Three days gives you the city and a trip out of it. Spend the first two days on the 2-day plan, then use the third for one of the big days out that Taichung is the gateway to: Sun Moon Lake, the old port of Lukang, or a morning on the Dakeng trails and an easy afternoon in the city.
Days 1 and 2: The city
Follow the 2-day plan: Miyahara, Taichung Park, the Museum of Fine Arts, Shenji New Village and Fengjia Night Market on day one; the science museum, the National Taichung Theater and the sunset at Gaomei Wetlands on day two.
Good to know: Monday is the day to watch. The National Taichung Theater, the National Museum of Natural Science and the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts are all closed on Mondays (the two museums open when a Monday is a national holiday). If one of your days is a Monday, make it the day for Miyahara, Shenji New Village, Gaomei and Fengjia.
Day 3: Pick one
Option A: Sun Moon Lake
Bus 6670 from Gancheng Station near Taichung Station or from HSR Taichung Station, about 1 hour 20 minutes from the HSR station on the fastest runs. Boats between the piers, the ropeway and a ride along the lakeside bikeway. The last bus back leaves at 19:25. → Sun Moon Lake guide
Option B: Lukang and Changhua
Bus 6936 from HSR Taichung Station runs via Changhua Station and the Bagua Mountain Great Buddha to Lukang's old town. Temples and lanes in Lukang, and the Great Buddha or the railway roundhouse in Changhua on the way back. → Lukang guide · Changhua guide
Option C: Dakeng in the morning, the city in the afternoon
Taxi from MRT Jiushe or Songzhu Station to the Dakeng trails for an early hike (Trail 9 is the gentle one), then an afternoon at Rainbow Village or a slow lunch and coffee. → Dakeng trails · Rainbow Village · Tea and coffee
Tweaks and swaps
- Rain on day 3? Skip the lake and the trails. → The rainy-day plan
- Got longer? Add Xitou's forest or Cingjing in the mountains. → Taichung as a base for central Taiwan
- Moving on? → Taichung to Tainan
Sources
Bus times and routes for day 3 from the Taiwan Tourist Shuttle pages for the Sun Moon Lake Line and Lukang Line. Monday closures from the National Taichung Theater, the National Museum of Natural Science and the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts. Everything else is on the linked guide pages, each with its own sources. Checked October 2026.