Hualien City (花蓮市) is the base for almost every trip: the trains arrive here, the tourist shuttles leave from here, and the food is here. It has two halves for a visitor: the area around Hualien Station, newer and practical, and the old downtown toward the sea, where the city began around the old railway line. → Where to stay
The old downtown
The county promotes the streets around the old railway line as the Old Railway Culture District (舊鐵道文化商圈): Zhongzheng Road, Guangfu Street, Yixin Street and Ziyou Street, a grid of small shops and family restaurants. This is where the wonton and bun shops are, and where to buy mochi and sweet potato cakes to take home. → What to eat
- Hualien Railway Cultural Park (花蓮鐵道文化園區). The old railway offices, with a model railway and a steam locomotive. Open 10:00 to 18:00, closed Mondays and Tuesdays, free. Hall 1 was damaged in the 2024 earthquake; PTS reported in December 2025 that only its outdoor areas were open. → Details
- Hualien Cultural and Creative Industries Park (花蓮文化創意產業園區). A former winery at No. 144, Zhonghua Road, now shops, studios and events. Outdoor areas open around the clock.
Up the hill: Pine Garden and Meilun
- Pine Garden (松園別館). A Japanese-era military building among old pines above the harbour, now an exhibition space and café. Open 09:00 to 18:00, closed the second Tuesday of each month and Lunar New Year's Eve. Entry NT$60, half of it spendable on site. Several Hualien Bus routes toward Meilun stop at Pine Garden (松園別館), including the 1133.
- Meilun Mountain Park (美崙山公園). A wooded hill about 108 m high in the middle of the city, with a big lawn for picnics and grass-sliding and an ecology exhibition hall. Open all day. Bus 311 or a 20 to 30 minute walk from the station.
Museums
The Hualien County Stone Sculpture Museum (花蓮縣石雕博物館) shows the marble and stone carving Hualien is known for, indoors with a sculpture garden outside. Tuesday to Sunday, 09:00 to 17:00; NT$20, free for under-12s. It is on the 310 shuttle route. The Hualien Art Museum next door keeps the same days and price.
The seafront
Pacific Park (太平洋公園) runs along the shore. The Nanbin end has a plaza and a big pirate-ship playground with a sandpit; the Beibin end, by the harbour, has beach volleyball and a skate area. A bike path joins them, and Dongdamen Night Market is a short walk inland. Whale-watching boats leave from Hualien Harbour to the north.
Getting around the city
Downtown and the seafront are walkable. Between the station and downtown, take a taxi; county buses run but not often. The Tourist Shuttle 310 links the station with the Stone Sculpture Museum, the deep-sea water park and Qixingtan.
→ Hualien's other areas · Hualien on a rainy day
Sources: Hualien Tourism, Old Railway Culture District; Cultural Affairs Bureau, Railway Cultural Park; PTS on Hall 1; Hualien Cultural and Creative Industries Park; Cultural Affairs Bureau, Pine Garden; Hualien Tourism, Meilun Mountain Park; Stone Sculpture Museum; Hualien Art Museum; Hualien Tourism, Pacific Park. Checked October 2026.