We’ve simply wrapped up one other journey to Taipei, sure, not even a 12 months after our final one as a result of we simply felt like there was nonetheless rather a lot in regards to the metropolis that we had not explored but.
On this article, we’re itemizing out the most IG-worthy points of interest or the trendiest spots which might be successful amongst locals and vacationers alike, or each!
Be aware: This isn’t in any specific order. The numbers are simply there for simpler reference.
1. Qingtiangang Grassland
Once I first noticed photographs of this place on-line, it took me some time earlier than I spotted it was situated in Taipei. It seems a bit like a Studio Ghubli scene, a bit like a Okay-drama location, and a bit like our very personal Batanes. However that is Qingtiangang Grassland. And sure, it truly is throughout the Taipei Metropolis limits.
Perched about 800 meters above sea degree in Yangmingshan Nationwide Park, Qingtiangang Grassland is a sprawling plateau shaped by historic volcanic lava flows. However at present, it is a scenic park the place locals collect for picnics, vacationers take pleasure in a leisurely stroll, and cows peacefully graze. Sure, you’ll discover numerous cows right here, typically lowkey however typically photobombing vacationer selfies.
They are saying that these virtually infinite inexperienced hills are in its most aesthetic state when barely lined in fog, fostering a extra cinematic ambiance. After we visited, nonetheless, it was clear and sunny as clear and sunny could possibly be, nevertheless it was nonetheless fantastic as a result of it meant sweeping views of the encircling mountains and the concrete jungle that’s Taipei Metropolis within the distance.
There’s additionally a well-maintained strolling path that scribbles the grassland, good for informal walkers, reluctant hikers, and individuals who packed cute outfits as a substitute of trekking gear for that slightly-leaning-on-the-fence poses. Simply don’t count on a quiet second on weekends, when it will get packed. For fewer crowds and clearer paths, goal for a weekday morning like we did! We visited on a Wednesday morning and it was fairly chill.
The way to Get to Qingtiangang Grassland
- From Taipei Metropolis Middle: Take the MRT or bus to Jiantan Station. From the station, catch Bus S15 to Qingtiangang. Then, stroll to the park.
Journey Time: 1-1.5 hours- From Yangmingshan Bus Terminal: Board Bus 108, then hop off on the Qingtiangang cease.
Journey Time: round 35 minutesIf public transpo seems like an excessive amount of work, a taxi or Uber can take you straight to the trailhead.
2. Datun Falls
That is nonetheless a part of the Yangmingshan Nationwide Park. To be trustworthy with you, our meant vacation spot right here was the Yangmingshan Flower Clock, an enormous clock paintings within the backyard by the western entrance. Nevertheless, throughout our go to, that they had simply eliminated the flowers to interchange it for the subsequent season. Fortunately, there’s one other picturesque website not too far-off. Enter Datun Falls, a multi-tiered waterfall tucked into Yangmingshan’s again trails.
To get right here, you’ll must stroll for 10 minutes, and alongside the way in which, you’ll see a platform, which is a good lookout. Then, after that, you’ll stroll via a fascinating mossy arcade that may make you are feeling such as you’re moving into one other world.
It’s not a single waterfall however an enthralling sequence of cascades, every tumbling over boulders. The primary higher falls tumble almost three tales excessive, whereas decrease tiers are good for dramatic close-ups and even daring foot dips. It seems finest within the wet season however because it was peak summer season once we visited, it wasn’t as splashy as regular. Nevertheless it’s nonetheless so photogenic, particularly the arch bridge straddling it. And you can too use this bridge as your vantage level for pictures with the falls within the backdrop. Both means, they make for implausible photographs.
You’ll be able to attain Datun Falls through public transport. Take bus traces 128, 129, S8, S9, or the 260 sequence to the Yangmingshan Park space, then stroll to the falls. It’s an easy path.
The way to Get to Datun Falls: Make your option to Yangmingshan Bus Terminal, then catch Bus S8 or S9 to Yangmingshan Park space (Hushan Highway Sec 2). Journey on foot for 10 minutes to Datun Falls. You’ll discover loads of indicators alongside the way in which.
3. Bamboo Lake
If Qingtiangang and Datun Falls will be described as vibey and moody, Bamboo Lake, also referred to as Zhuzihu, is the entire reverse. It’s an explosion of coloration, like a pastel backyard fiesta — flower energy at its most Instagrammable. Tucked right into a volcanic valley, this former lava-formed lake is now a lush subject occupied by independently run gardens. Some grows calla lilies, some cosmos, hydrangeas, daylilies, and extra, on rotation relying on the season.
From March to Might, white calla lilies dominate the scene. Then, from Might to June, violet hydrangeas and orange daylilies paint the valley in brighter hues. We visited in July, and it was largely hydrangeas. At Liang Chien Backyard, you may comply with a path in between hydrangeas. Different gardens have their very own installations for photographs too, some even have their very own café. Entrance payment is often NTD 100 per backyard.
However if you would like a correct meal, head over to close by Shanzhongyuan Wild Herb Restaurant, which serves largely Taiwanese favorites together with Hakka stir-fry, which is pork stomach, dried tofu, leeks or spring onions, and garlic in soy sauce; pineapple shrimp balls, that are battered and fried shrimps with pineapples, drizzled with tasty mayonnaise and spinkled with, uhm, oddly sufficient, sprinkles, it’s like a celebration plate.
We additionally loved the stir-fried white water snowflake stems. It’s like water spinach or morning glory, however firmer and thinner, and had a pleasant crunch to it and retains the flavour of its sauce rather well. We additionally had mapo tofu, which we additionally appreciated as a result of it wasn’t overpowered by Sichuan peppers.
The way to Get to Bamboo Lake: From Yangmingshan Bus Terminal, catch Buses S8 or S9.
Journey Time: 40–60 minutes
4. Taipei Botanical Backyard
The primary three I discussed are all in Yangmingshan Nationwide Park and throughout the metropolis limits, however should you’re on the lookout for one thing throughout the metropolis heart, look no additional than the Taipei Botanical Backyard.
It’s so inexperienced and tranquil inside that it’ll be laborious to imagine you haven’t left the bustling metropolis. But, right here we’re, surrounded by nature proper smack within the coronary heart of Taipei. Established as a nursery in 1896 and formally turning into Taiwan’s first botanical backyard in 1921, this eight-hectare oasis now hosts over 2,000 vegetation scattered alongside well-marked paths and wood boardwalks via 17 themed zones, often by plant kind. There’s additionally a Buddhism backyard. However the primary points of interest listed below are its lotus ponds, which lie simply subsequent to the Nationwide Museum of Historical past.
On the opposite finish of the park stands the Visitor Home for the Imperial Envoy, which is a historic landmark. Sadly, it’s non permanent closed, so we might solely admire its superbly painted gates for now.
Whether or not you’re after a botanical immersion or a little bit of historical past or simply some good outdated peace and quiet, the Taipei Botanical Backyard can provide you a metropolis escape filled with surroundings.
In case you want a drink, you’ll be glad to know that simply outdoors the backyard are a few good espresso retailers: the library-esque Peloso Espresso Roasters and the understated FF.Coffeeholic. We’ll focus on these intimately in a separate The place to Eat in Taipei article.
Opening Hours: Day by day, 5:30 AM – 8:00 PM
Entrance Price: FREEThe way to Get to Taipei Botanical Backyard: Take the MRT to Xiaonanmen Station (Exit 3), then stroll for 10 minutes.
5. Dihua Road
That is mentioned to be Taipei’s oldest avenue, courting again to the 1850s! This wasn’t our first time right here, we’d been right here simply a few years in the past. However that is our first time exploring it in type! And by type, I imply sporting conventional attires, which you need to use for FREE. Simply head to the Dadaocheng Customer Middle, then you definitely simply want to provide a deposit price NTD 1000, which is refundable so long as you come the clothes with out injury.
You’ll be able to select from any of their extensive choice of attires, and also you additionally get an adjunct, which could be a bag, a pipe, or a hat. And whereas in your interval drama period, discover the historic avenue, which is flanked by shophouses promoting conventional drugs, tea, herbs, material, and extra. It has at all times been like this for hundreds of years! However at present, you’ll additionally discover extra trendy cafes and milk tea stalls.
One of many largest buildings right here homes the Yongle Market. In-built 1896, this kaleidoscope of textiles spans a number of flooring crammed with silks, satins, lace, and tailor providers. The road-level moist market is the place you’ll discover freshest produce, natural teas, and snacks, too.
On the eighth ground of the identical constructing, you’ll discover Dadaocheng Theater, a department of the Taipei Cultural Middle. This can be a nice venue for performances, and even to at the present time, you may catch conventional puppet performs right here. There’s additionally a mini-museum showcasing the varied varieties of puppets and the historical past of puppetry in Taipei.
Then, simply down the road is the small however extraordinarily common Xia Hai Metropolis God Temple. Accomplished in 1859 in honor of the the Metropolis God, Chenghuang, who ensures native peace and prosperity. In a while, a statue of his spouse was added. As we speak, many guests, particularly vacationers come right here to hope for a cheerful love life.
So whether or not you’re searching delicate material rolls, searching for divine romantic luck, or slipping into classic threads for a retro shoot, Dihua Road is the place for you — with layers of tradition, coloration, and charisma.
Conventional Apparel Use: Rental Price, NONE/FREE; Deposit, NTD 1000 (refundable)
6. Dadaocheng Wharf
Relying on which a part of Dihua Road you’re coming from, stroll for 5-10 minutes westward and also you’ll ultimately discover Dadaocheng Wharf Plaza. From its origins as a bustling commerce pier on the Tamsui River to its Twenty first-century renaissance as a riverside hangout, it mixes historical past with trendy enjoyable.
The murals on its tremendous prolonged wall are top-notch, depicting varied scenes of Taipei. You’ll be able to even bike alongside it. YouBike stations and bike rental retailers can be found, providing a straightforward option to discover the 18 km riverside biking route, which ends up in Guandu or again to town. Bike rental prices NTD 80 per hour. YouBike is less expensive. By the way in which, Guandu is one other underrated attraction within the metropolis. You’ll be able to learn extra of that and different under-the-radar locations in Taipei right here.
If biking isn’t your factor, how a couple of boat cruise? Right here, you may hop on a sundown‐time river cruise heading upriver towards Tamsui and past. A experience affords a scenic drifting shot of iconic bridges, lush riverside parks, and naturally, Taipei’s skyline, which is magnificent at sundown. You’ll be able to even spot Taipei 101 from right here! And it’s surprisingly inexpensive too, at solely NTD 300 for an hour-long cruise.
It’s finest to go to in late afternoon and night, when the wharf actually involves life, particularly on the Pier-5 Container Meals Park, the place you’ll discover dozens of stalls pumping out craft beer, boba, burgers, seafood, Thai, Korean, and Italian. Seize a desk seat (some atop containers!), let the river breeze stream, and snap these informal meals pictures as metropolis lights glimmer throughout the water.
Bike Rental: NTD 80/hour
Boat Cruise: NTD 300/hour
Closest MRT Stations: Beimen or Daqiaotou StationThe way to Get to Dadaocheng Wharf:
- From both Beimen or Daqiaotou Station, you will get there on foot in 5 minutes.
- From Dihua Road, it’s a 5-10-minute stroll.
7. Huashan 1914 Artistic Park
As soon as a 1914 vineyard turned art-lovers’ playground, Huashan 1914 Artistic Park is Taipei’s final mix of commercial allure, indie creativity, and pop-culture stylish. Wandering via its weathered brick warehouses and inexperienced lawns, you’ll discover all the things from laid-back cafes and indie cinemas to spontaneous performances and street-art backdrops — an infinite scroll of photograph ops ready to occur.
And it modifications rather a lot! Final 12 months, once we visited, there was a very completely different set of pop-up shops and points of interest. This time round, Doraemon was dominating the positioning. There was an ongoing 100% Doraemon and Pals exhibition and a huge 12-meter inflatable Doraemon attracting children and youngsters at coronary heart alike.
Subsequent door, a whimsical Tomica toy automobile pop-up revved up nostalgia with mini-streets and model-display zones.
Our new pal Andrea additionally introduced us to Legacy, the park’s signature music venue inside one of many outdated red-brick warehouses. She mentioned don’t count on a mainstream membership or pop scene, although, as a result of it largely showcases homegrown indie rock bands and performers.
Only a stone’s throw away is Syntrend Artistic Park, Taipei’s go-to gadget mall filled with tech stalls promoting telephones, tablets, cameras, drones, and even dwelling home equipment. And while you want a caffeine recharge, Easy Kaffa Huashan Flagship is the chicest choose. Once more, we’ll be discussing this extra in a separate article.
8. Xinzhongshan Linear Park & Chifeng Road
One other website that we made positive to return to this journey is the Xinzhongshan Linear Park. On the floor, it’s adorned with sculptural benches, floating walkways, and seasonal blooms. However beneath is a complete new world. Welcome to the Zhongshan Underground Ebook Road, a hidden treasure trove of literary finds, largely in Chinese language however you’ll additionally discover English books.
Then proper throughout is the Eslite Underground Music Retailer (anchoring the Eslite Spectrum Nanxi mall), which is a paradise for music lovers on the lookout for particular information. There are vinyls, CDs, DVDs, and others, starting from modern pop acts like Taylor Swift, Sabrina Carpenter and Chappel Roan to legends like Michael Jackson and David Bowie. There’s Milli Vanilli, too!
Just a few steps off the trail lies Chifeng Road, as soon as the city’s auto-parts alley however has reinvented itself as a hipster sanctuary of classic boutiques and indie cafés. Andrea extremely advisable her favourite store right here referred to as PAR Retailer, which sells clothes, equipment, and music information. We additionally visited Mitty, which sells pre-loved classic garments.
However the actual cause we got here again right here was the FOOD! One of the crucial iconic right here is Mian Xian Ding, which serves bowl after bowl of piping sizzling mee sua or rice flour noodles and Grasp Spicy Noodle Zhongshan Restaurant, well-known for its properly, spicy noodles and beef noodle soup.
Additionally throughout the space is the extremely underrated Tiao Tong, which is Taipei’s “Little Tokyo” as it’s lined with Japanese eating places, ramen bars, izakayas and even kawaii-culture and trinket retailers like Gacha Hunter (扭蛋獵人), with wall-to-wall gachapon or capsule merchandising machines and blind-box collectibles on show.
The Xinzhongshan Linear Park and Chifeng Road is sandwiched by the MRT Zhongshan and Shuanglian Stations, so relying in your goal attraction, both might do. Tiaotong and Underground Ebook Road is nearer to Zhongshan Station.
Closest MRT Stations: Underground Ebook Road (Zhongshan Station); Chifeng Road (Zhongshan or Shuanglian Station); Tiao Tong (Zhongshan)
9. Ximending
This checklist received’t be full with out the OG IG paradise — Ximending. I imply, I can’t consider every other free website that pulls extra social media natives than the rainbow six crosswalk proper by the doorway to Ximen Walker. And it’s not obscure why.
Ximending is the place Taipei reveals up in full coloration — suppose Harajuku with a Taiwanese twist. It’s loud, it’s crowded, it’s chaotic…and it’s a vibe! This pedestrian zone is filled with style retailers, sneaker shops, avenue meals, and extra selfie backdrops than your telephone can deal with. Sure, it’s gotten so touristy today — however let’s be actual, it’s stylish for a cause.
That is the place native teenagers nonetheless hang around, artists carry out, cosplayers collect, and subcultures thrive in full technicolor. However that’s to not say there aren’t any quiet corners.
Simply stroll a bit additional and also you’ll attain Taipei Cinema Park, a chill spot with avenue art-covered partitions, outside installations, and an open house the place skaters, dancers, and lowkey photographers hang around. It’s means much less crowded than the primary sq. and provides off critical indie-cool vitality.
There are many meals spots, too!
Closest MRT Station: Ximen Station
10. Taipei 101 and Xinyi District
You’ll be able to’t go to Taipei and never see Taipei 101. This 508-meter, bamboo-inspired mega-skyscraper as soon as held the title of tallest constructing on this planet, and it’s nonetheless the undisputed icon of town. Whether or not you need to take photographs of it or take photographs from it, Taipei 101 goes to be concerned in your digital camera roll a technique or one other.
Inside, 101’s decrease flooring are decked out with luxurious manufacturers, artwork installations, and one of many world’s quickest elevators that’ll shoot you to the highest in simply 37 seconds.
I bear in mind my very first go to climbing to the 89th ground observatory greater than a decade in the past. It was largely the view and the tuned mass damper, that 660-ton golden ball which holds the constructing collectively in shaky instances. However today, the statement deck can also be bursting with installations and photograph spots and it modifications each time I go to.
Should you want to go as much as the statement deck, you may safe your ticket upfront on-line via accredited reserving websites like Klook!
✅ GET YOUR TAIPEI 101 TICKET HERE!
Outdoors, cross the street to the Xinyi Buying District, which is a posh of malls, bursting on the seams with all types of outlets and eating places. This pedestrian-friendly zone is lined with gleaming malls like ATT 4 FUN, Breeze, Shin Kong Mitsukoshi, and Eslite Spectrum, the place you may store, dine, and strut. And oh, the Apple Retailer at Xinyi A13 can also be simply across the nook. Two tales of minimalist store with floor-to-ceiling glass partitions, floating staircases, and people crisp, clear shows that make you need to splurge.
By the way in which, Taipei is a bona-fide buying vacation spot. It’s not simply the variety of malls or the range of the retailers, but in addition the aggressive costs. We at all times discover that the prices right here — be it perfumes, luxurious gadgets, and even the same old chains — are a lot decrease than in most different international locations. Sure, cheaper than the Philippines, too.
And I virtually forgot, don’t depart with out getting that “obligatory” low-angle shot of Taipei 101!
The place to Keep in Taipei
Right here’s a listing of the lodges and hostels we tried in Taipei:
Seek for extra Taipei Inns!
Have Peace of Thoughts Whereas Touring!
Getting a journey insurance coverage is non-obligatory, however we extremely suggest this, particularly when touring overseas. Journey will be unpredictable, and although we hope we’ll by no means use it, having it offers us peace of thoughts in case of sudden delays, cancellations, or emergencies.
For worldwide locations, think about PGA Sompo’s TravelJOY Plus insurance coverage. You’ll be able to GET IT HERE. Don’t overlook to make use of WORTHIT for a particular inexpensive charge.
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