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

Reading Time:3 minutes

Families enjoy the cherry blossom in Yangming Park, Taipei. Photo: Chris Stowers/Panos

Published: 1:00pm, 15 Mar 2020Updated: 2:13pm, 17 Mar 2020

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.

While tourists are avoiding Taiwan, despite its relatively low number of confirmed cases, local crowds are forming around the trees, where flowers radiate photogenic pinks, reds and whites.

Greater Taipei stands out for having some of Asia’s most easily accessible mountain cherry blossoms.

“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.

On the cherry blossom trail in Taiwan. Photo: Chris Stowers/Panos

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.

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