I am writing this post to sum up my experience in Taiwan and the concerns that you might have if you are going there during Chinese New Year (CNY). This is one of many posts that will document my experience in Taiwan.

Preparing for the trip.

This year’s CNY was quite special as I spent my time in Taiwan. It had been a “說走就走” decision and honestly, I didn’t put much thought into it. Reading on the experiences of others who had also visited Taiwan during this period, I kind of regretted my choice of booking during this time period. Their comments had told me that most of the stores were expected to be closed and food is hard to come by. But nothing could be done as I had already booked my flight ticket. I could only hope for the best and pray for the worst. That said, I 100% did not regret my decision and could even say that it is probably one of the best times to experience Taiwanese culture.

Travel tips.

When it comes to travel, you can say that I am someone who doesn’t plan for it. I pretty much just book my flight and appear there. So if you are someone who is like me and enjoys living the way the locals do, you have come to the right place. When booking accommodations and flight tickets, I have a few tips I found useful:

1. Incognito or simply using another device can save you a lot of money.
2. Compare prices between different websites.
3. Some cards or websites give you discounts.

Because I am really lazy, tips 2 and 3 are like things I do if I have the time. If not, I usually just bite the bullet and pay that extra more. These tips usually apply elsewhere as well and I am certain that there are tutorials out there focused on just saving money.

Expectations vs Reality.

Is there really nothing to do?

If you are someone who is planning to travel to Taiwan during CNY, this section will give you some of the most relevant on the ground situation. I believe you would have seen videos of empty streets and ghost towns which left you panicking as I did. Well fred not, things are getting better for travelers during this period. You can almost certainly find food around tourist areas and things to do.

For myself, one of the earliest signs that Taiwan is still feasible for traveling would’ve been the fact that there were still tourists flying on board the planes.

As my travel plans were really flexible, I went to more natural places during my first few days as I was worried that there was nothing to do. These includes the likes of 日月潭 (Sun Moon Lake) and 高美濕地 (Gaomei Wetland). If you are traveling on the first day of the lunar calendar, I highly recommend visiting the temples that are scattered literally almost everywhere. They become some of the busiest places during this period of time as people wish for a better year ahead. This also means that they are not hard to miss as they are usually crowded with activities. Similarly, while there are no official fireworks showcase, fireworks and firecrackers are common occurance during CNY and you can always hear and see them in action.

So is Taiwan really a ghost town during CNY? Not really if you know where to go. That said, to some extent it is true that many places will not be open but by 初三 (third day of the lunar calendar), most of the locals would’ve done their CNY visits and be back in business. On this point, the CNY holidays can last up to 初十 (tenth day of the lunar calendar). But if you are like me who had already booked the flight tickets, just relax and enjoy the unexpected.

Are the highways congested?

Another concern will be the congested highways of locals rushing back to their hometowns. In my case, traffic from Taoyuan international airport to Taichung had been a breeze but the locals did warn that it might sometimes get quite bad. The locals do have a joke that “高速是最大的停車場” (the highway is the largest car park). So maybe I was just lucky to have avoided the crowd.

Finding food as a vegetarian.

I’d like to dedicate this entire section to the vegetarians out there who are going to Taiwan during CNY. You can rest assured that Taiwan is some of the friendliest countries for vegetarians and even CNY wouldn’t hinder you from getting your three meals. There will still be stalls that provide you with your needs. 初一 (first day of the lunar calendar) and 十五 (fifteenth day of the lunar calendar) are days where most Buddhists will consume vegetarian and becomes convenient for vegetarians to find food especially beside temples.

How to know if something is vegetarian.

Most stalls that offer vegetarian will have the words “素” or “蔬”. Vegetarian food can be labeled:

1. 全素 (Vegan)
2. 蛋素 (Ovo-vegetarian)
3. 奶素 (Lacto-vegetarian)
4. 蛋奶素 (Ovo-lacto-vegetarian)
5. 五辛素 (Five xin vegetarian commonly avoided by Buddhists)

What if I can’t find food?

If you really can’t find any food, UberEats provides the option of ordering food so do give that a try. Their 7 Elevens (or as the locals like to just call seven) and Family Marts almost never closes even during CNY providing the option to also hop into one to get some bentos or instant noodles. And as a last resort, most restaurants also offer vegetarian as an option and it doesn’t hurt to ask even if it’s not on their menu.

In conclusion, you can almost never get hungry in Taiwan even if you are a vegetarian.

Final thoughts

I found my trip during CNY to be enriching and fulfilling. I hope that this post has helped you in some way or another and I wish you a pleasant experience in Taiwan!