Nestled within the verdant embrace of Taiwan’s northern tip, Taipei stands as a beacon of modernity intertwined with rich cultural heritage. This bustling metropolis, with its gleaming skyscrapers set against lush green spaces and interspersed with serene temples, offers visitors a captivating blend of old-world charm and contemporary glamour. Taipei’s soul lies in the labyrinthine alleyways lined with small shops and ancient temples, reminiscent of bygone eras. I recently visited Taipei during my last stop on a Southeast Asia cruise, spending two days uncovering its hidden gems, iconic landmarks, and gastronomic delights. As I write this, Taiwan has sadly suffered a tragic earthquake measuring a 7.4 magnitude, the strongest in a quarter of a century. While the quake resulted in significant damage, deaths and injuries, the Taiwanese are among the best prepared for such events, and life is quickly resuming back to normal.
Day 1 – Miniatures Museum, Dadaocheng District, Chifeng Street and Ningxia Night Market
Our ship arrived at the Port of Keelung early in the morning. Upon disembarking, we walked with our luggage to the nearby Keelung train station, and took a convenient one hour train ride to Taipei Main Station, where we checked into our centrally located hotel, Palais de Chine. Palais de Chine is located within a block of the massive train station and adjacent never-ending underground mall, making it a good location to easily access all areas of Taipei.
One of my first impressions of Taipei is the civility of its residents. Here, you won’t see people jaywalking, but rather patiently waiting for the pedestrian phases at crosswalks. At train platforms, people queue within designated waiting areas.
Miniatures Museum of Taiwan – Our first stop was the Miniatures Museum of Taiwan, located on Jianguo North Road in the central part of the city. This small museum is located in the basement of an nondescript office building, and offers its visitors hundreds of extraordinary crafted miniature models and artifacts collected from numerous countries. It was founded by Lin Wen-jen and Lin Chin-mei, a married couple who traveled the world building their impressive collection after initially discovering miniature art in the Netherlands. The museum includes 1:12 scaled miniature buildings and their furnished interiors. Examples include 19th century London scenes such as a British pub, Buckingham Palace, a Japanese street scene, various castles, American Victorian style homes, and scenes from classic children’s stories such as Pinocchio and Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. It also features the smallest working television in the world.
For lunch, we walked to nearby Chef Hung, known for its hearty bowls of beef noodle soup. The dish, unique to Taiwan, was invented in the mid 20th century by refugees from the Chinese mainland. The owner of Chef Hung, Hung Ching-Lung, is a five time award winning champion of the local annual beef noodle soup competition. The restaurant offers a diversity of beef noodle soup options, including the classic star-anise heavy broth flavored with spicy bean paste, as well as a tomato based soup, various meat options, and rice dishes and multiple sides.
Dadaocheng District and Dihua Street – After lunch, we headed west to the historic Dadaocheng District, which is a mixture of east and west. Dadaocheng is situated on the east side of the Tamsui River, and began as a trading port in the 19th century. With the export of tea becoming popular during the mid 19th century, numerous tea shops opened near the waterfront. Following the Second Opium War (1856-60), western tea merchants flooded the area, building numerous mansions and trading stores. A number of historic tea factories and shops still remain. During the Japanese era, baroque and modernist architectural features were added. Narrow Dihua Street is the heart of the Dadaocheng District. It is the oldest street in Taipei, and is known for its many Chinese medicine and herb shops, teahouses, produce markets, and shops selling crafts, dry goods and snacks. Each year, the Taipei Lunar New Year Festival occurs along the street.
Adjacent Dihua Street is the Yongle Market, the largest of its kind in Taiwan. The main attraction is the fabrics market on the second level. Here you can shop hundreds of stalls selling all types of beautifully made fabrics of every color and pattern, along with accessories. The third level includes a tailor shop where you can have your newly purchased fabrics made into products. A food court is located on the fourth level.
Xia Hai City of God Temple – Next door to the Yongle Market is the Xia Hai City of God Temple, built in 1856. In Chinese mythology, the City God originally protected the wall and moat of a city. Later, it became a deity who prays for rain and relief from natural disasters. The temple is host to statues of the City God, his wife, the Chinese Cupid, and 600 other deities, the highest statue density it Taiwan. Tradition has it that if the statue of Chinese Cupid is standing, he is eager to find a good marriage for people. The temple therefore attracts many singles seeking a partner.
Chifeng Street – We ventured east to check out the Chifeng Street area (accessible from the Zhongshan station serving the red and green lines). A former light industrial area of automotive shops and hardware stores, today the Chifeng Street area is a trendy spot filled with independently owned boutiques, second hand clothing stores, bookstores, hipster cafes, tea shops and fashion stores. It’s where the young and creative types hang out, especially on weekends.
Ningxia Night Market – No visit to Taipei is complete without indulging in its culinary delights, and the city’s vibrant street food scene promises a feast for the senses. The city known for its numerous night markets, such as Raohe, Shilin and Nanjichang. Our hotel concierge recommended the Ningxia Night Market as one of the best places for street food. It is located on Ningxia Road, midway between the Dadaocheng district and Chifeng Street. The market has nearly 200 food stalls offering a wide array of options, such as braised pork over rice, chicken over rice, Taiwanese sausages, oyster omelets, grilled seafood, dumplings, fried stinky tofu, sweet potato balls, ice cream wraps and more. We ended our day by devouring some delicious scallion pancakes lathered in a garlic sauce. The market is open every night between 5pm and 1am.
Day 2 – Liberty Square, Taipei 101, Bopiliao Street, and Ximending District
Liberty Square / Chiange Kai-shek Memorial Hall – Amidst the urban hustle and bustle, Taipei boasts an abundance of green spaces where travelers can seek respite and rejuvenation. We started the morning walking from the hotel through the 228 Peace Memorial Park which is the home of the National Taiwan Museum as well as several attractive pagodas, lakes and the 228 Memorial Monument which honors victims of the February 28, 1947 massacre that occurred following an anti-government uprising. We continued to massive Liberty Square, which covers nearly 60 acres. The square is the site of major public gatherings and is home to the National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall. Visitors are greeted by the large main gate on Zhongshan Road South, designed in a traditional Chinese style, and includes five arched entrances. To the north of the gate is the National Concert Hall, and to the south is the National Theater Hall, both of which recall traditional elements of Chinese palace architecture.
The focal point of the square is the National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, which stands at the east end of the park. The hall honors the former President of the Republic of China who relocated to Taiwan in 1949 after the overthrow of the Kuomintang regime during the Chinese Civil War. The towering white brick building is topped with a blue double pagoda style roof, and 89 stairs (representing the Chiang’s age at the time of his death in 1975) lead to the arched entrance of the main hall. The ground level of the memorial houses a library and a museum documenting Chiang Kai-shek’s life and career, and exhibits about Taiwan’s history and development. The main hall holds a large statue of Chiang Kai-shek, and a guard mounting ceremony takes place at regular intervals.
Taipei 101 – No visit to Taipei would be complete without marveling Taipei 101, an architectural wonder that was once the tallest building in the world (between 2004 and 2010) at 508 meters, and 101 floors. It is also known for its energy efficiency and environmental design (such as water recycling and external heat reduction features), and the architectural style evokes traditional Asian aesthetics, including pagodas, a bamboo stalk, and feng shui influences. Visitors can ascend to the observatory deck on the 89th floor in 37 seconds for awe-inspiring views of the city skyline stretching to the horizon, a testament to Taipei’s soaring ambitions and innovative spirit. The lower portion of the mammoth complex includes a five level shopping mall filled with international high-end shops, local souvenir stores, restaurants, and a massive food court.
Our first stop was to check into the huge Din Tai Fung restaurant located on the main entry level. Since we had an hour long wait, we walked around the shopping mall to pass time. Once our table was ready, we followed a robot named Ollie to our table. The original restaurant was founded in Taipei in 1972 and has grown to numerous restaurants throughout the world. The Michelin star restaurant is known for its 18 fold steamed and stuffed buns known as xiaolongbao, which we devoured, along with a variety of other dumpling and noodle dishes.
From the skyscraper, we made our way south through Xiangshan Park to a path leading to Elephant Mountain. The short hike rewarded us with breathtaking views of Taipei 101 towering amidst a sea of skyscrapers.
Bopiliao Historic Block – We spent the rainy afternoon in Taipei’s Wanhua District exploring the restored Bopiliao Historic Block. Wanhua, located along the Tamsui River, is where Taipei began. The tranquil Bopiliao block is all that remains of a once larger bustling neighborhood and commercial area with history dating to the Qing Dynasty as well as the Japanese colonial period. The architecture is comprised of low rise 18th century red brick colonnaded buildings with remnants of Chinese, Japanese and western architecture. Visitors can tour a museum, and view various displays throughout the block showcasing the neighborhood’s history. Among them are the Fu Datong Tea Shop, the Longshan Buddhist Arts Shop, Fu Shan bamboo steamers, and the Sun Book Binding Factory.
Bangka Longshan Temple – We walked two blocks west to visit one of the most impressive and visited temples in Taipei, originally built by Han immigrants from Fujian in 1738. The Longshan temple has been rebuilt several times since, and is a haven of tranquility amidst the urban bustle of the city. It is dedicated to bodhisattva of mercy, Guanyin. The temple consists of three halls, that contain over 100 other gods and goddesses. The temple’s intricate architecture is adorned with colorful dragons and mythical creatures throughout, where one can immerse in the rituals of worship that have endured for centuries.
Ximending District – In the evening, we headed to the Ximending District. This is a pedestrianized entertainment district that was at one time the city’s main theater district. Today it is the bustling cultural center of Taipei, where young people gather for entertainment. It is filled with bright neon lights, murals, street art, trendy shops, theaters, restaurants, bars, and street food vendors. The area surrounding the historic Red House theater is the center of Taipei’s LGBT community. While in Ximending, we were lucky to catch the 2024 Taipei Lantern Festival, filled with colors, lights and blessings. The main lantern – Blessing Dragon – was illuminated to create an unforgettable visual feast.
Getting Around Taipei
Getting around Taipei is convenient and easy. The city has an expansive subway system known as Metro, as well as taxis, rideshare vehicles, and buses. The subway system is modern, clean, and punctual, and consists of six lines connecting all major areas of Taipei. Users queue in designated zones at the train doors to allow for orderly boarding. Vending machines include English translation, selling tokens and multiple types of passes, but we found that only cash was taken from the machines. Tokens and passes can also be purchased from attendants. An EasyCard can be purchased to reduce regular ticket prices for bus and metro services by 10–30%, plus discounts for multiple journeys in one day.
An EasyCard can be bought for 100NTD (about $3) plus top-up amount in any metro station or at any 7-Eleven convenience store around town. You can also use EasyCard in
Getting to and from the airport is also convenient. The Airport MRT line connects from the airport terminal to a MRT station located near Taipei Main Station. The ride takes less than 40 minutes.
Rideshare services are also available in Taipei through Uber.