Final Days in Taiwan: Taipei and Beitou Retreat
Table of Contents
Our final stay in Beitou was a relaxing highlight, featuring hot springs, scenic views, and a beautiful hotel near Yangmingshan. We enjoyed a short hike, a traditional dinner, and some last-minute shopping before winding down the trip. Although I wasn’t feeling my best, the experience was a perfect and peaceful way to end our Taiwan journey.
Links to the next parts
Journey Back to Taipei
This is the final post summarizing our last two days in Taiwan. Unlike the other posts, I combined two days into one, as not much happened and our journey back to Taipei took a few hours.
The next day, we went straight to the railway station. By the way, at the beginning of the trip, I forgot to mention that the actual station name isn’t Kaohsiung, but Zuoying. I’m not sure why, but if you’re traveling there, keep this in mind — it took us a while to figure it out.
We had a quick breakfast and decided to explore the terminal. Completely out of nowhere, we stumbled upon the cutest thing — a dedicated corner with cats adopted by the station. It’s a small, cozy area for a few friendly street cats. I assume the station staff take care of them.
In general, I got the impression that Taiwan is an extremely cat-focused (or cuteness-focused) country, with many places trying to embrace and even capitalize on that “cuteness” factor.
After that, we boarded the train. The journey from Kaohsiung to Taipei took about two hours. The trains are extremely comfortable, so I spent some time playing on my Steam Deck and watching movies — time passed very quickly. During the train ride, I started feeling sick and developed a sore throat, probably caused by strong winds. I didn’t feel cold during the trip, but something definitely felt off.
Shopping and Arrival in Beitou
Once we arrived in Taipei, we had a couple of hours before check-in, so we decided to grab a quick lunch. At the same time, we discovered a few very nice dinnerware shops near the station. I had recently broken one of the bowls we bought in Germany, so we decided to take a look. We are big fans of Villeroy & Boch, but this time we also discovered other brands like Royal Copenhagen. In the end, we left with a couple of beautiful plates. After finishing our dinnerware shopping, we headed straight to our hotel. At the end of the trip, we decided to splurge a little and booked a fantastic stay at Grand View Resort Beitou.
The hotel is located not far from the famous Yangmingshan National Park, making it a perfect hot spring area with great hiking opportunities nearby. Our room even had a private hot spring bath with a breathtaking view.
The hotel also offered other great facilities, including a common bathhouse with gender-separated areas, similar to a traditional Japanese onsen.
Yangmingshan and Hotel Experience
Before checking in, we went for a hike on the windy slopes of Yangmingshan, enjoying a beautiful panoramic view over Taipei Unfortunately, due to the strong winds, my sore throat worsened, and I was coughing quite badly by the time we returned to the hotel. In addition to the beautiful room, we had booked a dinner course at the hotel’s restaurant. The menu featured traditional Chinese cuisine, including the famous Buddha Jumps Over the Wall.
It was my first time trying this dish, and I really enjoyed its rich flavor and unique taste.
Trip Conclusion
On the last day, I was completely out of it due to my sickness, so I followed my wife’s lead as we made our way to the airport and flew back to Singapore.
Overall, I really enjoyed the trip. However, next time I would prefer to focus on visiting Taipei, Hualien, and Alishan.