Why visit Matsu in winter? Blue tears, Qinbi Village and airfares, all worked out
Summer is peak season on Taiwan's outlying islands, but that's for snorkeling in Penghu, diving at Orchid Island and Green Island, and seeing sea turtles at Xiaoliuqiu. Nobody goes to Matsu for the water. So why go in summer, when it's crowded and flights are at their most expensive? This post explains why we recommend visiting Matsu in winter, and what you need to know before you go.
- Three reasons to visit Matsu: the blue tears, Qinbi Village, and curiosity. All three are better in winter
- Seeing the blue tears is very much down to luck; the Beihai Tunnel rowboats and the blue tears eco-center are open year-round
- Qinbi Village's "empty, ethereal" feel can only be photographed in winter
- In winter you can pick any flight time and any guesthouse, with winter discounts too
- Downside: strong winds and high waves in winter, so flights are easily delayed / canceled; solve it with an extra day in the itinerary and more travel insurance
Three reasons to visit Matsu, all better in winter
1. The blue tears
The blue tears peak every year from July to September, but whether you see them is very much down to luck; you can miss them even at the peak. Now you can see them on rowboats in the Beihai Tunnel, and there's also a blue tears eco-center (artificially cultivated, well equipped, almost guaranteed to see them). Buying the most expensive summer flights just to try your luck isn't worth it.
2. Qinbi Village
Many of Matsu's small fishing villages are beautiful: the terrain rises and falls steeply, houses follow the slopes, and alleys and stairways weave up and down. Shooting from below or above gives the illusion of a village in southern France or the Mediterranean, with a poignant sense of time passing. But that picture only works when there's nobody around. In summer it's full of tour buses and scooters; how can you capture that ethereal feel? Come in winter, of course.
3. Curiosity
Then all the more reason to go when it's quiet. You don't only pick restaurants with crowds, so why squeeze onto an outlying island in summer?
Are there downsides to visiting Matsu in winter?
Yes: flights are easily delayed or canceled, and boats don't run when winter winds and waves are high. But it's actually easy to handle: take four days off for a three-day trip, and get more travel insurance (covering flight delays / cancellations), so the insurance pays if there's a delay or cancellation.
And the scenery and things to do are exactly the same in winter and summer; the same things are cheaper and better quality in winter.
3 things to know before you go to Matsu
1. Flights
Matsu has two airports, Nangan and Beigan, served only by UNI Air, with about 20 flights a day between them, all small ATR turboprops. Flights may not operate because of heavy fog, heavy rain or strong winds, or may land at the other airport (Beigan to Nangan, or vice versa). Because landings are visual approaches with strict requirements, when it happens you just wait: safety first. In summer flights sell out, so don't expect to fly early and return late; take whatever you can book.
2. Accommodation
Matsu has few hotels and guesthouses, and the hotels may be older than you. In recent years there are more new guesthouses, but the style is old school (traditional tile floors, plastic bathroom doors); simple and clean is good enough. Double rooms usually have one big bed and quad rooms two; with a large group, splitting across two or three guesthouses is possible.
3. Coach transport
Like Penghu, it's island shuttle transport. The big difference in Matsu is that there are no large coaches like the ones common in Taiwan; the biggest seat 20–25, and most are fleets of 9-seat minibuses. A group of 30 might use one 25-seat bus plus one 9-seater, or four 9-seaters. Sights are close together and small, and the guide explains after you get off. Matsu guides are great storytellers: five minutes at a sight and twenty or thirty minutes of stories is normal, so on your first visit to Matsu, it's best to join a tour to hear those stories of the past.
Matsu: FAQ
Is the trip wasted if I don't see the blue tears?
No. The Beihai Tunnel rowboats and the blue tears eco-center are open year-round, and with Qinbi Village, the tunnels, military strongholds and Matsu food, the itinerary is plenty.
Is Matsu too cold to enjoy in winter?
It's cold and windy, but dress warmly and you can still see all the sights. The real variable is "will the plane fly," so just keep the itinerary flexible.
Is Matsu suitable for a company group?
For small groups. Note that there are no large coaches there, so with more people, transport and accommodation have to be arranged in batches; it's easier to leave that to a travel agency.
See corporate & employee travel
Further reading: How much fun Penghu is in winter
Some on-site photos are provided with permission by Instagram users. This post is adapted from an iTour Pixnet article.