Where to go in Chiayi? — Top 5 Chiayi city attractions & Chiayi places to visit you should-go

Chiayi is commonly known as the transit spot on the way to Alishan. Many people think Chiayi is still a small, undeveloped province of Taiwan, but all are wrong because they never expected the 2020 Chiayi, the modernized, evergrowing Chiayi with many interesting locations. In case you did not know, the university appeared in the well-known Taiwanese drama – Boys Over Flower – situates in Chiayi. Going to the university is not a hard task, thanks to the city’s convenient bus route. So, where to go in Chiayi and what to do in Chiayi Taiwan? Let’s check out our suggested top Chiayi city attractions and top Chiayi places to visit to find out the answer!

It takes around 50 minutes to go from Chiayi to Tainan, from Chiayi to Taichung will be around 2 hours if you go by train. Visitors should consider combining the trip to Chiayi with Taichung or Tainan to achieve the highest efficiency. Here I am going to introduce to you, the most fascinating places in Chiayi.

Chiayi places to visit: Alishan Forest Railway Garage Park

Address: Between Zhongxiao road and Wenhua road

Trekking on Alishan requires substantial physical strength and a large amount of time because it takes 4 hours on the bus to get there, not to mention the time going from Chiayi to the bus stop and the walking in between. Therefore, if you lack both of those requirements, you can always take a visit to this Alishan park instead. The view is almost as captivating as the one on Alishan.

The official name of the location is Alishan Forest Railway Garage Park. It is a truly refreshing spot, although not many people know about it. Luckily, I was taken here by a Chiayi local. Not only that it offers the perfect background for your pictures, but visitors can also gain knowledge of Alishan’s history and culture during Japan colonization, of multiple types of trains were used for logging, like small trains or steam-powered types,…

Address: No. 2號, Linsen West Road, East District, Chiayi City, Taiwan 600
Hours: 5AM–9PM
Phone: +886 5 277 9843

Where to go in Chiayi? National Chung Cheng University

Address: No. 168, Section 1, Daxue Road, Minxiong Township, Chiayi

This is the first national university opened after the economic boom of Taiwan in the 1980s. National Chung Cheng University was built in 1986 in praise of leader Chiang Kai-Shek, in order to develop university-levelled education in Yunlin, Chiayi and Tainan. Officially put into operation in 1989, the university offers from bachelor’s degree to master’s degree courses. There was a time CCU was ranked one of the most beautiful universities in Taiwan and was chosen for Boys Over Flower’s main movie set.

The campus is large in size, with a beautiful olive green lake inside the campus, where snow-white swans claim their residences. By the low-ground-hugging shrubs of willows stand two archaically yellowish bridges, creating a nostalgically peaceful scenery of the 19th-century Taiwan. During Autumn when the golden leaves replace the greenish ones, be sure to take a lot of selfies with this natural, breathtakingly magnificent background.

Address: No. 168, Section 1, Daxue Road, Minxiong Township, Chiayi County, Taiwan 62102
Campus: Rural
Phone: +886 5 272 0411

Chiayi places to visit: Minxiong Kumquat Farm

Address: 621, Taiwan, Chiayi County, Minxiong Township

This is a traditional kumquat farm that has been holding a great reputation in Chiayi for generations, founded in 1960. When visiting, you will see the tools they use to make kumquat jam, kumquat juice and many other kumquat products, and of course, the tools are as old as the farm itself. The production zone is opened, designed using glass so visitors can see the whole progress. In addition, the leafy garden under the clear blue sky, spotted with yellow and orange colour from the kumquats is certainly the relaxing scenery you need. Don’t forget to buy a bottle or two of kumquat juice as a souvenir for your family and loved ones!

Address: 621, Taiwan, Chiayi County, Minxiong Township

Chiayi city attractions: Chiayi Botanical Garden

Address: 600, Taiwan, Chiayi City, East District

Possess the area as large as 8.6ha, Chiayi Botanical Garden in Shanziding plays a major role as the City Forestry Academy’s experiment field. You will find gigantic tropical trees like Chinese Fir, Brazillian Rubber, Alstonia, Hook Pines and West Indian Mahogany. Therefore, this is the perfect expedition place for people who love trekking, over 140 tree species will give trekkers the exceptionally cool, fresh air.

Address: 600, Taiwan, Chiayi City, East District, 王田里山子頂270號
Area: 9 ha
Hours: Open 24 hours
Phone: +886 5 276 4921

Chiayi places to visit: Chiayi National Palace Museum

Not only does Taipei have National Palace Museum, but we have that in Chiayi as well. This is the world’s biggest vault of historical artifacts and Chinese art pieces. When anyone mentions Taiwan, the two most famous national treasures that come to mind are Meat-Shaped Stone and Jadeite Cabbage. Having the classic Chinese architecture, Chiayi National Palace Museum brings back the nostalgic sense, reminds us about TV historical dramas.

No subway systems like those in Taipei and Kaohsiung have been constructed in Chiayi yet, so the city bus is your best option. Unfortunately, to have effortless bus trips, you need to be fluent in Chinese because almost all important instructions are not translated into English. I was lucky to have my local friends took me here and there in the city. If you are travelling as a group, consider renting a car instead of taking taxis.

Southern Branch of the National Palace Museum
Address: No. 888, Gugong Boulevard, Taibao City, Chiayi County, Taiwan 612
Hours: 9AM–5PM / Monday: Closed
Tickets: NT$0–150
Phone: +886 5 362 0777
Url: https://tickets.npm.gov.tw/

Before set foot on Taiwan, do not forget these must-have items

• Wifi hotspot device (can be taken at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport)
• 4G SIM card (can be taken in Vietnam or at Taiwan airports)
• iPass subway pass

• One-way subway ticket from Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport to Central Taipei
• Private pick-up car from Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport to Central Taipei (suitable for groups)
• Taiwan High-Speed Rail pass (HSR) to travel across cities and provinces of Taiwan
• 3-day tour to Alishan, Sun Moon Lake and Cingjing farm

• 4G WiFi (TW Airport Pick Up) for Taiwan
• 4G Portable WiFi for Taiwan from Uroaming (Unlimited Data)
• 4G Portable WiFi for Taiwan from WiFiBB (Unlimited Data)
• 4G LTE WiFi (TW Airport Pick Up) for Japan

Are you finding more top things to do in Taipei: Tours, activities, attractions and other things? Read more: Taipei travel blog — The fullest Taipei city guide for a wonderful trip to Taipei for the first-timers.