The Rainbow Village in Taiwan (Taichung) – 彩虹眷村 – is a popular tourist attraction and Instagram hotspot but is it worth visiting?
After a recent spate of vandalism at the Rainbow Village Taiwan (ironically by those who were paid to look after it), many of the original features and walls have now been painted over or replaced with crochet coverings completed by the local school and artists.
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We revisited Taiwan’s Rainbow Village in early 2024 after it had recently reopened to the public.
Still incredibly popular with dozens of tourists filing through during our visit (with even an impromptu performance by a mysterious singing Iron Man), it remains one of the most popular things to do in Taichung (and certainly the most colourful attraction)!
From opening times to how to get there plus photos of the new artwork, here is our ultimate guide to visiting Taiwan’s Rainbow Village in 2024.
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How to get to Taiwan Rainbow Village / 彩虹眷村
Taichung’s Rainbow Village lies about 9 km to the west of Taichung Station or around 4 km from Taichung HSR station. To access it, you must either take a public bus, taxi or rent a car.
Bus from downtown Taichung TRA Station
From downtown Taichung TRA Station, bus 56 goes very close to the Rainbow Village without any changes.
Bus from Taichung HSR Station
From Taichung HSR station you can get to the Taiwan Rainbow Village on buses 26, 70, 617 or 800.
Taipei to Taichung by High Speed Rail (HSR) takes less than one hour (around 55 minutes) – expect to pay around NT$700 for a one way ticket.
Taipei Main Station to Rainbow Village Taiwan can be done in between 90 minutes to 2 hours taking the HSR if you hit all your connections.
Bus from Xinwuri Station
Alternatively if you are staying locally, take a bus from Xinwuri Station – buses 56, 74 or 655.
Remember to get an EasyCard to use on Taiwan’s public transport system – it makes life so much easier when hopping on and off local buses and trains. Read more about how to use your Taiwan EasyCard, including how to top up >
Taichung tours
There are a few online tour providers that sell Taichung tours which include a visit to the Rainbow Village including Get Your Guide, Klook and Viator.
Alternatively you can see the Rainbow Village in style with a private Taichung Chauffeur Day Tour from Taipei >
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Rainbow Village in Taiwan opening hours
Taichung’s Rainbow Village is open 6 days a week from Tuesday to Sunday – the official opening hours are 9am to 5pm.
A photo of the Rainbow Village opening times taken in early 2024 can be seen below.
Please note whilst people don’t really live in the village itself any more, there are residential blocks and estates all around the Rainbow Village so please be respectful of others properties.
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Does the ‘new’ Taiwan Rainbow Village’ have an admission fee?
Amazingly, Taichung’s Rainbow Village in Taiwan is free to visit. There are also donation boxes around the village to help with the upkeep. Performers and singers inside and outside the village also sometimes have donation boxes.
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Brief history of the Rainbow Village in Taichung, Taiwan
The famous Rainbow Village in Taiwan began in earnest just over a decade ago when a retired military official Huang Yung Fu wanted to try and save this local area he’d retired to (military veterans village) from demolition and gentrification.
What was once over a thousand homes was sadly shrinking and becoming an abandoned residential area so Huang decided to take action with a colourful clarion call.
A labour of love for local resident Mr Huang (who once used to greet visitors before his recent death in 2024), Rainbow Village went from a run down residential area to an iconic illustrated village with vibrant, rich colours that now welcomes visitors from all over the world.
The village was ultimately saved from destruction thanks to Huang’s determination and artistic aesthetics.
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Controversy and vandalism
Controversy struck in 2022 when those who were employed to manage the site were given notice by the local Government to leave the site (apparently so that buildings could be strengthened),
However, in a fit of rage, many of the Rainbow Village murals were painted over – those that did it maintain they only painted over their own illustrations and not Mr Huang’s creations but no-one really knows for sure.
The site was vandalised in 2022 and remained closed for part of 2023 whilst it was restored and repainted.
Based on our visit in 2024, many of the affected areas seemed to have been covered with weird and wonderful colourful crochets – so not the best looking or creative solution to be honest.
Huang sadly died in January of this year (2024) and was said to have been quite distraught about his beloved Rainbow Village being vandalized by those who were meant to be employed to protect it.
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Arriving at the Rainbow Village
As you’ll likely arrive at the Rainbow Village by bus, be sure to check out the very cool rainbow bus stops directly in front of the Rainbow Village.
The first thing you’ll likely notice is the small park next to the village, a welcome and shady respite from the sun. On weekends it has a few souvenir and snack stalls plus an occasional singer and performer.
Maybe they’ll sing ‘Somewhere Over The Rainbow… VIllage”…. maybe.
Another thing that you’ll likely notice is the epic entranceway – a huge pavement area next to the playground area covered in a kaleidoscope of colours. From here, head through the rainbow wall into the Rainbow Village..
Taiwanderers Tip – on bright sunny days, be sure to bring sunglasses as the vibrant colours in the Rainbow Village really can get quite vivid and shiny in the sun!
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Inside the village
On first impressions, Taiwan’s famous Rainbow Village is actually rather small, consisting of several alleyways, 10 or so small shack-like buildings / former homes and the odd tree.
It is surprisingly small, and can be completed in about 5 minutes, unless you want to stay around for longer taking lots of photos.
What is nice is that literally every wall is covered in rainbow murals or some form of locally inspired mural or illustration. The ‘I Love Taichung’ is always one of the most popular photo spots at the Rainbow Village in Taiwan.
Even the bases of the trees are covered with rainbow concentric rings and some of the illustrations are so cute and charming, especially all the cats and dancing animals.
There were several tour groups in the village during our visit and there no longer appears to be any residents (but you might see the Rainbow Village Iron Man…more on this in a moment).
Inside is a huge message board that visitors can add hand written notes to. You can also get Rainbow Village stamps (a very common practice in Taiwan).
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New paintings / murals post vandalism
However, there is no denying that the remnants of the vandalism / murals painted over in 2022 still lives on with large wall spaces seemingly quickly covered up with cloth and crochets.
According to some of the interpretation panels inside, the new murals and artworks are part of the Rainbow Village Art Co-Creation Village. They were completed by local artist Yang Haiqan, plus teachers and students from nearby Churi’an Elementary School, using local materials from Nantam.
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Rainbow Village Taiwan’s Iron Man (a man of Mystery)
On our latest trip to the Rainbow Village, there was a mysterious man dressed up in a rainbow lycra costume wearing a Marvel Iron Man mask (we are pretty sure it wasn’t Robert Downey Jr!)
When we first arrived, he was drawing colourful pictures and pinning them to the wall, before ‘serenading’ the crowds with some singing and colourful crooning. Let’s just say he won’t be on “Taiwan’s Got Talent” any time soon – this was one surreal Sunday.
The Rainbow Village Iron Man is said to be a local artist and also had a donation box ready for when he performs.
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The best time to visit Rainbow Village
It gets very busy at the weekend so if you’d prefer to explore with less people visit on a weekday (which makes it easier to get photos).
If you are visiting during Taiwan’s hottest months, arrive in the early morning or late afternoon to avoid the extreme heat (plus also avoiding the numerous tour groups).
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Food and drink
There are no food and drink restaurants or cafes actually within the Rainbow Village itself (it is very small) – however, on our visit at the weekend in early 2024, there were several food and drink vendors / carts selling things like hot-dogs and rainbow ice creams (I see what you did there).
Within a two minute walk of the Rainbow Village, you’ll also find a Rainbow Village themed 7-Eleven (complete with all the 7-Eleven Open Chan / Open Plaza characters), plus a Family Mart with rainbow colours.
Rainbow Village Taiwan tours
As of early 2024, there are several Taichung and Rainbow Village tours available including:
- 1 Day Tour Taichung & Gaomei Wetlands including Rainbow Village, Miyahara ice-cream, Taichung Literature Museum and Taichung Second Market – this tour departs and drops off in Taichung. Click to book >
- Rainbow Village, Gaomei Wetlands & Wuqi Cultural Office tour with GetYourGuide departing from Taichung. Click to book >
Visiting the vandalized Rainbow Village Taiwan in 2024 – is it worth it?
Yes and no – there is no doubt this is a very colourful and unique village that attracts hundreds of visitors (if not thousands) everyday (and many more at the weekends).
That said, the Taiwan Rainbow Village is quite small in size and can be walked around in just a few minutes if you are just taking a photo or two.
If you are already in Taichung and staying for several days, it is worth checking out Rainbow Village but we would not recommend making a special trip from Taipei – it just isn’t worth it!
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Other things to know
- There are free toilets next to the Rainbow Village and carpark
- Parking is available right next to the Rainbow Village – it is approximately a 30 second walk from the car-park to the village
- The ground in Rainbow Village is uneven and may be slippery on wet days.
- If the sight of Instagrammers and wannabe models in long flowing dresses annoys you, this isn’t the place for you!
Taichung Rainbow Village address
Rainbow Village, 408, Taiwan, Taichung City, Nantun District, 春安路56巷25號
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