Taiwan Family Days: Animals, Trains and Tunnels
Pick your child’s obsession
Children in Taiwan are welcome nearly everywhere, and the country has a ready option for most obsessions: animals, trains, water, art or food. Choose by interest rather than by city and the plan builds itself.
For animal fans
Taipei Zoo is NT$100 for adults and NT$50 for students, and children under 12 are free. The giant panda pavilion is the main draw. Up the hill, the Maokong Gondola leaves from beside the zoo for the tea slopes, and the glass-bottomed Crystal Cabin is the carriage children choose. Fares change, so check the operator. In Kenting, the National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium has an 81 m glass tunnel past rays and reef sharks. It opens 09:00 to 18:00, with last entry at 17:00, and the aquarium site has current details.
For train fans
Wulai’s narrow-gauge log cart rides 1.5 km into the forest to a tall waterfall, daily from 08:00 to 17:00, except for maintenance on the first Tuesday of the month. The Alishan Forest Railway climbs from Chiayi to the mountain at NT$600 and suits older children who can sit for the full ride. Booking is on the railway’s official site . Taiwan High Speed Rail, which runs only down the west coast, is itself a treat for children who like fast trains.
For artists and wish-makers
At Shifen, children paint a wish on a paper lantern and release it beside the railway tracks. One colour costs about NT$200, and a multicolour lantern is NT$250 to NT$350. If you want transport and a guide taken care of, you can browse Pingxi lantern tours on GetYourGuide .
For small splashers
Beitou has free open-air foot baths at Fuxing Park, and the Millennium public hot spring is NT$40 to NT$60 with swimwear required. Check hot spring temperatures with your hands before children dip their feet.
For big-statue spotters
The Fo Guang Shan Buddha Museum in Kaohsiung is free, and its 108 m seated bronze Buddha towers over eight pagodas. It opens 09:00 to 18:00 on weekdays and until 19:00 at weekends, and closes on Tuesdays.
For hungry people
Night markets hand out small, cheap portions, such as a braised pork rice bowl for NT$35 to NT$60 or a pork bun from a clay oven at NT$60 to NT$70. Choose the early evening before crowds grow.
Practical points for parents
Taipei’s MRT fines eating or drinking, water included, at NT$1,500 to NT$7,500, so use a snack stop before the fare gates. At Taipei 101, children under 6 or 115 cm enter free, but the standard ticket is tiered above that. Check the Central Weather Administration in typhoon season, which runs July to October.
A rainy-day fallback
When the weather turns, go indoors. The National Palace Museum is NT$350 for adults with a concession of about NT$150, and children enjoy hunting for the Jadeite Cabbage. The Kenting aquarium and the Fo Guang Shan Buddha Museum also work in wet weather, though the Buddha museum has long outdoor stretches. Check opening days first, since some venues close on Mondays or Tuesdays.
For a plan around these days, see the 3-day plan . Tip: pack a lightweight rain jacket for each child, since afternoon showers can arrive without warning.