Taoyuan Tourism

You don’t need to own a piece of land to make your farmer dream come true. Xihai Leisure Agriculture Area in Taoyuan is a good example of the new generation of agriculture. Things that common people can only read from books are now “decrypted” by farmers and repackaged as farming experience for visitors. Through growing watermelons and picking cucumbers, one can learn all about how food comes from farm to table. In addition, since you are at the wholesale hub for all the flower markets in Taiwan, you should definitely shop flowers, plants, and gardening tools. LOHAS is something you don’t have to travel far to achieve.  

There are several vegetable and flower recreational farms at Xihai. The main produce are rice, watermelon, melon, sweet potato, and buckwheat. Pick up a hoe and try being a farmer for one day. The melon farming experience has been so popular such that all opportunities are immediately sold out after release. Urban people can finally enjoy the self-realization and satisfaction from harvesting what they grew. Egg-picking at the hen coop allows you to learn how to tell good eggs from bad ones. Knead doughs, ferment, and steam buns that you can eat with full confidence in the ingredients. Handmade calla lily soap is pretty and easy to make and use, even for a newbie. You can even design your own douli (conical bamboo hat). There are so many activities waiting for you to explore.  

In addition to fresh produce, flowers are another major product of Xihai Leisure Agriculture Area. Cut flowers at three major flower markets in Taiwan—Huwei, Neihu, and Jianguo—are supplied by Xihai. All the flowers featured at Taipei Flora Expo and Taichung Flora Expo also came from Xihai. There are flowers blossoming all year round so you can visit anytime. Take a bike around the farms to see the boundless orange and yellow daisies; or walk into the sunflower farms to submerge yourself in the flowers—all different kinds of fun to be had. Taoyuan Calla Lillies Festival and Taoyuan Flower Festival are held every year, attracting millions of visitors. Insider tips: order a pot of herbal tea to go with pancakes. Enjoy the afternoon tea in a sea of flowers while watching planes taking off and landing afar.