For most people, two days with one night is the right amount. Yilan is close to Taipei but spread out: the hot springs are in the north, the night market and the arts center in the south, the mountains inland. Pick the areas you want first, and the number of days follows.
One day: pick one area
At about an hour each way by train from Taipei or bus from Taipei, Yilan is an easy day trip from Taipei, as long as you keep it simple. Choose one area. Jiaoxi is for a hot spring soak and a walk, Yilan City for the old streets and the food, Luodong for the arts center and the night market. Try to do the whole county in a day and you'll spend most of it on buses. → A day trip from Taipei
Two days: the sweet spot
This is what we'd tell a friend to do. One night changes the whole trip: stay in a hot spring hotel in Jiaoxi, or near Luodong Station for the night market, and you get your evening in Yilan without the ride back to Taipei hanging over it. Two days covers the hot springs, Yilan City, one of the big sights in the south and a night market, at an easy pace. → Two days in Yilan
Three days or more
A third day is for going further out, and for giving the weather some room. → Three days in Yilan
- Taipingshan, the old logging mountain, takes a long day up a mountain road. The road closes after storms, so check before you go. → Taipingshan
- Guishan Island by boat from Wushi Harbor, March to November, with a permit. → Guishan Island
- Toucheng and the coast, for surfing at Wai'ao or the Northeast Coast. → Toucheng · The Northeast Coast
- A spare day for weather. Yilan is rainy, and the boats and mountain roads are the first things to close. With an extra day, one bad forecast doesn't wipe out your plans.
Good to know: heading on to Hualien? Yilan is on the way. The train from Luodong to Hualien takes about an hour, so a night or two here slots neatly into an east coast trip. → Hualien
→ Where to stay · All itineraries · A rainy day in Yilan · Day trips from Yilan
Sources: train times from the Taiwan Railway timetable; bus times from Kamalan Bus; Guishan Island season from the Northeast and Yilan Coast National Scenic Area. Checked November 2026.