TAIPEI · TAIWAN
Taipei has the densest choice of residential Chan retreats in this catalogue, most of them run by Dharma Drum Mountain and reachable by metro and bus. This page lists the retreats near the city by length of stay, says who may apply, and names the temples worth a quiet morning without staying.
Nung Chan Monastery and Water-Moon Pool, Taipei Photo credits
Updated ·
Dharma Drum’s Nung Chan Monastery and Yunlai Villa, fifteen and five minutes from MRT Qiyan, run weekend Chan Two retreats; its Jinshan campus holds a free bilingual Chan Seven on 3–10 December 2026; Huazang in Shenkeng sits nine days by donation from 14 November. Most of these ask for a beginner meditation course first.
Ask us about a stay near Taipei| Place | Type | Getting there from Taipei | Price | English |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nung Chan Monastery | Chan monastery (Dharma Drum Mountain) | In Beitou. Take the Tamsui–Xinyi metro line to Qiyan; the monastery says the walk along Sanhe Street to Lane 65, Daye Road takes about 15 minutes. Buses 218, 302, 308, 821 and 864 stop at Daye Road (Nung Chan Monastery), five minutes away. | Not published; ask when you register. | Not stated; the retreat is for graduates of Dharma Drum’s beginner meditation class, which is taught in Mandarin. |
| Yunlai Villa, Beitou | Retreat house (Dharma Drum Mountain) | 99 Sanhe Street, Section 1, Beitou. Dharma Drum’s own magazine puts it five minutes from MRT Qiyan. | Not published; the youth Chan Two of 4–6 December 2026 is for ages 18–40 who have finished the beginner course, and asks you to bring a sleeping bag. | Not stated. |
| Tiannan Monastery, Sanxia | Chan monastery (Dharma Drum Mountain) | Metro Bannan line to Dingpu, exit 4, then bus 705, 706, 9103, BL45, BL46 or the Sanying line 2 to Hengxi or Lincuo, cross Hengxi Bridge and turn into Lane 138; the monastery publishes no journey time. | Not published. Three-day, two-night Chan Two sessions run 11–13 and 25–27 December 2026, then 8–10 and 22–24 January 2027, for graduates of a beginners’ meditation class. | Not stated. |
| Place | Type | Getting there from Taipei | Price | English |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Huazang Teaching Campus, Shenkeng | Meditation centre (Mahasati dynamic meditation) | Dalunwei, Shenkeng, New Taipei. The society runs a shuttle from East Gate 3 of Taipei Main Station, meeting 12:15–12:30 on the first day, NT$200 one way, booked with your registration. | By donation. The autumn Chan Seven runs 14–22 November 2026, nine days; 2027 dates are 24 April–2 May, 7–15 August and 13–21 November. | Not stated. |
| Dharma Drum Mountain, Jinshan | Chan hall at the Jinshan campus | Kuo-Kuang bus 1815A to Dharma Drum Mountain leaves from Taipei Bus Station, reached from East Gate 3 of Taipei Main Station; buses 862 and 863 from Tamsui stop at Qingshui, 2 km (about 30 minutes) on foot from the campus. The April 2027 retreat has its own shuttle from Taipei Main Station at 12:30; journey times are not published. | Free, donations welcome. The bilingual Chan Seven runs 3–10 December 2026; the English registration form for international participants was still open on 6 November 2026. The next bilingual retreat is the Silent Illumination seven-day on 1–8 April 2027. | Yes: bilingual retreats with English instruction for international participants. |
| Yuan Kuang Buddhist Research Institute, Zhongli | Buddhist institute with a Chan hall | 228 Yuanguang 1st Road, Zhongli, Taoyuan. From Zhongli railway station, bus 5077 (Zhongli–Dayuan) stops at Yuan Kuang Temple; we could not read the Taipei–Zhongli rail timetable when we checked. | Not published. Seven-day huatou retreat 1–7 January 2027, check-in 31 December at 16:30, registration closes 25 December 2026. | Not stated. |
| Ci En Hermitage retreat at the Xuanzang campus, Hsinchu | Pa-Auk forest tradition retreat | High-speed trains from Taipei reach Hsinchu in 32 to 35 minutes (five trains sampled for 13 November 2026, NT$290). From THSR Hsinchu the university says to take the shuttle to Hsinchu railway station (about every 20 minutes), then bus Green Line or 23 to the campus; from the TRA, alight at Sanxingqiao and take the same buses. | By donation; a four-person dormitory is sponsored (NT$200 laundry fee), twin rooms NT$2,400 a day. Ten practice days from 15 to 24 January 2027, check-in 14 January, close at noon on 25 January; registration closes 8 January 2027. | Not stated; the retreat is led by Ven. Daw Dipankara of the Pa-Auk lineage. |
| Place | Type | Getting there from Taipei | Price | English |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unlimited Lights Academy intensive | Tiantai Buddhist academy | Two weeks of monastic life in Dongshi, Taichung (meeting arrangements sent after acceptance), then a lecture week at the academy at 70 Ningbo West Street in central Taipei. High-speed trains from Taipei reach Taichung in 47 to 64 minutes (five trains sampled for 13 November 2026, NT$700). | Teaching is free; a deposit of 250 (currency not stated) is refunded at the end. Winter 2027 edition from arrival on 3 January to 26 January 2027. | Yes: taught in English and Mandarin. |
The Water-Moon monastery by the river in Beitou is open to visitors 09:00–17:00, last entry 16:30, with a guided-tour desk until 16:00; it closes to visitors on 24–29 December 2026. Metro to Qiyan, then about 15 minutes on foot. Checked 8 November 2026.
The city’s best-known temple, by the metro station of the same name on the Bannan line. The temple publishes no hours of its own; the city tourism office lists 06:00–22:00 daily, last admission 21:45. Checked 8 November 2026.
A Daoist temple above the tea hills of Maokong. The temple’s own directions: metro to Taipei Zoo, then the Maokong Gondola to Zhinan Temple station, or bus 530 from Gongguan or BR5 from Wanfang Hospital. The gondola runs 09:00–21:00 on weekdays and to 22:00 on holidays, closes on Mondays, and a single adult ride is NT$180; the city tourism office lists the temple open 06:00–20:00. Checked 8 November 2026.
A temple to Guan Gong with its own metro station on the Zhonghe–Xinlu line; it has burned no incense since 2014. The temple’s site could not be reached when we checked; the city tourism office lists 04:00–21:00 daily. Checked 8 November 2026.
From Taoyuan Airport the airport metro express reaches Taipei Main Station in 36 minutes for NT$160. High-speed trains run south in under an hour to Taichung and in about an hour and a half to Kaohsiung, where the vipassana centres of Dhamma Vikasa and Dhamma Guanyin, Chung Tai Chan Monastery in Puli and Fo Guang Shan are a day’s travel from Taipei; Viriya Chan Monastery in Hualien is on the east-coast line. Compare more places to stay and practise in our guides:
We have not visited these places. Travel times are the timetable figures for the date shown; confirm dates, prices and admission with each host.