Mazu (媽祖), the sea goddess, is the big name in Taichung. Jenn Lann Temple in Dajia sets off the nine-day Dajia Mazu Pilgrimage every spring, and the city itself has two Mazu temples from the 18th century. Add the Confucius Temple and the Buddha at Baojue Temple, and you have the range.
| Temple | Hours | Getting there |
|---|---|---|
| Dajia Jenn Lann Temple | Daily 03:30 to 22:30 | TRA Dajia Station, 6 minutes on foot |
| Taichung Confucius Temple | Tue to Sun 09:00 to 17:00 | Bus to 莒光新城 or 臺灣體大體育場 |
| Lecheng Temple | Daily 06:30 to 22:00 | Taxi from Taichung Station |
| Wanhe Temple | Daily 05:30 to 19:00 | Bus 30 or 40 to 南屯市場 |
| Baojue Temple | Not published | Bus 200 to 寶覺寺 |
Good to know: temples are working places of worship. Speak softly, keep out of the way of people praying, and ask before photographing anyone up close. Inside Tainan has a good guide to temple manners and what the rituals mean.
Dajia Jenn Lann Temple
Dajia Jenn Lann Temple (大甲鎮瀾宮) is the Mazu temple behind the Dajia Mazu Pilgrimage. The temple traces its statue of Mazu to Meizhou in Fujian around 1730; a small shrine went up in 1732, it was rebuilt and renamed several times, and the present building was finished in 1988. Every spring its Mazu sets out on the Dajia Mazu Pilgrimage, nine days and eight nights on foot over more than 300 km. → Festivals and events
- Hours Daily 03:30 to 22:30
- Address No. 158, Shuntian Rd., Dajia District
- Getting there TRA Dajia Station on the coast line, then about 6 minutes on foot to the temple square
Taichung Confucius Temple
The Taichung Confucius Temple (臺中市孔廟) is built in the style of the Song dynasty: its Dacheng Hall has a northern-style double-eaved roof and Song-style painting, which the city calls unique in Taiwan. It is calm and spacious, and free. The indoor halls are not open, but you can walk the courtyards. On 28 September, Confucius' birthday, a ceremony is held at dawn, and the temple closes for some days before it to prepare. Next door, on Lixing Road, the Taichung Martyrs' Shrine (忠烈祠) stands on the site of the old Japanese-era Taichung Shrine.
- Hours Tuesday to Sunday, including holidays, 09:00 to 17:00; closed Mondays
- Entry Free
- Address No. 30, Sec. 2, Shuangshi Rd., North District; enter through the Guande Gate (觀德門)
- Getting there Bus 11, 50, 56, 59, 73, 81 or 99 to 莒光新城, or 41, 131, 142 or 163 to 臺灣體大體育場
Lecheng Temple
Lecheng Temple (樂成宮), the Hanxi Mazu temple in the East District, was built on its present site in 1753; the halls you see date from the 1920s. It is a municipal monument. Locals know it for its Yue Lao (月老), the matchmaker god, whose hall has a wall of wedding invitations. Every spring its Mazu sets out on the Hanxi Mazu procession of the 18 villages (旱溪媽祖遶境十八庄); in 2026 it lasted 22 days and crossed 11 districts. Hanxi Night Market is close by, on its nights.
- Hours Daily 06:30 to 22:00
- Address No. 48, Hanxi St., East District
- Getting there Taxi from Taichung Station
Wanhe Temple
Wanhe Temple (萬和宮), on the old main street of Nantun, is a Mazu temple completed in 1726 and a municipal monument. It is also known as 犁頭店聖母廟, and its traditional opera performances by clan name (字姓戲) are a listed folk custom. → Nantun
- Hours Daily 05:30 to 19:00
- Address No. 51, Sec. 1, Wanhe Rd., Nantun District
- Getting there Bus 30 or 40 to Nantun Market (南屯市場)
Baojue Temple
Baojue Temple (寶覺禪寺) is a Buddhist temple founded in 1927, best known for its huge Maitreya Buddha statue, as tall as a seven-story building. The grounds also hold a bell tower with a bell given by Japan and a memorial to Taiwanese and Japanese who died in the Second World War. The temple does not publish opening hours; go in the daytime.
- Address No. 140, Jianxing Rd., North District
- Getting there Bus 200 from Taichung Station (臺中車站(臺灣大道)) to 寶覺寺
→ Festivals, including the Dajia Mazu Pilgrimage · Lugang, a temple town nearby · Things to do
Sources
Dajia Jenn Lann Temple (dajiamazu.org.tw, history); Taiwan Tourism Administration (Jenn Lann Temple); Taichung Tourism (Jenn Lann hours, Lecheng Temple, Baojue Temple); Taichung City Government (walk from Dajia Station); Taichung Confucius Temple (hours, transport, architecture, history of the site); Taichung City Cultural Heritage Office (Lecheng Temple, Wanhe Temple, Dajia pilgrimage, Hanxi procession); Taichung City Bus (route 200). Checked October 2026.