Many travelers stay in Kaohsiung or head north to Taipei—but we decided to do something different.

We took the Taiwan High Speed Rail from Kaohsiung to Chiayi, then rented a car to explore hidden parts of southern Taiwan.

Tickets were booked in advance and printed at the station machine. Easy and efficient.

The train felt surprisingly similar to Japan’s Shinkansen, but seeing a vending machine onboard still made me smile.

After arriving in Chiayi, we picked up our rental from IWS Rent-A-Car Chiayi.

We booked only two days before and paid around 6,000 TWD for 3 days including insurance.

Driving in Taiwan was easier than expected. Scooters are everywhere, but many roads separate scooter and car lanes.

Parking, however, was the real challenge.

Red lines, white lines, different local rules—it became a daily puzzle.

Unexpectedly, Taiwan also gave me the most parallel parking practice I’ve had in years.

If you want freedom beyond train routes, renting a car in Chiayi is absolutely worth it.