The 10 Best Tea Experiences in Taiwan

1.Thousand Island Lake and Pinglin Tea Plantation

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

Trade Taipei’s streets for Shiding’s mountain roads, Thousand Island Lake viewpoints, Bagua Tea Garden, and Pinglin’s tea country. Guides such as James, Grace, Tony, and David explain Taiwanese tea, lead a tasting, and help with photos. The $40 small-group tour lasts five hours.

“it was a very well paced tour woth a lovely guide, Grace, who shared interesting points about the visited places and the tea ceremony. It was a well spent afternoon.”

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2.Thousand Island Lake and Pinglin Tea Plantation from Taipei

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

Travel from Taipei into Shiding and Pinglin with a small group of up to 20. See Thousand Island Lake and Bagua Tea Garden, visit the Pinglin Tea Museum, and taste local teas with a tea shop host. Guides such as Cathy, Christina, James, and Walter are praised for clear commentary.

“This is a really nice tour for half a day . Not many people do this as tourists so it feels very special (literally we were the only group ) . The walk around tea gardens, and the views were stunning . The tea museum is also delightful ( also an escape from the rain ). The cute village near the tea ceremony with the children singing songs about glowworms and dancing in the rain was the most adorable thing I saw ( not included in the tour but very sweet to see local life) . The tea ceremony was good fun, the two brothers witty and sharp . My…”

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3.Xiao Long Bao, Beef Noodles & Boba Tea Cooking Class in Taipei

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 159 reviews · from $89Top rated

At CookInn Taiwan’s Zhongshan kitchen, instructors such as Angela, Lydia, and Diana guide you through soup dumplings, braised beef noodles, cucumber salad, and bubble milk tea. The small class suits beginners and families, with recipes, photos, and a meal to enjoy at the end.

“This was a fantastic experience! Angela was a great host and made everyone feel welcome and included. We loved learning to cook traditional dishes and hearing the stories behind them. Would highly recommend!”

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4.Pinglin Tea Culture and Maokong Guided Day Tour

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

Spend nine hours exploring Taipei’s tea country with guides such as Tony, Kevin, or Chiara. Ride the Maokong Gondola, walk tea trails, see Thousand Island Lake, visit Pinglin Tea Museum, and learn proper brewing from a local tea specialist. Lunch is optional and paid separately.

“Our guide was fantastic - full of knowledge, passion and jokes. It was a very positive experience and a great group. As someone who doesn’t drive it enabled me to get out and see places it would otherwise have been hard for me to get to. We had fantastic luck with the weather so seeing Pinglin tea farms and Thousand Island Lake was amazing. Both were stunning in the sunshine. Maokong was also fun although I would have preferred a hike that was a little bit more around the mountain and nature but we did see some interesting trees. The tea shop and tasting was a real highlight, very interesting…”

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5.Xiao Long Bao, Chicken vermicelli with mushroom and sesame oil, Tofu strips salad, Bubble milk tea. Taiwan Traditional Delicacies Experience-A (Taipei Cooking Class)

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 79 reviews · from $77

Spend three hours in Taipei making four Taiwanese favorites with English, Chinese, or Japanese instruction. Vivian, Sandy, Serena, and their team guide you through soup dumplings, chicken vermicelli, tofu salad, and boba tea. The class is hands-on, family-friendly, vegetarian-friendly with advance notice, and includes recipes and a certificate.

“It was absolutely one of the best moment in Taiwan! They were so amazing, and nice to my three children and their grandparents as well! We all had such a great time and the foods that we made were just phenomenal!!! They gave us the recipe in English and Japanese as well ( which we asked in both)! Absolutely recommend to take this cooking class if you like to cook ;))”

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

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

Spend about 8.5 hours exploring Maokong and northern Taiwan’s tea country with hotel pickup, a gondola ride, tea tastings, plantation views, and a traditional ceremony. Guides such as Jeff, Summer, Henry, and Fiona are praised for making the history and customs easy to understand. Lunch is extra.

“Erik, our tour guide was excellent. I enjoyed every aspect of the tour...tgye gondola ride, the tour of the Tea Oreservation and Promotion centre, the stops on the way to the tea Making class and the class best of all. Bring cash for a lovely lunch in the village mid-day... delicious abd amazing view ✌️”

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7.Pinglin Tea Culture & Maokong Day Tour from Taipei

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 35 reviews · from $85

Spend about nine hours exploring Maokong, Shiding, and Pinglin with a licensed guide. Ride the Maokong Gondola, walk tea trails, visit Pinglin Tea Museum, sample Taiwanese tea, and see mountain scenery outside Taipei. Guides may include Tony, Chiara, Kia, Jacky, or Chester.

“The pick up location was easy to find. The tour guide, Kia was great. Enjoyed this tour immensely. Don't forget your motion sickness meds as the roads going up mountain are windy.”

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8.Tainan Culture Trip: Chinese Tea Ceremony_Oolong Tea

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 29 reviews · 1h 30m

At Tainan TOT House, King leads a 90-minute English tea ceremony for up to two people. You will taste at least four Taiwanese oolongs, compare Gaiwan and terracotta teapots, try three cup styles, and learn how tea shapes Taiwan’s daily life and customs.

“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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9.Xiao Long Bao & Boba Tea Cooking Class in Taipei

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 28 reviews · from $79

At Cookinn Taiwan’s Zhongshan classroom, an experienced chef guides you through handmade xiao long bao, Taiwanese smashed cucumber salad, seasonal greens, and bubble milk tea. The two-hour class begins at 2:30 pm, welcomes all skill levels, and is limited to eight people.

“The class was okay, the dumpling recipe was faulty, too much gel was added, so the dumplings were gel dumplings instead of soup dumplings, which rendered them inedible. Furthermore, we were told that photos of the class would be Read more”

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10.Xiao Long Bao, Pork thick soup, Bubble milk tea. Taiwan Traditional Light Meals Experience-B (Taipei Cooking Class)

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 24 reviews · from $65

Spend 2.5 hours in CookingFun Taiwan’s small Taipei kitchen learning xiao long bao, pork thick soup, and bubble milk tea. English, Chinese, and Japanese instruction is available, with Vivian, Jennifer, or another instructor guiding each step. Recipes and class photos add a useful souvenir.

“Lovely instructor who explained every step well. Food tastes restaurant level. The most smoothly run organized cooking class I have ever taken. Recipes in beautiful books handed out at the end. They took pictures for us during the class and Read more”

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