Carton King Creativity Park (紙箱王創意園區) is the first paper-based theme park in Taiwan where almost everything is made out of cardboard material.
Located in Taichung, Taiwan, the whimsical park is 1,600 square meters big and ideal for anyone who wants to have a fun afternoon seeing famous structures made out of sturdy cardboard and dine in a restaurant where everything is made out of cardboard as well.
If you can spare half a day in Taichung, I would recommend visiting Carton King as it is a fun place promoting creativity and arts and crafts. And it is super easy to get to. I’ll show you precisely what you will see at Carton King in Taiwan.
And if you have a full day, you can see three attractions in Xinshe Township including Carton King, Xinshe Castle and Xinshe Sea of Flowers. I included a detailed 1-day itinerary below.
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Before you visit Carton King Taichung
Before you visit Carton King in Taichung, take a look at my post on all my best tips for travelling to Taiwan. I included a lot of information, including getting a Taiwan prepaid SIM card, transportation around the country and more.
And check out more tips on my solo travel guide to Taichung and learn about other attractions in Taichung.
Here are a few more additional travel tips that you might find useful for going to Carton King:
- I included directions for taking the bus to Carton King Taichung. Get an EasyCard or iPass for your bus ride because the bus ride is free since the journey is less than 10km.
- And if you don’t want to take the bus, Uber is an excellent and cheap option. Download the Uber app and set up the app before you use the app. You will need a local phone number to set up.
How to get to Carton King Creativity Park in Taiwan
Address: No. 2, Lane 2, Section 2, Dongshan Road, Beitun District, Taichung City
Hours: 9am-8pm (dining hours are from 11am-7pm)
Admission: NT$200 (use NT$100 anywhere in the park)
Website: Carton King Creativity Park (Google can translate the website into English)
Take Taichung public bus to Carton King
Take a public bus from anywhere in the city centre, and it will take you to the park directly.
Below is a sample route from Taichung Railway Station.
- Bus 15: from Taichung Station (Taiwan Blvd) to Dakeng Traffic Circle
- Time: 60 minutes
- Cost: free (use EasyCard or iPass)
Once you get off the bus, walk west until you find a small street on the south side of the main road.
When you see the sign on the small street (see photo above), you have arrived at Carton King! Follow the road which is lined with paper windmills, and you will find the entrance to the park.
What is Carton King Creativity Park
Carton King Creativity Park, or Carton King for short, is a paper-themed park with many famous structures made of sturdy cardboard. And you can also dine in a restaurant where everything is made out of cardboard.
The park was founded in 2009 by Mr. Huang Fangliang, the general manager of Jintang Paper Products. The main focus of Carton King is to show people how paper can be used very creatively, and there are endless possibilities when it comes to making something out of paper.
Through much research and development, Carton King continues to evolve and make new products out of cardboard. Local artists collaborate with Carton King in Taichung and develop new ideas to enhance the park.
In addition to the cardboard structures, other areas are worth visiting. I’ll speak more about them in the sections below.
As mentioned already, it costs NT$200 for adults. It sounds expensive to walk around a small park, but you can use NT$100 for any purchases inside the park. Make sure to bring cash or a credit card for the entrance fee.
On the front of the ticket, there is a spot where you can collect eight stamps around the park. You can get a gift after you have a ticket with all eight stamps. More on that later!
Find paper replicas of famous monuments around the Carton King
The park is full of iconic monuments and other structures made of cardboard boxes.
As you enter the park, you can see famous structures like Big Ben in London, windmills in the Netherlands, Dubai’s Burj Al Arab and the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
And as you tour further into the park, you will find a cardboard replica of an ancient Roman theatre on the rooftop of one of the buildings (see the main photo).
See Carton King from above via the Sky Trails
In 2016, Carton King included a brand new structure, the No. 11 Sky Trails, which is nicknamed as Dakeng Path No. 11 (because the park is located near the Dakeng area where there are ten massive hiking trails built from wooden logs).
The sky trail is made out of wrought iron, which is a very strong material. But the iron is bent to create curvy forms that give the metal a softer feel to it.
The artists that created the Sky Trails included curvy staircases, curvy walkways high about the buildings, slides, a pumpkin carriage and even a giant mushroom.
It might feel a bit scary initially that you are walking on the wrought iron path, especially if you are afraid of heights, but it is worth climbing to the top and see the park from another perspective.
Dine at the cardboard restaurant at Carton King Taiwan
Yup, everything in the restaurant at Carton King is made out of cardboard! The tables, chairs, shelving, lighting, etc. Even the hot pots are made of paper!
And don’t be afraid to sit down on the chairs made out of cardboard. The corrugated cardboard is exceptionally sturdy and can hold a lot of weight!
The highlight of the restaurant is definitely the paper interior.
However, the food is nothing to rave about, and it is not cheap to eat there. Try the hot pot meal (NT$420), where the hot pot itself is made out of paper. Or try other set meals (from NT$330) or boxed drink (from NT$100), which is literally in a cardboard box.
If you want a simple drink, grab a coffee at Chang’s Coffee on the upper level. The coffee shop sells drinks like coffee, special drinks like ginger brown sugar drink (NT$80), and beetroot longan brown sugar drink (NT$80).
Buy unique cardboard products as souvenirs
The souvenir store sells all kinds of gifts. And guess what material the gifts are made out of? Yup, cardboard!
You will find many unique items to bring home to your friends and family. And there is so much to choose from!
I was intrigued by the messenger bags and backpacks made out of paper. The bags are very light and seem very sturdy.
At the store’s back is a room dedicated to paper lanterns.
Don’t just expect any regular paper lanterns. Some of them are in the shapes of famous landmarks like the ones you see in the garden and other fun shapes.
For non-cardboard souvenirs, there is a Honey Museum on the upper level selling all things honey. Check out the honey ice cream for NT$45. It is one of the best ice creams I’ve ever had!
Visit the Cardboard Art Gallery
Some of the paper products will require assembly. Products like a side table, a stool, lighting and a rocking horse, and many other paper-based items.
You can bring your products and put them together in the art gallery.
Take a train ride around the park in the cardboard paper train
And if you want to see the park without much effort, then take a ride on the train made out of cardboard! Both kids and adults can enjoy the train ride.
However, the train ride is not included in the entrance fee. It costs NT$50 to ride on the train and tour around the park premise.
The train starts near the entrance of the park and loops around the entire park. On the way, you will see all the famous structures made out of cardboard, the Sky Trails and the train even crosses over a man-made pond.
Collect stamps around the park to get your special gift
As mentioned, there is a spot on the entrance ticket where you can collect eight stamps around the park. And if you collect all eight, you can redeem a free gift.
Of course, I was curious about the gift! So I explored every nook and cranny to find all eight stamps.
After I collected all the stamps, I redeemed my gift at the gift shop on the second floor.
Spoiler alert! I will reveal to you what I got as my free gift.
The gift came in a paper envelope with instructions to make a paper windmill. Yay! It looks similar to the paper windmills near the entrance of the park.
Well, this is what I got as my free gift. Perhaps the park will change the gift in the future.
Don’t forget to use your NT$100 credit for any purchases
You can use your NT$100 credit to buy anything in the park. Including any items at the gift shops, restaurant, coffee shop and mushroom snack shop at the back of the park.
For me, I opted for a snack at the mushroom snack shop. Xinshe is an area famous for growing mushrooms, and the park is close to Xinshe. This is why mushroom is on many restaurant menus, and many night markets in the Taichung have grilled and deep-fried mushrooms.
I ordered the deep-fried mushroom for NT$120 (see photo above). It was yummy! And I have no idea how they get it so crispy!
Taichung day trip itinerary: Visit all the best attractions in Xinshe
It is possible to see several attractions in Xinshe in one day. The day trip has three featured attractions, including:
- Carton King Creativity Park
- Xinshe Sea of Flowers (from late November to early December)
- Xinshe Castle
Follow my instructions below on taking public transportation and click on the individual link for more information about the specific attraction.
How to travel to each attraction in Xinshe
1. Taichung Railway Station to Carton King Creativity Park
- Bus 15: from Taichung Station (Taiwan Blvd) to Dakeng Traffic Circle (see route)
- Time: 45 minutes
- Cost: free (use EasyCard or iPass)
2a. Carton King Park to Sea of Flowers in Xinshe
- Bus 276: from Dakeng Traffic Circle to Xingzhong Villa (see route)
- Time: 45 minutes
- Cost: free (use EasyCard or iPass)
- Walk 20 minutes
2b. Carton King Creativity Park to Xinshe Castle
If you are visiting Xinshe and the Sea of Flowers is not open, you can still take bus 271 directly from Carton King Creativity Park to Village 4 Entrance, then walk 17 minutes to Xinshe Castle.
- Bus 270: from Dakeng Traffic Circle to Yingqu (see route)
- Time: 20 minutes
- Cost: free (use EasyCard or iPass)
- Bus 272: from Yingqu to Xinwu Village
- Time: 22 minutes
- Cost: free (use EasyCard or iPass)
- Walk 6 minutes
3. Sea of Flowers in Xinshe to Xinshe Castle
- Walk 28 minutes from Xinshe Sea of Flowers to Xinshe Castle (see route)
4. Xinshe Castle to Taichung Railway Station
- Bus 265: from Xinwu Village to Yingqu (see route)
- Time: 10 minutes
- Cost: free (use EasyCard or iPass)
- *Note* – Bus 265 does not stop frequently. Check the Fengyuan bus schedule for the last bus before you go to Xinshe Castle. At the time of writing, the last bus leaves Xinwu Village at 5:40 pm (Monday to Friday) and 5:30 (Saturday and Sunday). Otherwise, you will have to walk to Zhonxingling to catch bus 272.
- Bus 272: from Yingqu to Taichung Railway Station
- Time: 45 minutes
- Cost: free (use EasyCard or iPass)
Are you including Carton King Creativity Park in your Taichung itinerary?
I typically would not pick a half-day excursion for a themed park. But I really enjoy arts and crafts and all things creative.
So if you are visiting Taichung and have a few days in the city, make sure to visit Carton King in Taichung!
I hope you enjoyed my post! And if you like it, share it and pin it to your Pinterest board!
Thank you for reading my Carton King post
You might also like these other posts on solo travel in Taiwan:
Introduction to Taiwan
- Things to know before visiting Taiwan
- How and where to buy a Taiwan prepaid SIM card
- How to spend 3 weeks in Taiwan
- 22 must-eat food in Taiwan
- Top 10 must-try Taiwan 7-11 Food
Taichung posts
- 23 Best things to do alone in Taichung
- Taichung 1-day itinerary
- Where to stay in Taichung for solo travellers
- Miyahara Taichung: best ice cream and food souvenirs
- Taichung Second Market
- Top 3 Taichung Night Markets
- SOF Hotel: best boutique hotel in Taichung
- Norden Ruder Hostel: best minimalist hostel in Taichung
- Zhongshe Flower Market near Taichung
- How to spend 1 day at Gaomei Wetlands
- Xinshe Sea of Flowers near Taichung: 1-day itinerary
- Xinshe Castle near Taichung
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