10 Budget-friendly Things to do in Yilan That You Shouldn't Miss
The natural beauty of Yilan flows like an enchanted river. The surrounding county is lush with waterfalls, lakes, rivers and botanical gardens. You can spend your vacation immersed in a watery paradise, swimming, surfing, white water rafting or simply taking in the scenery. If you prefer to soak up culture, Yilan offers museums that highlight traditional crafts and natural wonders, including Bei Guan Leisure Farm, known for its head-scratching exhibits of live crabs that live in boiling volcanic springs. A street snack from the Luodong Night Market is simply a must.
Restaurants in Yilan
1. Jiaosi Hot Spring
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 319 reviews
Reviewed By jolinpl
Still love this place . We paid 400 plus 10 for towel to come to this onsen . Students have a discount . Flash your student pass . You enter , put your shoes on the shelf , then proceed to the locker room where you need two 10 NT coins . Strip naked then proceed to the wash area . After washing , dip in the multiple pools ranging from 19 to 44 degrees celcius . Shampoo and soap provided as well as a hair dryer but no combs . Also hot and cold water provided but no cups or water container . Lovely soaking experience . A must do if you come to Yilan.
2. Lanyang Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 572 reviews
Reviewed By 307jessev - Fallbrook, United States
The museum has a lot of really interesting exhibits about each region around Yilan where you can learn about the history of each community, animals in the region, cultivation, fishing and domestication just to name a few sections of the museum. If you're interested in geography they also have some very interesting pieces on the volcanic activity, hot springs, cold springs and mountains which was a neat experience too. Overall a very nice museum where you can spend a few hours.
3. Taipingshan National Forest Recreation Area
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 165 reviews
Taipingshan area is a broad region that includes Tuchang, Hatonozawa, Jhongjian, Taipingshan, Maosing and Cueifong Lake. It is also regarded as one of Taiwan’s three major forestlands in addition to Alishan and Basianshan. The old lumber transportation railroad and lumber collecting machines have been left as relics of the past lumbering business. The Bong Bong train, hot spring, alpine lake, giant forest and Taiwan beech trees (Fagus, Fagus hayatae) reflect more than one hundred years of historical trails of the Taipingshan National Forest Recreation Area.
Reviewed By slabster - Taipei, Taiwan
We booked a taxi from Taipei to Taipingshan (6000TWD/5people/10hrs). It was a long ride. From Taipei to Taipingshan Entrance was 2.5hrs. I had us went straight to Cueifong Lake which is another 1hr ride from the entrance. We spent 1hr in Cueifong Circular Trail and had lunch at Cueifong Villa, meal costs 120TWD. Then we went to Taipingshan Village, spent 1hr taking the trail to Zhenan Temple surrounded by Japanese maple trees. We started going back to Taipei around 3PM and arrived at 6:30PM. The temperature is comfortable at 20C but it rained a lot and heavily. A day trip is not enough to explore all trails but enough to get a glimpse of the mossy forest trails and a hint of autumn feels.
4. Wufengchi Waterfall
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 355 reviews
This is a wonderful waterfall not to be missed. Realised only locals go there and not tourist by coach as one needs to walk around 20 minutes at least to reach from the parking area. It is definitely a worth while fall to visit in Yilan.
Reviewed By JamesM49 - Taichung, Taiwan
There is some discrepancy as there are actually 5 waterfalls once you leave the parking lot, but they don't count the first one under the bridge, and the second appears to be seasonal when the rains come. The official 1st is viewed from the bridge and the official 2nd is viewed after climbing up some stairs (the Chinese inscribed stone calls it the 2nd). The stairs to the 3rd were under repair, but you can see it from the portico of the Sanctuary if you keep to the left when you go up the stairs. Definitely combine both sites- waterfall and sanctuary.
5. Crayon Factory
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 122 reviews
Reviewed By draaaloon - Singapore, Singapore
A place where we get to DIY our own markers and crayon. Ticket is priced at NT$250 each and we can use NT$100 to purchase things from their gift shops, mainly drawing materials, eg crayons, face paintings and markers. There is a fixed timing, we were there and managed to join 10am session, there were 4 DIY stations and the stations are fixed, one after another according to groups. We spent about 2 hours there, including DIY sessions. A must visit place for kids, especially if they love drawing...
