28 NOV – 5 DEC 2026 · TAICHUNG → SUN MOON LAKE → TAINAN → KAOHSIUNG
Taiwan, the slow way south
Misty lake mornings, breakfast beef soup in Tainan, a banyan tree that swallowed a warehouse, and harbour sunsets in Kaohsiung. One relaxed outing each morning, a proper rest every afternoon, and a lot of eating in between.
Rental counters are in the arrivals halls. Allow 30–45 minutes for paperwork and the walk-round. Fit the infant seat, set up phone navigation, and do 10 minutes of slow laps in the car park to get used to driving on the right.
About 2 hours, around 150 km. Freeway 3 is quieter than Freeway 1 and avoids Taipei traffic. Stay in the middle lane, and let the passenger handle navigation.
A sweet morning in Taichung, lunch near the Greenway, tea tasting at an old tea factory in the hills, and the first sight of Sun Moon Lake by late afternoon.
A 1920s eye clinic turned dessert palace with Harry Potter-style bookshelves. Ice cream with pineapple-cake or cheesecake toppings, plus beautifully boxed gifts. Doors open around 10; arrive early on a Sunday. Paid car parks are a short walk away.
Pick up sun cakes, Taichung's flaky honey pastry, for the road. Chun Shui Tang Map claims to have invented pearl milk tea; its Siwei branch is the original.
The Greenway and nearby Shin Kong Mitsukoshi Map have plenty of family-friendly restaurants, from braised pork rice to hotpot, with nursing rooms in the mall.
A 1950s tea factory in the hills above the lake that still makes organic black tea. Walk through the old drying and rolling floors, taste Red Jade and Assam teas side by side, and try the black-tea ice cream and pastries in the café. Mostly indoors, about an hour.
Everyone: a stroller or carrier walk along the flat Shuishe boardwalk as the mist lifts. Optional for one adult while the others mind the baby: rent a bike for an hour and ride the lakeside path towards Xiangshan, including a boardwalk that floats over the water. Back for breakfast.
About 2.5 hours, mostly Freeway 3. Stop at a freeway service area for lunch; Taiwan's service areas have clean toilets, nursing rooms and decent food courts.
A white palace on a lake with fountains and a sculpture bridge. Inside: European paintings, one of the world's biggest violin collections, natural history and arms. Lifts throughout. Closed Wednesdays, which is why it's today.
One of Tainan's biggest night markets, open only on Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays, so tonight is the night. About 10 minutes by taxi from the hotel; leave the car parked after the long drive. Go at opening before the crowds. Try sweet potato balls, spicy duck blood and Spanish mackerel stew. Keep it to an hour if everyone is tired.
Taiwan's oldest city. Breakfast soup at dawn, Dutch forts, a warehouse eaten by a tree, and lanterns at night. Leave the car parked; taxis are faster in the old lanes.
Raw slices of the morning's local beef, cooked at the table by boiling broth. A Cun on Baoan Road is the best-known; many shops close once they sell out, so go early.
Southern Taiwan's first department store (1932), restored with its vintage lift and a rooftop Shinto shrine that survived wartime strafing. Best spot for local crafts and edible souvenirs.
Old harbour warehouses turned galleries, design shops and giant outdoor sculptures. The Kaohsiung Music Center across the water has wave-shaped buildings. Flat and stroller-friendly with paid parking.
A 3-minute walk from the Dome of Light. Open every night, spacious and easy with a carrier. Dinner by grazing: seafood skewers, braised duck, and papaya milk from Zheng's stall, which has been blending it since 1965.
The locals' night market. Go at opening before it packs out. Grilled squid, cheese potatoes, fried chicken, fresh fruit. Closed Mondays and Wednesdays; Friday is perfect.
Park at Gushan and take the 5-minute ferry, or drive through the cross-harbour tunnel. Ride a bike or trishaw along the beach, climb to the lighthouse Map for the view, then a seafood dinner on Cijin's seafood street where you pick the catch and how it's cooked.
Famous shops can sell out or change hours. Check the Google Maps listing the day before.
Self-drive
Driving ourselves
We're driving ourselves the whole way. The route suits it well. Three things to sort out: the paperwork before we go, the right size of car, and leaving it parked in Tainan's old town.
Our plan
Self-drive all 8 days
Collect the car at Taoyuan airport on Day 1, return it at Kaohsiung airport on Day 8.
One-way rental, so a drop-off fee applies.
Total about 600 km over the week.
Making Day 1 easy
Book the earliest comfortable flight so you drive in daylight.
Sleep well the night before; the driver skips the in-flight movie.
Set the hotel as the destination before leaving the car park.
Booking the car
Book now: 9-seaters with infant seats are limited.
Choose zero-excess insurance and register every adult who will drive.
Confirm the pick-up counter is in your arrival terminal.
What every driver needs
International Driving Permit from AA Singapore, about SGD 20 and same-day. Bring your licence, passport and 2 passport photos.
On pick-up: original Singapore licence, IDP, passport, and a credit card in the main driver's name.
A Singapore licence alone is not accepted. An IDP is valid for 30 days after arrival.
We're taking turns, so every adult who drives needs their own IDP and must be named on the rental agreement.
Some rental companies set an upper age limit for drivers; check it when booking if the grandparents will drive.
The car
5 adults, a car seat and luggage need a 9-seater van (Hyundai Staria class). A 7-seater leaves almost no boot space.
Book a rear-facing infant car seat; Taiwan law requires one for babies under 1.
Tolls are recorded automatically and charged at return.
Full insurance with zero excess is worth it for scooter-heavy streets.
Driving in Taiwan, for Singapore drivers
Drive on the right; the car is left-hand drive and the indicator and wiper stalks are swapped.
No turning right on red. Scooters filter everywhere; check mirrors before every turn.
Kerb colours: white = park, yellow = brief stop, red = no parking.
Speed cameras are frequent and well signposted.
Where the car sleeps
Taichung: hotel car park on Day 1; paid lots near Miyahara on Day 2.
Sun Moon Lake: hotel parking; unused on Day 3.
Tainan: hotel car park, taxis on Day 5.
Kaohsiung: hotel car park; taxi to Ruifeng.
Drive times
Every leg
Day
From → to
Distance
Time
1
Taoyuan airport → Taichung
~150 km
~2 h
2
Taichung → Puli → Sun Moon Lake
~75 km
~1.5 h
4
Sun Moon Lake → Chimei → Tainan
~200 km
~3 h
6
Tainan → Kaohsiung
~50 km
~1 h
7
Kaohsiung ↔ Fo Guang Shan
~60 km
~1.5 h
8
Hotel → Kaohsiung airport
~10 km
~20 min
Approximate, without stops or traffic.
Flights
Out: Sat 28 Nov, any morning flight Singapore → Taoyuan landing by ~13:00.
Home: Sat 5 Dec, China Airlines CI757, Kaohsiung 13:10 → Singapore 17:30.
Bassinet row for the baby on both legs.
Where we stay
Taichung · Xitun, near the Greenway
Sun Moon Lake · lake-view room, Shuishe side
Tainan · West Central, with a car park
Kaohsiung · near Pier-2 or the Love River, with a car park