TW · Yilan County · 24.75°N 121.76°E

yilan

Hot springs, spring-onion snacks and green rice fields between mountains and sea.

Best time
March–May is mild and good for the countryside. July–September brings heat and typhoon risk, and the northeast monsoon makes autumn and winter wet, though that's when the hot springs feel best.
How long
2 days
Getting there
Fly from KL to Taipei Taoyuan (about 4.5 hours). Buses from Taipei reach Jiaoxi in about an hour through the Hsuehshan Tunnel, and trains take about 1–1.5 hours.
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TW · Yilan Countyyilan24.75°N 121.76°Egowherelah.com
Dear group chat,Hot springs, spring-onion snacks and green rice fields between mountains and sea.— gowherelahTo: whoever’s drivingYilanTW, Yilan County
KLyilan
≈ 3,224 km from KL, as the crow flies
Yilan County in Taiwan

Photo: Bob Tan · CC BY 4.0

1 / 5

Photos: Wikimedia Commons, credited on each.

Yilan County is the green, rainy side of northern Taiwan, a plain of rice fields between the mountains and the Pacific, about an hour from Taipei. Stay in a hot spring hotel in Jiaoxi, cycle the plain and eat your way through Luodong's night market.

Makan

  1. Sanxing scallion pancakesCrisp pancakes made with the county's famous spring onions; some stalls fry them in lard.Map ↗
  2. Yilan duckDuck cured and smoked over sugarcane, then sliced thin.Map ↗

Things to do

  1. Jiaoxi hot springsA hot spring town with free public foot baths and plenty of hotels with private baths.Map ↗
  2. Guishan IslandBoats circle this volcanic 'turtle island' and go whale and dolphin watching from about March to November.Map ↗
  3. National Center for Traditional ArtsAn old-street-style park of craft workshops and folk performances by the river.Map ↗
  4. Luodong Night MarketOne of Taiwan's best-loved night markets, packed with food stalls.Map ↗

Good to know

  • Weekend traffic through the Hsuehshan Tunnel backs up badly, so the train is often faster on the way back.
  • Halal food is scarce outside Taipei. Taiwan's Buddhist vegetarian restaurants (素食) are an easy pork-free fallback.

Last checked October 2026. Things change, so check opening times, fees and transport before you go.