Walking from the subway station towards our guesthouse in the Ximending area of the city, we had this strange sense of familiarity. Although we had never been to Taipei before, it felt very comfortable. Anyone we know who has visited has never had a bad word to say about the Taiwan capital; in fact, many people have told us it’s their favourite city in Asia. Looking around us, we could see why. There are so many fun things to do in Taipei and the city offers a truly unique blend of what people love about Southeast Asia, combined with what people love from Northeast Asia.

Busy Streets of Taipei

Taipei: Asia’s Mixing Pot

Taipei: Asia’s Mixing Pot

In Taipei, there is the same order as you come to expect in Korea and Japan. People will wait for traffic lights, they stand in line without question and they operate strict escalator rules to keep everyone moving along. At the same time, there are elements that are reminiscent of Southeast Asia. For example, the street food, the scooters and the abundance of outdoor restaurants, street snacks and night markets. It’s this blend, which makes Taipei a truly unique city in Asia.

7 Fun Things To Do In Taipei

From a traveller’s perspective, there is an abundance of sights in the city worth checking out. We’ve narrowed it down to seven of our favourite, and in our opinion, the best things to do in Taipei.

Visit Longshan Temple For A Genuine Experience 

A quiet moment at the entrance to Longshan Temple just after sundown

There are a few temples worth visiting in Taipei. Our favourite by far was Longshan Temple. Arriving around dusk, the temple was in full swing with locals, young and old, clapping, praying and lighting incense in the temple courtyard.

Locals at Longshan Temple at dusk

There’s nothing worse than arriving at temples and feeling that they are put on for the tourists. This was a truly genuine experience and while there were a few other visitors like us, the majority were locals just getting on with their usual routine, oblivious to the visitors. It was nice to just find a corner and watch everybody going about their business.

Explore The Quieter Qingshan And Qingshui Temples

Inside Qingshui Temple, Taipei

If you are looking for smaller, quieter temples to visit then check out Qingshan Temple and Qingshui Temple; tiny little temples in a quiet part of the city not far from Ximending. Although they are quieter, they are no less impressive than the bigger temples like Longshan. The added bonus is you’ll likely have the place to yourself to explore at your own leisure.

See A Former Tallest Building In The World, Taipei 101

Taipei 101 from street level

Taipei 101 was once the tallest building in the world from 2004 to 2010, standing a whopping 1,667feet (508meters) from top to bottom. It’s an incredibly impressive structure, to say the least, which was designed to symbolize good fortune and prosperity. Even the surrounding neighbourhood and art pieces in the nearby parks are designed to prevent positive energy escaping and support the tower’s feng shui. Taipei 101 is also considered, symbolically, to be the tallest sundial in the world with the surrounding circular park adding to the effect. Inside the building are 61 elevators, the fastest of which moves at a crazy speed of 37.7 miles per hour, that’s an incredible 52.2 feet per second! The building is a must-see for anyone visiting Taipei. Visitors pay an entrance fee to reach the top of the tower for what, we can only imagine, must be spectacular views of the surrounding city. However, there is an alternative option for those visiting Taipei on a budget.

Walk Up Elephant Hill For Incredible Views

Taipei 101 at sunset from Elephant Hill

Elephant Hill is one metro stop beyond Taipei 101 and a short uphill walk will lead you to some spectacular views of the tower and the city below. It’s a Taipei 101 budget option! Some guidebooks call it a hike but that’s a bit of a stretch, to be honest. It should take about half an hour to get to the top. We recommend going just before sunset to watch the city transform before your eyes. Once the sun has set, the lights start to come on and Taipei takes on a whole new light.

Noelle at Taipei 101

Taipei 101 in particular, is lit up in bright, neon lights and looks even more impressive than during the day, especially from this vantage point.

Get Lost In Chinese Art At The National Palace Museum

Brian at the National Palace Museum

We don’t usually seek out museums but there are always exceptions and the National Palace Museum in Taipei is one. It gets rave reviews, is constantly listed as one of the top things to do in the city and all with good reason.

Stone Guardian Lion at the National Palace Museum in entrance

The museum houses one of the largest collections of Chinese art in the world and there are some really impressive pieces in the museum, even to untrained eyes like ours. The more permanent exhibits are on the top floor and really are impressive to see in the flesh. Incredibly intricate designs, shapes and patterns are carved into ivory, timber and bamboo. Displayed under a magnifying glass, you can really get a sense for the amount of love, labour and time that went into each of these works of art.

For museum aficionados, you could spend weeks, months or probably years in here working slowly through the exhibits. Bear in mind, the National Palace Museum is enormous, so be sure to allow a few hours. Even casual visitors like us are going to need at least this much time.

Try Taiwanese Food

Taiwanese food: Fishball soup

Taiwanese food is a reflection of the country in that it, too, is a blend of tastes from around Asia. The food culture has Japanese influences, as well as influences from the West, the aboriginal people and the Chinese who immigrated to Taiwan. Chinese and Taiwanese food are very different, however, you can still find many similarities and the resulting food fusions are a real treat for the taste buds.

Noelle sampling the Taipei street food

Spicy hotpots, fried dumplings, cuttlefish soups, stinky tofu, noodles galore and Taiwanese-style porridge are all on the menu and can be washed down with one of Taiwan’s biggest exports, Bubble Tea.

Check Out The Night Markets

Local man serving up grilled squid at one of Taipei’s night markets

Throughout the city and country, you will come across countless night markets touted to be some of the best in the world. One of the most fun things to do in Taipei at night is to check out a night market. Trying the local food is a quintessential travel experience when we go anywhere and these markets offer up a real taste of Taiwanese cuisine. We headed for Ningxia Night Market to get a feel for what these places were all about.

Grilling up at Ningxia Night Market

Two lines of stalls create a narrow laneway through the centre of the vendors. Walking through the narrow street, there’s no shortage of foods to try, from local Taiwanese delicacies to Aboriginal dishes to the stranger things like chicken feet and goose heads! There really is something for everyone here. Even if you’re not planning on eating anything, it’s worth coming just to see the night markets in action.

Where To Stay In Taipei

With so many hotels on offer in Taipei, it can be hard to figure out where to base yourself. We chose to stay in the Ximending area of the city, as it’s the hub for shopping, restaurants and nightlife. Two metro lines meet here as well as numerous bus lines so it’s the perfect area to stay when jetting around the sights of Taipei. It was the first pedestrian area built in Taipei and is the largest in Taiwan and  Ximending is often compared with Tokyo’s Harajuku and Shibuya districts, as its the hub of Taiwan’s fashion and subculture and Japanese culture.

Getting Around Taipei

The metro is excellent, very easy to use and is a great way to get around the capital, explore the highlights of Taipei and sample all that the city has to offer. We suggest getting an Easycard to make life easier so you don’t have to worry about finding the ticket machine and having small change handy and you’ll get a discount. It can be used on Taipei’s buses too, just remember to validate it getting off the bus, not on. You can also use the credit on your Easycard to pay for things in convenience stores like 7-11 too and you can return it to get your deposit refunded when you’re leaving Taipei.

Travel Insurance

If you’re travelling to Taipei from abroad and are planning on having some more adventures around Taiwan don’t forget to take out a good travel insurance policy. We use World Nomads.

Don’t Miss Out

With a great few days spent in Taipei, we can certainly see the draw of the city and why so many people refer to it as one of their top Asian cities. It’s a place where South East and North East Asia collide, bringing a different flavour than you’re likely to experience anywhere else in Asia. Why so many travellers overlook it is beyond us but it has grown in popularity with expats in the last number of years and for us, that trend is only going to continue.

Over To You

With so much to see and so many things to do in Taipei, you could really spend a good few days exploring this dynamic city. If you’re short on time, you can book all your activities ahead of time here.

Have you been to Taipei? What was your highlight? Is there anything we missed? Let us know in the comments below!

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Brian Barry

Brian is a travel writer, photographer, blogger, travel addict and adventure-junkie. Being outdoors, getting off the beaten track and outside his comfort zone is what makes him tick. Brian’s the dreamer in the relationship; when he’s not travelling, he’s dreaming about it! Keeping fit, cooking, music and red wine take up the rest of his time.