This article is more than 8 years old.
Taiwan’s tourist headcounts are growing. Prices here are relatively inexpensive, you can walk safely at night and it's convenient to get around. The cost of higher headcounts is, naturally, an increase in heads and the smallish island of 23 million was hardly sparsely populated to begin. Sometimes you see mainly other people’s heads on an outing, especially to over-subscribed tourist hotspots. Unless you like getting stuck in the crowd or turned away for lack of space, avoid these five places on your next trip to Taiwan:
- The Taipei cafe scene after 12 p.m. The number of cafes is surging in Taipei, a complement to international travel media reviews calling the capital a world coffee destination. But in mid-town Taipei, places such as Yongkang food street or the main railway station, you’ll find most seats taken after lunch into the evening. Locals can sit for hours talking or just kicking it with their smartphones. No space left.
- Yangmingshan National Park on a sunny weekend, circa 5 p.m. Cherry blossoms are out now and this month a flower festival pulls crowds into this small mountain range north of Taipei. At any time of year you can hike up to 1,120 meters (3,765 feet) above sea level and dip in the odd hot spring. But returning to town by bus at the end of a fair-weather Saturday or Sunday requires lining up 10 to 15 minutes. You still might not get a seat for the hour-long ride. At the end of the only major bus route out of the park, expect stop-and-go traffic backups due to a long red light at the bottom of the hill.
- Kenting National Park in the summer, without a reservation. Kenting has become a magnet for tourists from China, especially Hong Kong, since about 2008. Taiwanese had long regarded the string of beaches on the island’s southern tip as a getaway. The whole thing is in a national park, limiting (albeit gingerly) the sprawl of hotels. Because of the crowds, what’s there has gone up in price and even booking several months ahead can’t guarantee a room in the mid-range to higher-end places.
- Danshui boardwalk on a weekend afternoon. Here’s where you really drown in an ocean of heads. This pedestrian-only cement walkway along the mouth of the Danshui River north of Taipei fills quickly with weekenders because it’s right off a metro station. By evening, you’re heel to heel with everyone else trying to grab an ice cream, play arcade games or board ferries to the other side. Late in the day, expect a line of half an hour or more to get a return ferry.
- East coast trains on Friday after work hours. Trains make the most frequent trips from populous western Taiwan to the mountainous Pacific Ocean east coast. They get people to scenic spots such as Taroko Gorge and the jumping off point for diving magnet Green Island. But common Taiwanese employed 9-5, M-F, tend to head out on Friday nights, returning late Sunday for the next work week. If you want a seat for the rides that are at least two hours and as many as seven, get a ticket in advance – if you can. Tickets start selling online two weeks ahead of your travel day and sell at bullet speed. Better yet, if you need to travel on the weekend, leave early Friday and come back first thing Sunday.
