Sun Moon Lake
Worth the hype, mostly
Posted by: Josh, 16 January 2026
Famously one of the prettiest spots in Taiwan, Sun Moon Lake is not a hidden gem.
But with a tiny bit of effort and sensible planning, it’s a lovely place to spend a few days.
This beautiful blue lake up in the mountains is surrounded by rolling green hills and dotted with small towns and temples. It takes its name from the fact that the east side of the lake is said to resemble a sun, while the west side is said to resemble a crescent moon - hence, Sun Moon Lake.
It offers a great mix of nature and culture, and if you don't mind the fact that it's fairly touristy, Sun Moon Lake is definitely worth visiting.
Here’s a short guide on what to know.
Contents
What to do in Sun Moon Lake
Cycling at Sun Moon Lake
The big draw of Sun Moon Lake is the opportunity to cycle around the 800-hectare lake. If like me you don’t really know what a hectare is, think “very big”.
You might not end up cycling the whole circumference though, as the roads are hilly and the cycle path only goes partway around the lake – meaning you’ll have to take your bikes onto some busy main roads if you do want to complete the full circle.
We were advised to take e-bikes for the “hilly” routes up to Wenwu Temple, which cost of 500NT$ (a little under £12) each at the rental shop by Shan Guang Stay hotel in Shuishe. Helmets were provided and they even threw in a free poncho in case it started to rain.
As it turns out, the hills aren’t that steep for most of your ride and you might not need to make much use of the electric motor on your bike – though it’s still worth having if you’re not a frequent cyclist.
It’s immediately clear on arriving at Sun Moon Lake why this spot became so popular, with the water a deep blue colour and the varied peaks of the hillsides all around the lake forming almost ethereal blue-grey shapes in the background. When the mist set in towards sunset in November, the sight was remarkable.
Wenwu Temple
While cycling round the lake, you can stop at Wenwu Temple, at which there is joint worship of all Three Teachings: Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism. Open all day long, we ended up spending a very long time here. As of October 2025, part of the cycle path was shut which means that to get here you will briefly need to go onto main roads – but the roads are wide, traffic wasn’t too heavy, and drivers were very respectful in leaving plenty of space for us.
We really appreciated the traditional Chinese design – the “Palace Style of Northern China”, according to Sun Moon Lake Tourism – of the temple buildings, and the opportunity to see a different style of temple to the large Buddhist temples we’d seen to this point in our trip. The views of Sun Moon Lake from Wenwu were, for us, even better than the ones that we could get by the water’s edge, with clearer views of the silhouetted hills stretching into the distance.
We were also delighted to see a Taiwan Barbet stop briefly on one of the treetops just below the temple. These colourful birds are common in Taiwan, but hard to spot as they tend to stay high in the tree canopy.
If you’re tired from cycling up the hill, you can enjoy all of this with a warm or iced drink from the tea shop on site. Of all the temples we visited in Taiwan, I’d pick Wenwu as my favourite if forced to choose.
Longfeng Temple
The other best option for a longer stop at a temple is Longfeng, in the opposite direction from Shuishe to Wenwu.
Smaller than Wenwu, though still very beautiful – the colourful dragon carvings are a popular picture – its views of the lake are a bit more obstructed. It’s worth a quick cycle out here to take a look if you have time, but Longfeng didn’t hold the same appeal to me and Liz as Wenwu.
A boat tour at Sun Moon Lake
While swimming isn't usually allowed at Sun Moon Lake, you can get out on the water by taking a boat trip between the small towns that dot the lake edge.
A bit of practical advice first. There are loads of spots to buy boat tickets from, so don’t worry if you don’t immediately spot an open kiosk where you are by the lake. Most businesses sell them. We ended up buying tickets at Nomad Stay coffee shop, costing 200NT$ (£4.70) each for a ticket that allowed us one journey to each of the three stops. You might get a slight discount if you pre-order from Klook and collect at a kiosk instead.
Boats run from 09:00 until 17:00, every 20 minutes on a weekend and around every 30 minutes on a weekday, stopping at Shuishe, Ita Thao, and Xangguang Temple. The boat was fairly crowded, but comfortable, with enough seats for everyone. If you’d like to sit on deck to enjoy views of the lake, I’d recommend arriving to the pier a little early so you can be at the front of the queue and have first pick of where to sit.
Shuishe
This was where we chose to stay, and where we rented our bikes from. There’s not a huge amount to see in the town itself, but as you can read below there are a couple of good spots to eat. If staying in Ita Thao, you might want to take an early boat to Shuishe so that you can rent a bike and explore the spots detailed above.
Ita Thao
A livelier town, with a good number of night market-style food stands and alcohol shops. If you’re less of a coward than me, you might want to take a trip up the Sun Moon Lake Ropeway – a cable car, which is open from 10:30-16:00 on weekdays and 10:00-16:30 on weekends, and apparently gives beautiful views over the lake.
Xuanguang Temple
This is a small and picturesque temple, on the same side of the lake as Ita Thao.
Whether it’s worth visiting depends how much time you have – we stopped off on our round trip of the lake and spent around 45 minutes here. There’s good views back across the lake towards Shuishe and a bit more peace and quiet than you’ll find at either of the other two stops.
A small forest trail – around half a mile each way – can be found behind the temple but be aware that most of the ‘viewpoints’ are obscured by trees along the route. The temple itself is compact and not as splendidly decorated as the larger Wenwu or Longshan complexes, but you may still enjoy learning about its history. You might also, as we did, take advantage of the free vegetarian recipe books left out for visitors to take if you’re wanting some inspiration for Taiwanese cooking when you return home. Translation apps will be needed for non-Mandarin speakers.
Where to watch the Sun rise and set
If you have the energy (and the transportation) to get there, you could try heading up to Wenwu Temple to watch the sunrise there.
I can’t guarantee it won’t be busy, but the area around the temple is large enough that you should be able to find a peaceful spot towards the top of the complex even if the carparking area in front of the temple has a few early birds out to drink in the view.
For those wanting a more sedate morning walk, as we did, my best advice is a bit of a cop out. Rather than making a beeline to one of the piers or scenic spots you might have found recommended elsewhere, I think it's worth starting at the most convenient spot at the lakeside and wandering a few minutes away from the crowds until you find the view that calls to you the most: chances are, your idea of the best sunset or sunrise spot is a little different to mine or any of your fellow early birds.
If you follow Google recommendations for a less crowded spot… well, expect others to have headed to exactly the same places. Nowhere stays secret for long.
Where to eat and drink
Read our tips on food and drink in Taiwan on our What to Know Before you Go post
-
Nomad Day cafe in Shuishe does a great dessert and very nice coffees in a cozy environment. It does get very busy though if you arrive late for breakfast. And vegetarians should ask to make sure their seemingly suitable order is okay, as there are only two vegetarian options on the menu. The lemon tart, for instance, comes with a marshmallow and even the French toast comes with sausage.
-
Mr Hotpot in Shuishe (敝姓鍋 - 南投日月潭店 on Google Maps) served a fantastic feast. Bear in mind that while closing time is 8pm, last orders are at 7pm. It’s upstairs in the building above 7/11, if you’re struggling to find it. Our meal came to an expensive 1130NT$ (£26) for two people… but that’s because we misunderstood how to order and ended up with an absurd amount of add-ons, including three separate large bowls full of mushrooms between two baffled people. The green pepper vegetarian stock is top notch, and you can add chili, garlic and soy to your taste. Free drink refills, including a very satisfying passionfruit slushie, are a bonus.
-
Ita Thao has many more options. For those like us who were just passing through, a special mention goes to the wonderfully named Sheriff Tea Egg – which serves dried tofu burgers with, you guessed it, a tea egg. It won’t be to everyone’s tastes, but I liked it.
-
Ita Thao’s food stalls are a good spot to try the Egg Rolls which Sun Moon Lake has a reputation for. Liz liked them; I found them insulting to good eggs and tea. Either way, they’re cheap, worth trying, and they didn’t tear us apart as a couple despite our different palettes.
-
Right on Ita Thao Pier is LeaLea Coffee & Dessert. You won’t find a better spot to admire the lake over coffee and a snack than here – and unlike many places with a view, the food is good too.
Does it Ding Go?
No. Tourists continue to flock to Sun Moon Lake despite the absence of the beloved bubble tea chain known as Ding Go. A collective boycott may be required.
Getting there
Read more about public transport in Taiwan on our What to Know Before you Go post
From Taipei, the 1833 bus goes directly to Sun Moon Lake, but there are only a limited number of services each day, mostly departing in the morning from Taipei bus station. The journey takes around 4 hours and costs around 470NT$ (£11). This is a very popular route, so consider getting your ticket in advance in order to make sure you can get a seat.
Alternatively, you can get the train from Taipei to Taichung and then hop on the 6670 tourist shuttle bus from there. This is slightly quicker, taking around three hours if you take the high-speed rail service.
From Taichung HSR, find exit 5 downstairs from the main concourse. You’ll want to queue at Stop 3 for the 6670 bus, which is directly in front of the doors. There was a long queue for that service when we arrived around 2pm on a Friday while on our way to Xitou.
If you’re staying in Taichung before heading to Sun Moon Lake, consider getting the bus from an earlier stop (Gancheng bus station or Taichung TRA station) in order to make sure you can get a seat.
Alternately, if you’ve decided to check out Sun Link Sea and Xitou, the 149 bus goes directly from Xitou to Shuishe. We had no problems finding space on this bus despite it being more of a minibus than a coach.
If you’ve flown into Taichung Airport (or if you just really love planes, I guess), there is one direct bus a day: the 6670E, which departs at 3.10pm. Alternately, head to Taichung HSR and take the route above.
Where to stay
While there are spots to stay elsewhere around the lake, you’re likely choosing between Shuishe and Ita Thao.
As the bus from Xitou stopped in Shuishe, this was an easy decision for us. I won’t recap the differences between Shuishe and Ita Thao again here, but safe to say we enjoyed the greater tranquillity here once tour groups had left for the day.
We’re not making any money out of this recommendation, but we had a very nice stay at Shan Guang Stay hotel in Shuishe. Yes, the privacy of the toilet leaves much to be desired, but the room is beautiful, spacious, and very cosy. Fortunately, the hotel also has an extra toilet on the second floor, so you don’t have to kill all the magic if you’re a couple staying here. The in-room bath was a highlight for Liz.
Ita Thao looked to have nice options too but we can’t honestly make any recommendations. If you can, drop them in the comments and bask in the wisdom you've shared. The main draw of staying here, rather than Shuishe, would be the extra places to eat and explore on a night-time.
Useful tips
-
If you’re staying in Shuishe, remember to eat dinner early. Distracted by booking our next stay, we didn’t head out until after 7pm – meaning almost everywhere was shut. We settled on “Vanilla Rush” as a label for the crowd of tourists, all of whom looked like us, who descended on the not-overly-well-stocked 7/11 in a last-ditch search for a meal.
-
A better plan might have been to book an Uber around the lake back to Ita Thao, to stop by one of the restaurants there or to piece together a dinner from the street food stands.
-
Try to visit on a weekday; it makes all the difference. We arrived on a Sunday evening and were surprised by how busy the pier was, even knowing in advance how popular a destination Sun Moon Lake is. Weekdays are significantly quieter.
Final thoughts on Sun Moon Lake
Liz's final thoughts
Sun Moon Lake was a big change after having been in Xitou, a place where we saw very few other Western tourists. Off the beaten track it is not. That being said, the lake is absolutely beautiful, there were lots of cute cafes, there’s a good selection of accommodation to choose from and more people here seemed to speak English compared to other parts of Taiwan we travelled to. While it was slightly crowded at times, I wouldn't say it was ever overcrowded - we were always easily able to move about.
If you're looking for an easy, accessible, beautiful place to spend a night or two (possibly as a side trip from Taipei), then Sun Moon Lake is worth visiting.
Josh's final thoughts
Hey, it’s me! The glass half-empty guy.
Sun Moon Lake is a great place, there’s no doubt, and I think most people will enjoy a day or two here. But you could be ever so slightly disappointed if you go there expecting unspoilt paradise: this is a very well-known tourist destination, it probably will be busy, and some of the lakeside is dotted with a handful of high-rise hotels and other buildings which don’t blend into the otherwise picture-perfect landscape.
It’s worth the trip and I’d put the views from Wenwu Temple up there with the best in Taiwan, but Sun Moon Lake is just a small step below one or two of the very most beautiful lakes I’ve visited in other countries – think Sete Cidades in the Azores, for instance – for those reasons.
Related posts
