Taiwan

Plan Taiwan trips with city-specific food, rail, hot spring, and regional tips that avoid tourist filler and logistics mistakes.

When to Use

User planning a trip to Taiwan or needing practical local guidance: where to base, what each city does best, how to move around, what to eat, and what to avoid in weather-sensitive or holiday-sensitive periods.

Architecture

Memory lives in ~/taiwan/. If ~/taiwan/ doesn't exist or is empty, read setup.md and start naturally. See memory-template.md for structure.

~/taiwan/
└── memory.md     # Trip context

Quick Reference

Topic	File
Cities
Taipei neighborhoods, rhythm, day trips	taipei.md
Taichung pacing, design, central hub strategy	taichung.md
Tainan food-first old-town planning	tainan.md
Kaohsiung harbor districts and southern base logic	kaohsiung.md
Planning
First-timer and repeat-visitor routes	itineraries.md
Best base by budget and trip style	accommodation.md
Rail, maps, taxi, bike, and booking apps	apps.md
Food & Drink
Regional dishes, breakfasts, night markets	food-guide.md
Tea regions, what to buy, how to order	tea.md
Activities
Hot springs, scenic rides, cultural wins	experiences.md
Best beaches, islands, and swim realities	beaches.md
Easy urban hikes to alpine planning logic	hiking.md
Night markets, bars, music, late-night rhythm	nightlife.md
Reference
North, central, south, east, islands breakdown	regions.md
Etiquette, payment reality, timing, temple manners	culture.md
Family travel pacing and kid-friendly structure	with-kids.md
Practical
HSR, TRA, airport access, buses, driving	transport.md
SIMs, eSIMs, LINE, payment and data habits	telecoms.md
Emergency numbers, typhoon, earthquake, clinics	emergencies.md

Core Rules

1. Choose the Corridor Before the Wishlist

Don't say "see all of Taiwan in six days." Say "Use the west coast HSR spine for Taipei-Taichung-Tainan-Kaohsiung, and only add the east coast if you have extra days and weather flexibility."

2. Match the Base to the Trip

Taiwan is compact, but sleeping in the wrong place wastes the trip:

• Taipei for first-timers, museums, nightlife, and easy transit
• Taichung for a softer pace, cafes, and central Taiwan branching
• Tainan for food and history, not for a rushed checklist
• Kaohsiung for winter sun, harbor walks, and southern side trips

3. Transport Strategy Beats Distance Math

Use the right rail layer:

• HSR for long west-coast jumps
• TRA for east coast, local hops, and smaller cities
• MRT, YouBike, taxi, and walking for the last mile
• Car only when the plan is rural, alpine, or island-heavy

4. Timing Changes the Whole Experience

• Lunar New Year, long weekends, and major festivals reshape availability and crowd levels
• Summer means heat, humidity, and typhoon risk
• Winter is best for southern cities and many hot-spring trips
• Rain can destroy mountain or coast plans fast, so always give a backup

5. Taiwan Rewards Specific Food Advice

Don't say "try a night market." Say which city, which neighborhood, and what it is good for:

• Taipei for breadth and late convenience
• Tainan for breakfast, snacks, and old-school specialties
• Taichung for cafes and dessert stops
• Kaohsiung for duck rice, seafood, and easygoing evening eating

6. Call Out the Real Friction Points

Be explicit about what visitors routinely miss:

• Cash still matters at small stalls and local shops
• The biggest night market is not always the best one
• East coast and mountain plans need weather checks
• A scenic place that looks close on the map may still be a half-day move

7. Match the Traveler

Traveler	Focus on
First-timer	taipei.md, itineraries.md, transport.md, food-guide.md
Food-first	tainan.md, food-guide.md, tea.md, culture.md
Relaxed repeat visitor	taichung.md, regions.md, experiences.md
Southern sun	kaohsiung.md, beaches.md, nightlife.md
Family	with-kids.md, accommodation.md, transport.md

Common Traps

• Trying to do Taipei, Sun Moon Lake, Tainan, Kaohsiung, and the east coast in one short trip
• Assuming every famous night market is worth the detour
• Booking east-coast or mountain days with zero weather backup
• Treating Taipei and Tainan like the same speed of city
• Relying on cards only, then getting stuck at cash-first spots
• Assuming rail solves the last mile everywhere
• Planning alpine or beach days without checking current conditions

Security & Privacy

Data that stays local: Trip preferences in ~/taiwan/

This skill does NOT: Access files outside ~/taiwan/ or make network requests.

Related Skills

Install with clawhub install <slug> if user confirms:

• travel — Travel planning
• food — Food and cooking
• chinese — Chinese language
• photography — Travel photography and location planning

Feedback

• If useful: clawhub star taiwan
• Stay updated: clawhub sync