost looks like the Alps or something.

[Jaywhy]

i can only speak for my limited experience of driving in hualien and riding a scooter in hengchun/kending. definitely the left hand drive takes some getting used to, but after i got out of town, i found the roads to be pretty clear of traffic hence quite okay. i drove from hualien town to ruisuei farm which was abt 70km away iirc and back in one day. just go slow, look at the arrows on the road and it shd be fine :)

 

yar hehuanshan is super nice and i guess it'll be an awesome experience but i guess if wanna go during winter, should go from taichung/puli side, drive up to wuling, then u turn down, maybe stay one night and go check out the farm (goat farm i think), then drive back to puli, rather than cutting across the east west highway. most imptly, find out the required guidelines from locals (people living in hualien/puli instead of any ordinary taiwanese) before making any bookings. yups.

[Nojoke123]

5-6 days might be too short to cover the whole of taiwan island

 

my tried and suggestion:

Day 1: Taipei to Puli (chocolate and honey)

Day 2: Puli to ChingQing (Hill drive and farm visit)

Day 3: ChingQing to Hua Lian to Chia Yi (famous for Ye Shi)

Day 4: Chai Yi to Alishan to YuShan to Dong Pu (most scenic drive and hot spring hotel at Dong Pu)

Day 5: Dong Pu to Shui Li to Sun Moon Lake to Puli and back to Taipei

 

if you are a foodie... this route will bring you to many local food not found in Taipei City

 

Notes:

Left Hand drive, taiwan is hilly, so the junction are not straight so might be confusing,

many bikes zoom around with no regards to direction,

Rent a car and ask them for GPS machine

locals outside taipei are very friendly, might overrun time.

 

Day 3 do-able ?

 

 

 

[Carfan]

Driving in Taipei city is probably not recommended. As many said, public transport is efficient.

Driving between the cities is actually quite ok. Done that before.

 

Left hand drive is not that difficult to get used to.

When turning, always remember to drive to the lane where you (as driver) will be nearer (and not the passenger sitting beside you) the road divider.

Edited March 3, 2013 by Carfan

[Azhiwen]

Hi guys, will be doing a road trip in September down to the south, would like recommendations on car rental companies. I saw a number on the web, but would like opinions from those who have rented a car there before. Which companies are reliable and if what hidden charges there are if any.

 

Thanks!!

[BlueOldMan]

Hi guys, will be doing a road trip in September down to the south, would like recommendations on car rental companies. I saw a number on the web, but would like opinions from those who have rented a car there before. Which companies are reliable and if what hidden charges there are if any.

 

Thanks!!

 

Hmm, thumbs up to you bro!

Damn y I drove in Ang mo country but nv tot of drive trip in Taiwan???

And if I'm not wrong these yrs Taiwan changing to right hand so should be easier for us to get use Liao

Anyway it's a holiday

Drive slow drive safe

[WTF]

Hmm, thumbs up to you bro!

Damn y I drove in Ang mo country but nv tot of drive trip in Taiwan???

And if I'm not wrong these yrs Taiwan changing to right hand so should be easier for us to get use Liao

Anyway it's a holiday

Drive slow drive safe

chun boh? My Taiwanese colleague told me still the same leh........and every time he opened my driver's door forgetting that we're right-hand drive here......

[LoverofCar]

Hmm, thumbs up to you bro!

Damn y I drove in Ang mo country but nv tot of drive trip in Taiwan???

And if I'm not wrong these yrs Taiwan changing to right hand so should be easier for us to get use Liao

Anyway it's a holiday

Drive slow drive safe

Left and right can just change at will meh? Suka suka can change?.....the traffic and road flow will totally different wor.

[BlueOldMan]

chun boh? My Taiwanese colleague told me still the same leh........and every time he opened my driver's door forgetting that we're right-hand drive here......

 

I also duno how to cfm to you bro

But 2 yrs back I took a Vito from airport to Taipei hotel

It's right hand drive

Nvm this nov I go again

Let me cfm it to you bro

Hahaha

 

Hmm maybe let me watch some Taiwan news now see can get anything

Anybro here saw right hand drive in tawian recently???

 

[BlueOldMan]

Left and right can just change at will meh? Suka suka can change?.....the traffic and road flow will totally different wor.

 

I understand where you coming from

[BlueOldMan]

Oh I rem from taipei to airport

We oso sat in an old vw mini bus Carter by the hotel

Is it there are right hand drive veh on taiwan left hand drive roads????

Cos I google Taiwan is left hand drive

There seems to be both drives of veh but road is left hand drive format

Drive safe

[WTF]

I also duno how to cfm to you bro

But 2 yrs back I took a Vito from airport to Taipei hotel

It's right hand drive

Nvm this nov I go again

Let me cfm it to you bro

Hahaha

 

Hmm maybe let me watch some Taiwan news now see can get anything

Anybro here saw right hand drive in tawian recently???

Thanks bro! My friends and I also planning to go Taiwan this year end if possible. We hope to go out of Taipei and driving ourselves is one of the options we're considering.

[Shull]

Hi guys, will be doing a road trip in September down to the south, would like recommendations on car rental companies. I saw a number on the web, but would like opinions from those who have rented a car there before. Which companies are reliable and if what hidden charges there are if any.

 

Thanks!!

 

I just came back from Taiwan last month.. had a short road trip from Taichung to Cingjing and Lushan (for the hot spring). Initially wanted to drive from Taichung thru the central cross island highway to Hualien, but was told the roads are closed to due heavy rain on my day of arrival in Taiwan. Ended up skipping Hualien and returned the car at Taichung.

 

Rented from AVIS taiwan, their rates are slightly on the higher side but their cars are damn new (the one i had only has 1500km mileage). Weekday rates 20% cheaper than the rates shown on their website (http://www.avis-taiwan.com/tw/home.html Note: Avis international website won't get you anywhere). Rates comes with 200km daily mileage (which for me, is more than enough). Excess of NTD10,000 (around SGD400).

 

Driving wise, other than the city roads (which are rather confusing for first timers), countryside is not much different from Malaysia B roads. Just watch out for other cars, the countryside drivers seem to have a habit of not checking clear before coming out to the main road. Otherwise, it's a great place to drive..

Edited June 9, 2013 by Shull

[BlueOldMan]

Bro the car u rented is it lhd or rhd??

They have both types rite???

Tks

[BlueOldMan]

Taiwan is and always is LHD like most countries including the biggest car markets in the world - China, USA, .. RHD is actually the minority, no reason for them to change. Driving in TW outside of Taipei is very easy, similar to MY and TH.

 

Yup bro I understand most countries r lhd

Even city format of Taiwan road are lhd

But do you some minority cars in Taiwan got rhd??

And the hill road leading up to alishan if i nv rem wrongly

Oso gng up on left n coming down on rite if we r looking up

But the road to jiu fen is gng up on rite gng down on left

Taiwan roads got mixture????

Zzz I'm confused now

Haha

[BlueOldMan]

Thanks bro! My friends and I also planning to go Taiwan this year end if possible. We hope to go out of Taipei and driving ourselves is one of the options we're considering.

 

Pls dun mention bro

Yup I oreadi booked my trip in nov with js

My wife jus told me, since this trip is 2 nd trip to Taiwan

N this itenary are two micro brewery in Taipei n a cingjing farm stay

So public transport better for me

Hahaha

Enjoy bro!!

Year end shiok weather

[WTF]

Pls dun mention bro

Yup I oreadi booked my trip in nov with js

My wife jus told me, since this trip is 2 nd trip to Taiwan

N this itenary are two micro brewery in Taipei n a cingjing farm stay

So public transport better for me

Hahaha

Enjoy bro!!

Year end shiok weather

It's precisely due to the cooling weather that we're planning to go to Taiwan......