A 3-day Taichung travel guide for first-time visitors

A 3-day Taichung travel guide for first-time visitors From Taichung Green Museumbrary and Central Park to Miyahara, Calligraphy Greenway and the Cycling Culture Museum, here is how to plan an easy three-day trip to the central Taiwan city. My family arrived just before the Taichung Green Museumbrary opened for the day. The children spotted a fairy circle of lime-green stools in the adjacent park and ran towards it. Inside, the building’s generous void deck, ramps and staircases engaged us as much as its cavernous galleries and lofty atriums. Before my visit, I had imagined Taichung as a typical urban centre. But several days in Taiwan’s second-most populous city revealed something gentler and more layered – a place shaped by progressive cultural spaces, green lungs and a diverse dining scene. Eric Swanson, general manager of InterContinental Taichung, described the city as having a “quiet confidence”. “What distinguishes Taichung from other major Taiwanese cities is this balance – cutting-edge technology coexisting with liveability, creativity, and space,” he said. Here are some ideas for three days in Taichung. ART AND THE PARK Located in Xitun District, the 58,016 sq m Taichung Green Museumbrary was one of 2025’s most anticipated cultural openings. It is the largest cultural project to date by Pritzker Prize-winning Japanese architects Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa, founders of SANAA, and the firm’s first built work in Taiwan. The building brings together the Taichung Art Museum and Taichung Public Library across eight interlocking cubes that resemble a child’s building blocks scattered across the green carpet of 67-hectare Taichung Central Park. The park itself is an ambitious project, transforming the site of a former military airbase into an ecologically focused oasis. After a morning of art viewing, we grabbed coffee from Pharos Coffee, a Taipei-born cafe with a new branch on the building’s first storey. We also browsed the small but well-curated museum shop run by Taipei design store Pon Ding. In the basement, there is an interactive space for children and a rare behind-the-scenes look at the museum’s storage facility. Later in the afternoon, we ventured outdoors again, a natural transition because the park and building are so seamlessly woven together. We ambled among tall grasses, climbed some of the 12 sensory, interactive structures across the park, and visited the nearby playground, which has slides, climbing nets, three zip lines and almost everything a child needs to burn off energy. TAICHUNG’S FOOD SCENE, FROM STEAKS TO SWEETS A 10-minute drive from Taichung Green Museumbrary is Char Char Steak & Bar Mood Taichung, a hybrid steakhouse and bar that opened in November 2025 by. Its “fire meets finesse” ethos plays out in premium cuts such as Japanese wagyu chateaubriand and a convivial, tableside grilling experience. Taichung-born restaurateur Sandy Wei opened the restaurant in November 2025. “We treat fire and rhythm as the core of the experience, focusing on precision and the aroma of a perfect sear, delivered with a strong tableside rhythm,” said restaurateur Sandy Wei, referring to meats that are sliced to order and grilled tableside by staff. Chef Louis Han, a mentee of Taiwanese chef Andre Chiang, brings his fine-dining experience to hearty yet sophisticated dishes. The extensive menu includes cold and hot tapas such as shredded cuttlefish French fries, as well as peeled chilli and silkie chicken soup – comforting, but tongue-numbing thanks to a generous dose of Sichuan peppercorns. Char Char was conceived as family-friendly, so children can load up on BBQ pulled-beef tacos, grilled porchetta bao and Bolognese tripe spaghetti before ending with milkshakes and desserts such as ice cream monaka and smoked Basque cake. The drinks are given as much attention as the food, thanks to a partnership with Taipei’s Bar Mood, an Asia’s 50 Best Bars honouree. “Taichung has long had a vibrant lifestyle and food culture, with a community that is highly attuned to flavour and quality,” said Bar Mood founder Nick Wu, who was born in Nantou. “Central Taiwan has always been close to my heart.” One of Taichung’s most popular places for sweet treats is Miyahara, at No 20 Zhongshan Road near Taichung Railway Station. The former eye clinic, opened by Japanese ophthalmologist Miyahara Takekuma in 1927, is now a Hogwarts-style dessert shop operated by Taichung-founded confectionery brand Dawncake. There are 66 ice cream flavours, including Tieguanyin tea, plum and 17 types of chocolate. Forget rainbow sprinkles – top your cone with toasted buckwheat rice or pineapple cake instead. You can get your bubble tea fix here too, and bring home pineapple cakes in vintage-style packaging. For meals closer to your room, InterContinental Taichung offers several dining concepts. Try the signature lemon crown cake or east-meets-west dishes such as petto d’anatra – crispy Yilan cherry duck with pomelo and apple – at Il Limone Italian Restaurant. At Michelin Guide-listed Ming Juan Lou, sample elevated Cantonese dishes made with Taiwanese produce, such as oolong tea-smoked char siu glazed with pineapple honey. If you have a large group, book the private room overlooking CMP Inspiration’s green roof. Cai Yue Hot Pot elevates the quintessential huoguo experience with premium ingredients and nourishing soups such as Hong Kong-style lobster bisque and roasted black pork broth. At night, head to Rolling Bar on the fifth storey, which pays homage to a former bowling alley in the area. The reimagined sports bar has a retro feel, and the most coveted seats are beside an actual two-lane bowling alley illuminated by futuristic lights. PICTURESQUE TREE-LINED AVENUES Stay at InterContinental Taichung in West District, where connecting rooms make the hotel well suited to families. Opened in late 2024, it fronts the 3.6km, tree-lined Calligraphy Greenway, which stretches from the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts in the south to the National Museum of Natural Science in the north. The latter’s exhibits are mostly in Mandarin, but children will still be entertained by the lifelike, animated dinosaur displays. Swanson described the area as “the city’s modern civic heart – historically, a transition zone between the residential neighbourhoods and emerging commercial life.” Its evolution reflects CMP Group’s vision of an integrated district that brings together cultural amenities, community spaces, art, dining, entertainment and hotels. CMP Group was co-founded by Taichung native Ming-Shiann Ho, whose metal-casting business grew into a broader lifestyle and property group. Ho modelled the area on Tokyo’s leafy Omotesando shopping district, with the Calligraphy Greenway anchoring the group’s Park Lane by CMP lifestyle brand. During the Christmas season, fairy lights illuminate the trees, while retail carts and buskers enliven the pathways. For shopping, visit CMP Eslite bookstore next to InterContinental Taichung, as well as the surrounding side streets, which are filled with boutiques, eateries, artisan workshops and cafes. Some are housed in old buildings from the period of Japanese colonial rule in Taiwan from 1895 to 1945. Nearby, Charm Roastery will appeal to serious coffee drinkers: Beans are roasted in-house with a direct-fire roaster, while pour-over and siphon brewing add to the homely atmosphere. YOUTH CULTURE AND SPORTS Design lovers will notice two striking structures by Japanese architect Kengo Kuma at the base of InterContinental Taichung. One is the green-roofed CMP Inspiration, which curves around the side and rear of the hotel like a small hill; the other is the glass-and-timber CMP Liyuan Church. A prominent local family originally donated the land to the church, which later worked with CMP Group to create an architectural landmark with cultural, spiritual and historical significance. Down the road is Park2 Caowu Square, a hybrid retail-and-park development geared towards youth culture. Restaurants, dessert shops, speciality boutiques and sports facilities are grouped around a sunken plaza adorned with exotic plants. Performances and outdoor markets add to the festive mood. For a sportier outing, InterContinental Taichung guests can explore the city on two wheels by borrowing Giant electric bikes. The brand, founded in Taichung in 1972, grew into one of the world’s leading bicycle manufacturers. Cycling enthusiasts can also visit the Cycling Culture Museum in Xitun District. It is about a 15-minute drive from Taichung Green Museumbrary, so the two stops can be combined in one day; from InterContinental Taichung, allow roughly another 15 minutes. The museum traces the bicycle’s evolution from its early history to the industrial era and beyond, showing how technology and craftsmanship shaped its development. It also displays vintage bicycles, related memorabilia, and exhibits on racing culture and cycling events around the world. HOW TO GET TO TAICHUNG Download the Taiwan High Speed Rail (THSR) app to buy tickets online. If you need multiple tickets, you can purchase them separately and link up to three passengers in the app, which makes scanning tickets at the turnstiles more convenient. For larger groups or families, buy tickets online and collect physical tickets at the THSR counter. There are two classes – Standard and Business. Business Class is usually in Car 6 and offers more legroom. Seats are popular, so book ahead, especially if you are travelling to Taichung on a Friday or over the weekend. After your flight lands, book an Uber or taxi from Taoyuan International Airport to Taoyuan HSR Station. Alternatively, take the Taoyuan Airport MRT to Taoyuan HSR Station; trains run frequently and the journey takes about 15 to 20 minutes. There are usually three stops between Taoyuan HSR Station and Taichung HSR Station, and the journey takes about 40 minutes. Some faster services save about 10 minutes by skipping a stop. If you have a lot of luggage, or are travelling with young children or elderly relatives, consider hiring a private vehicle from Taoyuan International Airport to Taichung city. The journey passes through areas such as Hsinchu and Miaoli, and takes about 1.5 to two hours, with several rest stops along the way.