Planning a trip to Taiwan and wondering if Chiayi (嘉義) is worth visiting?

Most travelers head straight to Taipei, Taichung, or Kaohsiung… but after spending 2 unforgettable days in Chiayi, I honestly think this is one of Taiwan’s most underrated regions.

Think:

✅ Beautiful mountain scenery

✅ Famous Alishan sunrise spots

✅ Fresh seafood & oyster BBQ

✅ Hidden museums with no crowds

✅ Tea country landscapes

✅ Relaxed local atmosphere

✅ Easy bullet train access

✅ Great road trip destination

If you want a side of Taiwan that feels calmer, greener, and more authentic — Chiayi might be perfect for you.

📍 Quick 2-Day Chiayi Itinerary

Day 1 – Coast + Culture + Sunset

🚄 Kaohsiung → Chiayi by bullet train

🚗 Rent a car in Chiayi

🏛 Southern Branch of the National Palace Museum

🧂 Budai Salt Hill

👠 High-Heel Church

🦪 Oyster BBQ lunch in Budai

🐟 Budai Fish Market

🏨 Hotel check-in

🌅 Sunset at Renyitan Reservoir

🍕 Unique local pizza dinner

Day 2 – Mountains + Sunrise + Alishan

🌄 4AM sunrise at Eryanping Trail

☁️ Sea of clouds at Shizhao Viewpoint

🌲 Alishan National Forest Recreation Area

🍵 Tea region lunch

🌉 Suspension bridge viewpoint

🍜 Famous beef noodle dinner

Why Chiayi Is Worth Visiting 💚

Chiayi is special because it gives you multiple sides of Taiwan in one trip:

• Ocean towns 🌊

• Mountain forests ⛰️

• Tea farms 🍃

• Local culture 🏮

• Scenic drives 🚗

• Fewer crowds 🙌

Many people only pass through Chiayi on the way to Alishan.

That’s a mistake.

Chiayi itself deserves time.

Day 1: Museums, Seafood & Sunset

🚄 Kaohsiung to Chiayi by High-Speed Rail

We started by taking the Taiwan High Speed Rail from Kaohsiung to Chiayi.

It was:

✅ Fast

✅ Clean

✅ Comfortable

✅ Easy to book

Tickets were reserved in advance and printed at the station machine.

As a Japanese traveler, it reminded me of the Shinkansen — but seeing a vending machine onboard still made me smile.

🚗 Renting a Car in Chiayi

We picked up our rental car at IWS Rent-A-Car Chiayi.

💰 Around 6,000 TWD for 3 days including insurance.

Driving in Taiwan was easier than expected.

Scooters are common, but many roads separate scooter lanes and car lanes.

The hardest part?

🅿️ Parking rules.

• Red lines = no parking

• White lines = depends on area

• Always double check signs

Still, renting a car gave us total freedom and was 100% worth it.

🏛 Southern Branch of the National Palace Museum

Our first major stop was Southern Branch of the National Palace Museum.

This museum is connected to Taiwan’s famous Taipei Palace Museum—but with far fewer crowds.

And by pure luck…

We saw the legendary Jadeite Cabbage 🥬✨

One of Taiwan’s most iconic treasures.

Even better: almost nobody was around.

If you hate crowded museums, this place is amazing.

What made it interesting:

Instead of history by date, exhibits were organized by themes:

• Buddhism

• Tea culture

• Textiles

• Writing systems

• Flowers

Modern, smart, and genuinely fun.

🧂👠 Budai Coast: Salt Hill + High-Heel Church

We then drove to Budai coast.

Budai Salt Hill

Budai Salt Hill looked like a strange white mountain in the middle of Taiwan.

Very photogenic and unusual.

High-Heel Church

High-Heel Wedding Church is exactly what it sounds like.

A giant glass high heel.

Random? Yes.

Worth seeing? Also yes.

🦪 Unlimited Oyster BBQ Lunch

Lunch was at 1368烤鮮蚵吃到飽.

This was full self-service oyster BBQ.

🔥 No instructions

🔥 Just oysters

🔥 Fire

🔥 Confidence

The oysters were fresh, but the real star was the soy sauce.

And we had an incredible salt-pepper fish dish too.

One of the most memorable meals of the trip.

🌅 Sunset at Renyitan Reservoir

Later we visited Renyitan Reservoir.

People were flying kites.

The wind was cool.

The scenery was peaceful and green.

Honestly… one of those places that makes you slow down and breathe.

⚠️ Bring bug spray.

🍕 Fun Dinner Spot

Dinner was at 真德窯烤麵包,披薩,烏龍茶.

This place had pizza toppings like:

🍒 Cranberry + nuts

🖤 Sesame paste

Unexpected and delicious.

Travel is fun when familiar food becomes something completely new.

Day 2: Sunrise, Tea Mountains & Alishan

🌄 4AM Wake Up for Sunrise

We woke at 4AM and drove to Eryanping Trail.

Sunrise in Taiwan was around 5:30AM.

Was it painful waking up?

Yes.

Was it worth it?

Absolutely.

☁️ Sea of Clouds at Shizhao

Next stop: 169石棹觀景台.

The sea of clouds was breathtaking.

Nearby tea farms were perfectly maintained and incredibly beautiful.

Even cloudy weather would feel magical here.

🌲 Alishan: Arrive Early

We reached Alishan National Forest Recreation Area around 8AM.

Best decision of the trip.

At that time:

✅ Peaceful

✅ Easy parking

✅ Fewer people

By 11AM?

❌ Huge crowds

❌ Parking chaos

If you visit Alishan:

👉 Go early.

We explored highlights like the Sister Ponds and enjoyed the calm morning forest atmosphere.

🍵 Best Lunch in the Mountains

We ate at 野薑花庭園餐廳.

This meal was incredible.

Think Japanese-style small plates, but each dish was distinctly Taiwanese.

We also drank fresh hand-picked local tea:

🍃 Rich oolong

🍃 Tea similar to Japanese sencha

Fresh mountain tea tastes completely different.

🍜 Final Dinner: Amazing Beef Noodles

Dinner was at 佬鄉水餃牛肉麵.

One of the best beef noodle soups I had in Taiwan.

The broth included Chinese herbs and had deep flavor.

Friendly staff spoke English and Japanese too.

Where to Stay in Chiayi 🏨

We stayed at Oriental Pearl International Hotel.

A quirky hotel with:

🪵 Wooden furniture

🏃 Hallway treadmill “gym”

🍪 Welcome snacks

Not luxury—but fun, memorable, and convenient for a road trip.

Final Verdict: Is Chiayi Worth Visiting?

💯 Yes.

Especially if you want:

✅ A less touristy Taiwan

✅ Nature + food + culture

✅ Alishan access

✅ Scenic road trips

✅ Slower pace than Taipei

Chiayi surprised me more than many famous cities.

And that might be the best kind of destination.

Planning a Taiwan Trip?

Don’t just pass through Chiayi.

Stay two days.

You may end up loving it more than expected.