A Guide to Kinmen, Republic of China (Aka Quemoy) Part 1: Transportation, Homestays

Hello everyone! Happy Tuesday! It’s taken me a little time to get started on this particular post because it is a LOT of content to comb through. A few friends have been asking me about Kinmen recommendations, so I figured it’s time to put together a comprehensive list of places to add to your to-do list when visiting Kinmen Islands. First up - let’s do a brief intro into the history of Kinmen or Quemoy as I know that many people from back home don’t really know that much about this little island off the coast of mainland China.

Kinmen… isn’t that where they make Gaoliang?

A little bottle of Gaoliang Liquor at the Kinmen Airport greets you upon arrival!

YES. Kinmen Gaoliang Liquor is probably one of it’s most famous exports. But there’s a lot more to Kinmen than its liquor. This little island is only 10 km or 6 miles off the coast of Xiamen, China (2 km at its nearest point!) and is technically a county of Taiwan, Republic of China (ROC) although located closer in proximity to mainland China, People’s Republic of China (PRC). I have since learned since posting the above amateur Youtube video (and one about Kinmen’s street food and labeling it “Taiwanese Street Food”) that Kinmen residents usually refer to themselves as “Kinmenese” or 金門人 instead of Chinese or Taiwanese. Kinmen has seen its fair share of bloodshed as a perfectly positioned battleground between PRC and ROC. The USA even got involved to defend it from invasion in the 1950’s, leading to a frequently quoted phrase during the 1960 Kennedy vs. Nixon presidential election “Quemoy and Matsu” (Matsu is another ROC island located near Fuzhou).

Alright, now that I got that out of the way, the sites, food and to-do list makes a lot more sense. Let’s dive in! (Food & must-see recommendations will be in separate posts to come)

How to get to Kinmen from Taiwan’s main island 本島

I flew on July 6, 2020 which was a fantastic time to go. The weather was wonderful and we didn’t get a single day of rain. I took Uni Air from Songshan Airport on a 1 hour and 20 minute flight to Kinmen Airport. It was about 1800 NTD or $64 USD one way. Songshan is a great airport to leave from as it’s so convenient to the city center in Taipei (only about a 20 minute bus ride from my house) with no security lines and you can take coffee, drinks etc on board with you. You also get a really wonderful view of downtown Taipei including the iconic Taipei 101!

How to get around Kinmen

After we landed in Kinmen, we rented a scooter that I had booked beforehand at this location:

Kinmen Car Rental 金門冠城租車

They were able to pick us up from the Kinmen Airport upon our arrival and drove us to pick up our scooter. They also delivered our luggage straight to our minsu 民宿 which was really nice since our rolling luggages didn’t fit on our scooter. Since it was my very first time riding a scooter (even though electronic and not gas - since I only had a local driving license / International Driving Permit), I had to practice for 20-30 minutes driving up and down the lot until I was comfortable. (See the first picture below: I’m reminded of a parent that is trying to teach their child how to ride a bike for the first time… hahaha) Worth it! Thank goodness they were so patient with me. If I remember correctly, it was about 450 NTD or so, pretty reasonable for a rental - gas scooters were cheaper but I didn’t have the correct license for that. The only slightly inconvenient part was that we had to change our electric battery at certain convenience stores around the island, so we had to make sure to plan for that. They will provide a map and tell you exactly where to go to do so - it is better for the environment so we ended up enjoying the electric scooter :)

Would definitely recommend renting a scooter or car if you have more people, it allows you more time and flexibility to explore the island which actually is pretty spread out. Driving around the island was a really pleasant experience as we were able to stop and take pictures at fun spaces or whenever we spotted a cute cow or peanut statue (see video above - we saw a lot of peanuts drying in the sun around town). The roads were paved nicely, streets weren’t crowded and long stretches of beautiful farmland really made for an idyllic driving experience.

Where to stay in Kinmen

I really wanted to stay in a traditional minsu or homestay in Kinmen, with beautiful, Fujian-style features. I found that in Dwell in Quemoy Homestay, which was located in Jincheng Village. We ended up staying four nights, which is a really long time in Kinmen - usually people visit for 2-3 days max. For four nights, it came out to 6000 NTD or about $200 USD which was a great price split between two people. I absolutely loved the hidden, quiet village that was in Jincheng Township but away from the bustling city center. Although it was slightly out of the way, I think it was worth the short drive (maybe 10 minutes or so) through the gorgeous trees and into what looked like a historical movie set. The huge, wooden doors creaked at night as the wind blew, which scared me to death but the wooden lock seemed pretty secure. It was an amazing location and one I won’t ever forget. See the pictures below because I think they do the neighborhood more justice than words could.