The best time to visit Taiwan

What a year in Taiwan looks like

A high mountain spine splits Taiwan's weather in two. The north, Taipei included, sees rain spread through the year and a damp, grey winter; the south around Kaohsiung is drier and much warmer in winter. Summer is hot and humid island-wide and is typhoon season, while spring and autumn are the most comfortable stretches.

The year, in windows

• October to December: The best window for the island as a whole: typhoon season is over by October, temperatures drop to all-day walking weather, and the south stays warm enough for the coast. Taipei begins to turn damp in December.
• March to May: Warming up with more clear days — a good season for hiking routes and the mountain towns. Late in the window the north starts to see steadier rain ahead of full summer.
• June to September: Hot, humid and the typhoon window. A storm that does make landfall usually disrupts two or three days, stopping flights, trains and mountain roads; between storms it is often bright and sunny. Travelling now means building in a spare day.
• January to February: The north is damp and grey while the south is dry and warm enough to be a favourite escape from colder countries. Lunar new year falls in this window and packs domestic travel for a week.

The weeks to aim for

October and November carry the least risk: the storm season has passed, the weather works in both north and south, and Taipei's winter damp has not set in. If the trip focuses on the south, winter is also an excellent choice.

The weeks to avoid

Lunar new year week, when high-speed rail seats and rooms go first and many restaurants close for days. Unless the festival is the reason you came, shifting by a week or two makes the trip far easier.

What the season does to a data plan

Coverage across the island is strong, high-speed rail and small towns included. It thins on the high mountain routes and parts of the east coast where the hills come down to the sea. During a typhoon the common problem is a local power cut rather than the network failing.