Rocky forest trail beneath granite peaks in Seoraksan National Park

Amsterdam → Taiwan → South Korea → Amsterdam

Mountains between meals.

A long, outdoors-led Taiwan chapter followed by Seoul's granite ridges and Seoraksan's cinematic autumn finish.

41nights
east

Mountain ridges floating above a sea of cloud in Alishan — The reason to stay longer: one clearing can transform the whole mountain.

Red Alishan Forest Railway train moving through wet mountain forest — Rain does not spoil Alishan; it gives the old railway its atmosphere.

Red walls and tiled roof at Tainan Confucius Temple — Tainan's history is most affecting when you give one quiet courtyard an hour.

Hanok houses lining a sloping Bukchon lane at blue hour — Stay past the busiest hour and Bukchon's rooflines begin to feel like a neighbourhood again.

Seoul City Wall crossing Inwangsan above the downtown skyline — Stone wall, bare rock and a whole megacity below your feet.

In one sentence

A long, outdoors-led Taiwan chapter followed by Seoul's granite ridges and Seoraksan's cinematic autumn finish.

Not every day needs to earn its place. The blank days, repeated breakfasts and weather buffers are what let the extraordinary days actually feel extraordinary.

5real bases11big-effort days€7,000working plan27 / 14 nightscountry split

The journey in one minute

Five feelings, not forty-one tasks.

Tap a base. See what staying there buys you—and what you consciously leave out.

Drawing the route…

Historic timber guest house inside Taipei Botanical Garden — Old Taipei appears quietly between the palms and garden paths.

Crowds and illuminated food stalls on Ningxia Night Market — One compact market, one or two dishes, and the city unfolding after dark.

Maokong Gondola cabins crossing forested hills above Taipei — A city day turns into a mountain day before you have even started walking.

Ornate historic shop-house facade on Dihua Street — Tea merchants, dried-goods shops and a street that rewards looking up.

Hiker beside the summit marker on Mount Qixing — Taipei's volcanic roof: a proper climb, not a token city viewpoint.

A capital that opens straight into mountains · 23 Oct–2 Nov

Taipei

Mossy, energetic and remarkably easy to inhabit. Taipei is where a hard volcanic summit, an old tea street and dinner around the corner can belong to the same relaxed week.

The moment you came forComing off Qixing in hiking clothes and sliding into an ordinary noodle shop before the city lights come on.

Why 10 nights?: Ten nights absorb jet lag and the only two work mornings, while keeping Qixing, Caoling and Maokong movable around weather. The remaining days create familiarity rather than another checklist.
The honest trade-off: Not every day is cinematic. That is the point: Taipei earns its time through ease, repeat meals and spontaneous changes.
With the baby: The metro, plentiful indoor stops and stroller-friendly ordinary days make this the trip's softest landing. The mountain days switch decisively to the carrier.

How you get there

What image search is really showing you

Taipei is not one look.

Search results often fold the whole Taipei basin and New Taipei into “Taipei.” These are six genuinely different possibilities—not six more tasks. Pick one or two that make you feel something.

Taipei 101 and the illuminated city from Elephant Mountain — The classic blue-hour view from the city's edge.

Taipei 101 and the green Taipei basin in daylight — A dense capital wrapped in green ridges.

Easy city add-on

The ridge above the skyline

Taipei 101 rising out of the basin at blue hour—the simplest way to understand that this capital is built inside mountains.

Would we change the plan?: Add Xiangshan at sunset to an ordinary Taipei day. It costs an evening, not a whole day.
With Leonardo: Steep paved steps; carrier only. Expect 1.5–2.5 hours and crowds at the first platform.

Xiangshan trail

A column of geothermal steam rising from forested Sulphur Valley — Taipei's volcanic landscape without a summit day.

White water rushing over mossy rocks in Taipei's green hills — Water, moss and dense subtropical green close to the city.

Half-day weather swap

Steam, forest and hot springs

Beitou is Taipei's volcanic side at human scale: sulphur plumes, wooded paths and a proper hot-spring soak reached by metro.

Would we change the plan?: Use this when the high ridges are wet or windy. It is more memorable than another generic recovery day.
With Leonardo: The valley is straightforward with a stroller; use the carrier for rougher Sulphur Valley paths. Check infant rules before booking a bath.

Beitou guide

Shifen Waterfall dropping in a wide white curtain — The waterfall is the anchor; the railway town is the slow extra.

Shifen Waterfall glowing in late golden light — Go early or late enough to let the place breathe.

Strong nature swap

Shifen's wall of water

A broad horseshoe waterfall in a lush river gorge—much more dramatic than the words ‘easy day trip’ suggest.

Would we change the plan?: Choose Shifen over one blank Taipei day if you want another unmistakable nature image. Skip the rushed Jiufen–Shifen bus tour format.
With Leonardo: Mostly accessible viewing paths; stroller works for the main falls, carrier gives more freedom around Pingxi. Allow an unhurried half to full day.

Shifen Waterfall

A traveller among the eroded rock shelves of Yehliu Geopark — Human scale makes the north-coast geology feel even stranger.

Wave-carved ochre rock formations beside the sea at Yehliu — Textures and sea rather than another city landmark.

Sculpted golden rock at Yehliu Geopark — The north coast at its strangest.

Wild-card coast day

Yehliu's alien shoreline

Honeycomb rock, wave-cut shelves and sea wind make the north coast feel geologically strange rather than merely scenic.

Would we change the plan?: Worth swapping in when the sea is calm and visibility is good. It is visually huge, but more exposed and tour-busy than Shifen.
With Leonardo: Paved main route, little shade and serious wind exposure. Stroller is possible; carrier is easier once the rock paths narrow.

Yehliu Geopark

Jiufen tea houses and lanterns above the mountain coast at dusk — The version of Jiufen worth making room for.

People walking through Jiufen's narrow market street — The honest trade-off: beautiful lanes, real crowds.

Lanterns glowing above a narrow Jiufen stair street — Northern Taiwan after the lights come on.

A lantern-lit Jiufen tea house surrounded by green hills — A mountain-town evening rather than a rushed bus stop.

Beautiful, but crowded

Jiufen after the day buses

Lantern light, steep stair lanes and tea-house windows hanging over the coast—the romantic northern-Taiwan image people often label simply ‘Taipei’.

Would we change the plan?: Only add it if you can arrive early or stay into evening. At peak tour-bus hours the atmosphere can disappear behind the crowd.
With Leonardo: Carrier only on the stairs. A late afternoon and early dinner is gentler than trying to combine it with three other stops.

Jiufen guide

Worshippers and visitors around the incense burner at Longshan Temple — A living ritual, not a preserved monument.

Scooters, stalls and shoppers in a Taipei night market — One market, one meal, no food-crawl homework.

Keep it central

Temple smoke, scooters and supper

The counterpoint to postcard Taiwan: a working temple, lived-in streets and a single excellent night-market meal.

Would we change the plan?: Pair Longshan and Bopiliao with dinner nearby when you want culture without losing a day to transfers.
With Leonardo: Flat urban day with easy exits. A compact stroller works; keep the temple visit short if incense smoke is heavy.

Longshan Temple

Weather gets a vote. Extra nights are not filler; they are how the best mountain day finds you.Still unsure? Compare with route B