Flower Fields, Rouyuan & Surprises in Yuanlin — A Laid-Back Spring Trip in Taiwan

Travel Date: 2025/04/04

While holidays usually mean road trips and exploration, let’s be real - traveling during a public holiday here is practically an extreme sport. Crowds everywhere, traffic jams, and oh - some places even jacked up their prices by 900%. Yes, you read that right. That’s not a price hike, that’s an Olympic-level vault. 😂

So instead of fighting the big crowds, we decided to go a little off the radar - south to Yuanlin, a lively city in Changhua County.

Yuanlin might not be the first place that comes to mind when you think of Taiwan’s travel spots, but it should be, especially if you’re a foodie. It’s the largest township-turned-city in Changhua and is well known for its vibrant night markets and street eats.

Naturally, our first mission: rouyuan (Taiwanese meatball). And let me tell you, Yuanlin’s version is in a league of its own. If you’ve tried royuans elsewhere, ike Hsinchu, you’ll notice a big difference here. The texture, seasoning, and overall flavor were totally unique and super satisfying. Highly recommend making a pit stop just for that.

After filling up, we continued our journey toward the hollyhock flower fields. Spring in Taiwan is just chef’s kiss - flowers in bloom, mild weather, and those clear blue skies (on a good day, anyway).

We’d been warned by the rouyuan shop boss that parking near the flower fields could be a nightmare. But guess what? We found a spot right away. Must be good flower karma.

And in true Taiwan fashion, where there are flowers, food is never far behind. Around the field entrance we found sausages sizzling on the grill, filling the air with that mouthwatering smoky scent, and egg tarts in all kinds of flavors, including some pretty creative ones I hadn’t seen before!

The hollyhocks were absolutely gorgeous - rows and rows of colorful blooms you could walk between. They’d also added a few cute props like swings and garden arches - perfect for some spring-themed Instagram photos.

It was the perfect place for a slow stroll, though the fresh air was a little interrupted by a common seasonal twist: Tomb Sweeping Day. We passed by quite a few small fires and grass burning along the way, which is part of the tradition here... but yeah, the air quality didn't get the "spring breeze" memo. 😅

We tried to squeeze in one more stop before heading to parents-in-law' place - a visit to see the pink shower trees in bloom. Unfortunately... we were a bit too early. The trees were mostly in bud stage, so it ended up being more of a scenic preview than a full bloom moment.

But hey, that’s the fun of exploring during the seasons - not everything is always picture perfect, but there’s still charm in the surprises along the way.

So that wraps up this laid-back little adventure. Nothing too fancy, but a lovely reminder that even small cities like Yuanlin have so much to offer - especially when you’re willing to take the slower, scenic route.

Thanks for coming along! If you enjoyed this post, don’t forget to drop a comment below. If you’ve got any hidden gem suggestions for spring in Taiwan, I’m all ears!