Visiting Taipei & Taiwan in October 2023

Looking up at the classical Chinese style red Grand Hotel building in Taipei

October 2023 will mark the one-year anniversary of Taiwan finally reopening to tourists after the COVID-19 pandemic!

October is generally considered the first month of autumn in Taiwan; other guides will tell you September, but September is still very much summer in Taiwan. These temperatures usually ease up in Taipei in early October, bringing in gorgeous, pleasantly warm days and often clear, blue skies. ‘Tis the season for hiking!

In the south of Taiwan in October, it’s still practically summer, but minus the rain. While late-season typhoons are not unheard of in October in Taiwan, the month otherwise is a contender for the best month of the year to visit Taiwan weather-wise.

This makes October a great month for general travel in Taiwan, and you can even cap it off with some wild Halloween parties (and Asia’s biggest Pride Parade!) at the end of the month.

For more basic information about planning your trip, see this list of FAQs about Taiwan.

Taiwan travel planning group

Taipei in October: Best Things to Do

With such lovely weather in October in Taipei, you’re going to want to be outside a lot. See my Taipei city guide to start planning your visit.

October is perfect for city parks like Da’An Forest Park, Elephant Mountain (for those postcard Taipei views) and other hiking trails in Taipei.

It’s also great for exploring atmospheric neighborhoods begging to be explored, like Ximending, Dadaocheng, Yongkang Street, and Beitou Thermal Valley.

For the main sights in the city, see my recommended Taipei itinerary for 4 days and my favorite things to do in Taipei. I’ve also got this guide to Taipei’s best night markets.

On Yangmingshan, the dormant volcano massif in Taipei and New Taipei City, silvergrass begins painting the hillsides gray by the end of the month, but November is usually the prime time to see this natural spectacle.

The Beitou Public Library in Beitou Hot Spring Park, one of the best things to do in Taipei in October
Beitou Public Library

On the night of Saturday, October 7 to early morning of October 8, don’t miss Taipei’s Nuit Blanche. 2023 will be the 8th time that Taipei hosts this unique all-night arts festival which originated in France.

October 10  is the National Day of the Republic of China (10/10 Day or Double Ten Day) and a national holiday. Often incorrectly described (even by locals) as “Taiwan’s birthday”, the day commemorates the Wuchang Uprising in China, which eventually led to the establishment of the Republic of China.

In 2023, Double Ten Day falls on a Tuesday, so it will be a 4-day long weekend, from Saturday October 7 to Tuesday October 10.

This is important to note because hotels and trains fill up quickly on long weekends in Taiwan. The day is usually celebrated with a ceremony at the Presidential Office Building in Taipei; don’t go out of your way for it.

This year, there will also be a massive fireworks display in Taichung for the event.

The Presidential Office Building in Taipei, where 10/10 celebrations take place, one of the main events in Taipei in October
Presidential Office Building, where the Double Ten Day ceremony takes place

Some other typical Taipei October events include the Taipei Jazz Festival, taking place at venues throughout the city in October.

From October 21 to 23, the annual Taipei Hakka Yimin festival will take place at Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall. The festival highlights Taiwan’s Hakka culture. To learn more about the Hakka people, read my guide to Miaoli.

Late October is also the first point in the season when you might start thinking about getting into the hot springs at Beitou. See my full guide to Beitou for the best ones.

A Hakka boy wearing pink clothing at a Hakka Taipei event in October
Boy at a Hakka cultural event in Taipei

Halloween is slowly becoming a thing in Taiwan; in the past it was nothing more than an hour-long activity in kindergartens.

For visitors to Taipei with young kids, check out the Zooloween event at Taipei Zoo on October 28.

For us grown-ups, a number of Taipei night clubs throw some pretty wild parties on Halloween, but the party of all parties is without a doubt Resurrected. The venue varies, but in recent years it has been held at an awesome outdoor venue on Tiger Mountain. Here’s the link for the event page for Resurrected 2023.

Taiwanese people holding up a rainbow colored Taiwan flag at Pride Parade in Taiwan
Taiwan hosts the largest pride parade in Asia every October

Last, but absolutely not least, the Saturday closest to Halloween (it will be on Saturday, October 28 in 2023) is usually the day of the extra fabulous Taipei Pride Parade, which is the largest LGBTQ+ pride parade in all of Asia. Upwards of 100,000 people usually take part.

The paraders convene at Taipei City Hall in the early afternoon, then set off on two different routes through the city (it’s so big that they need two), returning a few hours later. After that, many people head to the gay district at Red House in Ximending for a drink.

Taiwan in October: Best Places to Visit

October weather in Taiwan is about as good as it gets, which means it’s a perfect month for planning a round-island trip. You can do so by following my Taiwan itinerary for 1-3 weeks or my recommended Taiwan itinerary with kids, or get more ideas here on what to do in Taiwan.

In Yilan county, locals flock to Taipingshan (太平山 or Taiping Mountain) to see the changing colors of the beech trees from mid-October to mid-November.

October is an ideal month to visit Taichung, with warm weather and very low chance of rain. Make sure to include Rainbow Village, the Gaomei Wetlands, or numerous day trips from the city on your Taichung itinerary.

The back side of the Rainbow Village
Rainbow Village, Taichung

Don’t miss Sun Moon Lake, which is lovely at this time, and consider getting a Sun Moon Lake Pass or read which Sun Moon Lake tours I recommend. There will be a Sun Moon Lake cycling festival on Saturday, October 14.

Yilan County and Hualien are also great to explore at this time, but don’t visit Taroko Gorge during or after heavy rain, especially those late-season typhoons that sometimes strike in October.

Tainan, Kaohsiung, and Pingtung (including Kenting National Park) are still summery in October, while October is probably the last month I’d consider visiting the offshore islands like Green Island, Orchid Island, Xiaoliuqiu, and Penghu, as they tend to get windy and chilly in winter in Taiwan, with many services closing for the season.

High mountain resorts like Cingjing Farm or Alishan are still perfectly fine for visiting in October, but do expect cold weather in the early morning. October is also great for hiking all around the island. For autumn colors, though, you’ll need to wait until November and December for the best colors to come out in most places.

The out-of-this-world Burning of the Wang Yeh Boats in Donggang, Pingtung County happens once every three years, usually in October. The next event will happen in October 2024.

Taipei Weather in October

My friends sitting on the edge of cliff while hiking in Taiwan in October
October, the perfect time to go hiking in Northern Taiwan (photo shot at Wuliaojian trail in New Taipei City)

Summer temperatures finally start waning toward the end of September, ushering in gorgeous Taipei weather in October. The average high temperature in Taipei in October is 27°C (81°F), and the average low is 22°C (72°F).

Taipei receives an average of 150mm of precipitation in October, which is around half of summer levels, but still twice as much as each of the following three months. Part of this is because late-season typhoons can bring additional short bouts of heavy rain.

October is generally the end of the typhoon season in Taiwan, but a typhoon in November is not unheard of. Some major typhoons to strike Taiwan in October include Typhoon Longwang (2005) and Typhoon Mitag (2019).

Still, October is one of the driest months of the year in Taipei, with an average of only 12 days with rain in the month, the lowest of the year, along with November and December. If you do happen to face rain in October, see my article covering the best indoor things to do on rainy days.

October is probably my single favorite month of the year in Taipei weather-wise. Typical Taipei October weather is warm and comfortable, skies are often blue, and going outside just feels good.

What to Wear in Taipei in October

How to dress in October in Taipei is going to vary by what you are used to. Locals and people from countries in Asia with similar climates tend to start dressing for cooler weather in October. This might include jeans and a light jacket or hoodie, especially for going out in the evening.

If you’re from a cooler climate like me (the prairies of Canada), though, you will most likely still be wearing shorts and a T-shirt in Taipei’s October weather. I don’t usually break my summer clothing choices until sometime in November.

– Find out where to stay in Taipei.

– Also decide whether to get a Taipei Unlimited Fun Pass by reading my Fun Pass review.

Taiwan Weather in October

Sun Moon Lake in October
Sun Moon Lake is stunning in October

In most of Northern Taiwan, including Yilan County and Taroko Gorge in Hualien County, you can expect pretty much the same weather as Taipei in October.

However, venture further south, and you’ll find that summer still hasn’t quite departed. Taichung and Tainan still have an average high of 30°C (86°F) and 31°C (89°F), respectively, in October.

What’s even better, rain in the south of Taiwan is rare in October; Taichung only gets an average of 16mm while Tainan gets 30mm. That means only a handful of days with rain per month.

In other words, the weather in Taiwan in October is about as close as you could get to ideal for traveling around. It still feels practically like summer in Taiwan, but not overbearingly so like in real summer, and with substantially less rain.

Sun Moon Lake in Nantou is usually a few degrees cooler than nearby Taichung, and is gorgeous to visit in October. At higher altitude resorts like Cingjing Farm or Alishan, the temperature can go down to the mid-teens Celsius (around 60°F) in the early morning.

What to wear in Taiwan in October

For Northern Taiwan, you’ll want to pack some autumn clothing, including a hoodie or light jacket for evenings, but if you’re sticking mainly to the south of Taiwan, you’ll still be dressing like it’s summer. Don’t forget your bathing suit, as beach season is still on!

The coldest you’re likely to feel on your trip is when you’re standing around before dawn at Alishan waiting for that famous sunrise, so do bring a few layers if you’re planning to do that!

There’s barely a need to dress for rain in October in most of Taiwan, with the exception of Taipei and the north.

Conclusion: Is October a Good Time to Visit Taiwan?

October is quite possibly my favorite month of the year to be in Taiwan. Even Taipei, which is notorious for having kind of crappy weather, is undeniably lovely for most of October. Meanwhile in the south of Taiwan, it’s like summer minus the rain.

If you love spending long hours outside in warm (not overbearingly hot) weather, enjoy hiking, cycling, and even some time on the beach, October in Taiwan is simply awesome, but do remember there is still a small chance of encountering a late-season typhoon.

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