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There are many reasons travelers may spend a night or two in Taichung. You may be on the way to popular destinations like Sun Moon Lake, Cingjing Farm, or Hehuanshan.
Or perhaps you plan to use Taichung as a base for exploring attractions around the city, like Rainbow Village, Zhongshe Flower Market, Gaomei Wetlands, and Feng Chia Night Market (see more in my Taichung guide and list of things to do in Taichung).
No matter the reason, I’m here to give you a quick rundown of the best areas to stay in Taichung, and my hotel recommendations for all budgets in each of those neighborhoods.
Of course I haven’t stayed in every single hotel I’ve included here, but I’ve stayed in or visited several for researching articles for travel magazines and my websites. Other recommendations come directly from members of my Taiwan Travel Planning group on Facebook.
Also see my similar guides to where to stay in Taipei and where to stay in Kaohsiung.
Table of Contents
The Four Best Areas to Stay in Taichung
Choosing an area to stay in Taichung is going to be easier than other major cities. There are only four neighborhoods here for you to consider.
- Around Taichung Station (most convenient)
- Around Feng Chia Night Market (for easy access to the night market)
- Elsewhere in the City (for luxury or family friendly hotels)
- Outside the City Center (for hot spring hotels or a theme park stay)
Hotels around Taichung Station
Most visitors to Taichung opt to stay in one of the many hotels around Taichung train station in the city center, especially on the north side (main entrance) of the station.
Staying around Taichung station is especially convenient if you’ll be arriving in or departing from Taichung by regular train. The station also has luggage storage lockers if you need them.
If you’re arriving/departing by HSR, you’ll need to take a taxi or local TRA train (swipe EasyCard) from Xinwuri Station (which is connected to Taichung HSR station) to Taichung station (20 minutes). There are no hotels around Taichung HSR station.
Around Taichung Station, you can walk to popular attractions like Miyahara (famous for their ice cream and pineapple cakes), Chun Shui Tang Original Store (birthplace of bubble tea), Taichung Park, Taichung Second Market (breakfast/lunch), and Yizhong Street Night Market (dinner).
While there are some attractions, note that the area isn’t terribly exciting, especially at night. Taichung’s best attractions are mostly well outside the city center, so you’ll still need to do some planning to reach them.
Best Hostels
Norden Ruder Hostel (Booking / Agoda / TripAdvisor) is my most recommended hostel around Taichung Station. This recommendation comes from friends of mine who have personally stayed there.
The hostel is just outside the station and has nice city views (it’s on the 12th floor of a building). There are nice touches like free water dispensers and even some yoga equipment. Some dorms have only two beds per room, so you won’t feel packed in like sardines.
Loosha Hostel (Booking / Agoda / TripAdvisor) is another hostel very close to Taichung Station. According to a member of my Taiwan Travel Planning group, the hostel is clean, friendly, and one of the best she ever stayed in.
Budget and Mid-Range Hotels
Blue Sky Hotel (Booking / Agoda / TripAdvisor), also called 1969 BlueSky, is where I usually stay when in Taichung. The hotel is just a few blocks from Taichung Station, close to many bakeries (Taichung is known for its sun cakes and lemon cakes – see my guide to the best snack souvenirs from Taiwan).
The hotel includes a self-check-in machine, trendy design (both the lobby and the rooms themselves), elevator, free bottles of water, and buffet-style breakfast.
If you want something on the cheaper end, try Chance Hotel (Booking / Agoda / TripAdvisor), Norway Forest Travel Hotel (Booking / Agoda / TripAdvisor), Ningcui Business Hotel (Booking / Agoda / TripAdvisor), but you get what you pay for.
Family-Friendly Hotels
Phoenix Hotel (Booking / Agoda / TripAdvisor) is the best kid-friendly hotel around Taichung station. It has family rooms (including some with car-shaped beds), buffet breakfast, laundry, and large children’s playroom.
The only downside is that it’s a 15-minute walk (that’s adult walking speed) from Taichung Station. You’d possibly want to take a taxi there.
RedDot Hotel (Booking / Agoda / TripAdvisor) is another one good for families or those who are young-at-heart, thanks to their fun slide into the lobby. However, this one is a 20-minute walk from the train station, so you may also want to get a taxi there.
Luxury Hotel
Le Méridien Taichung (Booking / Agoda / TripAdvisor) is the only 5-star hotel around Taichung Station. There’s a spa, pool, gym, and nice city views. It’s right across from Taichung Station.
Hotels around Feng Chia Night Market
After Taichung Station, the area around Feng Chia Night Market is the second-most popular neighborhood for travelers to stay in Taichung.
The main reason to stay here is to be close to Taichung’s most famous night market (read my guide to Feng Chia Night Market, including map). It is in the northwestern corner of the Taichung city center, but quite a ways from Taichung Station. By staying close to it, you can walk directly to your hotel after visiting the night market instead of traveling back to the city center.
Secondly, if you are arriving in or departing from Taichung by HSR (see my HSR booking guide / buy discount HSR tickets), you can easily reach Feng Chia area by MRT (Green Line).
You’ll ride it from Xinwuri Station (connected to Taichung HSR station) to Wenxin Yinghua station. But please note: you’ll need to walk about 15-20 minutes (or take a short Uber ride) from the MRT station to the night market and most hotels here.
Best Hostel
Green Hotel Fengjia (Booking / Agoda / TripAdvisor) is the best hostel in Feng Chia Night Market area, right on the edge of the night market.
Budget and Mid-Range Hotels
Green Hotel Fengjia, mentioned and linked in the hostel section above, also has decent private double and family rooms at reasonable prices.
If you’d like to be closer to the MRT, try Hotel Mapp (Booking / Agoda / TripAdvisor) or Hotel Kuei (Booking / Agoda / TripAdvisor).
Hotel 7 (Booking / Agoda / TripAdvisor) and La Vida Hotel (Booking / Agoda / TripAdvisor) are two more well-reviewed mid-range hotels near the night market, but further from the MRT.
Hotels Elsewhere in the City
Choosing where to stay in Taichung doesn’t necessarily have to revolve around being very close to local attractions. Many travelers use Taichung as a base for visiting places outside the city by car or private driver, in which case it won’t matter so much which area you stay.
Some of Taichung’s best kid-friendly and luxury hotels, not to mention one excellent hostel, are located in other neighborhoods, as I’ll describe below.
Best Hostel
Star Hostel Taichung Parklane (Booking / Agoda / TripAdvisor) is the Taichung branch of what I consider to be the best hostel in Taipei (based on personally staying at many). It even has some similarly designed chilling out wood-and-glass rooms. In terms of ratings, it also holds the spot for best hostel in Taichung.
A member of my Facebook group has confirmed that the Taichung branch is just as good as the Taipei ones (and has a better view!) The reviews online also back it up. Some even compare it to a premium hotel. Note: it’s on an upper floor of a department store.
The only catch here is the location. It’s a long walk from Taichung station (45 min) or City Hall MRT (30 min). On the plus side, it’s near a few small attractions, such as Calligraphy Greenway (hence the “Parklane” in the name), Shenji New Village, and National Museum of Natural Science.
Kid-Friendly Hotel
Evergreen Laurel (Booking / Agoda / TripAdvisor) is the best hotel in Taichung in terms of children’s facilities.
The kids’ playrooms in the hotel includes dinosaur displays and stamps, toddler play area, LEGO, computers, and Nintendo/Wii games. There’s also a spa, pool, and gym.
As for location, it’s about halfway between Taichung Station and Feng Chia Night Market – you’d want to taxi to either. But it’s walking distance (15 min) to City Hall MRT station for going to/from the HSR station.
Luxury Hotels
Most of Taichung’s luxury hotels are in Xitun district, the same district where Feng Chia Night Market is located, but not necessarily walking distance from it.
The Lin (Booking / Agoda / TripAdvisor) is the closest 5-star hotel to Feng Chia Night Market. But it’s still a 25-minute walk, so you may still want to take a taxi/Uber between the two.
The Lin takes its design inspiration from The Wynn hotel in Las Vegas. It’s got a nice outdoor pool, excellent buffet, and all the bells and whistles you’d expect.
The Millennium (Booking / Agoda / TripAdvisor) is very close to The Lin and offers a very similar quality of experience and price. It has a pool with city view, spa, excellent service, and so on.
Windsor Hotel Taichung (Booking / Agoda / TripAdvisor) is a third luxury option in Xitun district. This one is the furthest away (driving or coming/going by taxi will be best), but it clinches the highest overall rating (just barely) on Booking and GoogleMaps.
I haven’t personally stayed at any of these luxury hotels in Taichung, so if you’re trying to choose between them, you’ll be best off going through the reviews for each of them. From what I’ve read, though, you can’t really go wrong with any of them.
Related: See my guide to the best luxury hotels in Taiwan.
Outside the City Center
Some travelers stay outside the city center specifically because they want to stay in a hot spring hotel or to enjoy the facilities at Lihpao Land (the city’s premier theme park and outlet mall).
None of these are going to be super easy to reach by public transportation. Choose these options if you’re driving or hired a driver.
Hot Spring Hotels in Taichung
There are three hot spring areas in Taichung: Wuri Hot Spring (west of the city center and not too far from the HSR station), Dakeng Hot Spring (northeast of the city center), and the most famous (but furthest) one, Guguan Hot Spring (way up in the mountains).
Freshfields Hotel (Booking / Agoda / TripAdvisor) at Wuri Hot Spring makes for an easy weekend getaway. They have a range of hot spring facilities and outdoor pool, nice views (it’s up on a hill), and it’s kid-friendly, with children’s playroom.
The Sun Hot Spring & Resort (Booking / Agoda / TripAdvisor) is the best choice at Dakeng Hot Spring. It also has a range of hot spring facilities (including nude or mixed sex), nice views, and their buffet comes with all-you-can-drink beer. It’s a hint on the older side.
Uni Resort Guguan (Booking / Agoda / TripAdvisor) is the best hot spring resort up at Guguan. It’s got lovely pools, views, and is super kid-friendly. It’s an hour-long drive from the city.
Related: See my guide to the best hot springs in Taiwan.
Staying at Lihpao Land
If an amusement park, water park (summer only), go karting, and/or shopping sound like fun you, then you’ll love staying at Lihpao Land.
Fullon Hotel Lihpao Resort (Booking / Agoda / TripAdvisor) is a dedicated resort on site, with pool, family rooms, and access to all of Lihpao’s facilities.
The hotel belongs to the Fullon chain, which runs resorts across Taiwan, usually at the lower (i.e. more affordable) end of the luxury spectrum. I had a chance to visit inside this hotel when researching an article about the amusement park for Travel in Taiwan magazine – it’s a fun and colorful family resort.
Related: See my guide to the best theme parks in Taiwan.
I agree that 1969 BlueSky Hotel is great. Is there a typo – you say Kaohsiung, but did you mean Taichung?
My Taichung go-t0 hotel used to be CityInn behind the train station. Always reliable, and while the rooms are not huge, they’re fine for one person but might be cramped for two. It’s very well-run and includes breakfast (whereas the Taipei branches don’t).
Thanks for sharing your experience and pointing out the typo!