Yunlin, Douliu Introduction
Douliu, the largest city and capital of Yunlin, is my mom’s hometown. While it may not be a popular tourist destination, there are plenty of things to explore here. The area is renowned for its high-quality agricultural products such as coffee, peanuts, pomelos, and corn. Additionally, many Taiwanese are familiar with Yunlin due to the Jian Hu Shan theme park, which unfortunately we didn’t have the chance to visit this time. If you ever get the opportunity, be sure to check out the theme park – it’s a lot of fun!
Where To Stay In Douliu
Grand Earl Hotel 緻麗伯爵酒店
I have been staying at my relatives place since young, but ever since our family expanded, Grand Earl Hotel is the popular choice for our family. Not only because our relatives booked for us, but the hotel is situated right at the centre of Douliu city.
They have kids friendly room with play area but the hotel in general, it’s not a super kids friendly hotel as it does not have kids friendly amenities or play area. I booked the family room, with 3 big beds and a toilet with bathtub. The room is spacious, have sofa seats and table. The only cons is 1 toilet, but still manageable since my kids are still young. International breakfast is provide.
While the hotel may not be a top-rated 5-star establishment, its cleanliness and location are commendable. From the hotel’s location, you can easily walk to the Kuang Nan Wholesale, Douliu train station, claw machine stores and find many delicious local food options!
I booked 1 room, 6 bedder, 5D4N: S$745 (rates are based on 3A4C and the period I have booked).
Where To Explore In Yunlin
鹿營親子農場 Ru Ying Farm
Recommended time spent: 1-2hrs
Ru Ying Farm a family-friendly farm located in Yunlin. It’s a very big family friendly farm with a family-friendly restaurant, a toboggan slope, a water play area, a miniature train, and a slide. The entire farm resembles a small and adorable zoo where visitors can feed rabbits, piglets, spotted deer, guinea pigs, sheep, and more.
The ticket price, if I remember correctly, should be TWD150, which grants you access to play the whole day. Free entry for below 90cm and you can use TWD50 to offset purchases. However, weekdays are generally very quiet, with only 2-3 families (including ours) at the entire farm. But if you are visiting on the weekend, it will be more lively, with food and beverage booths set up outside the farm.
鹿營親子農場 Ru Ying Farm
Address: 646, Taiwan, Yunlin County, Gukeng Township, 湳仔綠色隧道89號
Operating hours: 9am to 6pm, closed on Tuesday.
千巧谷牛樂園牧場 Happy Moo Ranch
Recommended time spent: 1hr
Happy Moo Ranch opened in 2016. Initially, it operated as a combination of a ranch and a bakery, providing customers with a pleasant shopping environment and convenient parking. Visitors could interact with cows, feed fish, and allow children to play in the sand. Best part, the admission is free.
If you are going during winter, remember to bring your coat because the wind is very strong and cold!
千巧谷牛樂園牧場 Happy Moo Ranch
Address: No. 182之32號, Dongxing Rd, Lunbei Township, Yunlin County, Taiwan 637
Operating hours: 9am to 7pm, weekend close at 8pm.
板陶窯 Bantaoyao Crafts Studio
Recommended time spent: 2-3hrs
I didn’t expect the area to be so much fun, with numerous mosaic art statues and DIY mosaic art activities for the kids to enjoy.
The park is divided into 5 areas – craft gallery, DIY experience workshop, creative marketplace, Pottery House Restaurant, cut-and-paste themed restaurant, and Eastern classical garden landscaping.
You can also enjoy some tea time snacks or lunch during your visit. The entrance fee is not expensive, less than SGD4.
There are lot of instagrammable spots in the Bantaoyao Crafts Studio.
After the DIY, while waiting for the glue to dry, we brought the kids to behind the craft center to play the slides and train ride.
板陶窯 Bantaoyao Crafts Studio
Address: 616, Taiwan, Chiayi County, Xingang Township
Opening hours: Daily 9am to 530pm
斗六膨鼠森林公園 Douliu Pengshu Forest Park
Recommended time spent: 1hr
Pengshu Forest Park it’s a new family park that opened in Yunlin in 2022. The park is themed around squirrels, squirrel game meadows, acorn slides, and water play areas.Since we went during winter, the water play wasn’t open.
The park becomes very lively during weekends and festive seasons. When we visited in the afternoon near Christmas period, the park had a food market resembling a Taiwan night market, along with activities where kids could win prizes.
Some shots of the play area, there are also swings, slides, obstacles course etc. My kids play for almost 2 hours without complaining they are bored, and even made new friends.
斗六膨鼠森林公園 Douliu Pengshu Forest Park
Address: Gongli Rd, Douliu City, Yunlin County, Taiwan 640
Opening hours: 24hours, but for activities, please check their FB for more information.
北港鎮 Beigang Township
Recommended time spent: 2-3hrs
Beigang Township is a rural township located in Yunlin County. They are known for its rich cultural heritage, traditional temples, and religious festivals.
If you want to experience their festivals and culture, you can visit during their Mazu’s birthday celebrations, which usually occur in the third lunar month (March or April). Where they have a lot of colorful processions, performances, and fireworks.
北港鎮 Beigang Township
Address: No. 178, Zhongshan Rd, Beigang Township, Yunlin County, Taiwan 651
斗六觀光夜市 Douliu Night Market
Recommended time spent: 3hrs or more.
Douliu Night Market is my favorite night market of all. Because it’s not really a tourist attraction, mainly for locals, the pricing is very local, hence cheaper compared to the popular city areas. It’s also very big, so even if it’s crowded, you wouldn’t really feel uncomfortable with the close contact of strangers.
Forget to take a photo of the night market, so screen grab it from my video.
There are toilets available, I didn’t get to use it, so not sure about the condition. You just need to watch out for the big banner showing “WC”
Showing you guys some of the photos at the night market.
All my kids showing off their prize and toys they got from the night market. All very happy!
No joke okay, we play almost until 12mn. They are not tired but we are.
斗六觀光夜市 Douliu Night Market
Address: No. 399號, Zhennan Rd, Douliu City, Yunlin County, Taiwan 640
Opening hours: Tues, Sat & Sun: 4am to 12mn
斗六西市場 Douliu Day Market
Recommended time spent: 1-2hrs
Another market you shouldn’t miss is the Douliu Day Market, which resembles our local wet market. It’s quite expansive and within walking distance from the Grand Earl Hotel. The only difference is that some stalls are set up in the middle of the road. There are also proper stalls selling clothes, daily necessities, cooked food, and shoes.
Just be mindful of bikes driving between the lanes!
斗六西市場 Douliu Day Market
Address: No. 78, Xingbei St, Douliu City, Yunlin County, Taiwan 640
Operating hours: 7am to 12pm daily.
Kuang Nan Wholesale & Claw machines.
Recommended time spent: 2hrs
Kuang Nan Wholesale is one of my favorite shopping destinations when I’m in Douliu. They have other outlets across Taiwan as well. They are similar to our local Popular bookstores but offer a wide variety of products, including beauty items, books, toys, stationery, local snacks, and more.
My kids go crazy when they’re there and can’t decide what to buy! They practically want to buy the whole shop. #TheyWished
Along the way to Kuang Nan Wholesale, you’ll encounter many claw machine stores, each with its own unique selling points. You’ll definitely have fun trying to catch them!
Kuang Nan Wholesale
Address: No. 185號, Minsheng Rd, Douliu City, Yunlin County, Taiwan 640
Operating hours: 10am to 10pm
Family Photoshoot at Midor 麋䒳婚紗
Recommended time spent 3-4hrs
This might not be essential for your itinerary, but I wanted to mention it in case you’re interested in having a photoshoot in Taiwan, Douliu. I had my wedding photoshoot done there, and although the package was supposed to include a family shoot, unfortunately, the owner passed away suddenly with no one taking over. So, I reached out to my Taiwan makeup artist, who had previously worked on my wedding, for a recommendation. She suggested Midor, and during our shoot, we discovered that the photographer was actually our wedding photographer.
Taking photos during winter is no joke, especially in Douliu, where the winter weather shows no mercy compared to Taipei, which is warmer during the winter season.
Our photoshoot cost a total of NT18800, which includes a 24-inch photo frame, a 12-inch album, gowns and suits provided for the whole family, one set of your own outfits, 20 soft copies, and one table album.
And lucky they manage to get our album done within a week and sent it to us before we leave Taiwan.
You can see the rest of our photos below!
Midor麋䒳婚纱
Address: No. 55號, Zhongxiao Rd, Douliu City, Yunlin County, Taiwan 640
Operating hours: 11am to 9pm, Closed on Thursday
Where To Eat In Douliu
Here are some highly recommended food spots in Douliu, favored by the locals. I apologize for not having many photos as I was busy catching up with my relatives. For some places, I only managed to take a quick video and posted it on my Instagram Story (IGS).
日日旺羊肉炉
If you’re a fan of mutton hotpot, it’s best to arrive early to secure a seat. Otherwise, there will be long queues, and most of the food may run out before 10 pm.
The hotpot features a clear herbal mutton soup. Although I’m not typically fond of mutton soup, I must say that theirs doesn’t have a strong smell and is surprisingly delicious, especially enjoyable during winter.
日日旺羊肉炉
Address: No. 20-1號, Alley 7, Lane 901, Xiping Rd, Douliu City, Yunlin County, Taiwan 640
Operating hours: 11am to 10pm
魷魚興魷魚嘴羹
When you are in Douliu, one of the popular dish here is cuttlefish stew. This is the 1st cuttlefish stew we had on our first day of arrival. It’s not really a family friendly eating place, as the set up is pretty old but we manage well with our kids. The owner also happy giving out sweets for our kids.
The price for most of the stew is NT50. I would suggest ordering normal cuttlefish instead of the cuttlefish mouth, as cuttlefish is easier to eat compared to the mouth, unless you are a fan of cuttlefish.
魷魚興魷魚嘴羮
Address: No. 56號, Zhongzheng Rd, Douliu City, Yunlin County, Taiwan 640
Operating hours: 830am to 730pm
深海深美食旗舰总店
Another popular store selling cuttlefish stew, but I would say this one is slightly different. If you want to try the stew but not the cuttlefish, you can visit here. They also offer fried fish stew, which is delicious. Additionally, their fried chicken is a must-try. We ended up ordering second servings of that!
The environment here is much newer than the other place. If you’re bringing kids, this might be a better option to consider. However, if you’re solely seeking good and authentic cuttlefish, then the previous one would be preferable. Pricing wise, both are similar.
深海深美食旗舰总店
Address: No. 143號, Zhongzheng Rd, Douliu City, Yunlin County, Taiwan 64043
Operating hours: Weekday 1030am – 2pm, 4pm – 8pm, Weekend 1030am – 8pm
海村澎湖活海鮮餐庁
My cousin actually held her baby’s “teething” ceremony at this restaurant, and I loved it! It’s about a 15-20 minute walk from our hotel, and we simply walked there with the kids.
The setup resembles that of a traditional Chinese restaurant, with a fresh food counter and a live seafood selection.
All the dishes are so good and fresh! Not surprised because they have a live station. My kids and us have no complaints about the food and they ate a lot.
Dishes that they have ordered:
海村澎湖活海鮮餐庁
Address: No. 430號, Nanjing Rd, Douliu City, Yunlin County, Taiwan 640
Operating hours: 11am – 2pm, 5pm – 930pm.
My Itinerary for Yunlin, for reference
While I spent a lot of time bringing my kids to explore my mom’s hometown and spending time with relatives, I will be suggesting the recommended itinerary.
Day 1 – 2
Janfusun Fancyworld
Day 2
斗六西市場 Douliu Day Market
鹿營親子農場 Ru Ying Farm
鵝媽媽鵝童樂園
斗六膨鼠森林公園 Douliu Pengshu Forest Park
Day 3
千巧谷牛樂園牧場 Happy Moo Ranch
北港鎮 Beigang Township
板陶窯 Bantaoyao Crafts Studio
斗六觀光夜市 Douliu Night Market
You can see a summary of my video below
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