Things to do in Sun Moon Lake
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Sun Moon Lake
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Cherry blossom season on the lakeside trails, the ring road and inside the Formosan Aboriginal Culture Village.
Firefly season at points including Shuishe, Toushe, Taomi and Tannan, best before about 8pm.
Hot and humid with routine afternoon thunderstorms, typhoon risk, and the Yuchi black tea harvest in June to July.
Swimming Carnival month: the lake's one legal swim, for registered participants only, and rooms fill.
The best weather window, with the Come! BikeDay cycling festival in November and autumn music and fireworks events.
Mist, cold starts and plum blossom, the quietest and cheapest season outside Lunar New Year.
What's on
- Sun Moon Lake Cherry Blossom Festival February to March
Blossom across the scenic area, with the best known display inside the Formosan Aboriginal Culture Village.
- Sun Moon Lake Swimming Carnival September, usually around Mid-Autumn Festival
A mass 3 km cross lake swim, open only to registered participants; the lake's only legal swim day.
- Sun Moon Lake Come! BikeDay Cycling Festival November
Round lake and boat plus bike rides from Xiangshan, the peak of the lake's cycling calendar.
Best things to do in Sun Moon Lake
Shuishe Pier
Start of the three pier boat loop to Xuanguang and Ita Thao, with Lalu Island viewed, never landed on, between them.
Wenwu Temple
The lake's grand temple above the north shore, with lake terraces and the 366 step Year of Steps below it.
Xuanguang Temple
A small temple above Xuanguang Pier, known for its lake photo terrace and the tea eggs sold by the pier below.
Xuanzang Temple
A calm relic temple above Xuanguang, reached by a stepped trail, and the quiet counterpart to busy Wenwu.
Ci'en Pagoda
A nine storey pagoda on the south shore hill, and from its top floor the best full view of the whole lake.
Xiangshan Visitor Center
A landmark curved visitor centre on the west shore, with a cafe, a roof lake view and the best easy bikeway start.
Sun Moon Lake Ropeway
The cable car from near Ita Thao over the ridge to the Culture Village, and the easiest high view at the lake.
Formosan Aboriginal Culture Village
Part indigenous culture park, part ride park above Ita Thao, a full day reached by ropeway or road.
Where to stay in Sun Moon Lake
Shuishe
first visit, transport and no car trips
Buses, boats and bike rental all start here, with the widest choice of hotels and restaurants at the lake.
Ita Thao
food, Thao culture and quieter evenings
The old street food lanes and the ropeway are in the village, and the crowds leave on the last boat.
Hanbi Peninsula
luxury and lake views
The two great luxury hotels sit apart from Shuishe here, with the Hanbi Trail at the door and the pier walkable.
Think twice about
- Yuchi or Puli listings sold as Sun Moon Lake
Inland rooms with no lake view or shore walk and transport needed for everything. Check the pin before paying.
- Isolated ring road addresses without a car
Peaceful with your own wheels and stranded without them once evening round lake buses thin out.
Best restaurants in Sun Moon Lake
KEN CAN by Ken Chan
The lake's named fine dining room at Fleur de Chine, refined Chinese cooking that needs a reservation.
Crimson
The big international buffet at Fleur de Chine, in two dinner seatings, best at the earlier seating's fresh stations.
February Coffee
The Shuishe cafe locals name first, for thin crust pizza, pasta and house brewed black tea in a small house.
Desolate Coffee
A bright design cafe in Yuchi for brunch, pasta and desserts, the lunch that lifts a Yuchi tea country day.
Ita Thao Old Street
The lake's best cheap eating, lanes of boar sausage, grilled mochi, cabbage buns and black tea ice cream by the pier.
Outdoor things to do in Sun Moon Lake
Sun Moon Lake Bikeway
About 30 km round the lake, best in its waterside sections such as Shuishe to Xiangshan over the water boardway.
Hanbi Trail
A flat, shaded lakeside walk on Hanbi Peninsula to Chiang Kai-shek Pier, best at dawn when the lake is misty.
Nine Frogs Stack
Nine bronze frogs in the east shore shallows off the Shuiwatou Trail, a water level gauge you can read at a glance.
Maolan Mountain Trail
A 4.6 km climb through Assam tea gardens above the north shore, linking the lake to its black tea country.
Jinlong Mountain Trail
The local sunrise trail above Yuchi, known for sea of clouds at dawn and fireflies on its lower slopes in season.
Shuishe Dashan Trail
The serious ridge climb behind Shuishe, a full demanding day and the one lake hike that warrants a guide.
Antique Assam Tea Farm
A working Assam tea farm and old factory in Yuchi, where Ruby Red and Assam teas are tasted and bought at source.
HOHOCHA tea - Taiwan Sun Moon Lake Black Tea Factory
A three floor tea culture hall in Yuchi, where the ticket includes black tea, a tea egg and a tea biscuit.
Best hotels in Sun Moon Lake
The Lalu Sun Moon Lake
The lake's defining luxury hotel on its own peninsula, all suites facing the water, with an infinity pool and spa.
Fleur de Chine Hotel Sun Moon Lake
A five star hot spring resort on Hanbi, with in room soaking baths, big pools and the lake's family luxury base.
Sun Moon Lake Hotel
A large, reliable Shuishe hotel a short walk from the pier, with lake view balconies and soaking tubs.
Hotelday+ Sun Moon Lake
A modern mid range hotel in Shuishe village, a short walk from the bus terminus, pier and bike rental rows.
Sun Moon Lake Queen Castle Hotel
A castle styled hotel by Ita Thao Pier, in the best spot on the village side for food lanes and the ropeway.
Sun Moon Lake Teachers' Hostel
A large budget hostel in Shuishe open to all travellers, best value in its main buildings, a walk from the pier.
Yue Lake Backpackers
The Shuishe backpacker base, known for dorms and a combined bike plus boat deal that undercuts buying separately.
Is Sun Moon Lake expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | NT$1,800 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | NT$4,500 a person |
| Splurge | NT$13,000 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Sun Moon Lake Ropeway: a few days ahead
- Formosan Aboriginal Culture Village: a few days ahead
- Shuishe Dashan Trail: a few days ahead
- The Lalu Sun Moon Lake: weeks ahead
- Fleur de Chine Hotel Sun Moon Lake: weeks ahead
- Sun Moon Lake Hotel: a few days ahead
- KEN CAN by Ken Chan: weeks ahead
- Crimson: a few days ahead
- Lake view rooms for weekends, holidays, blossom season and the autumn festival season, weeks to months ahead.
- KEN CAN by Ken Chan, Fleur de Chine dinner seatings, Culture Village tickets in blossom season, and sunrise SUP days ahead.
Is Sun Moon Lake safe?
- No swimming: the lake is a deep reservoir, closed all year except to registered Swimming Carnival swimmers in September.
- Use licensed water activity operators with life jackets, and obey boat, ropeway and trail closures in typhoons and storms.
- Emergency numbers in Taiwan are 110 for police and 119 for fire and ambulance.
Sun Moon Lake travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- A midday day trip on a holiday weekend buys only queues; overnight or take the first bus.
- Paying lake prices for a Yuchi or Puli pin sold as lakeside, and starting the full loop ride at noon in summer.
- Expecting nightlife: stalls shut by about 8pm and the villages go quiet.
Getting around Sun Moon Lake: public transport and more
- Take the Taichung bus route 6670 family to the Shuishe terminus, about 1.5 to 2 hours, then boats, bikes and the round lake bus.
- Ride the Xiangshan bikeway section first if time is short, and bring a bike back on the boat from Ita Thao.
- Only ride a rental scooter with the right licence and insurance for Taiwan; the ring road is a mountain road.
Who Sun Moon Lake suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | Not ideal |
| Families | Great |
| Bachelorette parties | Not ideal |
Make Sun Moon Lake your trip
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