Visit Taipei! Best Taipei Travel Guide
I love Taipei! How about you? I'm sure
that some of you who follow my blog for a while now know how much I love
it here. Giving the fact, that I've been quite a bit around, I decided
to write my own travel guide for those of you, who plan to visit us. And
if you're one of those undecided travelers, who is considering various
destinations in the region, I hope that my visual appetizer will sway
you towards Taipei, because to put it simply: Taipei is awesome!
Taipei 台北 (or 臺北) is a modern East Asian metropolis and the capital city of Taiwan (a.k.a. Republic of China). It's home to roughly 6 million people (source).
That might not be that big compared to Asian megacities like Tokyo,
Beijing, Seoul or Shanghai, but it's definitely big for a European guy
like me. Taipei is located on the northern part of the beautiful island
of • Taiwan
and its Chinese name literally means "Taiwan's Northern City". Taipei
is like a big pie cut into smaller pieces by the rivers Tamsui, Xindian
and Keelung laying in the Taipei basin and surrounded by beautiful
mountains of Northern Taiwan also known as Xueshan range.
Taipei will amaze you: You'll see some of the most amazing sights in
this bustling city, eat some of the most delicious food in the world,
shop till you drop, meet friendly people and see the most beautiful
women you'll ever see in any other city (in case you're a male reader).
Taipei will fascinate you with the old and new side by side, with the
modern at one corner and the traditional at another. In one day, you can
see Taipei 101, the former tallest building in the world and the National Palace Museum,
in recent years one of the most visited museums in the world, full of
precious historic artifacts representing the history of China at its
best. Want to know more? Read on.
First you'll need a map. And I made a great one for you. Click on it to enlarge.
The red dots ● ● ● mark Taipei's center. The Western part (on the left) consists of old districts • Wanhua, • Datong and • Zhongzheng, the Eastern part (on the right) is the modern part and consists of new districts • Daan and • Xinyi.
Once you have a map, make a plan. Decide what you want to see in the
days you have available. I recommend you to spend at least 7 days in
Taipei City or 14 days in Greater Taipei. Of course the more days you
can stay, the better. If you truly want to get a grasp of the city, stay
30 days, you won't regret it. But that will acquire a big budget and a
lot of time. If you have plenty of that, you'll have tons of fun in
Taipei.
This post is meant to introduce some of my favorite spots in Taipei and
show you around the city. I hope I can give you great ideas about where
to go and what to do, if you decide to visit. Taipei is a great place
for young and old, for Westerners and Easterners and welcomes people
from all over the world. If you keep on reading, you will see Taipei
through my eyes and get a glimpse of the awesomeness that awaits you.
IMPORTANT: All these types of • Links lead to one of my own posts about the topic, these types of [Links] lead to a website or a page outside my blog and will also give you further information on the topic. To open links in new tabs, hold down CTRL or ⌘, when you click on them. Check also the bottom of this post for more related links.
The best way to explore Taipei is by using the Taipei MRT, the
city's subway. The trains are quick, extremely clean and not so crowded
like in other big Asian cities such as Seoul or Tokyo. Eating and
drinking is not allowed. You can buy a token for a single fare or a
one-day pass, but I recommend you to buy the EasyCard, it's a
smart card system, that enables you to pay for train and bus fares as
well as for purchases in convenience stores. To get more info, check • my list of means of transportation in Taipei.
First thing you need to do, when you arrive in Taipei, is to see one of
the most incredible buildings the metropolis has to offer: • Taipei 101.
It's not only my favorite attraction, it's also the skyscraper that put
Taipei on the map in 2004 by becoming the tallest building in the world
and remained so for 6 years. Despite the rapid construction of much
taller structures in China and the Middle East, Taipei 101 will always
be worth to see, because of the unique design and the huge number of
innovations. The 509m tall bamboo-shaped skyscraper is located in Xinyi,
Taipei's modern district. You can go to the [observatory on 89th floor] or dine in exquisite restaurants on floors 85 and 86.
One of my favorite parts of Taipei is • Xinyi,
also referred as the East District. You don't only have Taipei 101
there, but plenty of shopping malls, cinemas, restaurants and clubs,
that will take many days and nights to discover. Xinyi is Taipei's
modern architecture at its best. It's a big, clean and a pedestrian
friendly area full of glitz and glamour. You'll see a lot of middle and
upper class Taiwanese shopping and eating there. It's something like • Seoul's modern district • Gangnam,
only smaller and somewhat more pleasant to walk around, because the
buildings are not as tall and as intimidating as the ones in Korea's
sparkling capital.
Another awesome area is • Ximending,
which is the biggest pedestrian area of Taipei and the place to be for
young people. It's loaded with cinemas, themed restaurants, shops, pubs
and street art. You'll see all kinds of youngsters with unique fashion
styles passing by, from fab to weirdo. Ximending is the place to be in
Taipei, even, if you're not from the young generation anymore. Young
people love to have fun, but there won't be any drunks bothering you.
Ximending is very safe as well.
And then there's • Zhongxiao East Road,
Taipei's main boulevard, that connects the West with the East, it's the
bridge between Zhongzheng and Xinyi. It's Taipei's fashion street, full
of high-class boutiques and shopping malls, pubs and clubs, fitness
centers, spas and shops that sell branded watches. The richest of the
rich can be seen there and the people always dress extremely well,
especially the women. Do you want to see the prettiest Taiwanese girls?
Go to Zhongxiao East Road!
Taipei is full of awesome pubs and clubs, that can be found all over the
city. Best website for finding a night club of your preference is [Taiwan Nights], but if you wanna see, how people party in Taipei, check [Steven Vigar's photography]. One of the most famous night clubs is [Luxy]. Besides Luxy, I recommend you to visit [Roxy], which is a reggae and blues bar and two cool clubs to dance your night away: [Legacy] and [The Wall]. Of course there are so many other clubs in Taipei, but I'll only mention few here, so you can get an idea. Steven Vigar,
one of the best photographers in Taiwan, allowed me to share some pics
from various clubs with you. I chose the ones that will catch your
attention instantly. Do you wanna see hot local and foreign girls and
guys dancing until dawn? If yes, then come to Taipei and experience the
crazy night life.
You have shopping malls literally all across central Taipei. Most of them are located in Xinyi, around • Taipei Main Station and along the famous Zhongxiao East Road. If you want a very good overview, check • my list of shopping malls in Taipei.
I would like to take this chance and introduce to you some very
specific malls, that are different a bit different. If you take the
train to Jiannan Road MRT Station, you'll come to • Miramar Entertainment Park,
which is an area full of big shopping malls, cinemas, restaurants and
with a big Ferris wheel, one of Taipei's famous landmarks [their homepage]. Would you take your lovely lady for a spin? If yes, come to Miramar!
Speaking of big shopping malls, one of them is called the • Living Mall,
that comes with a very unique design. The main part is a sphere and
it's really cool to walk around there and explore all the shops. The
basement floor is a food court with some yummy and affordable food.
There are also great cinemas, where you can watch 3D movies.
The • Guang Hua Digital Plaza
is a paradise for all fans of computers, peripherals and accessories.
It's not only the shopping mall itself, the whole surrounding area is
dedicated to computers and photo camera equipment. You can easily spend
few hours here and get a good bargain on your favorite gadget or
computer.
Of course you won't only come to Taipei for shopping (even though that
could be reason enough to visit this amazing city), you will also come
to try the incredible food. Taiwanese food is definitely one of the best
in the world. Food in Taipei is abundant, you will see restaurants
literally on every corner. There are small ones like noodle shops or big
ones like hot pot restaurants. In order to have a better understanding
what awaits you, please check • my list of types of restaurants in Taiwan.
If you don't have budget restrictions, I highly recommend you to go to
one of the xiaolongbao restaurants Taipei is famous for. The number one
choice is usually the world famous • Din Tai Fung, which originates in Taipei, but there are cheaper and less crowded alternatives such as • Golden Chicken Garden or the • Hanzhou Xiaolong Tangbao restaurant. A different kind of exquisite Chinese food is offered at the • Longdu Dragon Restaurant. If you want a very unique setting, dine in the former Mayor of Taipei's art salon at the • La Mairie Café or rise high and go up on Taipei 101 to the 85th floor. You can combine amazing food with an equally amazing view in • Diamond Tony's 101 Observatory Restaurant.
If you're adventurous, then the toilet-themed restaurant • Modern Toilet is definitely something for you. How about a piece of • Gayke? If you need more restaurant recommendations, check • my list of restaurants in Taipei.
If you're looking for traditional Taiwanese food in Taipei, the best
place to go are the numerous night markets all over the city. Night
markets are full of traditional Taiwanese snacks called 小吃 (lit. little eats)
and most of them will become your favorite, but some might appear
strange, perhaps even pose a challenge. Would you dare to eat the • frog soup or • chicken testicles?
I tried it, it's not bad, but it's certainly not everyone's treat.
These types of dishes seemingly strange to Western tourists are just a
small part of what you can find in Taipei. The city probably has the
most night markets in the world, eating street food in the evening is
part of the culture and you have to experience it.
It's full of uniquely Taiwanese food, such as the stinky tofu, Taiwanese
sausages, oyster omelettes, steamed and fried dumplings, buns, fried
chicken cutlets and much much more. The popular night market so famous,
that it doesn't only attract people from all over Taiwan, but also from
Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia.
Some other famous night markets are • Raohe night market
in Songshan district, which is usually the second most popular right
after the one in Shilin. There is a popular night market near
universities: • Shida night market. There's also the less touristy • Tonghua night market, which is worth to mention, because it has some unique foods and • Ningxia night market, one of the oldest traditional night markets in Taipei.
Taiwan is also famous for having some of the best deserts and tea in the
region. Something I really recommend to you are two famous ice creams.
One is the • Snow King's ice cream,
which is famous for having all kinds of crazy flavors such as wasabi,
chili, pig's feet, tomato, carrot and basil. Another ice cream I highly
recommend to you is • Shin Fa Ting,
a famous shop selling shaved ice cream, that consists of very thin
layers and melts in your mouth instantly. So tasty! When it comes to
drinks, you have to try Taiwan's most famous beverage: • Bubble tea.
There are aplenty of shops everywhere, but the best ones are at night
markets. A similarly-looking and popular drink is called • Frogs Hit In Milk
- it's my favorite and I highly recommend it. For those, who appreciate
high-quality teas, Taiwan offers one of the best in the world: Don't
miss the • Oolong green tea and if you have a chance, see a traditional tea ceremony.
Taipei is a relatively young city with its 300 something years,
nevertheless it has a very rich and often tumultuous history, which is
still visible on the facades of famous historic buildings. Generally,
the history of Taipei can be divided in four significant periods: Qing
Dynasty, Japanese occupation, Cold War KMT rule and Democratization
period. The following list is a collection of Taipei's most notable
historic sights, places you should not miss, if you come to visit this
amazing city.
Most of these buildings were constructed during the Cold War KMT rule
(1949-1987) and are based on the idea of a Chinese cultural revival
under Chiang Kai-shek. A lot of them imitate classical Chinese landmarks
in Beijing or reinterpret the architecture from old glorious Chinese
dynasties, especially Tang.
These buildings were constructed between 1895 and 1945 during the
Japanese occupation of Taiwan. The colonial architects were inspired by
classical European styles and loved to incorporate the neo-Greek and
neo-Baroque elements in their design.
Taipei's roots date back to the early 18th century, one could say the
city was born under Qing Dynasty. A lot of the original Taipei is sadly
lost today, however the former city gates, numerous temples and
residences are still preserved and worth a visit.
Taipei is home to some of Taiwan's oldest and famous temples, that
attract people from all over the country. Most of them are dedicated to
several deities: mixing Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism and folk religion
is a common practice in Taiwan.
Taipei is not famous for religious landmarks outside the realm of
Taoism, Buddhism and Confucianism, nevertheless, the city boasts with an
impressive mosque and aplenty of smaller yet highly interesting
churches, mostly Presbyterian.
One of the nicest places to hang out in Taipei are the old university
campuses from the early 20th century - there are a plenty of them
scattered all over the city and they offer a peek into Taiwan's vibrant
student life.
Taipei is famous for museums, that cover Chinese, Taiwanese and
aboriginal history, art and various other things. There are a lot of
interesting niche museums to explore, check my • List of Museums in Taipei and pick the ones, that seem interesting to you.
If you need a break from your sightseeing, then visiting one of Taipei's parks is a must. Check • my List of Parks in Taipei to see which one is best suitable for you.
Taipei is famous for hot springs, the culture was first cultivated under
Japan. Beitou with its volcanic waters is one of the best places to
experience it. If you want to know how that looks like check • my hot springs guide
.
The local government has invested a lot of efforts to revitalize areas,
that were for too long in decay. This includes old factories and
neighborhoods, that were transformed into venues for cultural activities
and culinary delights.
If you want to see Taipei from above, you have several options. From visiting the top of • Shing Kong Life Tower and • Taipei 101 to several mountains, that surround this amazing city. Here is my list of the ones, that offer the best views.
The urban Taipei offers so much to see and to experience, that one might
wonder, if there's time to leave the city at all. Nevertheless, every
passionate traveler will be eager to explore a city's hinterland, you
can't keep a tiger trapped in the cage too long, can you? It so happens
that there are numerous hidden treasures to explore in Northern Taiwan.
Most of these places are accessible by bus or regular train and can be
combined into very interesting day trips, if one knows how to plan well.
This is a list of 6 interesting places very close to Taipei, but still
far enough to be considered outside Taipei's core urban area. You'll
need maximum 1 hour to reach there and another hour to come back, which
means that you can combine it with other places.
• Tamsui: This historic small town near the sea is famous for great views, magical sunsets, tasty food, and a lot of historic buildings. Don't miss the Hongmao Castle, the Old Street, the Lovers' Bridge, and a bowl of Ah-Gei. Accessible with the Taipei Metro, it will take you about 45 minutes to reach there from the Taipei Main Station. You can easily spend one whole afternoon there.
• Sanxia: This lovely small town is famous for an Old Street from Japanese times, the magnificent Zushi Temple, and delicious croissants. You can enjoy the atmosphere of a century ago, eat tasty snacks and explore hidden treasures. Accessible with the bus, it will take you about 30 minutes to reach there from the Taipei Main Station. You can spend 3-4 hours there.
• Yingge: This small town is famous for pottery. There is an Old street and a pottery museum, that I highly recommend to visit. If you want to buy some good quality souvenirs, Yingge is a great place to be. Accessible with the regular train, it will take you about 30 minutes to reach there from the Taipei Main Station. You can spend 2-3 hours there.
• Shenkeng: This little town preserved a very beautiful Old Street, which is famous for selling all kinds of tofu. In fact, Shenkeng is known to be Taiwan's tofu capital, and it's attracting a lot of hungry visitors from all over the country and beyond. Accessible with the bus, it will take you about 45 minutes from Taipei Main Station. You can spend 2-3 hours there.
• Bitan: The scenic area consists of a suspension bridge over the Xindian River, that turned into a small lake. You can rent a paddle boat with your loved one and enjoy the beautiful landscape. Accessible with the Taipei Metro, it will take you about 30 minutes to reach there from the Taipei Main Station. You can spend 1-2 hours there.
• Wulai: Wulai is a small town in the mountains south of Taipei. Located deep in aboriginal Taiwanese land, it's full of natural beauty, and famous as a hot spring resort. Don't miss the impressive Wulai Springs, and a walk through the Old Street, that offers a lot of delicious snacks. It will take you around 1 hour to reach Wulai. You can spend few hours there, perhaps even stay overnight.
