What we did in Taipei
UPDATE April 2023: We just had another great long layover in Taipei, and I'm happy to report that nearly everything in this list survived Covid (I've removed a couple of things that didn't).
We had a long layover in Taipei on our first trip and we got to try a whirlwind 72 hours of recommendations from friends who'd been before. We loved that visit so much we actually went back again in 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2023! Here's a few of our Taipei tips:
First off, the airport is quite far from the city and traffic can be horrendous. The subway to the airport opened in Spring 2017 and you can get a deal online for airport rail fare + 48 or 72 hour Taipei Metro pass. We've also taken the bullet train into the city just for fun.
Download and watch Anthony Bourdain's video about Taipei on the flight there. He's always good for a laugh and a tip or two.
Subways and bullet trains are cheap. If you're going to be there for more than a couple days, get an Easy Card from the staffed window at the subway station. You can also use it to pay at most convenience stores. If you're not, single-ride subway tickets are actually plastic RFID "coins" that you tag at the faregate when you enter, and then drop into the faregate slot when you exit. Fares start at NT$30 – just under $1 in US currency.
Ride the gondola at the Taipei zoo. There's lovely teahouses with a view at the top. Choose a gondola with a glass bottom if you're looking for some terror with your tea.
Eat Beef noodle soup (Nu Ro Mein – 牛肉麵), the national dish. This place is legendary.
Go to the national museum. You know a country is obsessed with food when the two most popular items (like there's a separate queue for them inside like there is for the Mona Lisa in Paris) are a piece of jade that looks like a cabbage, and another that looks like a piece of pork belly.
Go to the Lungshan temple. Check this article out to learn about some of the temple culture and traditions.
Take the red line to Beitou and then take a bus or an Uber to one of the many hot springs. Bring your own towel and a water bottle. Like Korean spas, not good if you're shy about being naked. We went to Emperor, which seems to be popular with the bearish guys in the evenings. (This spa is gender-separated).
If you're a train nerd like us, you can also collect station stamps from the MRT subway and bullet train stations.
Visit Syntrend – "Taipei's Akihabara". There's a couple of buildings here: one full of little rustic electronics vendors like you'd see in an Akihabara alley, and another one full of fancy high-end electronics/lifestyle shops. The latter also has cafes, restaurants, and great air conditioning, so it's a great place to escape the swampy summer weather.
We love Raohe night market and their famous Hujiaobing (胡椒餅). You're totally not going to be able to wait for it to cool and will scald your face when you bite into it but it's so delicious you won't care. If you want one during the daytime, head over here.
Eat mango shave ice. This one had panna cotta on top!
Take the commuter train out to the Keelung Night market and eat some amazing gua bao pork buns and some delicious seafood. Keelung is beautiful at sunset, so maybe plan your time so you can have a sunset walk before the market. The last train back to the city is around 11:30PM on weeknights.
In the evening, there's a great outdoor plaza full of gay bars in Ximending called The Red House. There are several gay saunas in Taipei, but Hans is our personal favorite.
Morning
Given how early flights from North America tend to land in Taipei, I'll lead with this: Eat breakfast at Fuhang Soymilk. (華山市場 阜杭豆漿) We usually pull up directly from the airport to beat the lines and then head to our hotel afterward. The salty soy milk (鹹豆漿 Xian dou jiang) is my favorite - it's savory and delicious and perfect and slowly coagulating into tofu while you eat it.
Afternoon
Kill two birds with one stone - Go to Taipei 101 in the morning and then queue up for the Din Tai Fung in the lobby about 15 minutes before they open. The lines are supposedly much shorter here than at the original one closer to the city center. Their soup dumplings (小籠包 - XLB - Xiao Long Bao) are fantastic.
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Night
Night markets are the star of the show in Taipei and there are dozens - each with their own unique things to see/eat.
The Shilin night market is also a favourite. While you're there, eat some Stinky Tofu (臭豆腐). Trust me, it smells way worse than it tastes. Make sure to get it with the pickled cabbage.
A staple of most night markets is the giant fried chicken breasts. I absolutely loved these and I'm a total dark meat girl who normally won't touch a chicken breast with a 10 foot pole.
The Linjiang night market is also great. While they're well known for their Shanghai Fried Pork Buns (上海生煎包), I definitely recommend eating ALL the fruit. I'd never eaten a custard apple before and it was insanely good (it's not really an apple). Eat dragon fruit, wax apples, mango, guava... it's all delicious! It's also relatively expensive.
Day trip: Jiufen
Jiufen and its famous tea house are rumored to be the inspiration for Miyazaki's Spirited Away. Even if it isn't, it's a beautiful tea house in an old town with narrow street full of shops and, unfortunately, lots of other tourists. I was shocked – despite how packed the town was, there was no wait to get a balcony table at the tea house. The ceremonial-style preparation of the Tieguanyin was beautiful. |
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| One caveat: it's a VERY popular attraction |
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| Make sure you get one of the ice cream and peanut rice crepes! |
Where we've stayed
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We stayed at the Tango ChangAn and it was perfection. A mood-lit jetted tub with a TV in it and NHK showing cycling championships? Yes, please!
We've also stayed at the Inhouse Hotel in the Ximending "gayborhood" and loved it. Both have fast wi-fi, espresso machine on site, full breakfast, and Toto Washlets!
We've also stayed at the Inhouse Hotel in the Ximending "gayborhood" and loved it. Both have fast wi-fi, espresso machine on site, full breakfast, and Toto Washlets!
Some other things to try
- Bubble tea is from Taiwan. Have some in its homeland!
- The oyster omelettes are another Taiwan classic
- Eat Tianbula (similar to Japanese Oden)
- Visit the Oolong tea region
- Go to the Jade Market
- Go to the Chiang Kai-Shek memorial
- Visit the KaVaLan whisky distillery – it's been winning lots of world whisky awards lately
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