Taipei, in a day
I originally wrote this for a friend who was laying-over in Taipei as part of a longer trip. It’s hard to condense all the amazing sights and tastes of Taipei in a single day, but I tried, based on a (too-short) one-week trip I made there.
Stuck in lockdown, I’ve been quite nostalgic for my time spent traveling, so have decided to share this more broadly.
Here is my recommended one-day itinerary in Taipei!
Below is a map and here is a link to said map with all the stops marked. As you can see, it’s quite a lot of walking — about 6 miles. There is a big part in the middle between Daan Park and Taipei 101 that can be subwayed (MRT — will cost around 25 NTD or about $0.80 in USD as of this writing, so practically nothing) which will save some time and walking.
Itinerary
First of all, if you see anything interesting you want to try on the side of the street, just try it! Often there are no prices but everything is extremely economical so you’re not likely to regret it. Taipei is one of my favorite food cities in Asia. Look out in particular for zongzi (savoury or sweet), tea eggs, and bao buns — these are great street food.
- Start at Lungshan Temple: it is absolutely gorgeous. Take time to read the pamphlets, and walk around all the auxiliary shrines within. I spent time people watching as people went through their prayers and rituals as well.
- From here, head southeast to the Botanical Garden. The garden actually borders the National Museum of History in case that interests you, but I think it can be skipped. Stroll around, do some more people watching (see the elders go through their exercise routines), and hang out by the lily pond.
- Next, stop by the East Gate on your way to Liberty Square and the National Chang Kai Shek Memorial. This is one of the old gates to the city, and is stunning. To be honest I admired from a distance. At Liberty Square/park, whip out your phone and do some reading on Chang Kai Shek as you make your way to the memorial. It’ll give you some additional appreciation at the top!
- Time for food! I’ve starred two places on this next part of the route — the first is Hangzhou Xiao Long Bao (杭州小籠湯包) an unpretentious xiaolongbao (soup dumpling) and dim sum restaurant (they do other stuff too) right by the memorial. It is absolutely delicious and I highly recommend, particularly for soup dumplings — a Taiwanese specialty (though they’re actually likely originally Shanghainese).
- The other option is Din Tai Fung (鼎泰豐 信義店), one of the most famous dim sum restaurants-turned-chain in Taipei. Dim sum is a Taiwanese mainstay and Din Tai Fung does it justice, but honestly, the reputation might have gone to their heads a bit because I think it lacks the price performance of other places. This means that it may cost $20 USD per person which is generally totally fine but turns out to be quite high for Taipei.
- There is a third place around here (couldn’t star because of destination limit in Google Maps) called Yongkang Beef Noodles (永康牛肉麵). Beef Noodle soup is a Taiwanese specialty and this is the best place in town for it. Get one with tendon and meat mix, or mix as a group and try both!
- Too many food options in one great place? I know! Maybe eat a little in each, or go to Daan Park and afterwards go eat again before taking the subway to Taipei 101. Honestly this area is food mecca in Taipei.
- Due to it’s tropical island climate, Taiwan is famous for its oolong tea, and it produces about 20% of the world’s supply. Tea drinkers may recognize the name Formosa, which is the old colonial name for the island (like Sri Lanka and Ceylon). In this stretch is also a wonderful tea shop named Shing Hwa (興華名茶) — the proprietor sells only the tea grown on his family farm. He spent close to an hour with me explaining about various teas and tasting several with me, and also spent some time speaking of his personal philosophy. It’s definitely a locals store and I doubt many 老外 (laowai, slang for foreigner) come to the store, but you can’t go wrong here!
- After lunch (and tea!) take a rest in Daan Forest Park. It’s a nice place to chill, watch birds in the pond, and people watch.
- Next stop, Taipei 101! As I mentioned already, you can take a subway at this point. I chose to meander on side streets in the general direction. Along the way, stop by somewhere for bubble tea! I generally prefer the ‘classic’ with big black pearls — they also have a brown sugar bubble tea specialty but I found it to be too sweet.
- Do some shopping in the mall in the tower, go to the observation deck if you’re interested, or just meander around enjoying the architecture!
- If you still have energy (and the weather is clear), do the short hike up part of Elephant Mountain. Be warned, there are lots of stairs. Once you get to the big rocks, you’re in the right place! This is one of the best places to see the city and Taipei 101 — before sunset is the best time to go so you should be right on schedule!
- Now what? More food! Shilin Night Market (士林夜市) is arguably the most famous in Taiwan, but I can’t say it’s really that much better than others — but it’s definitely bigger. After all that walking, your best bet may be to go back to your hotel, relax a bit, and ask the front desk which night market they recommend going to for both quality and accessibility from where you are staying.
- Keep your eyes out for giant takoyaki (technically a Japanese snack but Taiwan has its unique style) which are stuffed octopus balls, mapo tofu (stinky tofu, you’ll smell it before you see it 😅), pepper buns, Hotstar fried chicken, pepper buns, and more bubble tea.
Enjoy!
-Barry
Are there any other must see places that you think you can fit into the day? Any other must-try restaurants along the way? Leave a comment!
