There’s much to love about Taipei. It’s safe, beautiful and inexpensive. A tourist needn’t worry about walking the streets alone at night, or even making a drunken jaunt to the 7-Eleven at 3 a.m. for a snack. Taipei is like New York; it never sleeps.
The shopping in Taipei is plentiful and best of all, affordable. You can eat hot pot or stinky tofu every night of the week and never go broke. Public transit is excellent, with a subway system stretching to distant locations in the countryside. Inner city travel can easily be done on YouBike, a super cheap network of bikes strewn about the city.
But what to do on a quickie tourist weekend in Taipei? There’s so much to see and the city is considerably large. This is a city that can wear you out in the blink of an eye. Pace yourself. Unless you plan to drink the entire selection of caffeinated drinks at the 7-Eleven and go for 48 hours straight, you’re going to miss a few things. It’s okay.
Give yourself permission to enjoy the city leisurely, while still hitting a few highlights. Choose activities you can do at a slow pace, without traveling too far a distance. Eating, for instance. You can’t walk more than a half block without bumping into a delicious roadside stand full of steaming goodies.
Eat ‘till you drop
Nobody cooks in Taiwan’s big cities. Certainly not young professionals, but many families don’t bother mucking around in the kitchen either. Street food is so plentiful and so cheap. During the day, look for xiao chi’s like fried chicken or oyster omelets in the street.
Select your own dinner from buffet style roadside stands, or spend an evening wandering through the Shilia or Raohe night markets sampling taiwanese goodies like sausage on a stick (with a side of raw garlic, of course), sticky rice parcels, steamed buns with fried bottoms or deep-fried milk. Many Westerners swear by the steamed soup dumplings at Din Tai Fung, a Taiwanese institution. Lively street stands and restaurants often stay open past midnight, especially on weekends.
Drink tea and enjoy a sweet
Afternoon tea isn’t just for Londoners. Between wandering up and down the streets, popping in and out of museums and indulging in a shopping rampage, tea is often just the thing you need. Taipei serves up an impressive afternoon tea. Try Coffee Alley for the heavenly waffles, Dazzling Cafe for the famous honey toast, or Smith & Hsu for its incredible selection of tea, presented on a beautiful sample platter.
Don’t write off the 7-Eleven either. Those accustomed to the american version of the chain will be shocked at the goodies on offer at local Taiwanese branches of this convenience store. Interesting fact, Taipei has a higher density of 7-Elevens than any other country in the world. It’s worth it just to peruse the half dozen varieties of Mr. Coffee.
Take a trip up the elevator of Taipei 101
Taipei 101 was once the world’s tallest building at 1,670 feet. If the weather is clear, ride the elevator to the top and get your bearings. Oh yeah, and the view isn’t bad either. If you haven’t had a shopping fix yet, the first five floors of this iconic building are a shopping mall, but many of the stores are international brands. Save your feet the trouble and skip them: you’ll find loads to buy at the night markets later.
Stroll through Longshan Temple
There’s nothing quite like a temple to breathe and relax into yourself. Light a candle for the Guanyin, the goddess of compassions, whose statue is housed in the main altar of this nearly 300-year-old temple.
Visit the National Palace Museum
On day two, start making your way up to northern Taipei, where you’ll find one of the largest museums in the world, housing almost 700,000 artifacts and artworks, chronicling 800 years of Chinese history, including Ming Dynasty pottery, oracle bones, and a collection of bronze sculptures that includes one famous meat-shaped stone.
Spend at least a half-day bathing in Beitou’s hot springs
Locals call it a tourist trap, but it traps for good reason. The lush green environment of Beitou is the perfect antidote to the polluted inner city. Take a break from all that running around and jump on the train up to Beitou. (Hint: look for Xin Beitou MRT Station).
Xin Beitou or New Beitou is an especially great place to go when the weather is grey, which it often is in Taiwan, a country that gets over 300 mm of rainfall per month during the wet season. Spend a few hours soaking in the hot springs in Qinshui Park and rest those weary feet. At Villa 32, there are pools of different temperature, separated by gender – a great place to grab some personal chill out time. Just remember to practice good bathtime etiquette. Wash before entering the bath and don’t wear any clothing (nope, not even your swimsuit). Ladies, remember to tie your hair up neatly.
Qinshui Park has plenty to offer besides its many traditional baths and hotels. It boasts one of the most beautiful libraries in the world and an (almost) equally beautiful museum.
Shoot some pics at the geothermal valley
Also called Hell Valley, this is possibly the most famous spot in Beitou, with steam billowing up from the valley all the way to the observation deck. The natural sulfur hot spring can reach temperatures up to 100°C, bubbling on gravel caked in “hokulite” – a depleted radioactive mineral. Visitors used to cook eggs here, before it was outlawed.
Sit in on a meditation class at Nung Chan Sz
Nung Chan Monastery holds a weekly meditation class with English instruction. The former headquarters of Dharma Drum Mountain teache Chan meditation every Saturday from 9:30 p.m. – 12:30 p.m. Private instruction is also available.
Hit the night markets on the way back down from the north
Once you’re relaxed and refreshed, take the train back down and enjoy a good food and shopping fix at either Shilin or Raohe Night Market. Shilin is by far the most popular, but locals complain that recent redesign didn’t do it any favours. Perhaps merchants are catching on to their most wealthy clientele – tourists. For something a little different, head to Raohe, a market that goes on for miles and miles. Grab another sausage on a stick, some gifts for your amigos and let the city carry you away.
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