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Best Time to Visit Taiwan
This is a question I get asked frequently . It’s also a tough question to give you a simple answer to. The best time to visit Taiwan depends on what you want to do while you are here.
If you want to visit the beach and explore Taiwan’s east coast, then you will want to come during March, April, May, June, July, and August. You can also come after the rainy season in late September, October, and November. The weather is great almost all year, but the southern half of Taiwan becomes incredibly windy later in the year.
Depending on the year, the rainy season (June – September) might not be that bad. On some days it will rain all day and others it will rain in the morning and be sunny the rest of the day. There’s also the risk that a typhoon (hurricane) will hit Taiwan, but those pass by quickly and Taiwan is great at dealing with the increased rainfall and wind speed.
If you come during the rainy season, you need to use the Taiwan’s Central Weather Bureau’s radar service. The weather apps in Taiwan will say rain everyday regardless of the actual weather. If you want to know when it will rain or if it will rain later, you need to check out the radar.
On the other hand, if you want to stay in the city and explore Taipei, Taichung, or Tainan, then I would recommend coming in December, January, or February. This is when Taiwan is a lot colder, so you don’t have to worry about the heat.
The downside to visiting during the “winter” months is the pollution in Taiwan is at its worst. The pollution in Taipei is usually fine all year-round, but in Tainan it gets a little hazy. Some of the pollution is from the local industries in Taiwan and some of it blows over from China.
Best Time to Visit Taipei
Taipei has the closest thing to a typical winter season in Taiwan. If you want to wear jeans and a jacket or more fashionable clothes when visiting Taiwan, then you should visit Taipei during the winter.
Taipei is one of the best cities to visit in Asia. There’s always something going on: tech conventions, concerts, bars, clubs, museums, etc.
If you want to spend most of your time in Taipei, then you should come between December – February. It gets exceptionally hot during the summer, so plan to head south if you want to visit during the these months.
Taipei has much more rain on average than the cities in the southern half of Taiwan. If you’re looking to avoid the rain then it is best that you avoid coming during the summer season.
The average number of rainy days remains consistent throughout the year.
Even with the rain during the summer months, there is still a lot of sunny months in Taipei between June – September.
If you want a simple answer to the best month to visit Taipei, then I would recommend between October – January.
Best Time to Visit Tainan
I live in Tainan and it is one of my favorite cities in Taiwan. It is a perfect mix of traditional Taiwanese culture and modernity.
The weather here is more consistent than in Taipei. It does not get as cold as Taipei, but it also does not get as hot as Taipei.
During the winter the ocean gets a little too cold to swim in without some thermal swimwear.
My experience has been you might want to wear a hoodie or sweater with jeans on the colder days, but other than that the weather is great. One of the odd sights you will see in Tainan is the locals wearing heavy winter coats in 20° weather.
The rain in Tainan basically disappears outside of typhoon season. During the winter months you will go days without rain. The only downside is the pollution is at its worst during these months.
The pollution in Tainan is not as bad as China, but it can be a little annoying when trying to visit the scenery in Tainan.
The number of rainy days in Tainan is significantly lower than compared to Taipei. While I’m writing this article it’s been raining all day, but it is the middle of August.
If you check out the radar, you can still have a great time in Tainan even though it rains a lot more. Yesterday I drove into the mountains in between the rain and could have spent time at the beach.
The average number of sun hours in Tainan remains consistent throughout the year. It peaks in July, which besides the increased chance of rain is one of the nicer months of the year.
During July the air is clean and the temperature is really nice. If you have a more flexible schedule it could be a great time to visit.
Best Time to Visit Taitung
The east coast of Taiwan is one of the most beautiful places in the world. The temperature is a lot more consistent than Tainan or Taipei.
When it rains, it really rains in Taitung. The good news is that it usually rains really hard for a few days and then the rest of the time is sunny and clear.
As you can see, the peak sunny hours are in June, July, and August. These are during the peak of the rainy season for the rest of Taiwan.
The average number of rainy days in Taitung and the east coast is significantly less than the west coast. The east coast also has the benefit of almost zero pollution year round.
Like I mentioned at the beginning of the article, the Taiwan’s east coast is an ideal location to visit all year round.
The only downside is it’s a little bit harder to get around and the cities don’t offer a lot of great attractions. If you want to spend time outside, either in the mountains or ocean you need to visit the east coast.