Top Taiwan Day Trips

Garen was kind and passionate and knowledgeable and connected to the community wherever we went. It was so nice not to have to wait in long lines at popular places, so nice to try tiny samples to full bowls of shaved ice deliciousness in the heat (she would get you as much as your heart desires to be clear but we asked to share our servings), allowing us to to try so many things. Her love for her country and her peoooe and the culture and food shines through in all her interactions. She is a lovely, intuitive human being and it was a treat to see and taste Taipei with her.

We recently completed a trip around Taiwan with our tour guide, Allan, and had a wonderful experience. Allan is extremely knowledgeable about Taiwan’s history, culture, and local attractions. He did an excellent job balancing everyone’s different needs and interests, making sure that each person felt comfortable and included throughout the trip. He was always attentive, patient, and thoughtful, and he made the entire journey smooth and enjoyable. We truly appreciated his professionalism and care, and we highly recommend Allan to anyone visiting Taiwan!

Garen was incredible. I changed the time for our tour multiple times and even the day due to travel hiccups and illness. She was so flexible and responsive. Once we finally did meet though, we were so impressed that she knew mandarin, Cantonese, and English. She was energetic and full of information. Patient with both my elderly mother and young tired kids. She was incredible and her own history with Taiwan is interesting as well. Please book her. She took pictures of our family, gave us great tips about the city, and is such an amazing person. Ask for Garen and book this tour.

This was an amazing day trip planned as a result of my twenty one hour layover in Taipei bound for DFW. It was a scheduled group tour and fortunately for me I was the only registered participant. David was the most informative tour guide. I loved the museum and to see Taipei 101 was breathtaking. Highly recommend this day tour.

Jackson met us at the cruise terminal. Our first stop was the Chaing Kai-Shek Memorial. Since I’m a bird nerd, Jackson took us around the gardens for quite some time while I photographed birds. We then visited the memorial building. We wanted to go to the jade market, so that was our second stop where we spent 30 minutes. We went to the Grand Hotel for a delicious lunch and to check out this beautiful hotel. Some of our group of 4 wanted to do some shopping, so Jackson dropped us off at a shopping area. Next we went to the National Palace Museum. Our day was tailor made for our interests and Jackson was extremely accommodating and fun to be with. We made a new friend and will definitely use him again the next time we are in Taiwan. The day was fantastic!

This is an easy 5/5. Our instructor, Chelsea, was outstanding. You can tell she’s not just teaching recipes—she has a bigger mission of sharing Taiwan with the world through its food and culture. That really comes through in the class, which feels both personal and purposeful. The setup is also a big step above most classes I’ve done. It’s held in a professional studio kitchen (not someone’s home), and the whole experience is incredibly well organized. There are assistants helping prep ingredients and clean as you go, so you can stay fully engaged in the cooking without feeling rushed or overwhelmed. The class itself is very hands-on and a lot of fun. We made Xiao Long Bao, beef noodle soup, and boba tea, with a strong focus on the dumplings. Learning the full process—from rolling the dough, to filling it with the soup-rich pork mixture, to folding and pinching each dumpling—was both challenging and rewarding. (Let’s just say mine didn’t look perfect, but they tasted amazing.) Along the way, Chelsea shared great insights into Taiwanese cuisine and culture, which made the experience even more meaningful. Selecting the right cooking class can be a bit overwhelming; If you select CookInn Taiwan you will not be disappointed. If you’re visiting Taipei and want something interactive, memorable, and genuinely authentic, I can’t recommend this class enough.

Charlotte was a wonderful guide, she took us around the Shilin night market and we had all the food we’d been interested in trying (even stinky tofu which was way better than expected!). We also talked a lot about life in Taiwan and she shared her own favorites and perspectives which was great. She also gave us lots of options to customize, so really anyone would be able to enjoy. Highly recommend this tour!

If you love nature, this is a great experience. Our driver Nicholas Ying drove us to so many great places to see the waterfalls, the coastline where we saw great rock formations, to the old town where we tasted super delicious Taiwanese lunch and out favorite, the paper lantern launching.. so much more to explore if time permits.