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Taipei in April is the calla lily month. The Zhuzihu valley on Yangmingshan fills with white calla lilies that visitors can wade in and pick from working farms, the weather warms into the low-to-mid twenties, the cherry blossom crowds disperse, and the first fireflies appear in the city’s parks towards the end of the month. April is the last month of the year before Taipei gets genuinely humid, which makes it the best hiking and cycling window you will get. This 2026 guide covers Taipei in April in detail: calla lily timing and prices, real climate normals, the four-day Tomb Sweeping holiday and what it does to crowds, festivals, what to wear, and a full week-long itinerary.
The short version: book Zhuzihu for a weekday, avoid the Children’s Day and Tomb Sweeping long weekend in the first week if you can, pack for warm days and cool mountain evenings, and keep an umbrella with you – April has almost as many rain days as March.
Taipei April Weather
April is the pivot month. The cold fronts that shaped February and March fade out, daytime temperatures climb four degrees on the March average, and the air begins to thicken – but not yet to summer levels. These are the official 1991–2020 climate normals for the Taipei station from Taiwan’s Central Weather Administration.
Average high: 26.4 °C. Warm afternoons in the low thirties are entirely possible late in the month.
Daily mean: 22.3 °C – a jump of 3.5 degrees on March and the biggest month-to-month rise of the Taipei year.
Average low: 19.3 °C. Mornings are mild rather than cold, though a late front can still pull them to 15 °C.
Rainfall: 101.4 mm over roughly 14 to 15 days with measurable rain – slightly less total rain than March, spread over slightly more days.
Humidity: around 75%, marginally lower than March and well below the summer months.
Extremes on record: an April high of 36.2 °C and a low of 4.7 °C. Both are outliers, but the high end is the one to plan for.
Is April the start of the plum rain season?
No, despite what a lot of travel writing implies. Taiwan’s Central Weather Administration treats the meiyu or plum rain season as May and June, with stationary fronts occasionally reaching northern Taiwan from early May. April rain is ordinary spring shower activity: frequent, mostly light, and rarely enough to write off a whole day. If you want the wetter month for comparison, see our guide to Taipei in May.
Mountain weather is a different forecast
Zhuzihu sits at around 670 m, so the mountain typically runs 4–6 °C below the city with much more cloud and drizzle. Fog rolls into the calla lily fields regularly in April – atmospheric in photographs, miserable in a T-shirt. Bring a light shell even on a bright city morning.
Calla Lily Season at Zhuzihu
The calla lily (海芋, haiyu) fields at Zhuzihu are the reason to be in Taipei in April, and unlike cherry blossoms they are a reliably long season rather than a two-week gamble.
When to go
The Zhuzihu Calla Lily and Hydrangea Festival typically opens in mid-March and runs into late June – the 2026 edition began on 14 March. Calla lilies carry the first half of that window and peak roughly from late March through the end of April. Hydrangeas take over from May into June, and in a warm year the very last calla lilies overlap with the first hydrangeas in early May. The official festival site, callalily.com.tw, publishes current bloom status and the year’s event programme.
Picking the flowers
Picking is only permitted at the paid farms, and there are dozens across the Top Lake (頂湖), Lower Lake and East Lake zones of the valley. You pay per bunch – typically NT$100–200 – are handed rubber boots, and wade into the flooded beds to cut your own. Several farms also run cafes serving Zhuzihu’s other speciality, wild vegetable dishes and mountain chicken.
What it costs in total: NT$100–200 for a bunch, NT$60 for a shuttle day pass, NT$200–400 for lunch. Entry to the valley and the festival is free.
Getting to Zhuzihu
There is no MRT station on the mountain, so every route ends with a bus. Load an EasyCard before you set off – drivers do not give change.
Direct from the MRT red line: bus 128 or S8 (小8) from Shipai station, or 129 or S9 (小9) from Beitou station, straight to the Zhuzihu and Top Lake entrance stops. This is the simplest option.
Via the mountain terminal: bus 260 from Taipei Main Station or Red 5 (紅5) from MRT Jiantan to the Yangmingshan bus terminal, then route 131 into Zhuzihu, or 108 or 124 to the Zhuzihu Police Station stop and a transfer to S8, S9 or 128.
Inside the park: the 108 shuttle loops the main Yangmingshan sites; a day pass is typically NT$60 for unlimited rides.
Journey time: allow 60–90 minutes each way from central Taipei, longer on a festival weekend. Our Taipei bus guide explains how the route numbering and the small-bus (小) prefixes work.
Do not drive on a weekend
During the festival period the city restricts private cars on Yangde Boulevard, the main road up the mountain, on weekends and public holidays – typically uphill from around 7am to 4pm and downhill from around 2pm to 6pm. Inside Zhuzihu, roads run one-way with further controls from around 9am to 6pm. Car parks at Fulin Park and Bailing High School give three hours free if you transfer to a bus, and a free accessible shuttle for visitors with mobility needs runs from the flower clock car park during the day.
Timing your visit
Arrive before 10am: the valley is quiet, the light is soft and the fog often has not settled in. By noon on a weekend the calla lily road is shoulder to shoulder and the bus queue back down can run 40 minutes. Weekdays are dramatically calmer. Trails and the wider park are covered in our Yangmingshan National Park guide.
Other April Flower Highlights
The valley is not the only thing in bloom. April is the tail of one flower season and the start of another.
Cherry blossoms: essentially over. Late-blooming Fuji and other varieties can hang on into the first days of April at higher elevations, but if cherries are your priority you want March, not April.
Azaleas and rhododendrons: the Taipei Azalea Festival at Da’an Forest Park and the NTU campus runs through most of March and in some years extends into the first week of April. Azalea is Taipei’s official city flower, and roadside plantings hold colour well into the month.
Hydrangeas: beginning at Zhuzihu in late April in a warm year, then peaking through May and June alongside the same farms’ picking operations.
Tung blossoms (油桐花): the “May snow” that carpets hill trails in New Taipei and Taoyuan usually starts in the last week of April in a warm spring.
Photo: <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20161101190426/http://www.panoramio.com/user/6, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fireflies: April’s Best-Kept Secret
Firefly season in the Taipei area begins in mid-to-late April and runs into May, and it is the most underrated thing to do in the city this month. You do not need to leave Taipei to see them.
Da’an Forest Park: the city ran a long-term programme to re-establish fireflies in the park’s wetland, and it worked. MRT Daan Park station, then a short walk after dark.
Muzha Park: home to the aquatic firefly Aquatica ficta, which breeds in still water. Reachable on the brown line.
Wulai: the mountain option, with guided evening walks along the forest trails. Combine with a daytime Wulai day trip and stay for dusk.
Etiquette: no white torches, no flash, no repellent sprayed near the viewing area, and stay on the path. Red cellophane over a phone torch is the standard fix. Free guided tours often run at the city parks during peak weeks.
Best Things to Do in Taipei in April
1. Calla lily picking at Zhuzihu
The signature April activity, and a genuinely hands-on one: boots on, into the water, cut your own bunch. Half a day at the valley, or a full day combined with a Yangmingshan trail.
2. Yangmingshan hiking
April is the sweet spot – warm enough for comfort, not yet humid enough to be punishing. Qingtiangang grassland and the Erziping trail are the easy walks; Mt. Qixing at 1,120 m is the summit day.
3. Beitou hot springs
The last of the hot spring season. Early April evenings are still cool enough for the contrast to feel right; by the end of the month it is a harder sell. Prices and crowds have dropped from the winter peak, so this is the value window. See our Beitou hot springs guide.
4. Riverside cycling
The riverside bikeway network is at its best in April: dry enough, cool enough, not yet busy with summer evening traffic. The Tamsui–Bali route and the Guandu wetlands loop are the standouts. Our YouBike guide covers renting as a tourist.
5. Spring tea at Maokong
Spring is the prized harvest in northern Taiwan, and leaf picked before the Qingming festival – pre-Qingming tea – commands the highest prices of the year. Take the Maokong Gondola up for a tea house lunch and buy spring Baozhong at source.
6. Temple season
The third lunar month, usually falling in April, is one of the busiest religious periods of the Taiwanese year, with Longshan, Xingtian and Dalongdong Baoan temples all at full intensity. Our guide to the best temples in Taipei covers festival-day etiquette.
7. Elephant Mountain at sunset
The Xiangshan and Four Beasts trails are still comfortable in April. Go for the Taipei 101 view at dusk; by June the same climb is a sweat bath.
8. Day trips and night markets
Jiufen, Shifen, Yehliu, Keelung and Tamsui all work well – see our day trips from Taipei comparison. Evening temperatures in the low twenties also make April one of the two best months of the year for night market walking, alongside November.
Tomb Sweeping, Children’s Day and the April Crowd Crunch
April contains Taiwan’s biggest spring holiday cluster, and it is the one thing most likely to derail an unplanned trip.
The holidays: Children’s Day falls on 4 April and Tomb Sweeping Day (Qingming, 清明節) on 4 or 5 April. They sit next to each other and are routinely combined into a four-day national break. In 2027 that break runs Saturday 3 April to Tuesday 6 April, with 4 April on a Sunday, Qingming on Monday 5 April and a compensatory day on Tuesday 6 April. Under the current rules there are no make-up working days.
What actually happens: families travel to ancestral graves, so intercity roads, the High Speed Rail and long-distance buses fill up days in advance, cemetery access routes clog, temples are packed, and hotel rates in tourist towns like Jiufen spike hard.
What it means for you: Taipei itself stays open and functional – shops, restaurants, museums and the MRT run normally, and the city can feel slightly emptier as residents leave. The problems are all about movement. Book intercity travel well ahead, avoid Yangmingshan and Jiufen during the long weekend, and expect flower sites to be at their annual worst. After roughly 7 April, crowds return to normal shoulder-season levels.
April Festivals and Events
Zhuzihu Calla Lily and Hydrangea Festival: the month’s centrepiece, running from mid-March into late June with weekend markets, floral installations and photography events. Free.
Baosheng Cultural Festival (保生文化祭): Dalongdong Baoan Temple’s festival honouring Baosheng Dadi, the Taoist god of medicine, whose birthday falls on the 15th day of the third lunar month – usually April. Lion dances, fire-walking, folk opera and free traditional-arts performances. MRT Yuanshan station.
Dajia Mazu Pilgrimage: Taiwan’s largest religious procession, a nine-day walk leaving Zhenlan Temple in Dajia, Taichung. The date is set each year by divination and usually lands in April – in 2026 it ran 17 to 26 April. It does not pass through Taipei, but it absorbs enormous domestic travel capacity while it runs.
Taipei Traditional Arts Festival: the city’s spring season of Chinese and Taiwanese classical music, opera and puppetry, typically opening in late March and running to June. Many events are free.
Firefly viewing programmes: guided evening walks at Da’an Forest Park, Muzha Park and in Wulai, from mid-April into May.
Dates for the lunar-calendar events move every year. Our Taipei festivals calendar tracks what is confirmed, and the Taipei Travel event calendar is the official source.
Photo: Zairon, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
What to Wear in April
Base layer: T-shirts most of the day. Long sleeves for mornings, evenings and the mountain.
Mid layer: a light cardigan or fleece. You will use it less than in March but you will still use it.
Outer layer: a packable water-resistant shell. Essential for Zhuzihu, where fog and drizzle are routine.
Bottoms: light trousers, with shorts genuinely fine on warm city afternoons by late April.
Footwear: comfortable walking shoes you do not mind getting muddy. Farms lend rubber boots for the flooded lily beds, but the paths between them are wet.
Accessories: compact umbrella, sunscreen and a hat – April sun is stronger than it feels.
Day-to-night variation in the city is a modest 4–7 °C, but the mountain adds another 4–6 °C on top. Layers you can strip to a T-shirt and build back up are the right answer.
April Hotel Strategy
Overall: mid-shoulder pricing – above the deep winter lows, below the July and August peak and below March’s cherry blossom weekend spikes.
The exception: the Children’s Day and Tomb Sweeping long weekend in the first week. Rates jump and availability tightens; book that two months out.
The rest of the month: three to four weeks ahead for popular weekends. Last-minute midweek booking is usually fine.
Where to base yourself: Xinyi or Zhongshan for MRT access and shopping, Beitou if you want hot springs and an easy run at Zhuzihu, Ximending for budget travel. Our guide to where to stay in Taipei compares the neighbourhoods in detail.
One-Week April Itinerary
Day 1 – Arrival. Check-in, evening walk and dinner in Da’an, fireflies in the park after dark late in the month.
Day 2 – Zhuzihu. Early bus to the calla lily fields, picking before the crowds, a grassland walk after lunch, Beitou hot springs on the way down.
Day 3 – City core. Taipei 101 observatory, Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, Longshan Temple, night market in the evening.
Day 4 – Wulai. Mini-train, waterfall, cable car and Atayal culture, then a guided firefly walk at dusk.
Day 5 – Museums and tea. National Palace Museum, then the Maokong Gondola and a tea house.
Day 6 – Northeast coast. Jiufen and Shifen, or Yehliu and Keelung if you prefer geology to lanterns.
Day 7 – Departure. Riverside YouBike ride or last shopping, then the airport. Budget roughly NT$22,000–42,000 per person for the week depending on hotel tier.
Rainy Days and Travelling With Kids in April
With around 14 rain days you should expect to lose one. The National Palace Museum fills a full day, the National Taiwan Science Education Center and the Children’s Amusement Park are strong indoor family options, and Songshan Cultural and Creative Park plus Eslite Spectrum Songyan make a covered half-day pair.
April is also one of the best family months of the year. Da’an Forest Park and the riverside parks are flat and stroller-friendly, and the firefly walks are genuinely magic for children old enough to stay quiet. Zhuzihu is the exception – muddy, sloped and bus-dependent, so use a carrier. Our Taipei with kids guide has more, and the MRT is lift-accessible throughout with free travel for children under 115 cm.
What to Avoid in April
The Tomb Sweeping long weekend for any intercity travel. High Speed Rail, buses and hill roads are all at capacity. Stay in the city or move your dates.
Driving up to Zhuzihu on a weekend. Traffic controls will stop you and the valley roads run one-way. Take the bus.
Heavy winter clothing. It is genuinely warm by April. A shell and a light mid-layer is all the insulation you need.
Coming for cherry blossoms. They are finished. If blossoms are the point of the trip, move it to March.
Skipping Zhuzihu because it looks like a tourist trap. It is a working agricultural valley and the picking is the real thing – the one activity April offers that no other month does.
Assuming it will not rain. April has as many rain days as March. Carry the umbrella.
April vs Other Months
vs March: March has the Yoshino cherry peak and cooler, drier walking weather. April has calla lilies, fireflies, warmer temperatures and lighter flower-site crowds outside the holiday weekend. March is the blossom month; April is the flower-farm month.
vs May: May brings the plum rain front, roughly double the rainfall and noticeably higher humidity, though it also brings hydrangeas. April is the last reliably comfortable spring month.
vs June: June has the Dragon Boat Festival and the wettest, muggiest conditions of the pre-typhoon year. April is significantly drier and cooler.
vs November: November has the year’s most stable weather but no flower season and no fireflies. If you want scenery and events together, April wins.
Related Taipei guides
- Taipei Weather & Best Time to Visit: Month-by-Month Guide
- Taipei in Spring: Weather, What to Wear & Events
- Taipei in Summer: Heat, Typhoons & Survival Tips
- Taipei in Autumn: The Best Weather of the Year
- Taipei in Winter: Is It Cold? What to Pack
- Taipei Typhoon Season: What Travelers Need to Know
Frequently Asked Questions
How is the weather in Taipei in April?
Warm spring. The 1991–2020 normals give an average high of 26.4 °C, a daily mean of 22.3 °C and an average low of 19.3 °C, with about 101 mm of rain over roughly 14 to 15 days and humidity near 75%. Comfortable for hiking and cycling, and warm enough for shorts on city afternoons.
When do calla lilies bloom in Taipei?
Roughly late March through the end of April, with the Zhuzihu Calla Lily and Hydrangea Festival typically opening in mid-March and running into late June. Calla lilies carry the first half of that window; hydrangeas take over from May.
How much does calla lily picking cost at Zhuzihu?
Around NT$100–200 per bunch at the paid farms, which supply rubber boots and wrap the stems. Entry to the valley and the festival is free. Budget another NT$60 for a Yangmingshan shuttle day pass and NT$200–400 for lunch.
How do I get to Zhuzihu from Taipei?
The simplest routes are bus 128 or S8 from MRT Shipai station, or 129 or S9 from MRT Beitou station, both direct. Alternatively take bus 260 from Taipei Main Station or Red 5 from MRT Jiantan to the Yangmingshan terminal, then route 131. Allow 60–90 minutes each way. Driving is restricted on weekends and holidays during the festival period, so take the bus.
Should I visit Taipei in April?
Yes. It is one of the most pleasant months of the year: calla lily season, firefly season, mild temperatures and manageable crowds outside the early-April holiday weekend. It is also the last month before the humidity makes long hikes unpleasant.
Are cherry blossoms still blooming in Taipei in April?
Mostly no. Late-blooming varieties can hang on into the first days of April at higher elevations, but the main Yoshino display finishes in late March. April is the calla lily and azalea month instead.
What holidays fall in April in Taiwan?
Children’s Day on 4 April and Tomb Sweeping Day (Qingming) on 4 or 5 April, usually combined into a four-day national break. In 2027 that runs 3 to 6 April, with a compensatory day on Tuesday 6 April. Intercity transport and hill roads are heavily congested during it.
Does Tomb Sweeping Day close things in Taipei?
No. Shops, restaurants, museums and the MRT all run normally, and the city can feel slightly quieter as residents travel to ancestral graves. The disruption is to intercity travel, temple crowds and roads around cemeteries, not to city services.
Is April the plum rain season in Taipei?
No. Taiwan’s Central Weather Administration treats May and June as the meiyu season, with fronts occasionally reaching northern Taiwan from early May. April rain is ordinary spring shower activity, frequent but usually light.
Where can I see fireflies near Taipei in April?
Da’an Forest Park and Muzha Park inside the city, and Wulai in the mountains. Season runs from mid-to-late April into May. Use red light rather than white, skip the flash, and stay on the marked paths.
What should I wear in Taipei in April?
T-shirts and light trousers or shorts for the city, plus a light cardigan or fleece and a packable water-resistant shell for mornings, evenings and the mountain. Walking shoes you do not mind muddying, a compact umbrella, sunscreen and a hat.
Are hot springs still worth it in Taipei in April?
Early April, yes – evenings are still cool enough for the contrast to work, and Beitou is past its winter price and crowd peak. By late April it becomes a harder sell as the air warms. Indoor and air-conditioned bathhouses extend the season.
Is April a good month for hiking around Taipei?
It is arguably the best. Warm without being oppressive, humidity below summer levels, and the hills are green. Yangmingshan, Elephant Mountain and the Four Beasts trails are all at their most comfortable.
The Bottom Line
Taipei in April is built around one thing no other month offers: standing in a flooded field at Zhuzihu cutting your own calla lilies, with Yangmingshan around you. Give that a full weekday, start before 10am, take the bus rather than a car, and pair it with Beitou hot springs on the way down. Steer clear of the Children’s Day and Tomb Sweeping long weekend for anything involving intercity travel, book three to four weeks ahead for the rest of the month, pack layers plus a shell for mountain fog, and stay out after dark late in the month for the fireflies. A flower season with a long window and the last comfortable hiking of the year make April one of the most rewarding months to be in Taipei.
