🇹🇼 How to spend 5 days in Chiayi, Taiwan: food, cultures & hidden gems you’ll love

Hello travelers! In this episode, we explored Chiayi, a charming city in southern Taiwan that’s often overlooked by tourists heading straight to Alishan, but trust us, Chiayi deserves your time 🚂

Over 5 days, we discovered delicious local food (including the famous Netflix-featured Smart Fish soup, turkey rice), wandered through Japanese-era villages, rode the iconic Alishan red train, and found surprising hidden gems like matcha cafés, train museums, and a sky-high sunset tower.

If you’re planning a trip to Alishan or just looking for a relaxing city to slow down and enjoy real Taiwan, Chiayi is full of pleasant surprises.

✨ What you'll see in this vlog:
✔️ Local markets & iconic food (turkey rice, lu rou fan, meat sausage)
✔️ Hinoki Japanese Village & Sleeping Forest
✔️ Alishan day trip + red train experience
✔️ Chiayi Tower & sunset views
✔️ Honest thoughts, prices, & summer travel tips

00:00 Welcome to Chiayi
01:06 Arrival day/Day 1
01:21 Wenhua night market
03:26 First time trying Smart Fish Soup
06:44 Day 2: City exploration
07:03 Chiayi City East public retail market
08:18 Jun Ma Lu Rou Fan ---
11:40 Hinoki Village
12:07 Morikoohi cafe with matcha dessserts
12:58 Sleeping forest
13:55 Chiayi Museum
14:43 Day 3: Day trip to Alishan
15:51 Day 4: Back to the old time
16:44 Alishan Forest Railway Garage Park
17:36 Chiayi park and Former Chiayi Shinto Shrine Buildings
18:33 Chiayi tower - Sun-shooting Tower
20:17 Departure day
20:27 Trying the meatloaf
21:39 Turkey rice and highland green tea

🧳 TRAVEL TIPS (Chiayi in Summer):
Bring an umbrella & mosquito repellent
Stay hydrated
Check ahead if museum closes on Monday and market closes on Sunday

Stay in touch for more travel tips:
🔔    / @tlttravel  
🔔   / missthitbo  
🔔   / missthitbo