Trip highlights
- 1Taipei 101 observation deck
- 2Shilin Night Market — food and energy
- 3Jiufen Old Street at dusk
- 4National Palace Museum imperial collection
- 5Elephant Mountain sunrise hike
Daily spend
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Day-by-day plan
Arrival & Ximending
Friday, October 1
Est. spend
$65
per person
🌅 Morning
Arrive at Taoyuan International Airport
Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport
Taoyuan Airport (TPE) is 40km from Taipei. Airport MRT (purple line) to Taipei Main Station takes 35 minutes (NT$160/$5). Taxis cost NT$1,100–1,300 ($35–42). The Airport MRT is fast and easy with luggage.
Get an EasyCard (悠遊卡) at the airport — NT$100 deposit ($3), preloaded with credit. Works on all MRT, buses, bikeshare, and 7-Eleven purchases.
☀️ Afternoon
Ximending — Taipei's harajuku
Ximending, Wanhua District, Taipei
Taipei's youth culture district — covered pedestrian streets with streetwear shops, tattoo parlours, anime and K-pop merchandise, street performers, and an extraordinary diversity of food. The Red House (1908 red brick octagonal theatre) at the centre is now an arts venue and LGBTQ hub.
The best tacos in Asia are at a Mexican stall in Ximending (finding it is half the fun). More practically: the scallion pancakes (蔥抓餅) and stinky tofu stalls are the local standard.
🌙 Evening
Shilin Night Market
Jihe Rd, Shilin District, Taipei
The largest and most famous night market in Taiwan — 600+ stalls covering a full city block. Oyster omelette (蚵仔煎), large fried chicken (雞排), stinky tofu, scallion pancakes, bubble tea, and grilled corn. The underground food court has additional stalls.
The large fried chicken stall (基士頓 or the original 豪大大雞排) has a queue — it's worth it. NT$85 ($2.70) for a chicken cutlet the size of your face.
🍽️ Meals
Shilin Night Market
Taiwanese street food · $18 · Multiple stalls. Budget NT$400–600 for a full food tour.
Taipei 101 & Elephant Mountain
Saturday, October 2
Est. spend
$90
per person
🌅 Morning
Elephant Mountain sunrise hike
Xiangshan Trailhead, Xinyi District, Taipei
The Xiangshan (Elephant Mountain) trail behind Xinyi district — a 30-minute steep hike to the rocky viewpoint that gives the classic Taipei 101 photograph from the east. The sunrise view of the city with 101 rising in the centre is extraordinary.
Arrive at 5:45am for sunrise. The trail is 20 minutes from Xiangshan MRT station (Red Line). Steps are steep — wear trainers. The viewpoint rocks are crowded on weekends.
☀️ Afternoon
Taipei 101 observation deck
No. 45, Section 5, Xinyi Rd, Xinyi District, Taipei
The 508m tower was the world's tallest building from 2004 to 2010. The outdoor deck on floor 91 (360° view) and the indoor deck on floor 89. The 1,000-tonne damper ball (the world's largest tuned mass damper, visible through a glass panel) is an engineering marvel.
Book online at taipei-101.com.tw — NT$600 ($19.50) adult. Floor 91 outdoor deck is included and gives the best views. Go at sunset for dual experience: daytime city view then evening lights.
Xinyi Shopping District and Din Tai Fung
Xinyi District, Taipei
The Xinyi district around Taipei 101 has the best urban shopping in Taiwan — the Breeze, ATT 4 FUN, and Bellavita malls alongside the main tower. Din Tai Fung's original location in Xinyi is the restaurant that put Taiwanese food on the world map.
Din Tai Fung Xinyi (No. 2 branch, across from 101) usually has a 30–60 minute wait. The xiao long bao (soup dumplings) are worth every minute. Order the truffle version if on the menu.
🍽️ Meals
Din Tai Fung, Xinyi
Taiwanese/Shanghainese · $25 · Get the xiao long bao, steamed buns, and cucumber salad. The Michelin star is absolutely deserved.
National Palace Museum & Beitou Hot Springs
Sunday, October 3
Est. spend
$65
per person
🌅 Morning
National Palace Museum
221 Zhishan Rd, Section 2, Shilin District, Taipei
The National Palace Museum holds the world's largest and finest collection of Chinese imperial art — 700,000 objects brought to Taiwan by the Nationalist government in 1949. The Jadeite Cabbage (jade carved to look like a leaf), the Meat-Shaped Stone (jasper carved to look like a pork belly), and the collection of Song Dynasty calligraphy are the headline objects.
The museum is enormous — focus on the 3rd floor (painting and calligraphy), 2nd floor (jade and stone), and 1st floor (bronzes and ceramics) for a 3-hour visit. The audio guide is excellent.
☀️ Afternoon
Beitou hot springs district
Beitou District, Taipei
Taipei's hot spring neighbourhood 30 minutes north by MRT — historic Japanese-era bathhouses, the Thermal Valley (Diyu Gu, Hell Valley: 100°C sulfurous green lake), and modern spa hotels offering soak packages. The Xinbeitou Public Bath (NT$40/$1.30) is a working hot spring pool open to all.
The Beitou Hot Spring Museum (free) is in the former 1913 Japanese-era public bath — one of the most beautiful wood and stone buildings in Taipei. The Thermal Valley (free viewing) is 2 minutes walk from the museum.
🍽️ Meals
Gwangjang-equivalent: Longshan Temple night market
Taiwanese street food · $12 · The Huaxi Street Night Market (Snake Alley) near Longshan Temple is the oldest in Taipei. Less touristy than Shilin.
Jiufen & Northeast Coast
Monday, October 4
Est. spend
$55
per person
🌅 Morning
Jiufen Old Street day trip
Jiufen, Ruifang District, New Taipei City
Jiufen is 50km northeast of Taipei — a former gold mining village of narrow stone-paved lanes, red lanterns, and teahouses perched on the hillside overlooking the Pacific. Widely believed to have inspired the setting for Studio Ghibli's Spirited Away. Bus from Zhongxiao Fuxing station (910 bus, 80 minutes, NT$90/$3).
The Amei Teahouse (most photographed in Taiwan) and the A-Zhu Peanut Ice Cream Roll stalls are the two essential stops. Arrive before noon on weekends — the lanes become extremely crowded by 2pm.
☀️ Afternoon
Jinguashi Gold Ecological Park
Jinguashi, Ruifang District, New Taipei City
Adjacent to Jiufen — the Jinguashi gold mine (operated during Japanese rule) is now an open-air museum and walking trail. The Crown Prince Chalet ruins (burnt down 1931) and the mine tunnel tour (NT$80/$2.60) are interesting. The coastal walk from here to Bitou Cape is spectacular.
🍽️ Meals
Jiufen teahouse and street food
Taiwanese · $15 · Order taro balls in sweet soup (湯圓) and peanut ice cream roll (花生冰淇淋) — the two Jiufen street foods.
Longshan Temple & Departure
Tuesday, October 5
Est. spend
$55
per person
🌅 Morning
Longshan Temple morning prayers
211 Guangzhou St, Wanhua District, Taipei
The 1738 Longshan Temple is Taipei's most important religious site — a multi-deity temple where Buddhists, Taoists, and folk religion practitioners come to pray simultaneously. The morning incense clouds, the devotional chanting, and the sheer complexity of the religious iconography make this one of the most atmospheric places in Taiwan.
The temple is free and open from 6am. The fortune telling (moon blocks and bamboo sticks) has a long tradition — ask any helpful local to explain the process.
Dihua Street and herb market
Dihua Street, Datong District, Taipei
Taipei's oldest commercial street — dried seafood, traditional Chinese medicine herbs, fabric merchants, and traditional pastry shops operating from 19th-century Fujian-style shophouses. The Lunar New Year goods shopping makes this Taipei's most traditional neighbourhood.
Buy dried longyan (dragon eye fruit), Taiwanese preserved plums, and pineapple cakes here — the Dihua Street shops have better quality and lower prices than airport shops.
☀️ Afternoon
Airport transfer
Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport
Airport MRT from Taipei Main Station to Taoyuan Airport: 35 minutes. Allow 3 hours before international departure.
🍽️ Meals
Yong Kang Beef Noodle
Taiwanese · $12 · The best beef noodle soup in Taiwan (it's a competitive category). The red-braised beef with hand-pulled noodles is the definitive Taiwanese comfort food.
Before you go
📅 Best time to visit
October–December and March–May. Typhoon season (July–September) brings extreme weather on some days — plan around it. January–February is cool and dry — Lunar New Year transforms the city.
🛂 Visas
Most nationalities (US, UK, EU, Australian, Canadian, Japanese) get 90-day visa-free entry to Taiwan. No formal application required for most — stamp on arrival.
💱 Currency
New Taiwan Dollar (NT$). 31 NT$ per USD. Taiwan is excellent value. ATMs everywhere — use 7-Eleven ATMs (no commission, 24 hours).
🆘 Emergency numbers
police: 110
ambulance: 119
tourist service: 0800-011-765
💬 Things you won't find in a guidebook
- 7-Eleven in Taiwan is not a convenience store — it's where Taiwanese people pay bills, buy tickets, print documents, ship parcels, and eat proper hot meals. The oden (hot broth with fishcakes and eggs) and instant noodles prepared on-site are genuinely good.
- Taiwanese people are the friendliest in Asia with the highest density of people who want to practice English. Asking for directions will often result in someone walking you there.
- Bubble tea (珍珠奶茶) originated in Taiwan. The standard order: jasmine green tea, 50% sugar, regular ice, with tapioca pearls. Chun Shui Tang in Taichung claims to have invented it in 1986.
One thing worth not skipping
A 5-day trip to Taipei, Taiwan without insurance is a gamble. Medical emergencies, cancelled flights, lost luggage — cover yourself before you leave.
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