City Guide to Taipei, Taiwan
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There are plenty of neighborhoods to explore, starting with the Xinyi District, the city’s glitzy financial district, with plenty of sleek bars and shopping streets. Da’an has the highest population density, teeming with quaint coffee shops and decadent brunch options. Dadaocheng is the oldest neighborhood in town, complete with a textile market and century-old tea shops. Some streets are lined with faux baroque architecture dating back to the Japanese colonial era. There are Hokkien-style temples that have been around for hundreds of years nestled right next to bustling markets that have been slinging out comforting late-night bites for decades. There are also subtle nods to the country’s Austronesian first peoples. The main road in front of the Presidential Office Building is named Ketagalan, after the Indigenous tribe that inhabited the area around Taipei before Chinese immigration. Even though the pace of life in Taipei is slower than most of the world’s major metropolitan hubs, it’s a city with more than its fair share of diversions.
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Yangmingshan National Park
DAY HIKES
Thanks to its subtropical setting, there are plenty of quick nature getaways accessible from Taipei. Elephant Mountain is a perennial favorite: spend 40 minutes hiking up a series of steep stairs to a vantage point with views of Taipei 101 — once the world’s tallest building. For monkey sightings, Tianmu Old Trail is a great place to start; it’s a leisurely 2.5-mile loop shaded by plenty of trees. There’s also Qixing Mountain, Taipei’s highest peak, which is accessible via Yangmingshan National Park. The area is flush with geothermal activity and home to a series of sulfuric vents. Night hike enthusiasts can enjoy firefly season between late April and early May in the Bitan Scenic Area, with a well-paved concrete trail — just make sure to bring a flashlight. And for those who want a real challenge, the Taipei Grand Trail is a sprawling, 57-mile network of paths that cuts across the city. Tackle it one section at a time; it’s not meant to be done in one go. All of these trails are accessible via public transportation and are just a stone’s throw away from the city.
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Taiwanese-style beef noodle soup
FOOD
The cuisine of Taiwan is often synonymous with night markets. There are a couple of standouts like Ningxia Night Market, which has a skilled vendor dealing out plates of oyster omelets, and Raohe Night Market, where a daily line forms for piping-hot black pepper buns. Locals spend their weekend evenings at rechao restaurants — noisy, semi-outdoor eateries with large woks frying greasy food. Old Friends Chinese Restaurant is a great place to dip into this storied culture. It serves great three-cup chicken (chopped chicken braised with soy sauce, rice wine and sesame oil) and lots of hearty stir-fries. For a vegan alternative to the rechao experience, make reservations at Chao, which has all the classic dishes sans meat.
For a more elegant dining experience, consider booking a table at Taïrroir, the first Taiwanese-style restaurant on the island to win three Michelin stars. A play on the word terroir, the restaurant is a love letter to the abundance of Taiwan, where local ingredients like oysters, water chestnuts and pork are reinvented with a French twist. For a remake on a classic, stop by Sinchao Rice Shoppe, a fancy fried rice specialist. Order the perfectly smoked duck served over rice studded with taro, or fried rice topped with a medium-rare steak.
And of course, a trip to Taiwan isn’t complete without a hearty serving of beef noodle soup or a dreamy bowl of soft, braised minced pork belly over rice. For the former, MuJi Beef Noodles is a broth-centric establishment with nicely textured beef. For the latter, the braised pork at Lo Bah Png on Songshan Road is buttery soft and a welcome punch of flavor.
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A traditional Taiwanese tea ceremony
DRINK
There are plenty of libations — both boozy and non-alcoholic — on the island. Start off with a warm cup of tea at Wistaria Tea House, a classic tearoom nestled inside a century-old Japanese-style hut. It offers an impressive collection of aged pu erh: cakes of dark, fermented tea from China. Hermit’s Hut — where the team are Taiwanese oolong specialists — is another soothing option, with its soft, off-white interior and natural wood furniture. For a more modern experience, bubble tea connoisseurs can enjoy a refreshing cup at Guiji, which is known for its high-quality tea and bright orange tapioca balls flavored with honey.
While tea is traditional, coffee is by far most people’s daily beverage of choice. Taipei has a vibrant cafe culture where folks hang out on their laptops all day. Three Brothers & Co. near Da’an metro station is a great place to start, with ample amounts of natural light and quirky beverages like passionfruit coffee. For serious connoisseurs, Coffee Sweet whips up some of the best pour-overs in town.
The city is also home to a thriving craft cocktail scene. Bar Mood in the Da’an district has wildly creative drinks infused with tropical ingredients like mango syrup, pandan and pepper. Indulge Experimental Bistro, also in Da’an, builds complex sips using Taiwanese tea as a foundation. Taiwan has also been a breeding ground for craft whisky and gin brands like Kavalan Whisky, which has been producing single malt whiskies for the last two decades.
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Zhongshan District
HOTELS
There’s a wide range of accommodations in Taipei, with options suited to every type of traveler. For those who want to be close to the city’s nightlife hub, the W Hotel is a great pick. It’s also home to a nightclub with a pool and tantalizing views of the city below. Nearby is the Grand Hyatt, which is more stately and has a connecting walkway to Taipei 101, the city’s tallest skyscraper.
In the same neighborhood is Le Méridien, whose rooms are equipped with an impressive AI system that controls the music, curtains and lights. For accommodations in a quieter part of town, check into Kimpton Da’an Hotel — a boutique gem with 129 rooms and an eye for design. The rooms are decked out in ash-grey palettes accented by pops of teal. The hotel also has a fantastic in-house restaurant called The Tavernist that doles out French toast, eggs Florentine and congee (thick soup made with rice) for breakfast. Another great option is the Regent Taipei, a luxurious stay located in the heart of Zhongshan District, a hip neighborhood with some of the best vintage shops and cafes on the island.
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Night market
LATE NIGHT
Taipei comes alive once the sun sets, and there’s a pulsating late-night culture to match. You’ll find the usual suspects like bars and night markets, but there’s also a smattering of quirky late-night experiences worth checking out. Head over to Xin Hao Diao Xia Mei Shi Guang Chang, where patrons fish for shrimp out of concrete tanks and grill them on the spot. Open round the clock, the in-house restaurant serves stir fries and beers to complement them.
Lovers of karaoke can indulge at Partyworld Sogo Store. Open 24/7, the entire building has floors of private karaoke rooms with en suite bathrooms. The food menu is surprisingly thorough and comforting, with beef noodle soup, dumplings and fried chicken. Or rent a private four-seater movie theater with friends at U2MTV, a popular hangout place with a robust collection of Blu-ray discs.
Finish off with soft bowls of congee and a buffet of accoutrements at Xiao Pin Ya Chu, which closes at 5 a.m. Or grab bowls of tangy sesame noodles topped with cucumber slices at Liu Mama Noodle, whose hours are 9:30 p.m. to 9 a.m. If you want breakfast before the sun comes up, consider the open-all-hours Ruian Soy Milk — it slings out sesame flatbreads and potstickers with freshly brewed cups of soy milk.
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