Hualien travel blog — How to spend 2 days in Hualien (Hualien 2 days itinerary) perfectly?

A spectacular natural scenery and Takoro national park are the things that everybody often tells together when talking about Hualien. However, after spending 2 days in Hualien, I saw this place to have many attractive stuffs for discovery and experience. To fully explore Hualien you should make an itinerary for 3 days but 2 days is enough. So, how to spend and what to do in 2 days in Hualien (Hualien 2 days itinerary)? Let’s check out our Hualien travel blog (Hualien blog) on how to get to Hualien and what to do and top things to do in Hualien to find out the answer! Now, this is Hualien review in 2 days with enjoy specialties and whales, dolphins watching activities.

Because of the limited Vietnamese information on journey places, food and destinations in Hualien on the internet, I also confused and didn’t know where to go when coming here.

Luckily, I met all nice people, so I collected some places and would like to share with someone who are planning to arrive at these towering mountains.

Hualien travel blog: How to get to Hualien?

The transportation means to Hualien were clearly shared in the previous articles by Living Nomads. We couldn’t buy the train tickets, therefore we took the bus to Loudong and then moved to the train. Completion of the tickets-typed combo, we got on the bus at 10 am and attended to arrive at the train station so that I would upgrade to the high-speed train tickets to Hualien.

However, after getting on the bus over 1 hour, an arrival at Luodong station, we eagerly upgraded the high-speed train tickets, but the seat tickets were sold out and the cost was 305 TWD for the stand ticket only, while the cost was only 73 TWD for the upgraded seat ticket.

We couldn’t upgrade and our normal tickets are often departed at 5 am only, it means I had to wait for 5 hours to get on the train to Hualien. I felt disappointed, I had to buy a stand ticket for my immediate departure in a pity, but fortunately an old man returned his ticket. I quickly got a pair of his tickets with an upgraded cost of 73 TWD/person. That was a story to change from bus to train in our complication. Anybody attends to go to Hualien, please remember to book the train tickets in advance because the train tickets to Hualien are sold out very fast.

Hualien blog: Where to stay?

From Hualien train station to Golden Triangle Commercial Circle Center called as Golden Triangle and Dongdamen Night Market, where I only spent 10 minutes by vehicles or 30 minutes by walking to arrive, therefore I chose to be near the train station to catch up the bus and travel in ease. Our accommodation is You Worth Inn, where is far away from Hualien train station around 8 minutes to walk.

You can check rates, reviews and book this hostel on Agoda.com or Booking.com.

This place is as a perfectedly and comfortably decorative boutique hotel, especially the female owner is very beautiful and extremely good-natured (laughed). She was so enthusiastic that she lent me her motorbike to go to the night market and reminded everything that I should remember to wait red light in two times, and showed me the location for watching fireflies at Liyu lake as well due to the crowded and beautiful fireflies in April.

In the last day, when I checked out, it was only a seat for a break time during awaiting for the departure time and carried us to go straight to the train station, it’s very fast as a falcon. I recommend to visit this place for its great location, price and service.

Below we recommend more best cheap, budget, mid-range and upscale hotels from $20 with good ratings and reviews you can refer to.

Chateau de Chine Hotel Hualien, a 5-star hotel with room rates from $56/night (Agoda.com or Booking.com).

Li Shiuan International Hotel, a 4-star hotel with room rates from $34/night (Agoda.com or Booking.com).

Just Sleep Hualien Zhongzheng, a 4-star hotel with room rates from $62/night (Agoda.com or Booking.com).

Azure Hotel, a 4-star hotel with room rates from $69/night (Agoda.com or Booking.com).

Hualien FarGlory Hotel, a 5-star hotel with room rates from $118/night (Agoda.com or Booking.com).

Constellation Coast Bed and Breakfast, a B&B with room rates from $54/night (Agoda.com or Booking.com).

Hualien 2 days itinerary: What to do in 2 days in Hualien?

Our first day to go Takoro Classic day tour of Klook: Taroko Gorge Day Trips from Hualien.

A lot of articles on Taroko National Park have been reviewed, therefore I don’t repeat any more. However, an amazing emphasis of this tour is Qingshui Cliffs. Oh, this place possesses a beauty which is loved by thousands of people and impossible to criticize, the sea water is divided to each smoothly and gracefully turquoise and cascade for a worthy trip. Holding hands with the blue color of the sea is a towering vertical gorge and very overwhelming.

The scenery with a high mountain side and a blue seaside are not able to be described in written, therefore I attached a photo to create the promotion for people’s arrival and feeling experience immersing in the nature of this place.

After the driver of Klook took me back the hotel, we got on a pink motorbike lent by the hotel owner to drive some rounds in the town and then went to the night market.

Dongdamen night market is not in generally excited except food, so we drove to the Golden Triangle after fattening.

This area as a walking town in Saigon with 3 main roads are Zhongzheng Road, 中正, Zhongshan Road, 中 và Zhonghua Road, 中华 including food, cosmetics, and clothes shops which were being sold Korean clothes very well and much more cheaply than in Taipei. I don’t like Korean products, therefore I unthinkingly came in Cosmed shop to buy masks. Taiwan masks are so famous due to the quality and price, I got a promotion of 1 plus 1, so I encouragingly bought a whole bunch of masks. I saw Japanese and Korean people who were lining up to buy so much and collected at least 4-6 boxes.

The second day was very great, we watched dolphins. I booked in advance this tour: Whale and Dolphin Watching Cruise in Hualien from Klook to watch dolphins, therefore, I only got up and waited for the driver to take me.

Klook’s driver is very punctual, he reached the correct time and took us at the right departure and destination, however, he could not speak English, I had a bit difficulty in communication. We were picked up to a small office, where we were basically introduced various dolphins in Hualien sea area. Because only us in the tour group did not know Chinese, we were exceptional to be introduced by English by a guy. This handsome guy in a wild appearance is very friendly and kind.

He said the dolphins are watched all the year, but advised to go in May or June due to the peaceful sea and less seasickness. It is the best time to go in May when the students will not be off, so it will be uncrowded.

After completing introduction, we went to the sea as a world of dolphins. An advice to any seasick person who should get medicines in advance to avoid being too seasick to watch dolphins when arriving. A woman announced by the loudspeaker at the middle of sea, although I didn’t understand anything, but I listened some excited voices, surely dolphins appeared, so I quickly ran out the boat sides while a dolphin was flipping out of the water. There were a lot of dolphins in Hualien, they swam with their schools and were very playful. Maybe they knew us to watch them, so they swam around the boat as a greeting, and they sometime leaped up as a salute to us, they were very cute.

If a stay in Hualien is over 1 day, dolphin watching is also an activity for a try. After watching dolphin, we only concerned to eat and drink in Hualien center to catch up the train in the afternoon to Alishan. However, those who have more time can try playing Paragliding to look down to the gentle and extremely dazzling beauty of Hualien, trekking experience among the interminable mountain forests or wait for the sparkling fireflies at Liyu lake.

This Paragliding tour of Klook should be tried and shall be mentioned in the next article: Paragliding Experience in Hualien.

Hualien travel blog: What to eat?

Bomb cake

Food in Hualien has been seldom reviewed, so I did not know what to try when I came. After watching dolphin, I was taken by a Chinese family to eat an especially famous cake in Hualien in the same tour trip, therefore I was excited to follow them. I did not know how to call this cake with a Chinese name as 炸弹葱油饼 that was translated in google means Bomb cake (laughed).

The cake including a slide of onion pancake is deep fried, wrapped up a special sauce and fitted with the soft-boiled eggs. This is the best food in Taiwan I’ve tried, the dough layer is so thin, crispy the outer and tough during chewing, the inner egg part is extremely yummy. Eggs are cracked right into the pan and fitted into the cake by soft-boiled eggs, the yolks bitten are oozed out into the mouth, therefore they are called Bombs.

This food is located in the corner between Fuxing and Lisen streets, there are 2 restaurants are about 10m apart, each restaurant with the very long queues is crowded as a joke but it is worthy of lining for eating. Each of us ate one piece, went one round in the center and walked back to eat another one because of the delicious cakes. It’s only the food, it’s only a few kilograms.

Xiaolongbao dumpling

We ate and stayed in the golden triangle, at the beginning of Gongzheng street. This restaurant’s name is Gongzheng baozi (公正包) and anybody who arrives in Hualien must visit here to eat dumplings.

Dumplings are here small but delicious, the pastry is soft, spongy and not so thick, therefore it’s not satiated, the filling is savory, very juicy and not so dry. Especially, a surprisingly cheap price is only 20 TWD for 4 dumplings.

Cuisine in the night market

Dongdamen night market also has a few dishes for trying, typically fried egg with oyster, fried noodle with pork, fresh milk with tea and etc., we actually saw the stalls having a lot of queues that we stood in for more animation, I thought the food was not delicious but very yummy unbelievably.

Hualien travel blog: What to buy to take away?

Opposite to Hualien Train Station is a delicious mochi handmade bread bakery with daily dishes named Master Zeng. In addition, everybody can buy mochi and pineapple cakes as gifts because the price is so cheap, and not as expensive as in Taipei.

The souvenirs such as carved wood, fragrant wood, feng sui stone and etc. are also sold a bit much in both of the night market and the Golden Triangle.

Conclusion

A majestic unspoiled nature is more expected in Hualien. Local people are very charming, gentle, friendly and extremely kind. Although I only stayed here 2 days, Hualien brought me a lot of beautiful souvenirs and a few kilograms of belly fat before breaking up.

If you would like to arrive in Taiwan, please visit Hualien to have a slow life at one time and a short emotion in your heart due to this loving place.

Some best day tours, trips, activities and transfer services, tickets in, to and from Hualien you can refer to

• Hualien Day Tour from Taipei
• Taroko Gorge Day Trips from Hualien
• Hualien Taroko National Park Private Car Charter
• Taroko Gorge, Swallow Grotto, & Seven Star Lake Day Tour
• [10% Off + 1 Extra Free Day] 4G SIM Card (TW Airport Pick Up) for Taiwan from Chunghwa Telecom
• 4G SIM Card (TPE Airport Pick Up) for Taiwan from Far EasTone Telecom
• [Sale – Taiwan Food Promo] Taiwan High Speed Rail (THSR) Discounted Ticket from Taipei
• Taiwan High Speed Rail (THSR) Discounted Ticket from Taoyuan
• THSR Exclusive Discount One Way Ticket from Taoyuan (Two Tickets for the Price of One)

If you have 3 days in Hualien, let’s check out our suggested Hualien itinerary 3 days here. Are you finding more top things to do in Hualien: Tours, activities, attractions and other things? Read more: Hualien travel guide — Top things to do & must go places in Hualien, Taiwan.