A guide to Hualien
No Taroko Gorge, no problem
Posted by: Josh, 16 January 2026
Hualien has a huge amount to offer, even in the shoulder season and winter months, with some of the best on-a-budget food we ate in Taiwan. If you have a few weeks in Taiwan, don’t let worries about restricted access to Taroko Gorge stop you visiting.
Three days is enough to do most of what there is to see and do while Taroko access is still limited, but those with a car could happily stay longer to take in some of the less well visited parts of the area.
This is our guide to visiting Hualien.
Contents
While Hualien is most famous for Taroko Gorge, many of the trails in the national park are closed and may never fully reopen. That’s almost certainly the right decision, given the huge human cost involved in creating the trails and the continuing safety risks.
But you won’t be short of other places to see.
Liyu Lake offers a beautiful and easy stroll, with the possibility of catching a glimpse of a Macaque through the trees. There’s a road that takes you all the way around the lake and some trails that will take you further out into the trees if you fancy stepping a little off the beaten track. We measured our time on the main path – even stopping to take some pictures and admire the views, it only took around 90 minutes. To get here by public transport, you can take bus 303B or 303C from Hualien city centre. The buses are fairly reliable, but not very regular, so make sure you check the current schedule and don’t miss the bus back.
Hualien is well known for its dragon boat racing, and we were fortunate to catch the 2025 Hualien Pacific International Dragon Boat Festival at Liyu Lake while we were there in October. Contestants and spectators alike were hugely welcoming, and the big crowds were well served by a good variety of food and drink stalls set up for the occasion.
Despite the thousands in attendance on one side of the lake, the vast majority of the path around the lake was peaceful with only a few hikers and cyclists making their way round. We found most attendees had booked coaches or driven to the event, meaning our (my) worries about getting a spot on one of the infrequent buses home were totally unfounded.
This seems to be an annual event, but Liz checked online beforehand and couldn’t find any information about it – not even the dates. It was only once we were in town that we saw posters everywhere advertising it.
Gangtian Temple on the edge of town isn’t a spot to head to for a day out, but it’s well worth stopping by if you’re in the area. It’s huge and intricately decorated. A highlight here was the spiral staircases built inside two dragons. Bear in mind that this is a working temple, not a tourist attraction, so it’s important to be respectful of worshippers.
We wandered round the temple on our walk up to Sakul waterfall. Offering beautiful views over Hualien from the high points of the trail, we’d fully recommend this pretty simple hike. While the waterfall itself doesn’t compare to, say, the jaw-droppingly beautiful Qinglong Falls at Sun Link Sea, the trails were lovely and well-marked, and we saw a troop of Macaque monkeys passing by as we walked.
There’s a car park at the entrance to the trail, and sticks are provided to help you scare off snakes. In the end, we didn’t see a single one – thus conclusively proving its 100% effectiveness. Good job, stick.
We enjoyed a nice stroll down the coastal path, taking in some fun wooden sculptures in Taipingyang Park along the way. Even in less than perfect weather, this was a nice way to spend a couple of hours.
If you’re in that seafront area and fancy trying your hand in a batting cage, Hualien has a very reasonably priced one for you. It’s 20NT$ for 12 balls, in a slightly basic setting with a much-more-than-slight whiff of Stinky Tofu, with speeds ranging from very low – we didn’t go all the way to the low end, but around 30kph – to 140kph at the top end. Search ‘南濱棒壘球打擊場親子樂園(零食場/夾娃娃機/夾零時/選物機’ or ‘batting cage center’ in Google Maps for the location. A few arcade games are on site too.
If you hit the ball really hard and in exactly the wrong direction, it might land in this pond.
What we didn't do
And where to read about it
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The Taiwan oracle, Nick Kembel, has updated his guide to Taroko Gorge with notes on what parts had reopened as of 2025.
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One of the most popular activities to do in Hualien is whale and dolphin watching. From around May to October every year, dolphins can commonly be found off the coast of Hualien, and if you’re lucky you could also spot orcas, humpback whales and pilot whales. You can read more about this on Taiwan East Coast tourism's website. Most operators seem to offer a guarantee that if you don’t see any whales or dolphins on your trip, you can join their next excursion for free to try again.
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Please try to go with an ethical operator who will treat the whales and dolphins with the respect they deserve.
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We weren’t able to take a tour this while we were in Hualien due to the weather, so if you end up doing it we’d love to hear from you – please leave us a comment about your experience!
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The damp weather during our visit dissuaded us from checking out the full length of the Hualien Coastal Bike Loop. If you have better luck with the sunshine and want to check it out, there are plenty of places where you can hire bikes in town. This Youtube video covers it in substantial detail.
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Lastly, we were unable to track down the “super good lying rock in Hualien”, as it’s called on Google Maps. If reviews are to be believed, we missed out on a transcendental experience.
I suppose you could lay on one of these rocks instead, but we both know it wouldn't be the same.
Where to eat and drink
Read our tips on food and drink in Taiwan on our What to Know Before you Go post
Night markets
If you’re after night market fare, you’ll need to visit Dongdamen night market. Despite mixed reviews online, we found some pretty good food here. What set this night market apart for us wasn’t the usual Taiwanese street food – though there’s plenty of it, much of it good – but also a slightly greater range of international street foods. The blistered pepper noodle dish I had went down well with a very lovely caipirinha from the Brazilian stall across the way – made by Lucas, Taiwan-born but with 12 years’ experience living in Brazil.
A word of advice on the grilled corn – you might see a big queue outside one particular place: Dongmaiju Grilled Corn (Hualien Main Store) (東麥局 烤玉米（花蓮總店 on Google Maps). It’s one of the more well-known grilled corn stands but be warned – you’ll have to wait some time for your food. While I liked it, it wasn’t the very best one I tried in Taiwan – so possibly one to skip, unless there’s a couple of other stalls nearby you’re keen to try while you wait. Liz preferred the corn from another stand around the corner: Uncle Lian's roasted corn (練黍叔燒番麥「烤玉米) on Google Maps. The queue was much shorter there and the BBQ sauce was more to her taste, plus it was cheaper too! (Note from Liz: This was one of my favourite things I ate at the market - both the vegetarian and non-vegetarian version are recommended).
Breakfast and brunch
Gaston & Gaby bakery was good as hell and right next to the Hualien Railway Cultural Park. The bakery is open until 6pm most days, making it a great spot to stop in for a coffee and a pastry after travelling.
Seedson Café, a very cute café serving excellent coffees with an extremely friendly feline manager, is a short walk from the small but perfectly formed Chenghuang temple, which is worth a quick stop if you’re in the area if just to read a fun story about how a statue of Chenghuang involved falling victim to Japanese colonial period. I won’t completely spoil the surprise, but it involves a deacon with a gift for creative solutions and a carefully chosen hat.
Scone and Coffee serves, well, scones and coffee. As something of a scone aficionado, I can assure you they're good ones, and they come with friendly service from Dumbo the corgi and his equally kind human staff.
We sampled a range of foods at MP Brunch. While the coffee was better at Seedson, and the cinnamon bun at Gaston and Gaby is hard to beat, this place has a wider range of options. I enjoyed the chocolate and banana pancakes, and Lizzie had a tasty lemon chicken omelette. If you like your breakfast to come with a soundtrack which may include songs from ABBA, Encanto, Beauty and the Beast, and that Will Ferrell Eurovision film – and, boy, does it kill me to admit that I do – this might be the spot for you.
One of Liz’s favourite things to eat on our trip to Taiwan was the Xiao long bao at Zhou Jia Xiao Long Bao. At just 7NT$ per piece – 17 British pence – we had to double check they weren’t undercharging.
There are a whole bunch of nice bakeries, making it more or less impossible to recommend just one. That said, I enjoyed a quick lunch from 181 Bakery despite my selection of breads and cakes coming to a disgraceful 139NT$ – or 20 xiao long bao, as I prefer to think of it.
Dinner
Hualien being one of the first cities we visited in Taiwan, we were surprised to see a couple of very appealing looking Italian restaurants in the city. Unfortunately, being new to Taiwan, we were caught out by the early closing times and (with few obviously veggie options elsewhere) ended up settling for Nu Pasta – a chain, claiming – boldly, I’d say – to offer authentic Italian flavours. On the more expensive side, it’s not going to appeal to anyone with a genuine taste for Italian: we can only recommend going out early for dinner and trying one of the many other options – and please let other readers know in the comments if you can find a place to recommend.
Da Da Hui Noodles, conveniently located right opposite our hotel, was a gem of a find. Their hand-cut Japanese style creamy sesame noodle dish was such a delight that, after a medium-sized bowl each, we split a smaller portion as our ‘dessert’ for the night. A further small bowl each was eaten after trying some of the foods at Dongdamen night market the following night.
Does it Ding Go?
As the home of the beloved bubble tea chain known as Ding Go, I'm happy to confirm that it does.
My god, how we loved Ding Go. We could dedicate a whole page in the future to this bubble tea joint (and we did!), which is found throughout the East of Taiwan, but Hualien was our first taste of their Brown Sugar Boba. It’s just brown sugar and milk, and most taste almost identical to the one you'll find at the next chain on the street, but we sampled an appalling amount of these drinks in Taiwan and Ding Go really did do them best.
Getting there
Read more about public transport in Taiwan on our What to Know Before you Go post
There are regular trains and buses from several major cities. Our trains both on the way to Hualien and on our journey to our next destination, Chishang, had plenty of spare seats we visited in shoulder season in October.
The slower local train service from Taipei took around three hours and 20 minutes, and set us back 336NT$ each (just over £8). There’s also an express train which takes about 2 hours and 20 minutes and costs closer to 500NT$ (just under £12). Sit on the left-hand side for views over the ocean, or the right-hand side for views of the mountains.
You can also get to Hualien via a direct train from Kaohsiung. The journey takes around 4hrs 20 minutes and costs 878NT$ (around £21). Make sure you know for certain which service you're booking, as there are also a number of services that require you to change train and other direct services which take much longer. One such direct train departs at 11:17 and arrives eight hours later at 19:17.
Hualien is a great place to visit before going diving on Green Island, with easy public transport links to Taitung where the ferry departs. You can read more about how to get to Green Island on our guide.
Useful tips
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The Hualien region can suffer flooding after heavy rain. As a tourist, I wouldn’t let this put you off visiting. Hualien has a lot to see and do, and flooding is likely to only affect certain areas when barrier lakes can overflow. Be flexible, and you’ll be rewarded.
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Taxis are harder for Western visitors than in other parts of Taiwan. Uber does not operate in this area, and many other apps will require a Taiwanese phone number to work. We came across one couple struggling to get back from Sakul Waterfall, having taken a taxi to the start of the trail but not arranging one for the journey back. Ask your hotel for advice on how to book a taxi before setting off if you’re going to need one.
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We wouldn’t recommend the walk from town to Sakul waterfall if you can avoid it – it’s not bad, but it’s long and unremarkable. A rental bike might be a good option.
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We found that bus information wasn’t always reliable at bus stops. Taiwan Bus and the live bus information on Yunbus.tw were accurate – so check these and wait at your stop if they say services are running even if, as we found on one occasion, the electronic sign at your stop says otherwise.
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Buses to some locations, such as Liyu Lake, were infrequent. We rarely find ourselves disappointed not to have a car on our travels, but the Hualien experience might be even better if you can drive. It would have been great to have more time at Liyu Lake and to be able to park up and admire some of the scenery on the way… and having a car would also make getting up to see a view of the Taroko area feel worthwhile, in a way that a “reopening tour” – with their unavoidably rigid schedules and the costs involved – didn’t to us.
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We had a full body massage at Champs Elysees Massage. It must have been good because it hurt like hell. The price came to just under 1000NT$ each and the massueses were good at their jobs – it’s easy enough to communicate that you need a little less pressure, even with a language gap. A surprising treat was the cup of tea on arrival, and the very kind lady at reception who gave us a bag of small and very sweet bananas her mum had grown to take back to our hotel.
Final thoughts
Liz's final thoughts
Hualien was surprisingly one of my favourite places in Taiwan for food, even though we didn’t get to try out a lot of the restaurants because we were still getting used to the early closing times (it was a real culture shock for us to arrive to a restaurant at 7PM only to be told they were closing up for the night!). Add to this the beautiful scenery and wildlife spotting opportunities, and it’s a great city to spend a few days.
Josh's final thoughts
Hualien is a lovely city in a beautiful area, and views down many of the main roads towards the distant cloud-covered hills will last with me for a very long time.
While I was able to enjoy a lot of moments here, my overall experience was affected by struggles with panic attacks during this part of our trip. If you're interested in knowing a bit more, I’ve written a separate post about how anxiety has affected me while travelling and some of the things that help to mitigate it.
I'd love to come back again, hopefully in a better state of mind to fully appreciate the stay.
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