Taipei, Taiwan

Taipei is a city of about 2.6 million people in northern Taiwan, efficiently served by a metro system, dense with food stalls, and considerably cheaper than Tokyo or Seoul for an equivalent standard of experience. The food is the main attraction for many visitors, and it earns the reputation.

Taipei 101 and Xinyi

Taipei 101 was the world’s tallest building from 2004 to 2010 and remains the defining object on the skyline at 508 metres. The observation deck on the 89th floor costs 600 NTD and the views are expansive on clear days; the Taipei basin sits surrounded by green hills on three sides. The high-speed elevators reach the 89th floor in 37 seconds. The building also functions as a wind-damper; the 660-tonne tuned mass damper on floors 87 to 92 is publicly visible and has become something of a feature attraction.

The Xinyi district around 101 is Taipei’s upscale commercial centre: department stores, restaurants with Michelin coverage, and the highest concentration of international hotels.

National Palace Museum

The National Palace Museum in the Shilin district houses the collection taken to Taiwan by the Nationalist government in 1949: roughly 700,000 objects from the imperial collections of the Ming and Qing dynasties. The jade cabbage and the meat-shaped stone (a jasper formation that looks like braised pork belly) are the famous drawcards and always crowded. The broader holdings of ceramics, bronzes, and calligraphy are more substantial and less mobbed. Budget at least three hours. Entry costs 350 NTD; closed Mondays.

Longshan Temple and Wanhua

Longshan Temple in the Wanhua district, in the older southwest part of the city, is a working temple dedicated to Guanyin with active worshippers at most hours. The incense smoke, the prayer recitations, and the general density of the place give a sense of Taiwanese religious practice that the National Palace Museum does not. The surrounding Wanhua neighbourhood has the old Bopiliao Historic Block: a short preserved street of Qing-era shophouses used as a cultural space.

Night Markets

Shilin Night Market is the most famous and the largest, operating from around 17:00. The food options are extensive; oyster omelettes, stinky tofu, grilled corn, and shaved ice desserts are everywhere. The cooking quality is genuinely good at the better stalls. Raohe Street Night Market in Songshan district is smaller and less tourist-dominated.

Din Tai Fung on Xinyi Road is the original branch of the famous Xiaolongbao chain; the queue at lunchtime is usually 30 to 45 minutes but moves steadily. The dumplings cost about 210 NTD for a basket of ten.

Getting Around

The MRT (Mass Rapid Transit) covers all major tourist areas and runs until 24:00. A stored-value EasyCard costs 100 NTD and reduces fares by 20 percent. A single journey across most of the central city costs 25 to 45 NTD. Taxis are metered and honest; 70 NTD flag fall covers the first 1.25 kilometres.

Taoyuan International Airport is 40 kilometres southwest; the Airport MRT takes 35 minutes to Taipei Main Station and costs 160 NTD.