Fell in Love on the First Visit: French Journalist Chooses Taiwan as Final Stop for Grand Asian Railway Tour
After 'falling in love at first sight' with Taiwan during a visit last year, Jean-Marc De Jaeger, a travel journalist for the French newspaper Le Figaro, planned a grand railway journey from Paris across Eurasia, setting Taiwan as his final destination. He departed on April 17 and is scheduled to arrive in Matsu on May 21. Specializing in railway travel, De Jaeger was deeply impressed by Taiwan's Alishan Forest Railway, its east coast scenery, bento boxes, and rich railway culture. He is including these experiences in his upcoming book, 'En Train En Asie' (By Train in Asia), to be published in 2025, to introduce Taiwan's unique charm to the world.
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Jean-Marc De Jaeger, a travel journalist for the French newspaper Le Figaro, planned a grand tour this year, traveling by train from Paris to Asia and specifically designating Taiwan as his final destination. As a travel journalist, he rarely falls in 'love at first sight' with a place, but Taiwan was an exception.
De Jaeger specializes in reports on railway travel for Le Figaro and is set to release a book in 2025 titled 'En Train En Asie' (By Train in Asia, tentative title), recommending a total of 22 train routes in nine countries, including Taiwan, Japan, China, Thailand, and Malaysia.
He visited Taiwan in January 2025, circling the island on the High-Speed Rail and Taiwan Railways. Before his manuscript went to print, he added Taiwan as the final chapter, introducing cities like Taipei, Taichung, Kaohsiung, and Hualien, with special mentions of the Breezy Blue Train, the 'Round-the-Island Star', as well as the Alishan National Forest Recreation Area and Taiwanese-style bento boxes.
After working at Le Figaro for 10 years, De Jaeger took a long leave this year to plan a long-distance trip 'from Paris to Taiwan'. He set off on April 17, traveling from Europe to Central Asia, and then through China to Taiwan. He doesn't rush his journey, occasionally stopping to sightsee in cities that pique his interest.
This journey, spanning over ten countries and lasting a month and a half, is his longest continuous trip in terms of both distance and time. According to his plan, after taking a train to Fuzhou, China, he will take a boat to arrive in Matsu on May 21, stay for a night, and then take another ferry to Keelung.
During his trip to Taiwan last year, De Jaeger particularly loved the Alishan Forest Railway. Spending hours slowly walking for tens of kilometers in the mountains gave him a sense of leisure that he cherished deeply. He was also impressed that a train departing after 4 a.m. could be so crowded that he had to stand. But having coffee on the mountain in the early morning, watching the sunrise, and then taking the train back down was 'a truly wonderful experience'.
He also likes the East Coast railway section, where the track runs very close to the sea. The indigo blue of the Pacific Ocean remains deeply etched in his mind.
As a travel journalist, De Jaeger has been to many countries and seen many landscapes. Yet, among all his experiences, Taiwan is undoubtedly a special and unforgettable presence. Feeling that there was still so much he hadn't explored and that he didn't understand Taiwanese culture enough, he arranged a grand train tour from Paris to Asia a year later, with the endpoint having to be Taiwan.
'I really fell in love with Taiwan at first sight,' De Jaeger told a CNA reporter in a phone interview. 'I rarely have that feeling of completely falling in love with a country, but when I went to Taiwan, I was just... completely won over. Generally, I don't feel too sad when I leave a country, but when I had to leave Taiwan after staying for three weeks, it was truly very sad.'
As if to prove his point, he added, 'Ever since I went to Taiwan, my keychain has been a Taiwanese one... I carry it every day. It's in the shape of Taiwan, with a picture of the Alishan small train.'
This trip to Taiwan falls in May, and friends told him the season is hot, humid, rainy, and might even have typhoons. But De Jaeger is not worried. 'For me, just being in Taiwan is enough.'
De Jaeger has always loved to travel, always curious about what lies beyond the horizon. His Instagram account is even named '@lefouduvoyage' (The Travel Enthusiast).
The division of labor among Le Figaro's journalists is very specific. There are several travel writers, each with their own specialty. De Jaeger is responsible for railway travel. As he delved deeper into the field through his reporting, he became more and more obsessed with it, and it has surpassed being just a job to become a true passion. In his eyes, a station is like a door open to the world.
He grew up in the large northern French city of Lille and, like countless little boys, he enjoyed watching the trains come and go at the Lille station as a child. 'These trains went to faraway places, places I couldn't go to yet, and that gave me a lot of fantasies.'
He greatly admires that train ticket prices in Asian countries are calculated by distance, with the price being the same regardless of when you buy the ticket, which is perfect for spontaneous travel. In contrast, Europe uses a dynamic pricing system, where tickets for popular routes can soar to incredible prices, requiring careful planning and early purchase.
Based on his experience, De Jaeger suggests a travel itinerary for Taiwan that requires at least 10 days to circle the island, and preferably more than two weeks for a slow tour to take in Taiwan's diverse landscapes of mountains, sea, cities, and countryside.
According to his initial impression, Taiwanese society seems to lean more towards Japan than China. From this railway enthusiast's perspective, both Taiwan and Japan love railway culture. People enjoy collecting commemorative stamps in a small booklet at each station, and many people speak Japanese.
For De Jaeger, the charm of railway travel lies in the ability to stop at multiple stations along the way, each stop an opportunity for exploration. This is his travel philosophy: 'The journey is as important as the destination itself... take it slow, don't rush, and try to accept the uncertainties of the journey.'
De Jaeger specializes in reports on railway travel for Le Figaro and is set to release a book in 2025 titled 'En Train En Asie' (By Train in Asia, tentative title), recommending a total of 22 train routes in nine countries, including Taiwan, Japan, China, Thailand, and Malaysia.
He visited Taiwan in January 2025, circling the island on the High-Speed Rail and Taiwan Railways. Before his manuscript went to print, he added Taiwan as the final chapter, introducing cities like Taipei, Taichung, Kaohsiung, and Hualien, with special mentions of the Breezy Blue Train, the 'Round-the-Island Star', as well as the Alishan National Forest Recreation Area and Taiwanese-style bento boxes.
After working at Le Figaro for 10 years, De Jaeger took a long leave this year to plan a long-distance trip 'from Paris to Taiwan'. He set off on April 17, traveling from Europe to Central Asia, and then through China to Taiwan. He doesn't rush his journey, occasionally stopping to sightsee in cities that pique his interest.
This journey, spanning over ten countries and lasting a month and a half, is his longest continuous trip in terms of both distance and time. According to his plan, after taking a train to Fuzhou, China, he will take a boat to arrive in Matsu on May 21, stay for a night, and then take another ferry to Keelung.
During his trip to Taiwan last year, De Jaeger particularly loved the Alishan Forest Railway. Spending hours slowly walking for tens of kilometers in the mountains gave him a sense of leisure that he cherished deeply. He was also impressed that a train departing after 4 a.m. could be so crowded that he had to stand. But having coffee on the mountain in the early morning, watching the sunrise, and then taking the train back down was 'a truly wonderful experience'.
He also likes the East Coast railway section, where the track runs very close to the sea. The indigo blue of the Pacific Ocean remains deeply etched in his mind.
As a travel journalist, De Jaeger has been to many countries and seen many landscapes. Yet, among all his experiences, Taiwan is undoubtedly a special and unforgettable presence. Feeling that there was still so much he hadn't explored and that he didn't understand Taiwanese culture enough, he arranged a grand train tour from Paris to Asia a year later, with the endpoint having to be Taiwan.
'I really fell in love with Taiwan at first sight,' De Jaeger told a CNA reporter in a phone interview. 'I rarely have that feeling of completely falling in love with a country, but when I went to Taiwan, I was just... completely won over. Generally, I don't feel too sad when I leave a country, but when I had to leave Taiwan after staying for three weeks, it was truly very sad.'
As if to prove his point, he added, 'Ever since I went to Taiwan, my keychain has been a Taiwanese one... I carry it every day. It's in the shape of Taiwan, with a picture of the Alishan small train.'
This trip to Taiwan falls in May, and friends told him the season is hot, humid, rainy, and might even have typhoons. But De Jaeger is not worried. 'For me, just being in Taiwan is enough.'
De Jaeger has always loved to travel, always curious about what lies beyond the horizon. His Instagram account is even named '@lefouduvoyage' (The Travel Enthusiast).
The division of labor among Le Figaro's journalists is very specific. There are several travel writers, each with their own specialty. De Jaeger is responsible for railway travel. As he delved deeper into the field through his reporting, he became more and more obsessed with it, and it has surpassed being just a job to become a true passion. In his eyes, a station is like a door open to the world.
He grew up in the large northern French city of Lille and, like countless little boys, he enjoyed watching the trains come and go at the Lille station as a child. 'These trains went to faraway places, places I couldn't go to yet, and that gave me a lot of fantasies.'
He greatly admires that train ticket prices in Asian countries are calculated by distance, with the price being the same regardless of when you buy the ticket, which is perfect for spontaneous travel. In contrast, Europe uses a dynamic pricing system, where tickets for popular routes can soar to incredible prices, requiring careful planning and early purchase.
Based on his experience, De Jaeger suggests a travel itinerary for Taiwan that requires at least 10 days to circle the island, and preferably more than two weeks for a slow tour to take in Taiwan's diverse landscapes of mountains, sea, cities, and countryside.
According to his initial impression, Taiwanese society seems to lean more towards Japan than China. From this railway enthusiast's perspective, both Taiwan and Japan love railway culture. People enjoy collecting commemorative stamps in a small booklet at each station, and many people speak Japanese.
For De Jaeger, the charm of railway travel lies in the ability to stop at multiple stations along the way, each stop an opportunity for exploration. This is his travel philosophy: 'The journey is as important as the destination itself... take it slow, don't rush, and try to accept the uncertainties of the journey.'