Taiwan is my favorite place I’ve traveled to. Why? Because the food is amazing, the people are lovely and warm, and the food is incredible: It’s so incredible that I decided to dedicate a gallery (scroll down) to food that I ate while I was there in this post. I write specifically about Taipei in this post, but I have another post dedicated to other areas of Taiwan that I traveled to.
Travel Cheat Sheet
- Stay updated with Taiwan’s covid travel restrictions.
- Book a room on Airbnb
- If you don’t have an unlocked phone, prior to your trip, book a wifi egg that you can pick up at TPE airport.
- Download Uber and read this article on how to purchase your MRT card. You can purchase and reload your MRT card them at any station.
- Keep your receipts and enter them into the Taiwan lottery. I won $200 last time I visited the country. The drawings occur monthly.
Living Arrangements
There are plenty of hotels or Airbnbs to stay in. The first time I traveled to Taiwan, I traveled solo and stayed at an Airbnb that had several rooms and guests. The second time I visited, I went with my husband and we booked an Airbnb in an apartment-style building. Hotel rooms and apartments are much smaller in Taipei than they are in the United States so be prepared to work with small spaces.
Things To Do
Shopping: There are a ton of cute gift shops all over the city. These stores typically carry handmade goods. One of my favorite chain stores to visit was Eslite Bookstore. There are several locations all over the city.
XiMenDing District: Known to be a more lively part of town, Ximending has a lot of shopping and cute cafes to visit. On a typical evening, you’ll see a ton of people in the middle of streets near the shopping center. Ximending is also known to be Taipei’s largest LGBTQ community.
Taipei 101: You will have to pay to ride the elevator to the top floor, but it’s worth It because from there you can see the entire city.
Night Markets: There are night markets all across Taiwan filled with shopping and food. The most popular night market in Taiwan is Shilin Night Market. Some markets also have arcades where you can win prizes. One popular game that you’ll see is a fishing game where the objective of the game is to pick up a fish with a net made of paper.
Daan Park: We decided to take a stroll through Daan park after we had lunch at Din Tai Fung since they are located near each other. The park is filled with squirrels and trees. I remember the park being pretty quiet and peaceful as we walked through it. The most memorable features for me were the Banyan trees and the bamboo plants.
You can easily get to other districts in Taiwan from Taipei. During my last trip, Jesse and I visited Beitou, Jiufen, and Chiayi. Check out my guide here.
Getting Around
It’s very easy to get around in Taipei. Public transportation is very easy to use or you can get around using Uber. Depending on where you are, it might make sense to choose one method of transportation over the other. I love that it is so easy to get pretty much anywhere in Taipei because the public transportation system is so great there. Also, the city is fairly safe so it’s perfectly fine to walk around at night. If you’re traveling by yourself, I would just be aware of your surroundings, but I would heed this advice anywhere.
Food Gallery
Famous Black Pepper Buns Nightmarket Foods The Original Din Tai Fung Tofu Dessert Wulao Hotpot Aquatic Addiction Amazing fresh sushi at Aquatic Addiction Amazing fresh sushi at Aquatic Addiction Night Market Foods Pig Blood Cake Pork Hock (Pig Feet) Taiwanese Food
Food
My favorite part about traveling is eating food, and Taipei has a ton of food to try. Depending on how adventurous you are, your options range from the prolific number of street vendors to Michelin star restaurants. See below for my list of favorite foods and food spots in Taipei. My husband and I ate at a ton of restaurants in Taipei. I am only sharing a few of the places that we ate at. Almost all of the food we had was amazing.
- Nightmarkets: Specifically Rao He Night Market where you can find specialities like famous black pepper buns, skewers, pig blood cakes, and other amazing food.
- Aquatic Addiction: Fishmarket with sushi market in the back. The fish here was fresher than all of the sushi restaurants I’ve tried in the states with the exception of the restaurant that served live halibut in Rowland Heights. The price is very reasonable for the food quality and portions.
- Original Din Tai Fung: Famous for their XLBs or Xiao Long Baos, DTF is a popular restaurant in California. Their location in Hong Kong received a Michelin Star. Be ready to wait at least 30 minutes to be seated.
- Wu Lao Hotpot: This was my favorite restaurant that we ate at in Taipei
