Taiwan is a delightful destination full of culture, scenery, and delicious food. Everyone here is incredibly kind, and the culinary experiences alone make the visit worthwhile. We stayed in Taiwan during the winter of 2013-2014 for four months, which was chilly, rainy, and humid—but that didn’t stop us from exploring every corner of the island. Needless to say, we LOVE it here. I went there not speaking any Mandarin, but everyone is so nice (a lot of locals spoke English) and the signs are normally in both Mandarin and English. It wasn’t really a problem not speaking Mandarin. There are some restrooms where you do have to squat to go to the toilet.

Transportation Tips

Getting around is easy with the MRT and taxis.

• Taxis: Affordable and convenient. Most drivers do not speak English, so show them a map (on your phone), GPS pin on the map, or written address.
• MRT (Subway): Cheap, clean, and efficient. Buy an EasyCard to load money and use across MRT, buses, and YouBikes. It’s pretty easy to navigate, and it goes to most of the main places. So much easier than having to get a taxi.
  • Tips:
    • No eating or drinking in stations (hefty fines apply).
    • Stand on the right on escalators; walk on the left.
  • YouBikes: Rentable bikes you can unlock with your EasyCard.
• Scooters: Widely used by locals for quick travel.

Taipei Highlights

Taipei 101

The city’s most iconic skyscraper and once the second tallest building in the world, is breathtaking.

• Location: Red line MRT, Taipei 101 / World Trade Center Station
• Attractions:
  • Observation deck on the 89th floor with panoramic indoor views. (To get here you have to go to the 5th floor of Taipei 101.) Love the views. Only problem is that you’re inside and you can get pictures with glare on the glass from the sun or inside lights. The nice thing is it’s indoors so you’re at a comfortable temperature the whole time. They have photographs of Taipei 101 around while you take in the views, and a free headphone tour. We got there around 4pm and waited in a short line. Then I talked my husband into staying until night so we could see both day& night.  The sun sets around 5:00 p.m. in the winter. 
  • 91st-floor outdoor deck (weather permitting). If it’s too windy you may only be able to go on one side of the building.
  • Sunset and night city views are stunning; sunset is around 5 p.m. in winter. 
  • LOVE sign in front for photos
  • Extensive shopping mall and gourmet food courts
• Experiences:
  • New Year Countdown: Fireworks and countdown from Taipei 101, best viewed from Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall, where live music and large countdown screens added to the excitement. It lasted about 5 minutes.
  • Chinese New Year: Free performances near the Apple store

Historical and Cultural Landmarks

Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall

• Location: Blue line MRT
• Highlights:
  • Changing of the Guard ceremony and views.
  • This is about a ten minute walk from Taipei 101

Liberty Square & Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall

• Location: Light green line MRT
• Highlights:
  • Iconic National Theater and National Concert Hall, this area is rich with history and architecture.
  • Presidential Office Building is a short walk away

Presidential Office Building:

A beautiful colonial-era structure, just a short walk from Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall. Exit on the light green line: Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall.

Ximending District

• Location: Blue line MRT, Ximen Station
• Highlights:
  • Taipei’s vibrant shopping and entertainment district, full of street fashion, nightlife, and street food
  • The Red House historic building

Longshan Temple

• Location: Blue line MRT, Longshan Temple Station
• Highlight: Traditional temple experience with incense-filled halls.

National Palace Museum, Martyrs’ Shrine, & Grand Hotel

• Highlights:
  • World-class collection of Chinese art and artifacts
  • Martyrs’ Shrine nearby, with ceremonial guard changes
• Offer classic glimpses into Taiwan’s culture and history.

Night Markets and Local Eats

Shilin Night Market

• Location: Red line MRT, Jiantan Station
• Tips:
  • This is the most famous one. Famous for street foods like Hot Star fried chicken and sweet tropical fruits
  • Night markets operate daily and are perfect for snacking and shopping.
  • Open nightly and very popular

Nature and Relaxation

Beitou Hot Springs

• Location: Red line MRT, Xinbeitou Station
• Highlights:
  • Choose between public baths or private hotel hot spring rooms with both hot and cool tubs. We did the private. There is a public hot spring but it is crowded. You can also go to some hotels in the area and get a private hot spring. We did the private hot spring. You can do a hot tub and a cool tub.

Tamsui & Fisherman’s Wharf

• Location: Red line MRT, Tamsui Station
• Highlights:

We ate at Alleycat’s near here which was good. Nice walk along the waterfront as well as shopping.

• A scenic riverfront area with shops, and Alleycat’s restaurant
• Short cab ride to Fisherman’s Wharf and photogenic Lover’s Bridge

Yingge Old Street: A pottery hub, though some shops amusingly had Pottery Barn stickers.

Taipei Zoo & Maokong Gondola

• Location: Last exit on the Brown line MRT, Taipei Zoo Station
• Highlights:
  • Pandas and family-friendly exhibits

Maokong Gondola – Glass-bottom cabins available; EasyCard usable for fares. There are tea houses at the top as well as some temples. Also a view of the city. Take the brown line all the way to the end: Taipei Zoo. Short walk from there to the Maokong Gondola. You can use your easy card rather than buying tickets. Don’t have to wait in line to buy a ticket. We went early in the morning which helped avoid crowds. They have glass bottom cabins that you can wait for. Zhinan Temple Station on the Gondola 

Festivals and Special Experiences

Lantern Festival (Year of the Horse, 2014) in Taipei

• Streets sparkle with illuminated floats and lanterns; we experienced this during the Year of the Horse.

Pingxi Lantern Festival

We went to the Sky Lantern Festival release in Pingxi in 2014. This year it ended up being on Valentines Day. You can find out about the dates at the information desks near the entrances/exits in the MRT station. We asked the people working there when the sky lantern release festival was, and they gave us dates and locations. We took a taxi up there, but the whole time they were trying to get us to get into a bus (we should have taken the bus). We barely made it to see the last release (they have releases every 20 minutes or so during a certain time period). We were running and barely saw the last release. We watched it go off on the bridge near where everyone was releasing the lanterns. It was pretty magical and we loved it. Because of traffic and limited amount of cars/buses able to go through at a time, we barely made it. We should have left a lot earlier – we shouldn’t have left when the festival was starting. It was raining a lot – so we should have worn water proof clothes.

• Access: Taxi from MRT Muzha Station (about 35 minutes)
• Highlights:
  • Release sky lanterns with written wishes
  • Sky Lantern Festival on Valentine’s Day 2014 was magical despite heavy rain
  • Plan ahead for transportation; traffic is heavy and taxis are limited. We took a taxi in and they waited for us until we were done. Otherwise I don’t know how we would have gotten back. 

Pingxi Lanterns

We went to Pingxi and released sky lanterns. We took a cab from MRT Muzha Station that took about 35 minutes and cost about 650NT there – one way. A lot of people there came by taxis and put them on standby. So when we were done there were no taxis and we had to call for one and wait which ended up costing 1200NT on the way back. When we went back the second time we had the taxi driver wait so we had a taxi ride back. We arrived after 3pm and stayed for a few hours. We did the lanterns twice (once during the day and once at night), looked around, ate a few snacks (fried chicken – YUM), and saw the Shifen Waterfall. The Shifen Waterfall was about a 25 minute walk from the railway where the lanterns took off. It cost 200NT for both of us to go see the waterfall. It’s been a dream of mine to do the sky lanterns. We wrote some of our wishes on the lanterns. They also set off fireworks and have hand fireworks near the railroad. 

• Access: Taxi from MRT Muzha Station (about 35 minutes)
• Highlights:

Pingxi Old Street where they set off the lanterns in the middle of the railroad. When a train comes everyone moves to the side.

• Release sky lanterns with written wishes
• Shifen Waterfall: 25-minute walk from lantern railway site

Suspension Bridge

• Lantern colors have different symbolic meanings
• Lots of different shops

Jiufen Old Street

You can make a day trip and do the Pingxi Lanterns as well as Jiufen. Jiufen has a lot of stairs but worth it for the views. They also have a lot of souvenir shops. We had a taxi driver to drive us from Jiufen to Pingxi and back

• Highlights:
  • A charming hillside town full of steep stairs with scenic views
  • Souvenir shops, temples, and tea houses
  • Often combined as a day trip with Pingxi

Southern Taiwan: Kaohsiung

• Getting There: High-speed rail from Taipei Main Station to Zuoying (1.5 hours on express trains) You can take the high speed rail from Taipei Main Station on the red line. Make sure to take the train that only has two stops – it’s shorter (only an hour and a half instead of two hours). In Kaohsiung we walked to Lotus Lake from the train station. Lotus Lake has gorgeous temples.
• Highlights:
• Lotus Lake: Featuring the Dragon and Tiger Pagodas, Spring and Autumn Pavilions, and Pei Chi Pavilion.
  • Buddha Memorial Center: we took a cab there and he waited for us to take us back since it’s not that close to the train station. Love how peaceful it is here.
    • Peaceful and spiritual
    • Best to hire a taxi to wait for return

Food Recommendations

Near Taipei 101 – more shopping and places to eat. We wanted some fast food so we ate at Teppanyaki in the food court area. Everyone says the food in the city is the best. I have never been so excited to go out to eat as I have here in Taiwan. 

• Din Tai Fung: World-famous soup dumplings inside Taipei 101
• Hot Pot: Cook meats and vegetables in flavorful broths
• Street Foods: Fried chicken, tropical fruits, hand-pulled noodles
• Options near Taipei 101: Teppanyaki, Chili’s, Gordon Biersch, Dan Ryan’s, Korean BBQ (our favorite)

Shopping Adventures

Taipei has a LOT of shopping. There is a LOT of shopping around the Taipei 101 shopping plaza  One can walk from Taipei 101 to Taipei City Hall MRT station. Along the way there is shopping and Vieshow Cinemas (to watch a movie). There is also a lot of shopping off of the MRT blue/brown line: Zhongxiao Fuxing. Along that street from MRT Blue lines: Zhongxiao Fuxing and Zhongxiao Dunhua, they have a lot of shopping above and below ground. Also walking along the side streets they have more shopping and restaurants. 

• Taipei 101 Plaza: High-end shopping and cinema at Vieshow
• Zhongxiao Fuxing/Dunhua: Blue/Brown MRT lines, with underground malls and boutique shops
• Costco & local Welcome store for groceries
• Specialty Shops in Tienmu: For imported foods like tortilla chips and canned beans

I even got my hair done by Eddie Tham near Zhongxiao Fuxing (blue/brown line), and my blonde highlights were perfect!

Relaxation

• Massages: We also treated ourselves to a blissful two-hour massage—highly recommended for both relaxation and value. One was a relaxing one and another time they stood on your back (that was a surprise).