Calligraphy Greenway

The Calligraphy Greenway (草悟道) is a 3.6 km strip of park through the West District, open all day, that runs from the National Museum of Natural Science in the north to the National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts in the south. In between are Civic Square, Park Lane by CMP and a string of shops and cafes. Walked end to end without stops it takes about an hour; with a museum, coffee and some shopping, plan on half a day.

• Hours Open all day; museums and shops along it keep their own hours
• Length 3.6 km, science museum to art museum
• North end Bus Taiwan Boulevard routes 300 to 310 from Taichung Station to 科博館(專用道)
• South end Bus 71 or 75 from Taichung Station to the Art Museum stop (美術館) on Wuquan West Road

What it is

The strip used to be called the Chiang Ching-kuo Greenway (經國綠園道). The city government paid for a makeover that turned it into the Calligraphy Greenway, and the new name comes from the idea behind the design: free, flowing and unhurried, like semi-cursive Chinese calligraphy (行草). The city lists a service center, places to eat, parking and walking paths along it. Expect wide lawns, shady trees and art in the open air rather than a formal garden.

A walking order, north to south

Starting at the science museum means you walk toward the shops and finish near Shenji New Village, which is busiest in the afternoon. You can just as easily do it the other way.

1. National Museum of Natural Science. Start here in the morning. The halls open Tuesday to Sunday, 09:00 to 17:00, and close on Mondays unless the Monday is a holiday. → Our science museum guide
2. Civic Square (市民廣場). The big open square in the middle of the greenway. Each October it is the main stage of the Taichung Jazz Festival; in 2026 the festival ran from October 16 to 25 with a free main stage. → Taichung festivals
3. Park Lane by CMP (勤美誠品綠園道). A shopping center wrapped in 20-meter vertical garden walls, built on the site of an abandoned parking lot. Inside are an Eslite stationery store, lifestyle and design shops, a children's section and restaurants, with a handmade market on some weekends. Open 11:00 to 21:30, to 22:00 on Fridays and Saturdays, at No. 68, Gongyi Road.
4. PARK2 Caowu Square (PARK2 草悟廣場). The former Caowu Square on the greenway, which reopened just before Lunar New Year in 2022 as a cluster of restaurants, cafes, outdoor gear and plant shops around a sunken plaza, run by the CMP group in partnership with the city's tourism bureau. Markets and performances are held now and then. No. 534, Yingcai Road.
5. Shenji New Village (審計新村). Just off the greenway near its south end, on Lane 368, Minsheng Road: old provincial government dormitories, about half a hectare, now filled with small shops, studios and cafes, with creative markets on some weekends.
6. Art Museum Parkway (美術園道). A red-brick path for walkers and cyclists beside the art museum, with about 40 shops, most of them restaurants. At weekends it adds street performers and a creative market.
7. National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts. Finish at Taiwan's national art museum. Entry is free; it opens Tuesday to Friday 09:00 to 17:00 and weekends 09:00 to 18:00, and closes on Mondays unless the Monday is a public holiday. → Our art museum guide

Good to know: Monday is the one day to avoid, because both museums are closed. On hot days walk the open stretches early or toward evening and keep the middle of the day for a museum. For more shops and cafes on this side of town, see West Taichung.

Getting there

There is no MRT station on the greenway, so come by bus or YouBike, or take a taxi from Taichung Station. → How to ride Taichung's buses

• Bus North end, Taiwan Boulevard: routes 300 to 310 run from Taichung Station along Taiwan Boulevard and stop at the science museum (科博館(專用道)). From the MRT, ride to Taichung City Hall Station (Green Line, 110) and change to a Taiwan Boulevard bus at Taichung City Hall (市政府(專用道)).
• Bus North end, Botanical Garden: routes 11, 37, 45, 159 and 365 stop at Botanical Garden (植物園(西屯路)), beside the science museum.
• Bus South end: routes 71 and 75 from Taichung Station to the Art Museum stop (美術館) on Wuquan West Road, about 15 minutes. From Nantun Station (Green Line, 113), routes 56 and 75 go to the same stop.
• HSR From HSR Taichung Station: bus 159 stops at both ends: Botanical Garden at the north end and Tuku Parking Lot (土庫停車場(國美館)) on Zhongming South Road by the art museum.
• 2.0 YouBike: the science museum lists two YouBike 2.0 docks beside it, at the museum on Guanqian Road and at the Guanqian and Yude roads corner. Riding the length of the greenway is a good way to cover it in less time. → YouBike in Taichung

→ Taichung's parks · West Taichung · Things to do

Sources

Length, ends, hours, what is along it and the name: Taichung Tourism (Calligraphy Greenway). Former name, city renovation and the semi-cursive calligraphy idea: Taichung Film Development Foundation (草悟道). Park Lane by CMP, Shenji New Village and the Art Museum Parkway: Taichung Tourism (Park Lane by CMP, Shen Ji New Village, Art Museum Parkway). PARK2 Caowu Square: Mirror Media (opening, January 2022) and Taichung Film Development Foundation (PARK2 Caowu Square). 2026 Taichung Jazz Festival: NOWnews, October 16, 2026. Science museum hours, bus stops and YouBike docks: National Museum of Natural Science (transport). Art museum hours and buses: National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts (hours, getting here). Taiwan Boulevard stops: Taichung City Bus (route 300). Checked November 2026.