What to buy in Taiwan: Pasalubong Ideas for souvenirs, snacks and more

Heading to Taiwan for a vacation and wondering what sort of Taiwan pasalubong to buy back? Here are some suggestions that you can look out for in between eating delicious food and enjoying Taiwan’s beautiful sceneries.

Whether it's Taiwan pasalubong for your friends and family, or souvenirs for yourself, this guide covers all you need to know on what to buy in Taiwan. We’ll also talk about the Wise card and how it can help you to stretch every peso when paying while travelling.

While you can't hold TWD in your Wise account yet, you'll be able to spend with your card at the mid-market rate.

What souvenirs to buy in Taiwan

There are so many options when it comes to souvenirs to buy in Taiwan, so let’s first look at some traditional handicrafts and Taiwanese tea that won’t be easy to find elsewhere.

Taiwanese knick knacks

If you’re looking for more traditional souvenirs, Taiwanese handicrafts are definitely the way to go. For decor items, you can consider purchasing some lanterns. Hand-painted lanterns are beautiful and easily packable since they can collapse in on themselves. Wood carvings of landmarks and scenery are another great pasalubong idea. There are plenty of wood carving stalls at various places like Danshui Old Street and Jinshan Old Street, so it shouldn’t be too difficult to find something your family or friends would like.

Fancy picking up a new hobby? Taiwan has plenty of shops selling ocarinas, with some famous producers like TNG, Focalink, Takashi and more. This cute wind instrument comes in many forms, including pendants which can be easily carried around.

For tea aficionados, getting a teapot set from Taiwan would be a great idea to pair with all the fantastic Taiwanese tea that you can purchase as well. The Yingge district has plenty of shops and studios that produce pottery and ceramic items like teaware.

Taiwanese tea

Speaking of tea, it would be a shame if you passed up getting some tea leaves when you’re in Taiwan. Famous for excellent Oolong tea varieties like Dongding and Alishan high mountain tea, Taiwan is home to famous tea-producing regions like Alishan and Sun Moon Lake.

While it’s best to purchase the tea from the region where it’s produced, a perfectly reasonable option is to look for tea leaves in a local tea house or even at the airport if you’re not planning on making a trip up to the mountains.

What beauty products to buy in Taiwan

When it comes to what to buy in Taiwan, Taiwanese beauty products might not be as popular compared to neighbouring countries, but there are still some great homegrown brands that you shouldn’t miss checking out. There are plenty of beauty stores around, if you want to get everything in one spot, big Cosmed outlets will be your best bet.

Lip balm

Need to keep your lips hydrated? Check out products like Naruko’s Jingcheng Extra Lip Treat lip balm or 1028’s Amino Acid Comfort Lip Balm for super hydration that will keep lips from cracking or peeling.

For something a little more fun, check out Taiwanese brand Catiss’ products. Founded by cat lovers, this cruelty-free and eco-friendly brand uses adorable feline-themed packaging, with their lip balms coming in the shape of a cat’s paw with different patterns and colours. With ingredients like rose hip oil, olive oil extract, aloe extract and more, these cute lip balms will easily find a spot in any girl’s handbag.

Sheet masks

Sheet masks are a must-buy for how effective and easy they are to use, and one of the most famous brands in Taiwan has to be My Beauty Diary. Founded in 2004, this OG Taiwan brand has fan-favourite masks with ingredients like black pearl, birds nest and even natto. A box of four sheet masks typically retails for around 129 TWD (around 238.49 PHP)¹.

Another brand that uses Taiwan-inspired ingredients is L’Herboflore, with ingredients such as black pearl, cherry blossoms and fruits like pear or watermelon. Each mask goes for 60 TWD (around 110.93 PHP)².

What snacks to buy in Taiwan

You can’t leave Taiwan without some snacks, whether it’s for yourself or for pasalubong. You’ll be spoilt for choice, with delicious traditional pastries and interesting nougat crackers.

Pineapple cakes

When we think about Taiwanese pastries, the first thing that usually comes to mind is pineapple cakes. These pastries are essentially pineapple jam fillings encased in a buttery, crumbly outer layer. Famous brands of pineapple cakes include ChiaTe and SunnyHills. SunnyHills has multiple stores³ all over Taiwan, but Chia Te only has a single shop in Taipei⁴. But don’t worry, Chia Te’s pineapple cakes can be found at some 7-eleven outlets, and you can even order delivery right to your hotel or the airport. A box of six pineapple cakes can range from 200-300 TWD (around 369.75 to 554.63 PHP).

If you’re not a fan of pineapple, a great alternative would be sun cakes. With a flaky outer crust and a sweet maltose filling, these pastries are the perfect accompaniment to tea. Ruyi Sunny Cake is one of the more famous brands for sun cakes, with outlets in Taipei, Taichung and Kaohsiung⁵. A box of six sun cakes from Ruyi Sunny Cake retails for 450 TWD (around 831.94 PHP)⁶.

Nougat

If you’re looking for something a little more interesting, how about green onion nougat crackers? These snacks blend savoury and sweet, with the savoury scallions in the biscuit layers combining with the milky sweetness of the nougat sandwiched in the middle. Chia Te’s green onion nougat crackers are one of the higher-rated ones, so we’d recommend getting them along with the pineapple cakes if you’re planning to queue at the store.

For a pure sweet treat, there are shops like Sugar & Spice that sell normal nougat bars filled with almonds or fruits like strawberries or cranberries. There are also different flavours of nougat, such as matcha or toffee instead of the regular milk.

Save more and stretch your PHP conversions when you shop in Taiwan using the Wise card

Now that you’ve got your eye on a couple of things to buy from Taiwan, save more when you spend with the Wise card.

With the Wise card, makaka gastos ka ng 40+ currencies sa mid-market rate, kasama ang USD, SGD, GBP at JPY. Kaya, siguradong makakakuha ka ng sulit na deal sa mahigit 150+ countries. Para makapagsimula, gumawa ka lang ng libreng Wise account, mag-order ng card, at mag-top-up ng PHP.

Maaari kang mag-order ng physical card ng Wise sa halagang 369.90 PHP. Kung mayroon kang physical na card, makakagawa ka ng chip and PIN payments, at may 2 libreng ATM withdrawals na aabot sa 12,000 PHP bawat buwan.

Kapag nasa abroad ka, puwede mong piliing gumastos ng direct as PHP at hayaan mag auto-convert, o i-convert sa gusto mong currency gamit ang iyong Wise account. Kahit ano piliin mo, makukuha mo ang rate na nakikita mo sa Google, na may kasamang low, transparent fees mula 0.57%.

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*Note that you can't hold TWD in your Wisee account yet, but you'll always get the mid-market rate when spending with your Wise card in Taiwan

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1. Cosmed
2. My Beauty Diary
3. SunnyHills
4. Chia Te
5. Ruyi Sunny Cake
6. Ruyi Sunny Cake