Things to Do in Hualien, Taiwan: Walking Guide

The best things to do in Hualien combine historic buildings, religious landmarks, railway heritage, Indigenous culture and the city’s setting between the Pacific Ocean and Taiwan’s Central Mountain Range. Hualien is also a gateway to the wider landscapes of Hualien County, including Taroko Gorge, Qingshui Cliff and Qixingtan Beach. Neywo offers a free audio guide for Hualien with 11 narrated places, available in 11 languages.

What to See in Hualien

Hualien General’s Residence 1936 and the Meilun Riverside Japanese-style Dormitory

Between the Meilun River and Meilun Mountain stands Hualien General’s Residence 1936, a Japanese-style wooden building with a quiet setting. Built in the 1930s, it originally housed military officers and their families.

During Japanese rule, the residence belonged to the Third Battalion of the Second Taiwan Infantry Regiment, also known as the Hualien Port Garrison Battalion. After the Second World War, the buildings continued to serve as homes for families of the Republic of China armed forces.

The historic buildings are registered as the Meilun Riverside Japanese-style Dormitory, a designated historic monument and historic building of Hualien County. The site therefore reflects two chapters of Hualien’s military and residential history.

Pine Garden

Pine Garden, or 松園別館, occupies the foot of Meilun Mountain in Hualien City. The former Japanese military office was built in 1942 and was once known as the Military Affairs Department of Hualien Port Office.

Old pine trees surround the building, giving the site its name and a calm, secluded atmosphere. The setting makes Pine Garden a quieter place to appreciate Hualien’s historic landscape.

Hualien Liberty Square and St. Luke’s Church

Taiwan Episcopal Church’s St. Luke’s Church stands at a place also identified as Liberty Square, or Hualien City’s Liberty Square. The church is a Protestant place of worship belonging to the Taiwan Episcopal Church and was established in Hualien City in 1977.

The square has a much older and more difficult history. It was once the site of the Hualien Harbor Branch of the Taipei Prison, established in 1937 during the Japanese period. After the Second World War, it continued as Hualien Prison until the prison moved to Ji’an Township in 1982.

The former grounds then became a public square. Part of the former prison remains survives and was officially registered as a historic site of Hualien County in 2012. St. Luke’s Church and Liberty Square therefore bring together religious life, public space and the memory of the site’s former use.

Cathedral of Our Lady Help of Christians

In the Meilun area, the Cathedral of Our Lady Help of Christians serves as the cathedral of the Diocese of Hualien. It is one of the city’s important Catholic landmarks and offers another perspective on Hualien’s religious life.

Hualien Al-Falah Mosque

Hualien Al-Falah Mosque, also known as Hualien Qingzhensi, is a Sunni Muslim mosque and an important place of worship in Hualien County. It is Taiwan’s ninth mosque and the first mosque in Hualien County.

The mosque’s opening ceremony took place on March 18, 2018, and was presided over by Muhammad Mahfud, Indonesia’s former Minister of Law and Human Rights. Its presence adds to the range of religious communities represented in Hualien.

Hualien Railway Culture Park

The Hualien Railway Culture Park is a gallery devoted to the railway culture of the old Hualien to Taitung railway. Located in Hualien City, the park explores this railway heritage through cultural displays.

For visitors interested in how eastern Taiwan developed and connected its communities, the park offers a focused look at the region’s railway history.

Hualien County Stone Sculptural Museum

The Hualien County Stone Sculptural Museum is devoted to stone sculpture in Hualien City. Its exhibitions provide an introduction to this distinctive art form and connect the city with a creative tradition shaped by the region’s relationship with stone.

Huagangshan Sports Park and Guangfu Monument

The Guangfu Monument is located in the surroundings of Huagangshan Sports Park, a public park in Hualien City. The park was first established in 1922 during Japanese rule.

Today, it includes the Huagangshan Athletics Stadium and Hualien County’s Zhongzheng Stadium. The Guangfu Monument and the park together reflect the changing civic and sporting uses of this part of the city.

Hualien County, Nature and Indigenous Culture

Hualien County stretches along Taiwan’s east coast, with the Pacific Ocean to the east and the Central Mountain Range to the west. Covering 4,628 square kilometers, it is Taiwan’s largest county by area.

Nature is central to the wider Hualien experience. The county includes Taroko Gorge, Qingshui Cliff and Qixingtan Beach, while parts of Taroko National Park and Yushan National Park lie within its boundaries.

The area also has a layered cultural history. Older names for Hualien include Qilai, Huilan and Doroman. Before the arrival of the Spanish, Dutch and Han Chinese under Qing annexation, much of modern Hualien was populated by the Sakizaya people. During Japanese colonial rule, the region was renamed Karenkō Prefecture in 1895. In 1945, it became Hualien County of Taiwan Province under the control of the Republic of China.

The Amis, also known as Sowal no ʼAmis or Pangcah, are an Indigenous people living along Taiwan’s east coast. Amis is their language and the largest of Taiwan’s Formosan languages. Mandarin has affected transmission of the language to younger generations, while school lessons, textbooks and early childhood education conducted entirely in Amis support efforts to preserve it.

Explore Hualien with a Free Audio Guide

Neywo’s Hualien self-guided walking tour is designed for exploring the city independently. The walk, “Garrisons, a Prison Square and a Mosque,” covers 4.28 km in approximately 89 minutes and includes five narrated stops:

• Hualien Railway Culture Park
• Hualien General’s Residence 1936
• Pine Garden
• St. Luke’s Church
• Hualien Al-Falah Mosque

Download Neywo and explore Hualien at your own pace. The app tells the story of each place as you reach it, with no group and no schedule. There is one walking tour in Hualien, with 11 narrated places available through the city audio guide.

Hualien is a natural stop on a wider journey through Taiwan, and you can continue exploring the island with guides to Taipei, Taitung, Keelung, Taichung, Tainan and Kaohsiung.