A Blend of Livability and Cultural Preservation

Taipei is the capital of Taiwan - and part of the country’s largest metropolitan area. A city that I fell in love with immediately, Taipei boasts incredible food, a vibrant urban culture, and high quality infrastructure. It’s an enchanting blend of highly livable urban design, preserved local culture, and thriving small businesses. It is one of my absolute favorite cities.

I struggled to write up what to do in Taipei because everything I did in the city delighted me. Tourists are rife with options of what to get up to - and none of them will disappoint. So, I’ve laid out my absolute favorite experiences in Taipei - but my overall recommnendation is to just explore like it was a city you live in. Don’t only hunt out tourist hotspots - but take long walks and see what catches your eye. If you want more detailed information on things to do in Taipei these blog posts by Nick Kembel are incredible: best things in Taipei city and best day trips.

Eat, Eat, Eat

If there’s one thing I can’t get enough of in Taipei (and Taiwan generally), it’s the food, particularly the street food. Your best option for getting the best street food is at night markets, with the most famous being Shilin, Raohe, Tonghua, Ningxia, and Huaxi. You’ll also want to get iced tea, which is central to Taiwan’s food culture. Taiwan is where bubble tea originated - so if you’re a fan, you will be delighted by the number bubble / pearl tea shops.

Don’t forget to download Chinese for google translate because many shops won’t have English menus.

Take Long Walks Through Cool Neighborhoods

My other favorite thing to do in Taipei is to take long walks because each neighborhood throughout Taipei feels unique and enchanting. If you’re not an aimless walker like me, start with Ximending - the city’s most famous (and often considered the coolest) commercial district.

Also, if you’re not much of a walker, Taipei’s metro is incredible and affordable. Just pick a new station to get off at and see what’s around.

Catch a Cityscape View at Elephant Mountain

I always try to take a hike to a good viewpoint when I visit a city - and Taipei has a few options. The most famous (and easiest) is Elephant Mountain, which has incredible views of Taipei 101. The best views are all in the first 30 minutes - but the full hiking path goes much further to higher peaks.

Be prepared to see a lot of elderly Taiwanese people doing the hike barefoot. I find it really impressive.

Relax at Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall

Near Taipei Main Station, CKS Memorial Hall is an imperial blue and white building honoring a former dictator. It’s set in a beautiful gated park that also contains the National Theater and the National Concert Hall. I recommend heading there early in the morning to see some of the locals doing tai chi.

Head to the Hot Springs in Beitou

Within Taipei city, the Beitou district is a Japanese developed resort village built around a local hot spring. Despite being accessible by the metro, this area is so architecturally distinct that it can feel like another city entirely. Head the to Beitou Geothermal Valley to see locals cooking eggs in the boiling water, stop at one of the local baths, and then stroll around the charming neighborhood.

Take a Day Trip to Taiwan’s Spirited Away City

A mountainside village that grew more popular based on a false rumor it inspired Miyazaki’s movie Spirited Away, Jiufen is potentially the most popular day trip from Taipei. With its narrow streets lined with red lanterns, delicious local street food, and dramatic mountainside backdrop, the town is atmospheric and undeniably charming.

Other Things To Do

As I said at the beginning, there’s so much to do in Taipei and it will all be satisfying. Here are some of my other favorite things to get up to:

Learn at the National Palace Museum: One of the most important museums on Chinese culture, The National Palace Museum has a rotating collection of over 300,000 objects spanning 8,000 years of Chinese history. Many of the objects were moved from the Forbidden Palace Museum during the civil war, leaving the museum with an incredible set of artifacts from Mainland China.
Head to the Taipei 101 Observation Deck: The world’s tallest building from 2004 - 2010 (and still the world’s tallest green building), Taipei 101 has a viewing area on some of its top floors for sweeping cityscapes.
Temples: Taipei has several noteworthy historic temples, with the most famous being Longshan Temple. Some of the other most famous are Qingshui Temple, Qingshan Temple, and Tianhou Temple.
Shop at a Cultural Center: There’s a trend in Taiwan to repurpose old buildings (like warehouses) into creative and cultural centers. Taipei has a few and they are all cool, including: Huashan 1914 Creative Park, Songshan Cultural and Creative Park, Red House (in Ximending), and The artists village of Treasure Hill.

Wherever you go, I recommended making the time to also explore the surrounding neighborhood. I think Taipei is a city best lived in like a local.

Try Local Life in Taipei