Taipei in Taiwan rivals Japan for cherry blossom viewing, with stunning rural beauty and accessibility
- The coronavirus may be keeping the tourists away, but locals are flocking to areas around Taipei to see the cherry blossoms
- The sites are easy to reach from the city, and have beautiful rural backdrops, unlike Japan’s urban scenery
Cherry trees started to blossom around Taipei in mid-January this year because of unseasonably warm weather. Then along came the coronavirus, which sparked fear of venturing out to crowded malls and restaurants.
“The advantage here in the northern parts is convenience, and up here you do not need to wear a face mask,” says Tina Lee, 22, a Chang Gung University of Science and Technology student who has come to see the blossoms for the first time at Yangming Park, about 400 metres above sea level and 45 minutes by bus from central Taipei.
The most sought-after flowering trees around Taipei are within reach of buses and the urban metro system. They are also pasted against forested mountain backdrops rather than the cityscapes normally seen in Japan.
“Most of the famous cherry blossoms spots in Taiwan are in open spaces,” said Yuki Huang, chief marketing officer with the KKday travel agency. “With the epidemic being controlled, people feel safer to enjoy flower viewing in Taiwan, and cherry-blossom-related tours in Taiwan are still in great demand.”
The Taipei-based travel agency lists 10 scenic flower watching spots around the city and normally takes tens of thousands every year on tours.
New Taipei City, which surrounds the capital Taipei like a doughnut, has some 150,000 cherry trees blossoming around this time of year, according to its website. They are planted in groves among the city’s mountains at elevations of 100 to 300 metres. The most popular are the hot springs village of Wulai an hour south of central Taipei, and the Tian Yuen Temple, about 20 minutes east from the coastal district of Tamsui.
Cherry blossoms at the temple and a track to the north of it will peak in mid-March and be visible until the end of the month, according to the New Taipei City Landscaping Office. The breed, Yoshino cherry, blooms later than the other three types most often found around Taipei, said a spokesman.
Public buses reach the farther flung viewing sites, making them especially convenient compared to trees that grow in central or southern Taiwan.
In Taipei, pink flowering trees line a path outside Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, which is on the itinerary of many tourists in Taipei.
This month, the more serious photographers are gathering at Yangmingshan National Park. Some set up their tripods under 10 white flowering trees in front of the Zhongshan Lou, which is a two-minute walk from a stop on public bus line 260 that starts at the main Taipei railway station 45 minutes away.
“It’s a bit warmer this year, but the key thing is fewer rainy days,” says blossom shooter Key Yang, 33. “I’m not sure if it’s the best year ever, but it counts as not too bad.”
Scores more ride the bus another five minutes or walk for another 20 minutes to Yangming Park. Trees in the largely landscaped park grow in orchard-like rows, and have boughs of pink flowers that dip low enough to offer a hassle-free background for photos. It’s lit after dark, keeping scores of people shooting sunset poses for their Instagram followers.
Barely anyone is wearing a face mask at the park as they dart from tree to tree for the best shots. Hsieh Ling-yin, a 38-year-old IT worker from Taipei, says he has lost count of how many photos he and his companion have shot over their two-hour stay at Yangming Park.
“In an outdoor space like this I think Taiwanese will feel quite relaxed,” he says, rejecting fears of any outdoor virus spread. The only thing he is risking, he adds, is a traffic jam, as he and all the other photographers prepare to drive back to town.
Where to see cherry blossoms around Taipei
1. Lohas Park
Trees bloom in white, pink and red, mainly in February. The park on Kangle Street Lane 61 is a nine-minute walk from Donghu metro (MRT) station.
2. Yangming Park, Yangmingshan National Park
Bus route 125 reaches the park, which never closes.
3. Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall
No. 21 Chungshan South Road, just off the Chiang Kai Memorial metro stop.
4. Tian Yuen Temple, Tamsui district
No. 36 Beixin Road; take bus No. 875 from the Tamsui metro station and watch for a 7-Eleven near the temple entrance. Temple hours are 6.30am to 9.30pm daily.
5. San Sheng Trail, Sanchih district
Take bus No. 862 or 863 from the Danshui metro station and ask the driver to stop at Jiu Tai Er Xian Bridge 17.
If you are thinking of travelling to Taipei to see the cherry blossoms this year, Taiwan has put in place a number of entry restrictions to combat the coronavirus pandemic, so please check for the latest alerts, regulations and advice before you set off.
