Ci'en Pagoda

Such a nice pagoda in Sun Moon Lake area. You can park your car or bicycle in the parking area then hike up to the top by stairs around 15 mins.
Easy hike, suitable for all ages. I saw many elders hiking up to the top of the Pagoda.
Paranormal view on top of the Pagoda. Very nice and peaceful.
Not crowded at all, very chill.
One of the highlight in Sun Moon Lake.

Recommended here if you want to enjoy the view of the sun moon lake.

There are plenty of parking spots down the pagoda there but you will need to walk around 15mins to the pagoda.

And then you will need to walk all the way to the top of the pagoda if you want to enjoy the view and I am not quite sure how tall Is that but it is definitely worth the walk.

For me this is the best place to see the overall scenery of sun moon lake

Beautiful pagoda but very Misty in the morning (10am?) So it's hard to see. But the fog disappeared relatively quickly enough and the sun popped up again. Just be aware or wait some time before leaving, if the fog persists.

This place is amazing! The pagoda is on a small hill, there is a parking lot nearby but you have to walk 600m towards the pagoda. There are quite some stairs but the way there is nice.

The pagoda itself has multiple accessible balconies and you have a great view from the top!
Sadly the place closes before sundown so you can not watch the sunset from up there.

Beautiful Pagoda with an amazing view over the area. We've been there for sunset and I can definitely recommend it! We've been there on a weekday and it was not crowded at all.
But, I recommwnd planning in some time to hike up the stairs.

Very beautiful pagoda! You have a splendid 360° view of the lake and the mountains. It technically closes at 16:30, but we got at the start of the path at 16:40 and at the pagoda at 16:50 and we had no troubles going up to see the sunset! Stunning view!

This is a place dedicated to commemorating famous individuals' mothers, similar to a memorial site. Kindly refrain from ringing bells or beating drums to maintain a respectful and polite atmosphere.

We hiked from Xuanguan Pier via Mt. Qinglong trail. Took us around 1 hour to hike but was worth it. Alternatively, you could take the bus or drive.
Amazing view at the top. Yatch driver mentioned that to view the moon shape of the lake, we need to view it from the top.
We went early and there are not many people.
There is toilet nearby.

Worth a visit for the stunning views of the entire Sun Moon Lake area from the top of the Pagoda.

Note that the bus stop will drop you at the bottom of the trail leading up to the Pagoda which is a brief trail itself. It looks like a small number of cars may drive up the Pagoda path itself but parking is limited. Visitors may also drive or scooter or walk, but the route from Ita Thao seems precarious on the highway.

The Pagoda itself contains 2 walkways inside which lead up to its top floor.

I suggest visiting earlier in the day both to minimize midday heat and also to have less cluttered experience at the Pagoda itself.

The view of sun moon lake from the pagoda is breathtaking. There is a short hike up a gentle slope with flight of stairs from the car park. It should take only about 10-15 min. My 1.5 and 3.5 yrs old girls also managed to slowly hike up themselves to the pagoda and we took much longer.

Although the sign shows that it closes at 1630hrs, we went after it and still manage to climb up the pagoda after 1700hrs.

There is washroom at the top of the hill.

Really cool that you can go all the way up. Beautiful 360 degrees view

It was built by the late Chiang Kai shek in memory of his mother. Get off Xuanguang pier and follow the trail up the mountain. It's a hike up and some parts are steep. But you will be rewarded with a panoramic view of SML. It's worth the hike.

I went here yesterday and it was fun and exciting and I was amazed of the beautiful sceneries around the Sun Moon Lake.

I would highly recommend coming here when visiting Sun Moon Lake. It's not a hard hike to get up to the top from the parking lot and from the bottom to the top of the tower is also pretty simple.

The views when you get to the top are amazing as you can see 360degrees around the tower and it gives a really nice view of sun & moon lakes. If you can go first thing in the morning or in the evening to catch either the sunrise or sunset, then you'll definitely have some really nice views.

The gardens around the Pagoda are really nice as well and the forest trail getting to the base of the tower is nice too.

You will not regret stopping here.

The Ci’en pagoda was build by Chang-Kai Shek to honour her mother !

There is a short trail (900 meters) from the bus stop to the pagoda, and then some stairs to be climbed to reach the top of it. The view is just breathtaking.

It is possible to admire the whole Sun Moon Lake and apprestiate the small villages nearby.

Also the surroundings are well-kept. Plentiful of flowers and trees create a peaceful and end enjoyable environment.

Definitely an essential stop on a Sun Moon Lake trip !!

Incredible place with amazing views.

The hike up is gonna be worth it. All photos taken are without edits or filters.

Didn’t know such real views existed.

Every step is worth it!
Super nice panorama view of the lake. The stairs are not bad, it's pretty easy and spacious to take. And no need to worry that you will hit with people who come down since there are two side that not cross each other 🙂

Worth the hike up all those stairs to get it, and the further climb to the top. It looks very pretty from the outside, and the views from the top are breathtaking. Definitely make sure to go on a sunny, cool day, otherwise it may be too gloomy to see the view, or you’ll overheat climbing all those stairs.

This place is very relaxing. The tiredness of climbing up to this pagoda pays off by getting a beautiful view. I admire God's creation more and more🫶

Time of visit: 10am, early June

It was kind of embarrassing that when I first spotted the name of this place driving by, i thought it was a columbarium. Luckily when i was touring the nearby Xuan Kuang Wharf that an enthusiastic staff introduced me to the Cien Pagoda, saying it was a tower to get the best overlooking view of the Lake.

So here i am, after a 570meter of walk, arriving at the beautiful pagoda and its wonderful view really made my day. (I imagine that the sunrise and sunset views from here must be breathtaking.)

Having said that, the view i had today was already superb. Must must visit! Highly recommended👍👍👍