Suao

By rail

There is a train station in Suao. It's on a fork from the railway line connecting Hualien and Taipei, so most probably you have to change in Suao-xin station. The line Suao-xin - Suao seems to be served by local trains only. If you travel from far you might want to buy a separate ticket (with reservation) to Suao-xin and then an ordinary ticket to Suao.

• Nan'ao

• Su'ao

• Su'aoxin

• Xinma

• Yongle

By road

By car, it is at the southern end of National Highway 5.

There is no local public transport, but as the place is fairly small, walking is not a problem. Alternatively you can always use a taxi.

• Nanfangao Lookout

  phone: +886 3 997 3421
  An observation platform offering views of the surrounding mountains, sea, and settlements.

Culture and history

• Su'ao Fortress

  phone: +886 3 997 2610
  A fort built in the late 19th Century to defend the area from invasion by the French.

Museums

• Coral Museum

  phone: +886 3 996 3355
  address: No. 220, Nan'an Road
  A small museum dedicated to coral, the coral industry, and artwork made from coral.

• Zhu Dayu Culture Museum

  phone: +886 3 995 1050
  address: No. 52-2, Jiangxia Road
  A museum dedicated to marine life and fisheries in the area.

• The Mountain Highway Museum

  phone: +886 3 996 2501 (#1102)
  address: No. 3, Section 2, Zhongshan Road
  A museum dedicated to the construction of the highway network in Taiwan.

Parks and nature

• Neipi Beach

  phone: +886 3 995 3885
  address: Xuefu Road
  A large beach facing the pacific ocean which has coral reefs offshore.

• Tofu Cape

  phone: +886 3 995 2852
  The cape got its name because the rock on the area resembles tofu.

• Wulaokeng Scenic Area

  phone: +886 3 995 2852
  The park spreads across 400 hectares of area and features camping grounds and barbecue areas.

Temples

• Dingliao Chenghuang Temple

  phone: +886 3 990 9826
  address: No. 1, Dingxing Road
  A medium-sized temple in the norther part of the township.

• Jinan Temple

  phone: +886 3 996 4692
  The oldest temple in the area which is dedicated to the god of Fujian province, which is where most of the settlers who built the temple originated.

• Nanfang'ao City God Temple

  phone: +886 3 996 3598
  address: No. 146, Neipi Road

• Nanfangao Jinan Temple

  phone: +886 3 997 1239
  address: No. 81, Jiangxia Road

• Nanfang'ao Nanxian gong

  phone: +886 3 996 3973
  address: No. 70, Xinhua Ln

• Qing'an Shrine

  phone: +886 3 997 3421
  A small shrine by the side of the mountain highway with views directly out over the Pacific Ocean.

Cold springs

• The famed cold springs are a quick walk from the train station.

• There are two publicly accessible places where you can bath in the spring: the "main" areal and the so-called "Alishin spring". To get to both: from the train station walk straight to reach the main road, turn left and eventually it will be on your right side, first the main areal, then the Alishin areal (both are not far from the station).
• The "main" area: Entrance fee is NT$70 for adult with discounts available for kids, seniors, etc. (as of Aug 2011) It's possible to both swim in the spring in an open-air (though covered with light roof) pools and in private (indoor) pools. It's also possible to drink the spring from a tap provided in the areal.
• The Alishin spring is probably less-known and from the outside looks less fancy.

Su'ao Cold SpringThe cold spring was discovered by the Japanese army in 1928. It has a spring water temperature of 22 °C and is both batheable and drinkable, and it has a pH of 5.5.

Fishing

• Fenniaolin Fish Port

• Nanfang'ao Fishing PortBuilt in 1923 and expanded several times since, the port supplies almost all the mackerel to Taiwan.

• Neipi Fishing Port

• Zhaoyang Fishing Port

  phone: +886 3 998 1342
  address: Zhaoyang Road

• Clogs - both modern and traditional from Baimi Clog Village.

• Yilan Cake Factory

  phone: +886 3 990 5999
  A small cake factory with a series of exhibits related to traditional cake-making and a store where visitors can buy the produce of the factory.

There are many cheap eateries along the main street close to the train station. English is a problem though.

• Mediterranean CASA

  phone: +886 983 819 800
  address: No. 94, Zaochuan Road
  A mediterranean-themed restaurant styled to look like a Santorini villa.

As of Aug 2011 it's difficult to find any hotels in Suao with websites in English. Taking into account the size of Suao it might be enough to stay elsewhere (e.g. Hualien) and make a daily (or shorter) trip, as there's not that much to see.