Itinerary
- Day 1
Germany to Taipei
You'll fly out from Germany to Taipei in economy class, settling in for what's ahead. This flight gets you from Europe across to Taiwan, where your trip really starts taking shape.
- Day 2
Taipei
After arriving early at Taoyuan Airport, your German-speaking guide meets you for the coach ride into Taipei. The day takes you through Mengjia Longshan Temple, then into the trendy Ximending district where you'll find cafes and shops. You'll see the Red House, a relic from the Japanese colonial period, and check out the Lin An Tai Residence with its classical Chinese gardens. By afternoon you're checked in at your hotel.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Included Activities
- Visit Mengjia Longshan Temple
- Walk through Ximending district
- Visit Red House
- Visit Lin An Tai Residence with classical Chinese garden
Optional Activities
- Lunch at cafés and restaurants in Ximending district
Landmarks/POIs Mengjia Longshan Temple Ximending Red House Lin An Tai Residence - Day 3
Taipei
This day is yours to explore Taipei at your own pace, or you can join an optional day trip to Jiufen if that interests you.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Optional Activities
- Optional day trip to Jiufen
- Day 4
Taipei to Sun Moon Lake
After arriving, you'll head inland from Taipei toward Puli. The Chung Tai Shan Monastery with its golden dome is your first stop, then you'll visit a tea plantation to learn how Taiwan grows and processes tea. From there, you'll continue to Sun Moon Lake, the country's largest lake. You can take a boat across the water and later walk through the village streets before evening settles in.
Included Activities
- Visit Chung Tai Shan Monastery
- Tea plantation visit and learning about Taiwanese tea traditions
- Excursion boat on Sun Moon Lake
Optional Activities
- Dining at traditional Thao restaurants
Landmarks/POIs Chung Tai Shan Monastery Sun Moon Lake - Day 5
Sun Moon Lake - Sun-Link-Sea Nature Park
A bus takes you through bamboo forests and tea plantations up to Sun-Link-Sea Nature Park in Nantou, sitting at over 1,600 meters. The paved trails here feature waterfalls and suspension bridges. You'll see Songlong waterfall with its pond and cave, then head back to your hotel for dinner. What's blooming depends on when you visit: cherry blossoms in spring, peonies in April, hydrangeas in summer.
- Meals
- Dinner (Dinner together at the hotel)
Included Activities
- Sun-Link-Sea Nature Park exploration
- Hiking trails with waterfalls and suspension bridges
- Songlong waterfall visit
- Dinner at hotel
Landmarks/POIs Sun-Link-Sea Nature Park Songlong waterfall - Day 6
Sun-Link-Sea Nature Park to Tainan
You'll check out the bamboo forest in Xitou recreation area and see Monster Village before arriving in Tainan, Taiwan's oldest city. The Great Mazu Temple dedicated to the Heavenly Mother is worth a visit, and Shennong Old Street lets you walk through history. The Hayashi Department Store from 1932 shows off Japanese colonial architecture with its Art Deco design.
Included Activities
- Bamboo forest exploration in Xitou recreation area
- Monster Village visit
- Great Mazu Temple visit
- Shennong Old Street exploration
Optional Activities
- Hayashi Department Store visit and shopping
Landmarks/POIs Great Mazu Temple Shennong Old Street Hayashi Department Store - Day 7
Tainan to Tokyo
This morning you'll catch a bus to Tainan Central Station, then take the high-speed train and metro to Songshan Airport in Taipei for your flight to Tokyo (4 hours). After you land at Haneda Airport in the evening, a German-speaking guide meets you for a bus ride to your hotel. You'll have time to explore the area and get a feel for the city.
Optional Activities
- First-time exploration of surrounding Tokyo area
- Day 8
Tokyo
You'll navigate Tokyo like locals using the underground and suburban rail. Start in historic Asakusa where Sensoji Temple holds an ancient Kannon statue and a massive scarlet lantern weighing over 700 kilos. From the rooftops you'll see Skytree, East Asia's tallest structure. A park walk through thousands of cedars leads to Meiji Shrine, Tokyo's most important Shinto site. Then it's on to the colorful Takeshitadori street in Harajuku and Shibuya's famously crowded intersection. The Tocho viewing platform in Shinjuku (or an alternative if it's closed) finishes the day before dinner at a typical izakaya restaurant.
- Meals
- Dinner (Meal together in a typical izakaya restaurant)
Included Activities
- Tour of Asakusa district
- Visit Sensoji Temple
- Visit Meiji Shrine
- Explore Takeshitadori shopping street in Harajuku
- Visit Shibuya intersection
- Visit Tocho viewing platform or alternative
Landmarks/POIs Asakusa District Sensoji Temple Tokyo Skytree Meiji Shrine Takeshitadori Shibuya Intersection Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building (Tocho) - Day 9
Tokyo to Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park
You're leaving Tokyo on the Shinkansen super express to Odawara, then switching to a mountain train heading into Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park. Check in at your hotel in Gora and use the cable car and boat to explore the mountain area. Owakudani valley has those famous black eggs cooked in spring water, and you'll get views of Mount Fuji if the weather cooperates. A pirate ship crosses Lake Ashi for views from the water, then you'll relax in the hotel's natural hot spring onsen.
Included Activities
- Shinkansen super express train to Odawara
- Mountain train through Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park
- Cable car exploration
- Boat travel
- Owakudani valley visit
- Lake Ashi pirate ship crossing
- Onsen (natural hot spring) at hotel
Landmarks/POIs Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park Mount Fuji Owakudani valley Lake Ashi - Day 10
Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park to Kyoto
Take the Hakone Tozan train back to Odawara and hop on the Shinkansen toward Kyoto, roughly 4 hours. You'll have a traditional O-Bento lunch box during the ride. Once you reach Kyoto, head south to Fushimi Inari Shrine, known for its tens of thousands of red shrine gates dedicated to the rice god. You'll arrive at your hotel in the early afternoon. Kyoto served as Japan's cultural center and old imperial city for over 1,200 years.
- Meals
- Lunch (Pre-ordered O-Bento (traditional Japanese lunch box))
Included Activities
- Hakone Tozan train to Odawara
- Shinkansen to Kyoto
- Fushimi Inari Shrine visit
Landmarks/POIs Fushimi Inari Shrine - Day 11
Kyoto
You have the day to explore Kyoto independently or join an optional guided trip. Come evening, walk through atmospheric Gion where you might spot a geisha heading to a performance. For dates between 31 March and 12 April 2025, there's a special evening with traditional geisha dances and shabushabu dinner at a typical Japanese inn, complete with a young Kyoto learning geisha performance.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Included Activities
- Evening stroll through Gion district
Optional Activities
- Optional guided day trip to Tokyo
- Japanese evening with geisha dances and shabushabu dinner (31.03.-12.04.2025 only)
Landmarks/POIs Gion District - Day 12
Kyoto to Uji to Nara
Early morning takes you by bus to the tea town of Uji where you can explore numerous tea rooms and manufacturers with their hillside plantations. Next is Byodoin Temple, a UNESCO World Heritage Site with its perfectly symmetrical Buddha hall and reflecting pond built in the 10th century. Then you'll head to Nara, the cradle of Japanese culture, to see the Great Buddha Hall at Todaiji Temple (also UNESCO), the world's largest free-standing wooden building. The city's tame sika deer roam freely around the area. By afternoon you're heading to the airport (about 100 km away) for your flight back to Germany.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Included Activities
- Visit tea town of Uji
- Tour tea rooms and tea manufacturers
- Visit Byodoin Temple
- Visit Great Buddha Hall at Todaiji Temple, Nara
- See sika deer in Nara
Landmarks/POIs Uji Uji River Byodoin Temple Todaiji Temple Great Buddha Hall - Day 13
Arrival in Germany
Your journey through Taiwan and Japan comes to an end as you arrive back in Germany.
