Region

Matsu

Go for 2–3 nights if you want Cold War tunnels and island villages; skip if you have under 4 days in Taiwan.

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Key facts · Taiwan

Best months: Apr–May, Oct
Visa: Depends on your passport
Currency: New Taiwan dollar (TWD, NT$)
Language: Mandarin
Plugs: A · B · 110 V
Time zone: UTC+8 all year

Month by month hereIn detail ↓

Rules in force · 5

East Asia ↗Every border in East Asia is a full international border, Hong Kong and Macau included: an entry permission for one never covers the next.
East Asia ↗Ferries between Korea, Japan and China cancel in rough seas and typhoons; keep a flight or a spare day behind every sea leg.
Taiwan ↗Check visa-exemption length, passport validity and the online arrival card (TWAC) on the official sites before you fly.
Taiwan ↗An EasyCard (or iPASS) covers MRT, buses, local trains and many convenience-store purchases; buy one at the airport or a station.
Taiwan ↗When a local government declares a typhoon day, transport and sights can close for the day; follow the official notice, not the forecast alone.

Matsu is an archipelago of small, hilly islands about 160 km off the Fujian coast, closer to Fuzhou than to Taipei. It is best known for the Blue Tears bioluminescence in spring, military tunnels and forts, and stone villages in a Fujian style you will not see on the main island. Flights from Taipei take about an hour; the sea crossing from Keelung takes 8–10 hours. Two to three nights covers Nangan and Beigan; add Dongyin only with a spare day and a weather buffer.

Where to sleep

3 places in this region

Sleep base

NanganGuide: planned
County seat, airport, ferry hub for the other islands, most sights and the distillery.
Page planned: listed so the region plan is complete.
BeiganCity guide
Quieter, Qinbi stone village, second airport; 20 min by ferry from Nangan.
Best Oct–Apr
JFMAMJJASOND
Open Beigan →

Day trip

DongyinCity guide
Northernmost island: tunnels, lighthouses, gull colony; reached by ferry every other day.
Best Oct–Apr
JFMAMJJASOND
Open Dongyin →

Plan the nights

How to split the nights, day-trips and what to do with your bags

Open Plan the nightsClose Plan the nights3 partsNights · Day-trips · Bags

Night sequences

2 nights: Nangan 1 + Beigan 1, ferry between them
3 nights: Nangan 2 + Beigan 1, with one Blue Tears night in April–June
4 nights: Nangan 2 + Beigan 1 + Dongyin 1, weather buffer built in

Fog delays flights from March to May; keep a buffer day before an international departure.
Old unmarked minefields exist off paved roads — do not wander onto rough ground.
Inter-island ferries can be cancelled in rough weather; schedules are not guaranteed.

Day-trips door to door

To	From	Door-to-door p50	Last return	Note
Beigan	Nangan	20 min	check	Ferry from Fuao Harbour, hourly from 07:00 to about 17:10; NT$110.Ferry from Fuao Harbour, hourly from 7:00 AM to about 5:10 PM; NT$110.
Dongyin	Nangan	120 min	check	Taima ferry every other day, not Wednesdays; NT$350. Ask locally about the small boat on other days.
Dongju and Xiju	Nangan	50 min	check	Three or four sailings a day; NT$200 to Jyuguang, NT$80 between the two islands.

Bags between cities

No luggage forwarding between islands; carry bags on the ferries yourself.

When to go

Months and weather

Open When to goClose When to go2 partsSeasons · Climate

Seasons at a glance

From each city's month table

Pick a month to see where to go.

Only good-now countries

Show all 12 months, country by countryHide the 12-month table

Country	JJan	FFeb	MMar	AApr	MMay	JJun	JJul	AAug	SSep	OOct	NNov	DDec
Beigan	go	go	go	go	ok	×	×	×	×	go	go	go
Dongyin	go	go	go	go	ok	×	×	×	×	go	go	go
Taiwan (country-wide)	go	ok	go	go	ok	ok	ok	ok	ok	go	go	go

Go: the good monthsFair: workable, mixedPoor: heat, rain or hazeAvoid: storms, floods, closuresno data yet

Computed from each country’s own data; hover a country name for the source. Advisory countries are left out.

Climate strip

Month by month

Zone	J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
Matsu islandsNangan, Beigan, Dongyin	cool	cool	ok	best	best	wet	hot	hot	storm	best	ok	cool

best: dry, mildok: workablecool: jacket, greyhot: short walking windowswet: daily rainstorm: typhoon or flood risk

Matsu islands: Blue Tears runs from early April to at least July, best on light southerly wind. Fog is common March–May and can ground flights. Typhoons are possible August–September.

Spring and autumn are the comfortable windows; summer is hot and humid with the bioluminescence at its peak.

Getting in and passes

Arrival times and regional passes

Open Getting in and passesClose Getting in and passes2 partsGet in · Passes

Get in

Door-to-door p50, 2026 estimate

From	To	How	p50	Note
Taipei Songshan (TSA)	Nangan or Beigan	Domestic flight	~1 h	Nangan has the longer runway and more flights, including from Taichung; Beigan is served by one carrier. Book days ahead — aircraft are small.
Keelung	Nangan / Dongyin	New Taima overnight ferry	8–10 h	Departs nightly about 23:00, no sailings Tuesdays. Dorm bunk from NT$1,000 one-way; seat tickets NT$630 only when beds sell out.Departs nightly about 11:00 PM, no sailings Tuesdays. Dorm bunk from NT$1,000 one-way; seat tickets NT$630 only when beds sell out.
Fuzhou (Mawei / Langqi)	Nangan	Daily ferry	~2 h	CNY170 from China, NT$1,000 from Matsu. Passport and the right visa needed; leaving the mainland for Matsu counts as leaving China.
Huangqi peninsula	Beigan Baisha Pier	Ferry	check	NT$170 from Matsu, CNY350 from China; afternoon departure, useful when the morning Nangan ferry is cancelled.

Regional passes

Verdict first

EasyCard

buy

Works on Lienchiang County buses (NT$15 a ride); cash also accepted.

Tourist bus day routes

check

One scheduled departure per line per day on Nangan, Beigan, Dongyin, Dongju and Xiju; buses are often empty, so booking ahead is rarely needed.

Eat and move on

Regional food and where to go next

Open Eat and move onClose Eat and move on2 partsFood · Go next

Regional food

Where and when it works

Dish	Where	Timing / trap
Fish noodles	Qinbi village, Beigan	Fish paste bound with potato starch, cut into noodles; the local staple.
Buddha Hand clams	Nangan	Northern Fujian cooking; the specialty at seafood restaurants in Matzu village.
Jiguang pastry	Island bakeries	Baked in charcoal urns, bagel-shaped, threaded on string by Ming soldiers.
Golden dumplings	Nangan, Beigan	Sweet potato skin with peanut and sugar filling, served cold with sweet pea soup.
Kaoliang and laojiou	Matsu Distillery, Nangan	Sorghum liquor and aged rice wine; free tastings and a short film at the showroom.

Go next

Taiwan travel guide

Fly back to Taipei, or ferry to Keelung

Plan the main island around your Matsu buffer day.

Taipei

~1 h flight to Songshan

The usual gateway in and out.

explore Penghu

planned

Flight via Taipei

Taiwan's other island summer: basalt, fish traps, fireworks.

explore Northern Taiwan

Ferry to Keelung, then rail

Keelung is the ferry port and a base for the north coast.

Planning aids

Built from this guide's own data

Open Planning aidsClose Planning aids2 partsIn numbers · Going in…

Region in numbers

Where to sleep: 2 bases
Day trips: 3, 20 min to 2 h
Nights suggested: 2–4 nights
Ways in: 4 listed
Best months: Apr, May, Oct

Going in…

Pick a month for the weather in each zone of the region, plus the country-wide rating and holidays.

Pick a month.

Open Taiwan Up to Taiwan

Deep dive

Photos, reading and every source

Open Deep diveClose Deep dive1 partSources

Sources

officialMatsu National Scenic Area — official site
officialLienchiang County Government
officialMatsu ferry booking (matsuebs)
officialTaiwan Tourism Administration
secondaryWikivoyage: Matsu, revision 5294942 (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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