Leaving Yilan County with a souvenir in tow is a must which requires a little shopping. In Yilan, markets are the popular places to find souvenirs and bargains on local goods, traditional food and knick-knacks. Shoppers looking for trendy fashions and modern accessories in Yilan will find a selection of department stores and local boutiques … and even a mall!
Dongmen Night Market
Dongmen Night Market is as much a culinary treat as it is a local shopping experience. The market runs under Donggang Bridge, along Shenghou Street and down Hemu Road, and features everything from street food and sit-down restaurants to souvenir shops and boutiques. The market is accessible from Yilan Railway Station and not far from several other attractions and shopping spots in Yilan.
While this often night market is frequented by locals who head out in the morning to get fresh produce, for tourists, it’s also a great spot for sampling traditional snacks and street food when in Yilan. When at the market, visitors should try some local favorites, like thick pork soup and tofu pudding. Thick pork soup features pork meatballs in a warm fish broth and is served with shallots on top. Tofu pudding has a velvety texture and is sweet and delicious.
Shopping spots & attractions near Dongmen Night Market
National Center for Traditional Arts
Step into the culture of Yilan, and indulge in a visit to the National Center for Traditional Arts. This expansive center is spread over nearly 60 acres and is an educational project that seeks to promote, teach, and preserve the traditional arts of the area. What this means for visitors is that, at the National Center for Traditional Arts, they’ll have an experience that impresses them.
At this center, visitors can step into special shops, and once inside, they can learn how to do traditional arts, like dying cloth, beading, pottery, umbrella painting, and more. On-site, there are also live performances of traditional dances that visitors can enjoy. The site is large, and with multiple activities to discover and engage in, so visitors can expect to spend at least a few hours here. Once the exploring is complete, don’t forget to visit the shops, which have plenty of artisan products to peruse and purchase.
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Luodong Night Market
Visitors will find loads of souvenirs, accessories and street food at Luodong Night Market, one of Yilan’s most popular evening shopping spots. Along with an incredible assortment of local handicrafts and merchandise, the market also promises an evening filled with live entertainment and local culture. The market gets super busy on weekends, so travelers looking for a less crowded experience might want to visit on a weeknight.
Luodong Night Market is big on cultural experiences and offers visitors a glimpse into local food, culture, and fun. When at the market, travelers should make sure to try some local street food favorites, like green onion cakes, which are crispy, savory, and delicious. This night market also benefits from being centered around a park, so visitors who get tired of the crowds can slip into the greenery for a little reprieve.
Yilan attractions near Luodong Night Market
Sanxing Green Onion Culture Palace
Lovers of the rare and culturally unique should definitely make a stop at the Sanxing Green Onion Culture Palace, also known as the Spring Onion Museum. This unique museum is all about scallions, which are one of the major crops of Yilan, and a staple ingredient in Taiwanese cooking. While scallions are served in many dishes throughout Yilan, the Sanxing Green Onion Culture Palace takes their love of scallions to a different level.
At this unique location, visitors will find a gift shop that is packed with onion-themed food items, from ramen to green onion ice cream, and much more. Also located on-site is a small museum, which details information about this famous food and its ties to the local area. During the Japanese occupation of the area, the museum building was used as a rice storage building, and today, the museum often holds food-making events, so visitors are encouraged to check their events calendar and indulge if they are in the area.
For something extra special, guests traveling in groups can even book a scallion-picking experience with the museum, giving visitors a first-hand look at how the picking process works while selecting scallions of their own.
Yilan Distillery Chia Chi Lan Wine Museum
History buffs and liquor enjoyers will love a visit to the Yilan Distillery Chia Chi Lan Wine Museum. This site is over 100 years old and was established in 1909. Today, it stands as the only remaining winery in the city center, making it a special stop for visitors and locals alike. Originally, this location focused on making rice wine, but now, it primarily produces spirits, like Hungluh Chiew.
The museum is housed in a Japanese-style, two-story building, and features several exhibition halls, including the Chia Chi Lan Wine Museum, the TTL Theme Hall, the Taiwan Anka Museum, and the Hungluh Art Gallery. All exhibitions other than the liquor storage area are free and open to the public.
On the site, visitors can also find a variety of locally produced items, like wines, spirits, and souvenirs. Guests are encouraged to step into the gift shop and peruse their offerings, and maybe bring back a gift or two for loved ones back home. Many of the products offered at this museum pair well with food, and the museum also offers some pairing suggestions that visitors can reference when they return home. For culture, wine, spirits, and more, Yilan Distillery Chia Chi Lan Wine Museum is the perfect stop.
Qinggou Night Market
For a more local feel and fewer people, tourists should add a stop at Qinggou Night Market while shopping in Yilan. The market, featuring mainly street vendors selling local handicrafts, is located just south of the city center in Dongshan Township, about 2 kilometers from Luodong Night Market. Qinggou Night Market vendors are unique because they are never the same! Vendors rotate in and out of the market, and some even come from different counties to share handmade artisan products and local foods from other regions.
This market is only open on Wednesdays and is the perfect spot to pick up clothes, toys, home items, and fruits. Visitors should also sample the many delicious street food options available at this market and should enjoy the relative peace of this space, as it’s less busy than some of the other night markets – which means more time for bargain hunting, bartering, and snacking, and less time in lines.
Jiaoxi Hot Springs Park
Hot springs are very popular in Yilan County, and Jiaoxi Hot Springs Park is the perfect spot for visitors to get their feet wet. This beautiful hot spring park is a little piece of paradise and is located near the center of Jiaoxi. Crafted in a Japanese style, and featuring wooden walkways, this hot spring park invites guests in, where they can sit down and soak their feet in the hot water and relax.
For shopping, the nearby Shanghaoji Yilan Souvenir Shop is a must-visit location. This gift shop is famous for its food souvenirs, including its signature offering, plum and hot spring tomato juice. There are also other hot springs-related veggies available for purchase, including water spinach, towel gourd, and bamboo shoots. In and around the area, retailers are known to sell artisan products, like skincare products and bath salts. Any traveler who’s looking for items that will upgrade their skincare routine should make a point of engaging in a little shopping while exploring the area’s hot springs parks.
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Photo credit: Foxy Who \(^∀^)/ / CC BY-SA
Luna Plaza
Luna Plaza is Yilan’s premier shopping mall and go-to spot for trendy fashions and modern accessories. The mall also contains a state-of-the-art cinema, a supermarket and several international and local restaurants. Visitors can browse the four floors of the mall while cooling off in the free air conditioning!
For souvenir shops and specialty stores, a mall is a great place to be, and Luna Plaza is no exception. Spread across four floors, Luna Plaza has everything from high-end clothing retailers to beauty supplies, to delicious eateries, so travelers are certain to find everything they need and more at this location. With international and local food offerings available, there’s plenty to sample at this mall; so step inside, and enjoy.
Outdoor activities near Luna Plaza
Yilan Cake Factory
Taiwan is famous for its delicious, traditional pastries, and in Yilan, the Yilan Cake Factory beautifully showcases this area’s talent for baking. For over 30 years, this bakery has been crafting delicious treats for locals and visitors alike. Today, the bakery is best known for its ox-tongue-shaped biscuit, which is called the “thinnest biscuit in the world,” and it is crispy, delicious, and unique.
Guests to the shop are also welcome to try a variety of samples, so they can decide for themselves which delicacies to take home with them. Another bonus to visiting this bakery is that there are plenty of options for baked goods to bring back home as gifts or souvenirs. Packaged and ready for travel, the baked goods at Yilan Cake Factory would make nice gifts for any occasion.
For visitors with more time on their hands, the bakery also offers a factory tour and DIY classes, so bakers young and old can come in and find out firsthand how to craft delicious treats and have a cultural experience that’s second to none.
Jimmy Park
Jimmy Park is a park that’s dedicated to the work of the popular Taiwanese illustrator, Jimmy Liao, who is a native of Yilan. This colorful, exciting park was once a train station dormitory and has been reborn. Colorful, nature-themed, and unique, this park includes sculptures of people and animals, along with unique scenes, and will transport visitors from reality into a world that’s all Jimmy Liao’s.
This spot is the perfect place for visitors to strike a pose, meaning it’s a site where visitors can capture social media-worthy images that will be fun to share. On-site, there is also a small gift shop that sells souvenirs and snacks, so visitors to this exhibit can bring back items to remind them of their trip and their visit to this unique park.
Nanning Fish Market (Nanfangao Fish Market)
It’s easy to work up an appetite while visiting Nanning Fish Market in Nan-fang-ao Fishing Harbor. The best time to tour the market is between 3 and 4 p.m., when fishermen haul their catches for the day into the port. Restaurant owners and local traders line up to bid on the fresh selections, and individuals are welcome to make purchases, too. Restaurants near the market happily prepare local dishes with Nanning Fish Market finds! So, bring freshly bought purchases to these eateries, and see how much it will cost to have a fresh dish prepared and cooked.
This fish market is the perfect spot to explore when visitors are hoping to have more cultural experiences. This fish market, in particular, is a huge part of the local economy, and many locals frequent the Nanning Fish Market, so it’s the perfect spot to mingle.
Things to do near Nanning Fish Market
Chenghuang Temple Night Market
Fans of Taiwanese snacks and street food should not miss the Chenghuang Temple Night Market. This lively night market specializes in local street food and, in particular, is known for its pork balls and spring rolls. This market has an abundance of food stalls, and it’s recommended that visitors arrive hungry because there’s so much to sample at this location, in addition to the pork balls and spring rolls.
For tasty soups, visitors should get a bowl of fish meatball soup. This soup is savory, delicious, and the perfect pick-me-up on a cool day. Another simple and delicious treat to consider is pork belly on top of rice. This delicious dish features pork belly, which is fatty and tasty, and paired with a generous portion of rice. Finally, make sure not to leave the market without trying the vermicelli noodles, which will be featured in a variety of dishes throughout. The market specializes in this type of noodles, and visitors may even spy them hanging to dry in the shops.
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