P.S. If you’re not seeing the table of contents, click on the title of the post to go to its page. The table of contents is apparently not shown on the home page view.
1 USD = 31 NTD/TWD (New Taiwan Dollar) during my time there in 2024.
Locally, the prices are marked as NT.
Quick Summary Table
Place | Highlights | Practical Tips | Impression |
Taipei 101 | Observatory (89th floor), photo spots | Buy tickets online, avoid cloudy days | Crowded, amazing skyline on clear days |
Elephant Mountain | Fantastic views, free, around 700 steps | Good shoes, careful downhill | Worth the hike, highlight of trip |
Yehliu Geopark | Unique coastal rock formations | Lots to see, explore quickly if with a tour | Loved the scenery, wished for more time |
Shifen Old Street | Sky lanterns, street food, shops | Allow time for lanterns | Charming, lively, fun experience |
Shifen Waterfall | Taiwan’s widest waterfall, man-made | Easier to access with a guide | Pleasant but smaller than expected |
Jiufen Old Street | Mountain village, shops, unique food | Avoid weekends if possible | Crowded but atmospheric, worth it |
Ningxia Night Market | Street food stalls, try the stinky tofu | Be ready for crowds, lines and long wait | Exciting but stressful to actually get food |
Underground Mall (Taipei Main Station) | Shops, restaurants, claw machines, etc | Beware pushy skincare sellers | Fun and convenient for ATMs & shopping |
Practical Tips
Do not go during the Chinese New Year
First lesson learned: Do not visit Taipei during the Chinese New Year if possible!
I thought it’d be a great idea to visit Taipei during the Chinese New Year so I could enjoy the festivities, but it turned out that most local shops and restaurants are closed except for big shopping malls. Some attractions are still open but not all.
Cash, ATM, and Easy Card
If you want to eat local food and buy local goods—especially at local markets—you’ll need to take out cash. Mostly only expensive places accept credit cards.
I first used the ATM at the airport right outside the MRT (metro system). There’s an ATM machine beside the ticket machine that sells Easy Cards. Funny enough, the ATM gave me notes in thousands, but the ticket machine only accepts notes below 500, so I wasn’t able to buy the Easy Card there. Luckily, you can simply go to the service counter before entering the MRT, where a very friendly service person will help you get the card, load money, and answer your questions.
The Easy Card itself costs 100 NT, which is not refundable. I charged 400 NT into the card, which covered 2 airport trips of 150 NT each, plus 100 NT left for metro and bus rides. I was also told that you can easily refill the card at Seven Eleven, though I didn’t try that myself.
Taking the Metro and Bus in Taipei
Bus fare is normally 15 NT per trip, although once I was charged 8 NT and I still don’t know why. You can also use cash or coins to pay on the bus, but if you overpay, there’s no change. Another thing I noticed is that you need to beep your card both when getting on and when getting off the bus.
Also, you can’t rely on Google Maps 100% for the bus schedules in Taipei, at least in my experience. So try to be flexible and change to other buses or routes. Always stick to the information displayed at the bus stops instead. Otherwise you might end up waiting for a bus that never comes.
SIM Cards, Portable WIFI
Usually I buy local SIM cards wherever I travel, but this time I rented a portable wifi device which I didn’t know existed before. It’s quite small and very convenient. It lasted me the entire day when charged full. I found it on Klook. A lot of travel related things are on there for Asia.
The original plan for my first day in Taipei was to get lunch at a local restaurant after arrival, then hike up Elephant Mountain in the afternoon and visit Taipei 101 to enjoy the views both before and after sunset, and finally visit one of the famous night markets and eat away. But the first thing I noticed after taking the airport express train to town was that everything was closed. Luckily the hotel offered me some instant noodles so I didn’t have to starve. Then I started walking towards the bus stop to get to Elephant Mountain, but it was so unexpectedly cold that I couldn’t be outdoors any more and decided to go visit Taipei 101 directly. It wasn’t a good day for skyline views because it was completely cloudy, but I had no other indoor plans and couldn’t go buy a winter jacket even if I wanted to.
Taipei 101 Observatory
I purchased the ticket online beforehand together with the entrance ticket for Yehliu Geopark. When I arrived and saw the insanely long line, I was glad that I did get the ticket beforehand. I imagine the ticket line would take at least 40 – 60 minutes. I waited at least 15 minutes even with my pre-paid ticket. After I got my physical ticket at the counter, I was told to go to another line for the elevator that looked intimidatingly long. I guess a lot of visitors decided to come during the CNY like I did, especially families with small kids.
Finally my turn for the elevator, the elevator went up very fast – it took 37 seconds to get to the 89th floor where the observatory is.
There are in total 101 floors but you have to pay a lot more to get there. Once you’re up on the 89th floor, you get to enjoy the amazing panoramic views of Taipei.
Unfortunately, I got cloudy unclear views of the city which made me regret choosing to do this on that day. I’d definitely recommend that you avoid doing this on a cloudy day. Tickets are 600 NT for foreigners, about 20 USD. I considered coming back again for sunny views another day but with all the queueing, it felt like too much trouble.
The Observatory was designed to have lots of photo opportunities with decorated flowers and settings. Some of them had people lining up for photos. I do think this would be a fun experience for families and people who want to take cute photos.
Since most visitors are Chinese here, I noticed some unexpected things, such as this man lying on the floor.
Also, this family bought food for the kids and the kids had to eat it like this, which looked like they were being punished from afar.
I didn’t know why but I was feeling so tired that I had to sit and do nothing for 30 minutes. Then I went to B1 level to find food at the food court. I got a bibimbap for 190 NT. It tasted okay but I didn’t get full. I decided to go back to the hotel and rest since I had no energy. I went on the metro and started feeling extreme stomach cramps quickly after. I had to get off the metro quickly and luckily found a restroom at the metro station. Apparently I got food poisoning, for the first time in my life. I suspect it’s from the water I drank at HK airport. There was a place for filling up drinking water near the restroom and I remember I thought the water tasted weird. It could also be any food that I ate previously, I’d never know. Luckily it only lasted one hour and didn’t return, despite nausea and no energy.
This is outside Taipei 101.
More beautiful places to take photos for visitors.
And also, of course, let’s not forget this unique artwork:
More photo opportunities:
On my way back to the hotel, I ended up in the underground shopping street at Taipei Main Station. A boring and typical story coming up, skip if you want: I had to get some proper work shoes for my unexpected trip for the company offsite, so when I walked past a shoe store I thought I’d take a look. I ended up finding two pairs that would work so I needed to get more cash. While walking to the ATM, I was dragged into this entirely typical but first timer experience of people putting some cream on my hand and then face and trying to sell me stuff. I want to spare all the boring details, but in short I was reluctantly pressured into buying their cheapest product which was still 2000 NT, $70, very expensive in my opinion for 50 eye masks. I paid with my credit card and was finally able to leave. It was a very unpleasant experience for me. Then I went to withdraw money from the ATM and went back to the shoe store to buy my work shoes. I told her what had happened since I was gone for almost an hour. She told me that’s unfortunately what they do to sell their products. I said I regret buying it and she suggested that I return it. I didn’t even think of that but now I was determined to return it. It was a super uncomfortable experience but after talking to them for another what felt like 30 minutes, I was able to return it. I still haven’t seen the cancellation of that payment in my bank account yet after several days, but I’ll continue to check.
After all that I went back to the hotel to rest, finally. The hotel was unfortunately one of the worst I’ve ever stayed at, but the staff there were the most courteous and professional. I was almost amazed by their manners and attitudes.
Here’s a cool building on my way back:
The next day I woke up at 5 after very little sleep and I knew that I really needed a winter jacket to survive. Around 7 am, I asked the receptionist if she knew anywhere that would be open this early. She suggested Ximending which is a shopping area. I didn’t think there’d be shops that open so early but I went anyway, since the meetup point for my day tour was also there. I know that in China there are places selling wholesale clothes that open very early, like 6 am. I went out in the cold morning and took the metro. Sadly everything was closed, since this area is more like a usual shopping area with H&M, Adidas and the like. I walked around the almost empty streets that had trash lying around.
I tried to find an indoor place to get warmer but wasn’t able to. Eventually I went underground again and after walking around for a while I found a charging station which was a nice surprise. There are power banks that you can rent from the metro station, very convenient and smart.
Yehliu & Jiufen & Shifen & Shifen Waterfall Day Tour
Time for my exciting day tour! When I was looking at the map and interesting nature spots to visit in Taipei, I found some national parks and other spots near the coast including Yangmingshan National Park, Yehliu Geopark, Shen’ao Elephant Trunk Rock, Bitoujiao Trail, Jiufen Old Street, Buyan Pavilion, Shifen Waterfall, Shifen Old Street. See these spots on the outer edge of Taipei.
I was happy to find this tour that included many of my points of interest. For tours in Europe, I usually look at Viator but for Asia, you need to search on Klook.com.
It was a big bus with about 40 tourists on this tour. The tour guide was very knowledgeable, welcoming, friendly, and super helpful with all his background stories and practical tips. He was probably the best tour guide I’ve had. His name is Joseph, a Taiwanese local.
Yehliu Geopark
Our first stop was Yehliu Geopark 野柳地質公園. It’s a coastal area with interesting rock formations on the beach. We had from 9:20 to 10:40 to explore this area and I wish we had more. I enjoyed the rocks and this area very much despite all the crowds.
After taking all the photos, I had some time left and decided to hurry to the lighthouse. I quickly went up the trail hoping for great views on top. I did get to the lighthouse but unfortunately the last part of the trail was covered by trees and thus inaccessible. I got some views along the way but wouldn’t say it was super worth it if you’re short on time. If I had more free time, however, I would’ve loved to go out to the “Trail end observation deck”.
Shifen Old Street
Our second stop was Shifen with its sky lanterns. I didn’t know about the lanterns at first, but I understood that it’s a tradition for good luck. I strolled along the busy Shifen Old Street full of local eats and shops. It was a delightful experience to see all the happy people releasing their lanterns into the sky with all the wishes written on them. I wonder where these lanterns end up.
The first restaurant we walked past was stinky tofu, and I haven’t had stinky tofu for ages, so I was eager to eat it again. After I walked around the entire old street, I hurried back to the stinky tofu place and ordered one. It was tofu plus a bit of cabbage for 60 NT. It was a familiar taste but I think the ones I had in China had better seasonings. Still I was craving for more stinky tofu and ordered more later that day at the night market.
Shifen Waterfall
The third stop was the Shifen Waterfall, nicknamed Taiwan’s Niagara Falls. The falls’ total height is 20 meters and 40 meters in width, making it the broadest waterfall in Taiwan. It’s not at all obvious how to get to this waterfall after arrival and I was glad to have a tour guide. We had one hour here and went to all four viewing points. The waterfall is smaller than expected and actually man-made to my surprise. But it was very pleasant to see and feel the water on me. It’s not possible to reach the bottom and dip your toes though.
This is the top of the waterfall:
Jiufen
The last stop is the famous Jiufen. Our tour guide told us that it was a forgotten village at first but then became famous with a Taiwanese movie director who grew up here and took inspiration here for his three acclaimed movies. I also read online that the Japanese movie Spirited Away was inspired by Jiufen, so I was looking forward to finding the resemblance.
“In 1989, however, Taiwan New Cinema director Hou Hsiao-Hsien 侯孝賢 chose Jiufen as the setting for his groundbreaking City of Sadness 悲情城市, reviving interest in the small mountain enclave. Later, in the early 2000s, Jiufen struck cinematic gold again, when many Japanese viewers were struck by the similarities between the setting of Studio Ghibli’s Oscar-winning anime film Spirited Away and Jiufen’s scenery and architecture.”
This was the most crowded place I’ve visited in Taipei so far. It was barely possible to walk. I did get stepped on and pushed a few times. There are lots of small interesting shops and restaurants for local eats and souvenirs. I ate a beef noodle soup that had an interesting flavor, unlike other beef noodle soups I’ve had. I wouldn’t eat it again personally but it was definitely worth trying. I would’ve tried a lot more food if there wasn’t any time constraint.
As it was approaching sunset, I enjoyed the views from a few nice lookout points.
Jiufen actually reminded me of Eze Village in France which I visited not long ago. Both are small villages on a hill. I’d say that Eze is more beautiful in terms of nature and atmosphere and Jiufen is more for foodies and shoppers.
We had one and a half hours to explore here, giving us enough time to have a proper meal. I do regret not trying more local foods there.
After Jiufen, we drove back to Ximen Station. I was very happy with the tour and what I got to experience, even though I did find it a bit tiring with a lot of walking. (I walked a total of 13.9 km / 8.6 miles for this entire day.)
Ningxia Night Market
There are many options for night markets in Taipei, but I opted for a less popular one called Ningxia Night Market, as it was recommended by a local. I took the bus there and man oh man, now this is the most crowded place that I’ve ever been to in my life!
It was an entire street full of street food stalls on both sides and you could barely order anything since the lines were so long. I tried to walk through in the middle but couldn’t the first time, so I walked out to the side and continued to the other end of the street without getting anything to eat. Then I was determined to walk through it again and get some stinky tofu. I managed this time with people pushing me from behind. I finally ordered one stinky tofu and waited around 20 minutes for that. It was quite an experience and it felt like it was very difficult to get some food in there unless you’re prepared to queue and wait for a long time. I heard a few foreigners saying “is it time for McDonald’s?” It’s a little sad to hear but it proves the point that it’s not easy to actually get food in there. I still enjoyed my stinky tofu nonetheless, but the experience was too frustrating for me to do it again.
Underground Shopping Mall
On my way back, I walked past the underground shopping mall again. I was surprised by how many shops there are for claw machines and other toy collections.
This above is a claw machine for instant noodles. Yes, I was surprised too.
There was a whole area for small restaurants as well.
Of course we have spots for photos, it’s Taiwan.
Elephant Mountain
I originally planned for Maokong Gondola but it was unfortunately closed due to CNY. Since this day was a sunny day, I decided to hike up the Elephant Mountain. I started from the spot called Elephant Mountain Trailhead on Google Maps (see photo below). There are other ways to hike up as well.
I read somewhere that it was 500 steps to the top. I was curious so I started counting. After around 10 minutes and 600-700 steps, you reach the first observation point with very nice views.
Then you can continue up to reach the top. It’s definitely worth doing because the summit offers even better views. See photos below.
I didn’t want to take the same way down so I went to the other side and started going downhill. Be careful not to go too fast and twist your ankle like I did.
I had one more spot on my list – Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall. I decided to skip it in the end to have time to eat lunch. The Elephant Mountain is on the East Side and it takes an hour to get back to Taipei Main Station by public transportation. It’s much faster by car, only around 20 min. I often take public transportation when I travel (but in Egypt and Morocco, take Uber, it really costs next to nothing even for long distances).
I found a restaurant on Google Maps but it wasn’t open when I arrived. Luckily there was a Cong Zhua Bing shop right after and I got to eat a tasty scallion pancake with fried egg for 55 NT. It’s not enough food to get full, but it’s a bit too greasy to have two.
I walked back to the hotel and got a hot milk tea and soy milk on the way. I’ve always heard of Taiwanese milk tea but it didn’t taste much different from the other milk teas I’ve had before. I’d say that the traditional Hong Kong milk tea that is often served with breakfast and lunch at restaurants in Hong Kong is much richer in taste. Be careful though, HK milk tea is as strong as coffee apparently. But it’s just so tasty that you can’t stop drinking it.
Here is a photo of the MRT station at Taipei Main Station where you take the train to the airport (150 NT).
From hiking Elephant Mountain to wandering through Jiufen to eating stinky tofu again after so many years, Taipei gave me plenty of moments to remember. Even with cloudy views at Taipei 101 and Chinese New Year closures, the city’s energy and character still shone through. I’d love to return one day, better prepared and ready to discover even more.
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