After our time in Okinawa, we flew to Taipei, Taiwan—a brand new country for us. We were definitely excited to explore somewhere new. While there are tons of amazing things to see in this beautiful country, we mainly stayed within Taipei. This is mostly because we also work while traveling, which makes it more difficult to travel quickly. So here’s what we did while visiting Taipei, Taiwan.
Go Hiking in Taipei, Taiwan
I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of nature and hiking available in and around Taipei. The city is surrounded by lush greenery and mountains. Though I wanted to do other hiking while visiting Taipei Taiwan, the weather just wasn’t the best for hiking. We were there in June, so it was way too hot and humid.
We did one hike that our Airbnb host suggested. It was around the neighborhood we stayed in, which was the Nangang District. I don’t know the name of the trailhead, but we did a part of the Huxing to Nine Five Peak hike that’s listed on AllTrails. It’s a pretty easy hike, but there are a lot of stairs in the beginning.
The day we went was cooler but rainy, which actually contributed to the calm, quiet of the hike. We could see Taipei 101 from the peak of the hike, but since it was raining, the view was not very clear. I imagine, on a clear day, the view is pretty incredible.
Walk Around Ximending Taipei, Taiwan
Definitely one of the most touristy areas in Taipei. Ximending is fun to walk around, though. Lots of shopping, souvenirs, and restaurants. Getting a crispy milk donut is a must! It’s so fresh and delicious. We went twice and didn’t wait longer than maybe 10 minutes. Although the first time we went was extremely hot and humid, making standing in line pretty unbearable. While you’re waiting in line, also grab some delicious buns at Chef Yu Fried Bun. I would also recommend visiting Ice Una for their amazing and refreshing bingsu (shaved ice).
Go to a Night Market
Night markets are all over Taipei, Taiwan. Two of the most well-known night markets in Taipei are Raohe Night Market and Shilin Night Market. We only visited Raohe, so I don’t have any thoughts about Shilin, but I hear it’s a good night market. Eating and playing games (or getting scammed by crane machines) are the highlights of the night markets. Here are some of the things we ate:
- 1. Fuzhou Pepper Buns (pork pepper buns): These are apparently listed in the Michelin guide, and while yummy, I wouldn’t say they’re worth that much hype. They were fresh and hot. We arrived pretty early at the night market, so there wasn’t much of a line. But later on, the line almost extended into the street. So if you’re interested in getting one, get there early.
- 2. Xiao long bao (soup dumpling): We love a good soup dump! But these ones at the night market were not it. They were, unfortunately, pretty flavorless.
- 3. Millet donut: These looked a little like a cronut (croissant donut). I think we got one chocolate and one cinnamon sugar (?). They were good, but looked better than they tasted. Not sweet enough for either of us.
- 4. Mochi (Ma Shu Bao Bao): These are also, apparently, in the Michelin guide, and I think they were the highlight. These are small glutinous rice mochi filled with sugar and black sesame and rolled in crushed peanuts. Chewy but very delicious.
Visit the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall and 228 Peace Memorial Park
Both of these areas are free to enter and are great for walking around on a nice day. This monument was dedicated to the former President of the Republic of China, who moved to the island of Taiwan after his government was defeated in mainland China by the Chinese Communist Party in 1949. You can watch the changing of the guards ceremony at Chiang Kai-Shek that occurs (I believe) every hour.
The 228 Peace Memorial Park is beautiful and is dedicated to the victims of the February 28 Incident of 1947, who were killed during protests about the brutal treatment of Taiwanese citizens by the police. The National Taiwan Museum is also located in this park. Admission to the museum is cheap at 30 NT (~$1 USD) per person for a combined ticket to the National Taiwan Museum and National History Branch. Definitely worth it, especially if you want to escape the heat like we did.
See The Beautiful Lungshan Temple
Lungshan Temple, built in 1738, is well worth a visit. It’s free to enter, but please remember to be respectful, as the temple is still an active place of worship, where you’ll see many people praying. The details of the structure are incredible!
Take a Train to Jiufen Old Street and Shifen Waterfall
One of the highlights of our visit to Taipei, Taiwan, was taking a day trip to Jiufen and Shifen. This can easily be done in a day. We started from Nangang Station and took the train directly to Ruifang. From there, you can either get on the train that takes you to Shifen or catch a bus to Juifen. Since the train to Shifen was leaving right as we got to Ruifang (and they only run every hour), we decided to head to Jiufen first.
Jiufen Taiwan
The bus to Juifen is about a 20-minute ride and costs around 15 NT (~0.50 USD). I recommend using Google Maps for this, as there are a few buses you can take, and they seem to run randomly. Jiufen Old Street has its charm, but it’s mostly filled with food stalls and shops. It’s a pretty narrow street, so when it’s busy…it’s BUSY! This area is known to have some nice teahouses, but since neither of us is a big tea drinker, we weren’t that interested.
We did, however, have some amazing xiao long bao at Jiufen Jie Jiao Traditional Diner. Sean and I also tried the peanut ice cream roll, which was essentially like a burrito with shaved peanuts, ice cream, and (you can get it with or without) cilantro. We opted to try it with the cilantro, which made it a bit weird. It was good, but I’d go for it without the cilantro next time.
Shifen Taipei, Taiwan
If you’re visiting Taipei, Taiwan, Shifen Waterfall is a must-visit. From Jiufen, you need to take a bus back to Ruifang Train Station. From there, you can get the train that goes directly to Shifen. The train from Ruifang to Shifen is maybe 30 minutes.
Once we arrived at Shifen, we walked alongside the train tracks, following Google Maps to the waterfall. The walk from the train station is approximately 15 to 20 minutes, which can be very sweaty in June. The waterfall is beautiful, though, and again, free to enter the area. You’ll also see people releasing lanterns in the sky around the old street.
Visit the National Palace Museum in Taipei, Taiwan
The National Palace Museum is a must-see attraction when visiting Taipei, Taiwan. The museum holds one of the largest collections of Chinese art and artifacts, with 700,000 pieces. The admission fee is 350 NT (~$12 USD) per adult and is worth the price as the place is huge. There are three floors with multiple rooms. I think we spent nearly 3 hours there. One of the main (and funniest) art pieces there is the Jadeite Cabbage (a piece of jadeite carved to look like a cabbage). They also have a stone that resembles a piece of pork, but unfortunately, it wasn’t there during our visit.
The Iconic Taipei 101
Definitely a must-do when visiting Taipei, Taiwan: seeing Taipei 101. Whether you go up for a view of the city or just view it from the ground, it’s an amazing building. Taipei 101 was the world’s largest building from 2004 to 2009 until it was overshadowed by the Burj Khalifa in Dubai.
Visiting the observation deck is expensive ( at 600 NT/~$20 USD per person), but if you enjoy city views, you’ll get an amazing one. We went there in the evening for a night view. The observation deck itself is filled with lots of “made for Instagram” spots. There are a couple of cafes and a souvenir shop, but not much else. You can also see the giant damper that was built to help reduce sway from wind.
If you are visiting Taipei 101, you should also eat at the popular Din Tai Fung. This is a world-renowned xiao long bao restaurant that originated in Taiwan. It’s pricey and gets very busy, but the food is delicious!
Maokong Gondola
The Maokong gondola is located right by the Taipei Zoo and is easy to do when visiting Taipei, Taiwan. There are three stops along the route (Taipei Zoo South Station, Zhinan Temple Station, and Maokong Station). It costs 180 NT (~$6 USD) per person, per journey, or 300 NT (~$10 USD) for a day pass. The day pass allows you to visit any of the stops as many times as you like for the day. We found it easier to pay using our IC cards. You just tap in and out at each station. The IC cards top at 300 NT as you’re using them.
We were specifically going to take the gondola to Zhinan Temple. This is a Taoist temple built into the side of a mountain. Several other temples along the route are easy to walk to. It’s free to enter; all you have to do is pay for the gondola (or you can choose to hike there).
After visiting the temples, we decided to take the gondola to the top of Maokong. This wasn’t part of our original plan, but since we could ride the gondola for free after two trips, we figured we might as well check it out. This area is apparently known for its tea houses. We didn’t spend much time there as we weren’t interested in tea, and it was hot and crowded.
Visiting a Friend
One of the other amazing things we got to do while in Taipei, Taiwan, was visit a friend of Sean’s (Yuval) who has lived in Taiwan for a decade or so. We took the train to Zhunan to meet him. It was a lovely day and soooo nice to meet up with people in our travels. He showed us around the area where he lives. We swam in a nearby river (very refreshing on a hot day), had lunch at a more local market area, visited a huge Buddha statue and had drinks by the river, went to the amazing Zhunan Houcuo Longfeng Temple, went to the beach, and had dinner at a cafe of a friend of his. It was a very long day, and we did not get back to our place until after 11 pm, but it was very enjoyable.
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