Toucheng sits on Yilan’s northeastern edge, where Taiwan goes cinematic with mountains behind you, the Pacific Ocean in front, and the air feels suspiciously clean. Pair Toucheng Leisure Farm with Cang Jiu Winery as a base that isn’t just “sleep, eat and leave”. The leisure farm is one big, activity-led rural stay, while the winery offers a green, hide-in-the-woods experience where local produce turns into fruit wines and no-menu meals. And if time permits, explore Toucheng’s Slow Coast route, which offers beach towns, harbours, seafood and Turtle Island on the side.
Visitors to Toucheng can enjoy two speeds in one trip. Deep slow in the hills with farm life, and forest winery and coastal slow when seeking sea air, seafood, and a ferry ride. Traveling by train from Taipei to Toucheng is the most common way for travellers.
| Place | What it is | Best for | Time needed | Key details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toucheng Leisure Farm (頭城休閒農場) | 120+ hectare leisure farm with accommodation and hands-on activities | Families, first-timers to Yilan, anyone who wants “do” and not “stare” | Half day to 2D1N | No.125-1, Gengxin Road, Toucheng Township, Yilan County +886-3-977-2222 |
| Cang Jiu Winery (藏酒酒莊) | Green-concept forest winery with tastings, DIY, and no-menu dining | Couples, small groups, food-and-drink travellers | 2–4 hours | No.126-50, Gengxin Rd., Toucheng Township, Yilan County 26145 +886-3-977-8555 |
| Toucheng Slow Coast | Coastal “slow travel” highlights across fishing villages and beaches | Scenic grazing, harbours, seafood, surf | Flexible | The “Slow Coast” framing and the five-village line-up are outlined by local tourism sources. (NeCoast NSA) |
Toucheng Leisure Farm. The “All-In” Rural Stay That Keeps You Busy
Toucheng Leisure Farm sits on over 120 hectares of land including bamboo areas, fruit trees, flowers, rice fields and vegetable garden since 1979. It’s not your usual leisure farm with a token petting zoo and a sad vegetable patch.
Programmes offer activities and experiences, including day tours and multi-day stays offering structured itineraries, which may be perfect if you are travelling with kids or with adults who behave like kids when they see animals.
We were greeted by wet weather for the first two days of our July stay in Toucheng, but still managed to squeeze in a few activities, including a short guided farm walk.
Experiences and activities change with the season and itinerary, so you can expect a mix of hands-on farm and food experiences, nature and ecology education, and stay-in experiences. Guests can visit the water buffalo barn, domesticated animals area, or organic vegetable garden.
Accommodations are a little dated but you can still get a good night’s rest. Bring along your toothbrush as disposable ones are not provided.
The communal dining room buffet is impressive because I never quite managed to try everything during my meals here. As with many farm stays in Taiwan, the fresh vegetables and fruits were a highlight. There was always something available to eat throughout the day, and the on-site shop sold souvenirs and snacks to take away.
We were delighted to find fresh eggs for sale but skipped them as we had no chance to cook them. We were very tempted to purchase, though.
For Muslim guests, the Northeast and Yilan Coast scenic area site states the farm has built an exclusive Muslim kitchen to cater for Muslim guests.
Cang Jiu Winery, Kumquat Wine with a View
Cang Jiu Winery is a 3 minute car ride or 20-minute walk from Toucheng Leisure Farm. It is the perfect getaway into the hills where the woodland winery is built around a green-building concept, with access to natural spring water and the surrounding orchards. The winery makes its signature kumquat wine and a grape wine range which tends to be on a sweeter side.
Visitors to Cang Jiu Winery can indulge in wine tastings and purchase bottles of liquor and wines. There are also DIY experiences and we made our own fruit-infused gin. Well, it was more of assembling it into the bottle to take home. We didn’t distil the gin ourselves, of course,
The vast greenery makes a nice walk around the winery and they also offer seasonal fruit picking and visits to their orchards. There is a no-menu dining with dishes that change with local, seasonal ingredients. We didn’t try that.
Combining a visit to both the Winery and Toucheng Leisure Farm is perfect as they both are built around DIY, tasting and learning, rather than ticking off photo spots. There are, however, many beautiful photo spots.
The winery’s own site lists its operating hours from 9am to 5pm. Plan on visiting in the daytime for tours and shopping, and possibly have dinner here.
Suggested Itineraries
Option A: Half-day “sip and stroll” (easy win)
- Go straight to Cang Jiu Winery for a guided cellar-style visit, tasting, and a DIY session (book ahead).
- If you’re visiting in spring, check whether their firefly programme is running, and whether it’s dinner-based or a separate activity.
- Non-negotiable: arrange transport, no drink-driving.
Option B: The “proper reset” overnight
- Start at Toucheng Leisure Farm on a packaged one-day or multi-day programme.
- Next day, roll into Cang Jiu Winery for tastings and the cellar culture tour experience.
- If you want a clean narrative arc: farm-to-glass, “you’ve met the landscape, now taste it”.
Option C: Spring special, fireflies as the finale
- Daytime: winery tour and tastings.
- Evening (seasonal): firefly experience if scheduled. (Late March to Early May)
- Write it with a gentle warning: firefly visibility depends on weather and temperature, and the winery itself notes programme changes may be announced via its channels.
By The Way: Toucheng Slow Coast, Turtle Island and the Seafood Reality Check
And if you’re wondering why Toucheng keeps popping up in Yilan itineraries, it’s partly because the township is increasingly framed through the Toucheng Slow Coast lens. The idea is simple: slow down and experience the northeast shoreline through its fishing villages and coastal culture, rather than treating it as a quick pass-through on the way to somewhere else.
Visitors can expect surf beaches, a working harbour, coastal trails, and a straight shot out to Guishan Island (Turtle Island). The Slow Coast spotlights five fishing villages, Shicheng, Dali, Daxi, Genfang and Waiao with experiences that lean into nature, small communities, and lower-impact travel.
Guishan Island is an offshore island about 10km east of Toucheng. It is known for its turtle-like silhouette, volcanic terrain, and whale watching. From April to October spinner dolphins, bottlenose dolphins and sperm whales frolick in these waters. So you can boat out to Guishan Island between March and November, or enjoy surf culture at Wushi, coastal cycling and hiking, as well as fishing village food.
The five fishing villages, and what to do in each
| Stop | What to do | Why it’s different |
|---|---|---|
| Shicheng | Cycle near the Old Caoling Tunnel | Easy coastal riding that does not feel like “training for anything” |
| Dali | Start or end the Caoling Historic Trail | Proper Northeast Coast hiking with cultural history baked in |
| Daxi | Visit the fish auction market | A look at working harbour life, not a staged “fishing village aesthetic” |
| Gengfang | Learn about “one-line fishing” | A sustainability-forward story, one rod, one fish. |
| Waiao | Watersports and even paragliding-style coastal views | Beach town energy with the mountains right behind you |
We’ll have to visit Toucheng again to check these out, since we didn’t during our trip this time round. Also read our other story of Jiaoxi, Yilan.
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