Nantou is easy to reach and hard to plan, because the right choice depends entirely on where you are staying. Below is our shortlist, each picked for a different kind of trip rather than ranked on price alone.
1. Nantou: Sun Moon Lake Ropeway, Boat Trip & Bike Ride Combo
Why we picked it: Ropeway, round-the-lake ferry and a bike from about $6, redeemed with a QR code. If you are staying at the lake, this single ticket replaces a whole guided day at a fraction of the price.
The single smartest ticket at Sun Moon Lake, and the cheapest way to start booking with us. Instead of queueing separately at three counters, you pre-book the ropeway, the round-the-lake ferry and a bike in one go, then redeem each with a QR code. The gondola climbs to 1,044 m for the postcard view over the whole lake; the ferry is genuinely useful transport between the three villages; and the bike path along the northwestern shore is the one CNN famously named among the world’s finest. Buy the pieces you want and skip the rest.
At a glance:
- Duration: Valid 1 day
- Departs from: Sun Moon Lake (Shuishe or Ita Thao)
- Type: Attraction ticket
- From: about $6 per person
- Best for: Independent travellers, families, anyone staying overnight at the lake
2. From Taichung: Sun Moon Lake Day Trip with Audio Guide
Why we picked it: Taichung is 90 minutes from the lake, so this trip puts you on the water while Taipei day-trippers are still on the motorway — and the audio guide means you set your own pace.
If you are already in Taichung, this is the sensible way to reach Sun Moon Lake. Taichung is only about 90 minutes away, so you spend far less of the day on the road than you would from Taipei, and the audio guide means you get the history without being marched around in a group. You are dropped at the lake with a solid block of free time to ride the ropeway, take the ferry to Ita Thao or simply eat your way along the waterfront, then collected for the run back. The best price-to-time ratio of any Sun Moon Lake tour we list.
At a glance:
- Duration: Approx. 10 hours
- Departs from: Taichung
- Type: Day trip with audio guide
- From: about $29 per person
- Best for: Value seekers, independent travellers, travellers based in Taichung
3. From Taipei: Nantou and Sun Moon Lake View Day Tour
Why we picked it: More than 200 reviews and the most-booked Nantou tour there is. A long day, but it removes every connection and someone else drives the 220 km each way.
Nantou’s single most-booked day tour, and with more than 200 reviews the safest choice if you only have one free day in Taipei. A comfortable coach covers the 220 km each way while a guide fills in the history of the lake, the Thao people who have lived on its shores for centuries, and the Japanese-era hydroelectric scheme that gave the lake its modern shape. You get proper time on the water and at the lakeside temples without renting a car or piecing together three buses. Long day, minimal effort.
At a glance:
- Duration: Approx. 12 hours
- Departs from: Taipei (central meeting point, pickup available)
- Type: Guided day tour
- From: about $90 per person
- Best for: First-time visitors, travellers based in Taipei, no-car itineraries
4. Taichung: Qingjing Farm, Skywalk and Swiss Garden Tour
Why we picked it: Cingjing, the Skywalk and the Swiss Garden in a private vehicle, without you having to drive 1,500 m of mountain hairpins. The single best way to see high Nantou without a car.
Getting to Cingjing under your own steam means a two-hour climb up Provincial Highway 14 with more than a thousand metres of ascent and a lot of hairpins — not everyone’s idea of a holiday. This private tour removes that entirely. A driver-guide collects you in Taichung and handles the mountain road while you take in the scenery, then you work through the three headline sights: the sheep meadows of the Green Green Grassland, the elevated Skywalk, and the alpine-flower terraces of the Swiss Garden. Because it is private you can linger where you like.
At a glance:
- Duration: Approx. 10 hours
- Departs from: Taichung (pickup available)
- Type: Private day tour
- From: about $40 per person
- Best for: Non-drivers, families, small groups, mountain scenery lovers
5. Sun Moon Lake: Classic Tour with Sky & Lake
Why we picked it: Ropeway above and boat below, a meal included and a guide to tie it together. The choice if you are staying at the lake and want the whole day arranged.
The most complete single day at Sun Moon Lake, designed for people already staying in the area who want everything organised. "Sky" is the ropeway that lifts you over the ridge for the full panorama; "Lake" is the boat that carries you between Shuishe, Lalu Island and Ita Thao. A meal is included and a guide ties the day together — the Thao village, the temples on the northern shore, and the trails that most day-trippers never find. Pricier than a bare ticket, but you finish the day having actually seen the lake rather than chased it.
At a glance:
- Duration: Full day
- Departs from: Sun Moon Lake / Yuchi Township (pickup available)
- Type: Guided tour with meal
- From: about $109 per person
- Best for: Overnight guests at the lake, couples, travellers who want it all arranged
How we chose
We started from every Nantou experience currently bookable on GetYourGuide, then cut anything with weak reviews, anything that spends more time on the road than at the destination, and anything that duplicates a cheaper option. What remains covers the five situations most visitors are actually in: staying at the lake, based in Taichung, based in Taipei, wanting the high mountains, or wanting one organised day. Prices and ratings are checked against the live listings, but they move — always confirm on the booking page.
Group tours vs private tours in Nantou
This matters more in Nantou than in most places. Group coach tours are cheap per person and remove all planning, but they run to a fixed schedule and spend a long time driving. Private tours cost more in absolute terms, but they are priced per group — so for three or four people they often work out cheaper per head, and they let you start early enough to beat the coaches to Sun Moon Lake. For the mountain roads to Cingjing and Hehuanshan, where public transport is thin and the driving is genuinely demanding, private is usually the right answer regardless of group size.
