4 April Days in Taipei, Taiwan

Two months before settling in on Asia, I needed to be convinced by Evan to choose Taiwan. Two weeks before we left, (after we had done crazy amounts of research) I suspected we wouldn’t want to leave. And when we did leave, we actually teared up in the airport, which we have only ever done when leaving Patagonia. Our feelings and love for this country/trip are biased (stay tuned).. but for now, let’s start with some Taiwanese quips and a 4 day Taipei itinerary. I do NOT recommend 4 days- we never stopped running and still only covered half. I recommend 6-7 days at the very least if you’re the type to want to squeeze everything in and allow for mishaps. 

Quips: 

• People: The most polite people of any country I’ve ever been to. The people embrace a shared community where everyone values cleanliness, serving and watching out for each other, and doing so with their whole heart (or at least it appears to be so). No one looks at your directly when walking, no one stares or even glances- it seems to be a sign of respect. 
• Weather: is extremely temperamental. We had rain almost our entire time in Taipei, and had packed nothing for that- we had anticipated 70’s and 80’s Fahrenheit and instead got 50’s and 60’s. As with any place, it does of course impact your enjoyment of seeing everything in bright colors. Speaking of rain, everyone leaves their umbrellas at the front of any store/temple/restaurant etc.. and no one takes it. You could leave an entire bag and my suspicion is no one would steal a thing. Something else to keep in mind on rainy days is that night markets close up to 1-2 hrs early. Packing tip: pack for all kinds of weather, because weather predictions can even change the day before.
• City trends/culture: Many street blocks are organized by industry- a street with all tech,  a street for bookstores, a street for shoes, etc. Much like other Asian countries, the 7-11 game here is strong. People come to 7-11 for a proper meal, and at some gas stations we drove through the country, lines at 7-11 were shockingly long. One of the greatest forms of entertainment for people is karaoke. There are claw machines and entire retail locations filled with claw machines only – they’re huge here, and variations of pinball as well. Cleanliness appears to be a priority here too – possibly the cleanest country we’ve been to so far, and every toilet (public ones included) have heated bidets!
• Transportation: People line up for subways and subways come very often (every few minutes) and are always on time. When crossing the street, you will very rarely see someone jaywalk. The streetlights for pedestrians also light up with a stick figure who is walking and speeds up as time runs out to cross the street, indicating how quickly to cross. Though we rented a car only on our last day in Taipei, driving seems extremely easy. Every single country we go to we read that driving is difficult. We thought Taiwan was actually one of the easiest. Drivers usually stay in their lane and rarely cut others. There were also a fair amount of motorcyclists.
• Holidays: during the week we traveled to Taiwan, the “Tomb Sweeping Holiday” was occurring, which is also celebrated in other Asian countries as well. In Taiwan, it was a 4 day period and caused road closures, affected travel (ex: couldn’t secure a highspeed rail (HSR) ticket in advance) and there were generally more people bustling through the streets.
• Skincare: seems to be focused on masks. They have Japanese, Korean and French skincare lines, but definitely also have Taiwanese skincare and makeup lines with a following. Their skincare stores are Cosmeds and Watsons, often placed next to each other for completion. Their pharmacies are “Family Mart”.
• Drinks & Food: People don’t seemingly drink alcohol with their meals at restaurants (we suspect home may be a different story?) We saw less phones out during meals in this country than in most – people actually seem to enjoy talking to one another at the table. My most peculiar drink: the freshly squeezed orange juice bottle I bought in 7-11 came with bubbles and it was delicious. I also really enjoyed the bottled barley teas. Diabetic quip: Food is rough in Taiwan for diabetics. By day 3 I was almost crying in desire for a salad, and never found one in Taiwan. Because I don’t eat as many carbs as the average person, and Evan is a vegetarian, we didn’t enjoy the night markets as much as the next person, but we still ate some extremely interesting food (see below). Taiwan also has great bubble tea (it’s the originator of it), quality fruit, and dim sum.
• Rental Cars: we rented from Avis and while the pickup and dropoff locations were not actually at the airport as indicated, the rest of the experience with the representatives was smooth. What we read is true though, Evan was grilled more about his international driver’s license here than any other country.
• History/Social Fun Facts: presidential terms are for four years, and a president can only be elected to two terms. There are three parties: the KNT nationalist party (the blue party), the TWO Taiwan’s people party (the green party), and the White Power (not green, and not blue – not an actual white supremacist group, just a strange name for westerners to hear). Generally, those under 45 years of age consider themselves Taiwanese. Those over 45, consider themselves to be half Chinese. The new Taiwanese dollar was established by the national bank in the 1950’s in an attempt to decrease inflation at the time. 2018 is the year gay marriage was legalized in Taiwan (the first Asian country to do so) and they have a huge gay parade the week of Halloween.

4 April Days in Taipei, Taiwan Itinerary:

Day 0: Flight from NYC -> Taipei (with a layover in Portland, Seattle)
Day 1: Breakfast at hotel -> walking tour with Tour Me Away (including 228 peace park, National Taiwan Museum, walking through markets and a stop for tea, ending at the Red House -> then we spent time at the Red House and went back to the museum -> Lungshan Temple -> Rahoe Night Mkt
Day 2: Breakfast at 4+ Break -> 1914 Creative Park -> About H Cat Cafe -> Miniature Museum -> Din Tai Fung lunch -> Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall -> Taipei 101 -> Shilin Night Mkt
Day 3: Breakfast at Fu Yang Soy Milk ->  Jiufen -> Jiufen Tea House & Tea Ceremony -> Ningxia Night Mkt
Day 4: Egg Butt -> National Palace Museum -> Yangmingshan National Park Qingtiangang Grasslands -> grabbed car and went to Veggienius -> Elephant Mountain -> drive to Chiayi
Days 5-7 in another post: Chiayi -> Fengihu -> Shizhou -> Alishan -> Fo Guang Shan Temple -> Fly out of Kaohsiung

Activity Highlights

Taipei City Highlights (blue markers on the map above)

Tour Me Away Old Town Tour & History: Taiwan, also known as Formosa, was given this name, meaning Beautiful Island, by the Portuguese. The Dutch colonized Taiwan in the 1620’s, and in the 1670’s, Taiwan became part of China under the Ching dynasty. In 1895, after battling with Japan, the land became a colony of Japan’s. Under their rule, the infrastructure of the country was built up, but the people were rated as second class people to Japan and were forced to speak and dress like the Japanese. In 1945, Taiwan became a province of the ROC (Republic of China).

On February 27th, 1947, Chinese officers arrested a Taiwanese woman for selling illegal tobacco and hit the back of her head with a pistol. A bullet was shot in the air by an officer as a warning that happened to hit a Taiwanese man on a balcony, which killed him. People ran to a radio station to broadcast what happened and protests/riots began. Both sides got violent, but the Chinese had more weapons. The Taiwanese governor at the time exaggerated the situation and asked for troops to be sent. While the government said about 1,000 people died, locals think it was closer to 10,000. This became known as the 228 (Feb 28) massacre, and the park is the memorial for this massacre. Martial law was imposed for 38 years – during which there was no freedom of speech, gathering, etc – and was referred to as the “Y Terror”. A half Taiwanese/half Chinese man elected to the presidency in 1996 stopped the martial law and brought democracy.

The tour including stopping at the park, walking through markets and past the Presidential House as well as walking past the Museum of Taiwan, which we then went back to. We also stopped by the Red House, which may have been a cemetery in the past. The Japanese used it as as a market hall. Then it was used to promote the Chinese Opera. Then it was used as a pornography theater. Now it is an art market which we really enjoyed.

1914 Creative Park: previously a winery in 1914, in 2005 this was reconstructed as a creative park where artists, theater groups, painters, wood sculptors, writers, movie producers and directors from Taiwan and abroad have used the park as a space to showcase their talents and hold activities for for non-profit organizations.

Small is Beautiful Exhibit/Museum: this is a museum we went to after the 1914 Creative Park and I haven’t been this excited at a museum since I visited Art in Paradise in 2018 in Chiang Mai, Thailand. This exhibit in Taiwan, which has been going around the world, featured international artists sharing their artworks on a miniature scale that don’t cease to amaze in detail, uniqueness, and creativity.

Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall: this needs a half day rather than the hour we spent running around. This includes a three-story memorial building in memory of Chiang Kai-shek, the former President of the Republic of China and also details Taipei’s history and development. Down the boulevard from the memorial is the democracy square, which is now commonly used for demonstrations as well as the National Concert Hall and National Theater, both of which also have restaurants and cafes.

Taipei 101: once the tallest building in the world, it is now the 11th tallest (in 2025) and has 101 floors with an observatory that we visited on the 88th-91st floors (using a high speed elevator that got us there in 37 seconds). The building also holds restaurants and a high end shopping mall. Because it was cloudy/rainy when we went, we only had 20% visibility, but ce la vie. The highlight for Evan was seeing the “660-ton tuned mass damper, a golden steel sphere suspended within the tower, which helps to reduce swaying during strong winds and earthquakes.”

Lungshan Temple: a temple built in 1738 that has been destroyed multiple times by earthquakes (and once in 1945 by American bombers) but has always been consistently rebuilt. There is an order for spots one must follow while at the temple. One can also pray to a deity of their choice (deities of medicine, literature, love, etc). We also learned about jiaobei moon blocks. You ask a question of the deities, and then depending on how the moon blocks land on the floor indicates a yes, no, they are laughing at the question, or ask again (they don’t understand).

Elephant Mountain: is known for its viewpoint atop the city, but it’s a trek to get up there (literally, there are around 600 steps). There are two pavilions that most people go to and then turn around. Because we were doing the hike at 11pm and had to drive for 3 hours to get to our next destination (Alishan area), we also concluded at our journey at the second pavilion. Should we return, I would do the entire (estimated) one hour loop.

Day Trip(s) North of Taipei (Green markers on the map above):

National Palace Museum: Housing artifacts and artwork from the Qing dynasty, my favorites included the unbelievably long scrolls of paintings (measuring up to 17 feet!), the pottery (particularly teapots), and jewelry (especially the jade).

Yangmingshan National Park – Qingtiangang Grasslands Loop: This park can be visited for a day or several days. We had intended to rent a scooter, to do the grasslands loop and see the cala lilly fields which were in season, ending the day at the Beitou Hot Springs. Unfortunately, the weather had other plans for us so we only did the grasslands loop. But, I still think it was beautiful and worth it. Next time I’d come back and spend an entire day or two here and do the real hiking trails. Highlight: we did see some water buffalo!

Day Trip to Jiufen (purple markers on the map):

We went on a rainy day (which is not a time you should probably visit, although there were definitely less crowds which was a bonus). This place reminded me of Guatape, Colombia which even on a beautiful day can still feel like a tourist trap. Jiufen is full of souvenir stores, restaurants, and tea shops. Yes they had great views, but the streets were full of too many people. Evan had had plans (hint hint) on the Teapot Mountain Hike which is something I would still like to do on another visit, but this is not a hike you do post rain (too dangerous/muddy).

Others also visit the Shifen Waterfall & Sandiaoling Trail Waterfalls nearby, and release the various colored (with different meanings) sky lanterns (called the Pingxi Lantern). Below are some photos of us in front of the famous A-Mei Tea House (people come here under the impression that it inspired Spirited Away, but it was actually Edo-Tokyo Museum in Tokyo that insipired the architecture of the film). Thus, morally I couldn’t support all the souvenir stores still capitalizing on this proven incorrect assumption, but then town was cute nonetheless. Evan also tried civet coffee at Babka Cafe, a cup of which was nearly $20 – “Kopi luwak, also known as civet coffee, is a coffee that consists of partially digested coffee cherries, which have been eaten and defecated by the Asian palm civet”. As a non coffee lover, I actually liked it!

The highlight of Jiufen for us was a visit to the Jifuen Tea House where we had a traditional tea ceremony. We (I) selected a black tea for the experience. I know Taiwan is known for oolong teas, but they are quite mild for my taste, and we were taught the order of how to pour, what to do with the teapots, water, and cups to equalize the tasting experience for the table. Plus, we had a tea experience waiting for us at Shizhou.

Food Highlights (orange markers on the map)

Breakfast at 4+ Break: Danbing (chinese omelet) with sausage, pan fried radish cake, and toast with tuna & egg

Breakfast at Fuhang Soy Milk: Rice Milk (2), Salty Soy Milk (3), Signature Thick Milk with Scrambled Eggs (12) and with a Donut Stick (14), Green Onion Roll (32), Egg Pancakes (41), Fried Egg (44), Rice Ball with Eggs (46) – cheapeast, delicious meal, worth the hype. We got there at 10am and only waited 30 minutes!

Breakfast at Egg Butt: Cabbage cheese omelet, double egg and scallion pancake, tuna egg pancake
Lunch at Din Tai Fung: Braised Beef Soup, Stir Fried Taiwanese Lettuce, Mixed Greens and Mushroom as well as Green Squash and Shrimp Xiaolongbao, Mini Taro Buns, Kao Fu – Taiwanese lettuce is delicious!

Lunch at Vegetarian Market: everything

Dinner at Veggienius: Edamame and Sliced Bean Curd, Braised Eggplant and Gingko, Mango Panna Cotta

Night Markets: we did the first two markets in the rain, and they closed early, so we didn’t get to try/see much. But the markets are full of food stall, and Shilin had games and souvenir stalls as well and was huge.
Rahoe Night Market: highlight: Fuzhou Black Pepper Bun (the very first stall when you walk in)
Shilin Night Market: I was told to try everything, which I would have done if it was open!
Ningxia Night Market: Liu Yu Zi Taro Egg Balls, Yammi Peanuty Roll Ice Cream
Jim & Dad’s Brewery: small family run craft brewery located outside of Taipei but we went to their Taipei outpost
Bubble Tea: (Taiwan is the birthplace of it) – Evan enjoyed bubble tea at Xing Fu Tang despite the long line

Other places for consideration in and around Taipei:

• Maokong Gondola & Zoo
• A visit to the malls
• New Taipei City
• Flower/Jade Market

Other Day Trip Ideas:

• Other Hikes in Yangmingshan National Park
• The Hot Springs at Beitou (or other hot spring locations) / Tamsui Fisherman’s Wharf
• Jiufen Teapot Mountain Hike & Shifen Waterfall & Sandiaoling Trail Waterfalls & release Pingxia lanterns in the town of Shifen
• Pinglin Tea Farms & Tea Museum

This entry was posted in Asia, Taiwan