According to government statistics released in 2025, there are 15,252 religious buildings (12,397 temples and 2,855 churches) in Taiwan — that’s a whole load of religiosity. So much, in fact, that Taiwan is one of the most densely templed places on earth, and doubly so when you factor in that the vast majority of the population lives on just one third of the total land.
Among this vast assortment of religious sanctuaries, several offer cheap overnight stays in simple pilgrim-style accommodation known as 香客大樓. As a rule, the facilities are dated and aesthetic only in an authentically retro sense, so if you’re the kind of person who prioritises comfort and luxury, you’ll want to look elsewhere. However, if you’re down for something different, an overnight stay in a temple makes for a unique Taiwan experience.
I haven’t found an up-to-date list of which temples are currently offering accommodation services, but perhaps this page will become just such a resource. So far, all of the temples we’ve stayed in have only been bookable by phone (numbers can be found on the individual pages, along with transport info), which makes it slightly more complex for international visitors to arrange, but over the past couple of years, I’ve been offering help with this through the commissions page of my Buy Me a Coffee account, so if this sounds like the kind of experience you’d be interested in having, feel free to drop me a line over there.
Quanhua Temple
Tucked away in a spread-out temple complex on Lion’s Head Mountain’s Miaoli-side slope, Quanhua Temple’s pilgrim building is my most-stayed-at temple accommodation in Taiwan — its rooms run from twin to family-sized, starting at NT$1,300, and its location makes it and excellent base for several fun day hikes, particularly if you’ve got a car.
📍 242, Miaoli County, Nanzhuang Township, 353
Liujia Zhennan Temple
Possibly the oddest of the accommodation options here, Liujia Zhennan Temple has two types of rooms: regular and little cubicles set up right beside the altar of Lü Dongbin. The Taoist immortal is believed to offer in-dream guidance to those who spend the night, but unfortunately for me, the temple custodian’s tea kept sleep at bay for most of my visit, so I couldn’t tell you how effective the guidance is.
📍No. 2號, Gongyan Rd, Liujia District, Tainan City, 73445
I haven’t yet got a full write-up for this temple, but you can find more information in this post or this vlog detailing my stay as part of the Mountains to Sea Greenway.
Xianshan Lingdong Temple
Born from a surge of popularity brought about by the healing properties of a nearby spring, this hillside Taoist temple in the Miaoli is quiet and very basic, but it sits right at the trailhead of the full-day Shen-Xian ridge hike. A nearby market caters to the crowds of tourists that flock here in the daytime, but once they head home at 4:30, you’ll likely have the place to yourself.
📍 354, Miaoli County, Shitan Township, Xindian Village, 小東勢24號
Tongxiao Fulong Temple Campsite
Unlike the other options covered here, Fulong Temple is set up to cater to campers and car campers. For NT200, you can rock up, find a parking space and enjoy the showers. Despite being really popular, the other visitors were quiet and polite when we went. There was a little checking out each other’s set-up (which in my case, involved cooing over pet rabbits and ducks that had been brought along for the ride), but otherwise people keep to themselves.
📍 357, Miaoli County, Tongxiao Township, Fulong Village, 苗31鄉道102號
You can see someone else’s video about their stay here.
Taiwan Trails and Tales 