Eastern Taiwan
How to Get Around Eastern Taiwan
Getting Around
The railway is the spine. The east coast line runs from Taipei through Yilan to Hualien and Taitung, and the fast Puyuma and Tze-Chiang Limited services reach Hualien in about two hours from Taipei. Book well ahead — seats sell out days or weeks in advance at weekends and holidays, and this is the single most common planning mistake here.
A hire car or scooter is genuinely useful, because the two highways — 11 along the coast and 9 through the rift valley — are the attraction, and buses along them are infrequent.
Cycling the rift valley is a well-established thing to do, with bike hire at the stations and a flat, quiet route.
Buses serve Taroko from Hualien station and run along both highways a few times a day.
Ferries from Fugang near Taitung reach Green Island and Orchid Island; crossings are rough and cancelled in poor weather.
Flights connect Taipei with Hualien and Taitung.