Taipei,
the sprawling capital city in northern Taiwan, is well worth a visit for any
traveler wishing to take an amazing city vacation in a far away land. Taipei offers world renowned food,
transportation, hospitality, and experiences and should be on anyone’s bucket
list of cities to visit. Whether you
have only a few days or weeks to spare, you can easily fill your time with
awesome experiences, great sites, and amazing food. If you are looking for what to do here is my
list of the top 10 things to do in Taipei.
1. Night Market
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| Grilled sguid in Sanhe Night Market |
Night
markets are easily my favorite thing in Taipei.
If you are looking for a real Taiwanese experience then the night
markets are a must. There are many night
markets throughout Taipei, most districts having their own, so you won’t have
to travel far to find one. Sprawling
through alleyways these markets open up at night, some staying open all night,
and offer everything from consumer goods and food to carnival like games. Though you may find yourself doing some
window shopping as you stroll through one of these markets, the real pull is
the food. Offering an array of food
stalls, you will certainly find something you like or something new to try. What’s even better is that street market
foods tend to focus on smaller easy to carry and eat foods so you can try even
more.
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| Shilin Night Market |
Shilin
Night Market is the most popular of the markets in Taipei, but it is also one
of the most visited making it very congested at times (especially on weekends
and holidays). Though it has a main
section the market has begun to spill out onto the roads and alley ways around
it. It can easily be walked to from the
Jiantan Station on the Red Line.
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| Roahe Night Market |
Roahe Night Market is another famous market. Reported to be the oldest night market in Taipei it is also the largest. Like Shilin, Raohe also gets very busy, and due to its popularity, it also brings in a lot of tourists. It is still worth a visit to the renowned night market to try some of their authentic Taiwanese street foods. If you exit the Songshan Station (last stop) on the Green line you won’t be able to miss it.
2. Teapot Mountain
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| Hiking Teapot Mountain |
Teapot Mountain comes in second on my list of top 10 things to do in Taipei. A short bus ride outside of town, it is well worth the trip for those wanting to add a little adventure to their trip. Though it is named after a rock formation in the shape of a teapot, it is only one of many sites to see on this amazing hike. The four-hour hike starts up stone steps over looking the old gold mines and ocean below, with many overlooks along the way to enjoy the view. Once at the teapot formation the hike turns more adventurous for those wanting to continue on. Climbing over rocks, along ridges, and up paths with the aid of ropes to keep you from falling off brings you to the mountain ridge above with an amazing view of the ocean and mountain range (you can even see Taipei 101 on a clear day). The end of the hike is an easy downhill hill trek by a Japanese Shinto Shrine and ending at the Gold Mine Museum.
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| Japanese Shinto Shrine on Teapot Mountain |
To get
there take the train to the Songshan Station (end of the Green Line) and catch
the 1062 bus outside exit 4 of the station.
Ride the bus to the last stop (Quan Ji Tang), then walk up the
road. From here you will see the ocean
and the trail head will be down the road to your left.
The
same bus will take you back to Taipei and can found outside the exit of the
Gold Mine Museum.
3. Temples
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| Prayer at the Baoan Temple |
Coming in third is the temples of Taipei. Religion plays an important role in Taiwanese life and the temples are at its forefront for both religious and community events. Ranging in size from small temples in the living rooms of first floor houses to large temple complexes, temples can be found everywhere in Taipei. The beautiful architecture and colorful designs make the temples of Taipei a must see for any traveler. Some of my personal favorites are Longshan, Confucius, and the Baoan Temples.
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| Longshan Temple |
To get to Longshan Temple, take the Blue Line to Longshan Temple Station, leave through exit 1, and walk through the park.
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| Confucius Temple |
To get to Confucius Temple, take the Red Line to Yuanshan Station and leave through exit 2. Cross the road and walk 3 blocks (about 5 minutes), turn right and half way down the block you will see the entrance on your right
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| Baoan Temple |
The Baoan temple is located near the Confucius Temple. Across the street from the entrance of the Confucius Temple is the Baoan Park. Entering the park and turning right will lead to the Baoan Temple. You can also go around the park, but I highly suggest taking a look at it. It is a very interesting park and well worth at least a walk through.
4. Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial
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| Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial |
The Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial complex is as beautiful as it is imposing. Celebrating Chiang Kia-Shek, the founder and once the leader of Taiwan, the complex features a huge courtyard sided by the gateway, two theaters, parks, and the memorial itself. Climbing the staircase of the memorial leads to the large statue of Chiang Kai-Shek and if you are there on the hour, you can witness the changing of the guard.
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| Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial complex |
To get
there take the Red or Green Line to the C.K.S Memorial Hall Station and leave
through exit 4. From here you can either
walk north 2 minutes to the southern entrance, I recommend walking the few
extra minutes by following the road around to the western entrance. It is here that you can enter through the
Gate of Liberty Square and see the full grandeur of the memorial.
5. Elephant Mountain
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| Taipei 101 from atop Elephant Mountain |
Elephant
Mountain is a relatively short mountain on the edge of Taipei. It is not an adventures hike, but it is worth
climbing the 15-20 minutes to the top to get an amazing view of Taipei 101 and
the town below. There are three
overlooks, the second of which has rock formations popular for Instagram, but
the best view of course is at the top. It
is best to do the hike on a clear day to get the best view.
To get
there take the Red Line to Xiangshan Station (last stop) and leave through exit
2. From here it is an 11 minute walk to
the trailhead. Follow the sidewalk along
the park then take a left turn and a right at the split. From there you will take the next right and
the trailhead will be on your left.
6. Taipei 101
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| Taipei 101 |
Once you have seen Taipei 101
from above the next step is to head there to look up at it from below and then
take the elevator all of the way up to the top and see Taipei from there. Once the tallest building in the world,
Taipei still holds the title of tallest building in Asia. It has three viewing decks at the top; 88th
floor is a closed observation deck, 89th floor has the large golden
ballast ball, and the 90th floor is an open observation deck. The ticket to the top is fairly expensive so
check the visibility at the ticket office to make sure it is clear before going
up (you don’t want to pay to go up if you can’t see anything). Once your done with the observation deck come
back down to the first floor and get a table at Din Tai Fung, the Michelin Star
restaurant in Taipei 101.
To get
there take the Red Line to Taipei 101/World Trade Center Station and leave
through exit 4. Upon exiting it will be
the really tall building in front of you
7. Tamsui Old Street
Tamsui
Old Street might not technically be in Taipei, but it is a quick trip down the
red line railway and easy few hour-long excursion. The wharf is lined with shops and food stalls
for the passer biers to indulge in and I highly recommend doing so. The tempura calamari here is the best I have
ever eaten in my life and is worth the trip on its own. The tempura crab and Lebanese Ice Cream are
also good recommendations to try. From
the wharf you can also take a short walk to the Fort San Domingo to take in a
little history if you would like.
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| Fort San Domingo |
To get
there take the Red Line north to the last exit (Tamsui). From there, exit the rear of the train
station and you will be on the wharf.
8. Maokong Gondola
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| Maokong Gondola |
The
gondola ride in Taipei is a great experience.
I suggest going in the evening so you can see the scenery during the
daylight on your way up and Taipei lit up at night on your way back down. You will have the option of two types of
gondola cars, a regular and a glass bottomed one (which has a much longer line
since there are not as many of them). We
took the glass bottomed up and the regular back and in my opinion the glass
bottomed car wasn’t worth the wait.
There are three stops total along the way; the zoo, Zhinan Temple, and
the Maokong station (mountain top). I
suggest once at the top walking up the street to one of the tea houses and
grabbing a cup of tea. There is nothing
like drinking a nice cup of tea, made from tea leaves grown meters away, on the
edge of a mountain side.
To get
there take the Brown Line to the Taipei Zoo stop (last stop) and walk southwest
for 350 meters.
9. Parks
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| Baoan Park |
You
don’t have to walk far to find a park in Taipei. There is a wide array of different parks in
Taipei, each with its own distinct touch.
Whether you are looking for some green expanse, creative/artsy, or
wanting to do some people (or their dog) watching you’ll find a park in Taipei
for you. The more notable parks are Daan
Forest Park and 2/28 Peace Park (plus one of my favorite – Baoan Park).
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| Daan Park |
Daan Forest
Park is Taipei’s answer to New York’s Central Park. Though no where close in size or scope, it
does offer a great get away for people and their families. With green grass, shade trees, a lake
inhabited by lots of different birds and turtles, and walkways snaking throughout
the park you will easily see why this is a popular getaway. It is located at the MRT Daan Park Station on
the Red Line.
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| Peace Park |
2/28
Peace Park is another large park with relaxing pathways, ponds, and pavilions,
but also houses a museum as well. Well
worth a visit to the park if you are in the area. It is located near the western entrance to
the Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial at the NTU Hospital Station on the Red Line.
10. Craft Beer
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| Sunmai, Taiwanese craft beer |
Rounding
off my top 10 things to do in Taipei is craft beer. It should be no surprise that the craft beer
scene would make my list of top things to do in Taipei. Like most of the rest of the world, the craft
beer scene in Taiwan has exploded in the past few years. Taiwan boast almost 20 craft breweries on the
small island, most of which are located in Taipei. Many of the breweries classify their beers
into two different categories; Western and Asian styles. The Western styles being Pale Ales, IPAs,
Stouts, ext. and Asian styles being fruit or herbal beers. You can get some of the beers in your local
grocery stores but if you want to try a larger sampling of breweries you will
need to venture out to the different brewery taprooms or local bars associated
with the breweries. They are located all
over Taipei so it will best to search online for one near you.
Instagram:
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| Sitting atop Teapot Mountain |
The
Instagram culture is alive and strong here in Taiwan and there are many
Instagram worthy places to snap that perfect pic. Some places are more popular than others and
have gained tourist stop status, bringing in tourist from around the country to
get a famous Instagram shot.
What do you think? Have you ever been to any of these places? What are your favorite?
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