The 12 Best Tea Tours in Taiwan

1.Thousand Island Lake and Pinglin Tea Plantation

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 519 reviews · 5 hours · from $40Our pick

Leave Taipei with an English-speaking guide such as James, Grace, or David for a five-hour trip through Shiding and Pinglin. You will see Thousand Island Lake, Bagua Tea Garden, tea fields, the Pinglin Tea Museum, and a local tea shop where an instructor demonstrates proper brewing and serves samples.

“Our guide was so much fun. He made the whole tour worth it. Transportation was set up good and the tea tasting was very interesting.”

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2.Thousand Island Lake and Pinglin Tea Plantation from Taipei

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 172 reviews · from $52

Leave central Taipei for the green hills of Shiding, with viewpoints over Thousand Island Lake, a stop at Bagua Tea Garden, and a guided visit to Pinglin Tea Museum. The finale is a local tea tasting in Pinglin. Guides such as Cathy, Christina, James, and Walter have earned praise for clear, friendly commentary.

“Nice way to spend some free time in Taipei. Good opportunity to see scenery and landscapes outside urban Taipei. Would've enjoyed seeing how tea is harvested, processed, made (surprised the museum didn't have a simple film showing this) rather than just verbal descriptions. The museum had interesting exhibits of old machines, samples of tea leaves, and lots of tea paraphernalia, but signage was predominantly in Chinese. Enjoyed the tea ceremony in Pingling. Recommended with qualifications. Don't expect a deep dive.”

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3.Pinglin Tea Culture and Maokong Guided Day Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 104 reviews · 9 hours · from $65

Spend nine hours outside Taipei exploring Maokong’s tea hills, Shiding’s Thousand Island Lake, and Pinglin’s tea country. Ride the gondola, walk paved trails, visit the Pinglin Tea Museum, and learn brewing from a local tea specialist. Guides such as Tony, Kevin, Chiara, and Jimmy are known for clear English, warm service, and strong tea knowledge. Lunch costs extra.

“Chiara (apologies if spelt wrong) was a great guide!! She had so much energy and was so knowledge about Taiwan’s tea culture. The lake was absolutely stunning and the tea ceremonies were great to take part in. I highly recommend doing this!”

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4.Tea of Taipei: Small-Group Tour with Taipei City Sightseeing

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 63 reviews · from $230Top rated

Spend about 8.5 hours exploring Taiwanese tea culture beyond Taipei. Ride the Maokong Gondola, visit tea centers and Bagua Tea Plantation, stop above Thousand Island Lake, and learn tea ceremony skills in Shihting Old Street. Hotel pickup, tea tasting, and gondola admission are included. Lunch is your responsibility.

“The Maokong gondola ride and the tea experience to get an introduction to the various types of tea grown in Taiwan was great. The tea ceremony was a particular highlight given the intricate steps involved in making a cup of tea which I hRead more”

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5.Pinglin Tea Culture & Maokong Day Tour from Taipei

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 35 reviews · from $85

Spend about nine hours beyond central Taipei with a professional guide, Maokong Gondola ride, tea trails, Thousand Island Lake viewpoints, Pinglin Tea Museum, traditional tea tasting, and local food stops. Guides have included Tony, Chiara, Kia, Jacky, and Chester. Bring cash, comfortable shoes, and motion sickness medicine for winding mountain roads.

“Chiara did a great job making us feel welcome and patiently explained Taiwan tea culture and history. The tea terraces were beautiful and we enjoyed learning about the different stages of production.”

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6.Tainan Culture Trip: Chinese Tea Ceremony_Oolong Tea

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 29 reviews · 1h 30m

At Tainan TOT House, King leads a private 90-minute English tea ceremony for up to two people. You’ll taste at least four Taiwanese oolong teas, compare gaiwan and terracotta teapots, try three kinds of cups, and learn tea history, etiquette, brewing, and local customs in a calm home setting.

“The tea ceremony was meticulously prepared and presented. King was so warm, kind, and gracious. We learned much about tea and about Taiwan. This experience exceeded my expectations and I highly recommend it to those visiting Tainan. Thank you!”

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7.Maokong Cable Car 1 day Pass

★★★★★★★★★★3.8 · 28 reviews · 1 day · from $12Best value

Use your QR code at Zoo, South Zoo, or Maokong Station, then ride Taipei’s Maokong Gondola for a full day. The 30-minute trip reaches tea plantations, teahouses, and a 360-degree observation deck. Unlimited rides make sunset returns easy, though dirty cabin windows may affect photos.

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8.Sip & Savor: Maokong Tea & Shenkeng Stinky Tofu Private Day Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 9 reviews · from $184

Spend about eight hours exploring Taipei’s Maokong tea district and Shenkeng Old Street in a private, air-conditioned vehicle. Ride the Maokong Gondola one way, taste Tieguanyin and Baozhong tea, visit Zhinan Temple, and sample stinky tofu. English or Chinese-speaking guides may include Paul, Kuan, Tony, or Leo, depending on availability.

“We asked for the tour to end early and for the tour guide to take us back to our hotel because his driving made us motion sick. He blamed it on the Mountain Roads, but I told him it was his slow driving. I didn’t appreciate him ignoring wRead more”

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9.Taiwan Traditional Breakfast & Market & Tea Tasting

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 6 reviews · 2 hours · from $44

Start at Lanzhou Market for more than 10 Taiwanese breakfast tastings, then walk through Dihua Street and finish with oolong and cold brew red tea at a Dadaocheng tea house. An English-speaking guide explains the food, customs, and local history. Leo has been praised for making the food, culture, and history easy to follow.

“Really enjoyed this breakfast food tour. Our guide, Leo, was very informative and made this a perfect combination of food and culture and history.”

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10.Thousand-Island Lake & Tea Museum Private Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 5 reviews · 5 hours · from $88

Leave Taipei by private car, van, or bus for Thousand Island Lake, the Bagua tea fields, and Pinglin Tea Museum. Your English- or Chinese-speaking guide handles the driving, museum entry, tolls, and parking. Guides such as Ben and Alex have led tea tastings, with a local tea house stop included.

“We had an incredible experience learning about Taiwan tea. The landscape of the tea plantation and the Thousand-Island lake was beautiful. The best part was our drinking tea experience with our tour guide Ben. He explained everything to us about the different kinds of tea. Was a wonderful and beautiful day.”

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11.Private 1-Day Tea Experience in Taipei

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 4 reviews · from $153

Leave Taipei at 9 a.m. for a private day in Pinglin and Shiding. A tea master introduces you to local oolong, tea-based dishes, and plantation work, while Hsu’s Handmade Noodle Company lets you pull noodles by hand. Eva has guided some departures, while English ability may vary by guide.

“I'm very interested in Tea and this was for me very good trip. I had only short time so this was only choice for one day, but I can recommend this trip.”

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12.Taiwanese Baking Class with Oolong Tea Tasting in Taipei

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 4 reviews · from $80

At CookInn Taiwan’s Zhongshan classroom, you’ll spend about 2.5 hours making Taiwanese pineapple and mung bean pastries, tasting scallion nougat crackers, and learning about oolong tea. The class begins at 2:30 pm, includes snacks and tea, and ends with a recipe set and boxed treats to take home.

“The class was so well done, the instructor was patient and gave clear instructions. Our final scallion crackers and pineapple cakes were beautifully packaged for us to take home along with our lovely recipes. One of the best “treat yoself” experiences I have had!”

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