🇹🇼 How to spend 5 days in Chiayi, Taiwan: food, cultures & hidden gems you’ll love

Hello travelers! In this episode, we explored Chiayi, a charming city in southern Taiwan that’s often overlooked by tourists heading straight to Alishan, but trust us, Chiayi deserves your time 🚂 Over 5 days, we discovered delicious local food (including the famous Netflix-featured Smart Fish soup, turkey rice), wandered through Japanese-era villages, rode the iconic Alishan red train, and found surprising hidden gems like matcha cafés, train museums, and a sky-high sunset tower. If you’re planning a trip to Alishan or just looking for a relaxing city to slow down and enjoy real Taiwan, Chiayi is full of pleasant surprises. ✨ What you'll see in this vlog: ✔️ Local markets & iconic food (turkey rice, lu rou fan, meat sausage) ✔️ Hinoki Japanese Village & Sleeping Forest ✔️ Alishan day trip + red train experience ✔️ Chiayi Tower & sunset views ✔️ Honest thoughts, prices, & summer travel tips 00:00 Welcome to Chiayi 01:06 Arrival day/Day 1 01:21 Wenhua night market 03:26 First time trying Smart Fish Soup 06:44 Day 2: City exploration 07:03 Chiayi City East public retail market 08:18 Jun Ma Lu Rou Fan --- 11:40 Hinoki Village 12:07 Morikoohi cafe with matcha dessserts 12:58 Sleeping forest 13:55 Chiayi Museum 14:43 Day 3: Day trip to Alishan 15:51 Day 4: Back to the old time 16:44 Alishan Forest Railway Garage Park 17:36 Chiayi park and Former Chiayi Shinto Shrine Buildings 18:33 Chiayi tower - Sun-shooting Tower 20:17 Departure day 20:27 Trying the meatloaf 21:39 Turkey rice and highland green tea 🧳 TRAVEL TIPS (Chiayi in Summer): Bring an umbrella & mosquito repellent Stay hydrated Check ahead if museum closes on Monday and market closes on Sunday Stay in touch for more travel tips: 🔔    / @tlttravel   🔔   / missthitbo   🔔   / missthitbo