Rainbow Village
Free (donations welcome)
45–60 minGoogle Maps
A veteran spent decades painting his settlement in riotous colour to save it from demolition ~ it worked. Small and quick, so pair it with Gaomei for one loop.
© michael spadoni · CC0All cities
Taiwan · Attraction Prices
Taichung
$5–15 for the classics2 paid · 4 freeFly into RMQ1 USD ≈ NT$31 (New Taiwan dollar)Open in Google Maps
Taiwan's second city is where bubble tea was born ~ a relaxed spread of painted villages, wetland sunsets, and night markets. Nearly everything is free; your budget here is basically food.
Bring $5–15
This almost every sight below is free ~ this is mostly bubble tea and night-market snack money.
Getting there
RMQTaichung International Airport
Most travellers arrive by High Speed Rail from Taipei (about 1 hour). Base near Taichung Station or the Calligraphy Greenway; buses and short taxi rides reach the wetlands and Rainbow Village.
Gaomei Wetlands
Free
2–3 hoursGoogle Maps
A boardwalk over mirror-flat tidal flats under a row of wind turbines ~ Taiwan's most famous sunset. Check the tide tables; the boardwalk closes at high water.
National Taichung Theater
Free entry (shows extra)
1 hourGoogle Maps
Toyo Ito's 'sound cave' ~ an architectural wonder of curved walls with barely a straight line in it. Free to wander the public floors; the rooftop garden is lovely at dusk.
Miyahara
Free entry · ice cream NT$100–250
Free–$8 USD
1 hourGoogle Maps
A 1927 eye hospital reborn as a Harry-Potter-esque hall of sweets. Entry is free ~ but leaving without the famous sundae piled with pineapple cake is basically impossible.
Fengjia Night Market
Free entry · eat well for NT$300–500
Free entry · ≈ $10–16 food USD
2–3 hoursGoogle Maps
Taiwan's biggest night market, wrapped around Feng Chia University. Come hungry ~ this is ground zero for new Taiwanese street-food inventions.
Taichung Park & Chun Shui Tang
Park free · bubble tea NT$90–160
1–2 hoursGoogle Maps
Row a boat past the 1908 Lake Pavilion, then walk to Chun Shui Tang ~ the teahouse that claims to have invented pearl milk tea in the 1980s. The original-shop boba is a pilgrimage.
Prices are approximate (as of 2026), based on our visits and official rates, and can change with seasons and exchange rates. Always double-check official websites before you go.
Photos are free-license images from Wikimedia Commons ~ tap the credit on any photo for its author and license.