The standard Taiwan itinerary tries to fit Taipei, Jiufen, Sun Moon Lake, Alishan, Tainan and Kenting into seven days. It works, technically. It also leaves you exhausted, with the same shallow photograph from each place, and no real sense of any of them.
一般的台灣行程都想把台北、九份、日月潭、阿里山、台南、墾丁塞進七天。理論上做得到，但你會非常累，每個地方拍出來的照片都很表面，對任何一處都沒有真正的印象。
Here is how we suggest five days, for a first-time visitor who values doing fewer things, properly.
下面是我們建議第一次來台灣的人怎麼走五天——景點少一點、每處都玩得徹底。
Day 1 — Taipei, by foot
第 1 天 — 台北徒步
Land at TPE in the morning. Private transfer to your hotel in Ximending or Zhongshan — the two neighbourhoods we recommend for a first stay. After a shower, walk. Don't book anything.
早上抵達桃園機場。私人接送到西門町或中山區的飯店——這是我們最推薦第一次入住的兩個區。沖個澡，出門用走的。第一天什麼都別預約。
- Lunch at Yongkang Street (永康街) — the original beef noodle district.
- Afternoon at the National Palace Museum if you like old things, Songshan Cultural Park if you don't.
- Dinner at Raohe night market (饒河夜市). Smaller, more local than the famous Shilin.
- 午餐：永康街——牛肉麵的發源街區。
- 下午：喜歡古物去故宮博物院，喜歡設計就去松山文創園區。
- 晚餐：饒河夜市。比有名的士林小、更在地。
Day 2 — Jiufen & Shifen
第 2 天 — 九份＋十分
The day worth taking a private car for. Bus + train versions of this trip eat four hours of your day in transit. With a driver, leave at 09:30, arrive Shifen by 11:00, lanterns and lunch, then Jiufen for tea at 16:00 and the evening lantern-light. Home by 21:00 in time for a quiet drink.
這天最值得花錢包車。火車＋公車的版本光交通就吃掉你四小時。包車的話：09:30 出發、11:00 到十分放天燈吃午餐，16:00 到九份茶樓喝茶看燈籠夜景，21:00 回飯店還來得及小酌。
We've written a full guide to Jiufen here.
九份完整玩法另開一篇詳細導覽，請看 這裡。
Day 3 — One day, one direction
第 3 天 — 一天一方向
Pick one:
三選一：
- Yilan + Toucheng coast — quietest. Hot springs at Jiaoxi, surfing town at Toucheng, dinner of seafood by the harbour. 90 minutes each way.
- Hualien + Taroko Gorge — most dramatic landscape. Best done as an overnight via the high-speed rail; harder to do as a day.
- Sun Moon Lake — central Taiwan's resort lake. Pretty, slower, good for couples. Three hours each way.
- 宜蘭＋頭城海岸——最安靜的選項。礁溪溫泉、頭城衝浪小鎮、港邊海鮮晚餐。單程 90 分鐘。
- 花蓮＋太魯閣——最壯麗的風景。建議搭高鐵安排兩天一夜，當天來回會很趕。
- 日月潭——中部度假湖區。很美、節奏慢，適合情侶。單程 3 小時。
Whichever you pick, do it as only that. Don't try to add a second region.
無論選哪個，只做那一件事。別硬塞第二個地區。
Day 4 — Slow Taipei
第 4 天 — 慢遊台北
Most travellers waste their last full day on souvenirs. Don't.
很多人把最後一個整天浪費在買伴手禮。別這樣做。
- Morning at Beitou hot springs (北投) — under an hour from central Taipei. The Plum Garden is free; private soak rooms at the Volando are the splurge.
- Afternoon at Tamsui (淡水) for the river-mouth and an early sunset.
- Evening at Da'an Park, then a quiet dinner — try Mountain & Sea House (山海樓) for Taiwanese banquet cuisine.
- 早上：北投泡溫泉——離市區不到一小時。梅庭免費，亞太溫泉會館的私人湯屋是奢華選項。
- 下午：淡水看河口、看早些下山的夕陽。
- 晚上：大安森林公園散步，然後找間安靜餐廳吃晚餐——推薦山海樓的台菜宴。
Day 5 — Last morning, then home
第 5 天 — 最後一個早上，然後回家
A late breakfast at Fujin Street, half an hour at a tea shop, then a private transfer back to TPE. Three hours before flight is correct — don't trust the train at peak times. We've watched too many travellers miss flights to give that advice lightly.
富錦街吃個 brunch，茶店坐半小時，然後私人接送回桃園機場。**起飛前三小時抵達**是對的——尖峰時段不要信火車的時間。我們看過太多客人差點趕不上飛機，這不是我們隨口說的。
What to skip on a first trip
第一次來該跳過的地方
- Alishan from Taipei. It's an overnight, full stop. Trying to do it as a day is six hours of bus for thirty minutes of view.
- Kenting in winter. Beach town, far south. Brilliant in summer, cold and grey November–February.
- Multiple night markets. One is plenty. They are all variations of the same theme.
- 從台北一日遊阿里山。那一定要過夜，否則就是 6 小時公車換 30 分鐘看景。
- 冬天去墾丁。南部海邊小鎮，夏天才精采；11 月到 2 月又冷又灰。
- 跑很多夜市。一個就夠。所有夜市基本上是同一個主題的變奏。
The transport question, honestly
交通的真心話
Taipei has excellent metro. Outside Taipei, public transport is a step-down. The high-speed rail is fast but only covers the west coast. For Day 2 and Day 3 above, almost everyone we know — locals and visitors — uses a private driver.
台北捷運很完善。出了台北，大眾運輸落差就明顯。高鐵很快但只走西部。第 2 天跟第 3 天那種行程，我們認識的人——本地人也好、外國朋友也罷——幾乎都選包車。
Not because it's luxurious. Because the alternative is queuing for a 1320 bus at Ruifang station with sixty other people who all read the same blog post.
不是為了豪華，而是另一個選項是跟其他六十個讀過同一篇部落格的人，一起在瑞芳站排 1320 號公車。