Lukang, Taiwan

We took the HSR (high-speed rail) from Taipei to Taichung, and then a taxi to Lukang. It was a three step process to get tickets - I bought a voucher online for the route, and then used the voucher to reserve seats on the day we wanted. Then in Taiwan we had to show our passports at a train station to pick up the tickets. I made the reservation as soon as the window opened up two weeks out - good thing too, as it looked fully booked.

It’s only 45 minutes by HSR to Taichung, about half way south down Taiwan. The taxi ride to Lukang was just as long :) we could have taken another local train but we only had the afternoon to see Lukang.

Luckily our room was available for early check in at noon, so we could freshen up and change to warmer weather clothes. It was beautiful in Lukang, about 22C with a warm breeze. It’s the first nice day weather-wise we’ve had!

Lukang is a quaint little town with really well preserved older buildings. It’s a working town (not just for tourists) and has a nice charm. We loosely followed the Lonely Planet walking tour to get to Lukang Mazu Temple.

First we stopped for food. There’s a number of local delicacies and the restaurants around the temple are some of the best to try them. So we ordered oyster fritters, deep-fried mud shrimp, oyster omelette and some other stuff. It was interesting to try, but it wasn’t to our liking. The restaurant was packed with locals enjoying it though so I’m sure it was very good.

Then we visited Mazu Temple. It’s my favourite temple I’ve seen so far. It dates back to the 17th century. There weren’t many worshippers and hardly any tourists when we visited.

We wandered back to the hotel through little streets and alleys.

After sunset we returned back to Mazu Temple to see it at night. It was even more amazing and magical at night. There were only a couple other people there.

Walked back to the hotel, the back alleys near the hotel were also nicely lit at night. The hotel recommended a place for dinner; they were closing when we arrived but they suggested another place around the corner, which was okay.

We were glad we stayed overnight in Lukang (it’s more common as a day trip) just so we could see it at night. If you’re in Taiwan and have the chance to visit I’d highly recommend it.