Yilan County has 12 townships, but you only need six names. If it's your first trip, start with Jiaoxi for the hot springs and Luodong for the night market, and add the rest as day trips. Nearly everything sits on the Lanyang Plain (蘭陽平原), the fan of farmland laid down by the Lanyang River. It's a near-perfect triangle with its corners at Toucheng in the north, Sanxing in the west and Su'ao in the south, about 320 square kilometres in all. Mountains close it in on three sides, and the Pacific is the fourth.
The railway runs down the coast side of that triangle, so the plain reads from north to south like a list of stations: Toucheng, Jiaoxi, Yilan, Luodong, Su'ao. You can see a lot of it without a car. → Trains in Yilan
- NorthJiaoxiThe hot spring town: hotels with their own baths, public bathhouses and free foot baths by the station.
- North coastTouchengYilan's oldest street, the Lanyang Museum, Wai'ao's surf beach and the boats to Guishan Island.
- MiddleYilan CityThe county seat: Jimmy Liao's station square, Japanese-era houses, small museums and Dongmen Night Market.
- SouthLuodongThe busiest town on the plain: the old timber yard, the big night market, and the best base for the south.
- South coastSu'ao and Nanfang'aoBathing in cold carbonated springs, a working fishing harbour and its golden Mazu.
- MountainsSanxing and DatongScallion fields, Changpi Lake and the road up to Taipingshan, with the mountain parks' current status.
The north: Toucheng and Jiaoxi
This is the end of the plain closest to Taipei, and where most day-trippers stop. Toucheng (頭城) is the coast: the old street, the Lanyang Museum, the surf at Wai'ao and the boats to Guishan Island. Jiaoxi (礁溪), just inland, is the hot spring town, with hotels packed around the station. Buses from Taipei through the Hsuehshan Tunnel stop here, and the ride is about an hour with no traffic. → Buses from Taipei
The middle: Yilan City
Yilan City (宜蘭市) is the county seat and the only city in the county, and the place to go if you like small museums and old streets more than hot springs. It has been an administrative town since the Qing set up a government here around 1812, and the four Jiucheng (舊城, "old city") roads still trace the line of the old walls. Come for the museums in Japanese-era houses, the Jimmy Liao art opposite the station, and the food stalls of Dongmen Night Market.
The south: Luodong and Su'ao
South of the Lanyang River, Luodong (羅東) is the busiest town on the plain and the handiest base for everything south and west: the National Center for Traditional Arts in Wujie, Dongshan River, the mountain road to Taipingshan. If you're choosing one base in the south, this is it. At the bottom of the plain, Su'ao (蘇澳) has its cold springs and the fishing harbour of Nanfang'ao, and it's where the Suhua Highway leaves for Hualien.
The mountains: Sanxing and Datong
West of Luodong the plain narrows into the Lanyang River valley. Sanxing (三星) is farming country, famous for its scallions. Beyond it, Datong (大同) is mountain land, home to Atayal communities and the road up to Taipingshan. It's beautiful country, but you need a car, a tour or careful bus planning to see it.
At a glance
| Area | Best for | Nearest station |
|---|---|---|
| Jiaoxi | Hot springs, an easy first night | Jiaoxi |
| Toucheng | The old street, the museum, surfing, Guishan Island | Toucheng (Wai'ao and Guishan stations for the coast) |
| Yilan City | Old town walks, museums, Dongmen Night Market | Yilan |
| Luodong | Night market, a base for the south and the mountains | Luodong |
| Su'ao | Cold springs, Nanfang'ao harbour and seafood | Su'ao (not Su'ao New) |
| Sanxing and Datong | Farm country, lakes, Taipingshan | None: drive or bus from Luodong |
Good to know: the plain is small and the main towns are all on one railway line, so you can sleep in one place and see the rest on short trips. → Where to stay
The rest of the county, briefly: Zhuangwei (壯圍) is the dune coast between Toucheng and the river mouth, Yuanshan (員山) and Dongshan (冬山) are the foothills and farms either side of the plain, Wujie (五結) is the river delta with the Traditional Arts center, and Nan'ao (南澳) is the mountainous far south on the way to Hualien. → Going on to Hualien
Sources: Yilan County Government, the county and its townships; Taiwan Tourism Administration, Yilan City; Jiaoxi Township, getting to Jiaoxi. Checked November 2026.