Taipei Hotels

Travel in Taipei – City Guide

One Taiwanese writer described Taipei as "a cluster of ripe views", with Taipei 101 thrusting up through the clouds towards the sky, department stores displaying a whole host of luxuries along Zhongxiao East Road, and vehicles meandering through the crisscrossed roads like an endless stream. Simply put, it is a city full of vitality. Stepping out onto the streets and alleyways, the first impressions of Taipei, the ones from which memories are made, come to greet you. Hop on a bike and whistle past The Affiliated Senior High School of National Taiwan Normal University (HSNU) just like in the movie Blue Gate Crossing, head down Guling Street and Juan Cun like in A Brighter Summer Day while taking in the beauty of youth, or admire loyal young friends risking their lives in Bopiliao Old Street as in Monga. With its modern rigidness and traditional softness, its love of fashion and romance of nostalgia, fast passions and slow ingenuity, each one shines through with its distinctive brilliance while coexisting in harmonious fashion.

Taipei’s Two Sides by the Tamsui River

Taipei's rich city landscape stretches along the Tamsui River and Keelung River, and is divided into “the new east and the old west” by Fuxing South Road. The new emerging Dongqu district, which is home to Taipei 101 and Core Pacific City, is thought of as a beacon of fashion and modernity, while Xiqu feels more civil and historic. Ximen Red House and Bopiliao Old Street in Wanhua District continue to add to the cultural feel of the city, while the National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall and the Presidential Office Building in Zhongzheng District softly eulogize Taipei's long gone days of old.

To the north of Taipei, Beitou Hot Spring and Seven Star Park on Yangming Mountain are distinct features, while to the south there is Maokong Teahouse and Taipei Zoo. In the outskirts of the city, the towering mountains and hills offer a break from the diverse urban scenes, where a rustic feel compliments the freshness of the countryside, where Mother Nature beckons.

Don’t Miss the Following Destinations in Taipei

The Taipei 101 fireworks display that heralds each New Year is considered by CNN as one of the 10 greatest, must-see fireworks shows in the world. The colorful display that lights up the city sky simply cannot be missed. Another must is the Taipei 101 Observatory, where viewing the glorious nighttime scene unfolding across the thriving city is a truly remarkable experience.

Shilin Night Market, the best night market in Taiwan, is regarded as a “Food Mecca” worldwide. As nighttime falls, hundreds of vendors line the lanes, and are thickly dotted around Yangming Theater. Steam rises from the hot food upwards to the bright lights, enticing the hungry to come and tuck in. Delicacies range from the huge portions of Hot-Star Large Fried Chicken and the Datoulong Oyster Omelet made famous in the movies, through to the Fu-Rong-Ji Small Sausage in Large Sausage that is strongly recommended by the stars. If you find yourself wandering through the streets, and fancy a taste of Taipei, you will deeply love Taipei's delicacy.

The National Palace Museum, featuring yellow walls, green tiles, carved beams and painted frames, and enhanced by the green hill to the side, stands in sheer magnificence. The museum has a collection of nearly 700,000 pieces, enough for the exhibits to be changed every three months. It is indeed a treasure house of Chinese culture and art. The top three most popular treasures inside its walls, namely the Jadeite Cabbage, Cauldron of Duke Mao, and the Meat-shaped Stone, attract a continuous stream of tourists from both home and abroad.

Travel Tips

Looking for a secluded location of idyllic beauty in Taipei can be a rewarding decision. Seven Star Park, located on Yangming Mountain to the north, is the perfect setting from where to look out over the gorgeous beauty of the surrounding hills, and, as you climb the steps and reach the peak, the grand sight of Tamsui River and Keelung River running down to the sea greets you. The next stop must be Maokong Teahouse, which is accessible via the crystal cabin of Maokong Gondola, to take a sip of tea and breathe in the mountain air by the lush green trees, letting life run by at a slower pace.

Taipei Zoo, the largest zoo in Asia, is adjacent to the Maokong Gondola. It has elaborately recreated the animals' natural environments, while somehow leaving a distance between the animals and the tourists that allows for both privacy and intimacy. Here, you can also come and say hello to "Tuan Tuan" and "Yuan Yuan" the giant pandas.

National Taiwan University (NTU), known as the best university in Taiwan and adorned in red bricks and white walls, has a distinct baroque style. The boulevard of coconut trees leads visitors into the campus, where the ravishing natural scenery, as well as the pure and solemn cultural atmosphere, fascinates tourists.

Dynamic and Comfortable Accommodation

Ximending, where creative hostels and backpacker inns are located, is where the authentic atmosphere of old Taipei abounds. Young travelers prefer to stay in this area as they are attracted by the ingenious residence design, gracious hospitality, and unsophisticated folk customs. Moreover, Huahsi Night Market, Ximending Cinema Street, and Ximen Red House are all in this area, offering a one-stop accommodation experience that combines food with shopping, recreation, and entertainment.

The newly developed Dongqu sits across two key shopping areas, Zhongxiao and Xinyi, and boasts a host of restaurants and upscale hotels. It is therefore a fashionable choice for experiencing modern metropolis life. If you feel like a vacation that is closer to nature, then opt for a hotel in the southern Wenshan District, such as Holiday Inn East Taipei, which is handy for ascending Maokong for a sip of tea, or a quick tour to Taipei Zoo.

Taipei Main Station is a transportation hub for MRT, Taiwan Railway, and the high-speed trains. As such, it is quite convenient for strolling around or travelling southward. Surrounded by restaurants and night markets, with distinctive B&Bs and high-end hotels to choose from, this is the most popular place to stay in Taipei.

Global Shopping in Taipei

Want to have an international shopping experience? Then, you must not miss the two shopping landmarks that stock all international brands, i.e., Taipei 101 and Core Pacific City.  In Taipei 101 Mall, it has a feel of Fifth Avenue while being surrounded by numerous flagship stores of various brands. Core Pacific City features five shopping themes across its 15 floors. Strolling through the vast expanse with its nearly one-thousand stores and the well-designed shopping mall, you could very easily feel as though you were on another planet.

Ximending has the essence of Harajuku in Japan. Stores along the street have a unique yet distinctly Japanese style, with all kinds of books and music albums riding the waves of fashion, just like they do in Japan. Designer trends and famous brands are all right here. It talks in a language of visual fashion to express the youthful spirit of its streets, thereby rising to prominence as a symbol of Taiwan’s pop culture.

Zhongxiao East Road, a main road made famous by the song Walking Along Jhonghsiao East Road Nine Times, is where more than half of Taipei's department stores converge. It just might have to be walked along nine times to be able to explore all the fancy and popular goods, just as the song suggests. If you like reading, go westward to Chongqing South Road, where you will find the famous bookstore street, with San Min Book, KingStone Bookstore, and many time-honored bookstores lining up to introduce to a century's worth of Taipei's reading lore.

Around-the-Clock Food in Taipei

As the lamps are lit, the night markets of Taipei, just like a pot of hot oil, gradually come to the boil, fired up by a hubbub of voices. As the cradle of Taipei’s night markets, Ningxia Night Market mainly offers traditional snacks. Time-honored stores and stalls abound in fours and fives, appealing to different palates, all in a line. The melt-in-mouth minced pork rice, the sweet and delicious fried rice noodles with pork intestine and oyster, and the nourishing and rejuvenating liver soup are all authentic Taiwanese dishes that the local people relish.

The NTNU Night Market is located in the vicinity of National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU). Among its lanes, a number of romantic cafes and small diners are harbored, giving it a unique modern feel. It used to be a movie location where the film First Page Taipei was shot. Lane 13 of Pucheng Street is where there is a range of foreign exotic restaurants, with establishments serving American, Japanese, Korean, and Indian cuisine, and it is thus called "Exotic Food Street".

From the delicate red bean buns from Din Tai Fung Dumpling House, the fatty-yet-not-greasy knuckles from Fu-Ba-Wang Pigs' Knuckles Restaurant, through to the chewy noodles with flavorful soup from Yong-Kang Beef Noodle, every lane of Taipei is peppered with amazing gourmet restaurants. But then again, you might just run into authentic Taiwanese cuisine just around the next corner.

Sleepless Taipei with Its Intoxicating Light

Colorful neon lights, bright night markets, romantic and passionate music, the cloud-piercing Taipei 101, and the ear-busting Taipei Arena - nighttime in Taipei is when its real side is unleashed, young and unrestricted, sparkling with colorful lights.

A night trip is a very local way to appreciate Taipei by night. Call on a group of friends and ride motorcycles in the cool night breeze, race to the mountain from where you can overlook the city's brilliance, as it lies ablaze with lights. Among the top 10 nighttime views of Taipei, Yangming Mountain ranks top. However, Jiannan Mountain, shutterbugs’ private sightseeing site, is also worth a tour. The observation platform by the hillside boasts the best panoramic view, and such landmarks as Songshan Airport, Taipei 101, and the beautiful Miramar Ferris Wheel can be seen in their full splendor.

If you have spent any part of your youth with Taiwan pop music as your soundtrack, then you won’t want to miss experiencing a concert in Taipei Arena. This pop music venue is a platform dreamed of by all singers. The melodious piano, the gentle singing, and the earthshaking New Year countdown party - this is where you can make touching music memories.

Taipei is the very heart of Taiwan independent music. The Gongguan Shopping Area in the National Taiwan University neighborhood has given rise to three music pilgrimage sites, i.e., The Wall, Riverside Live House, and the Witchhouse. Many singers have performed and made their names here. The Taipei night life is made of music and beer, and has a slightly tipsy, sentimental feel.

A Stroll in Taipei to Savor the Beauty of Life

If you feel like strolling through the streets of Taipei, you will always come across cultural and creative landmarks. Huashan 1914 Creative Park demonstrates the beauty of heavy industry, featuring a contradiction of new and old elements. The Park, formerly known as Taipei Win Factory, has been revitalized with installation art, a design studio, and original music. Songshan Cultural and Creative Park maintains the Japanese early modernism style of the former tobacco factory. Here can be found Eslite Bookstore and SongYan Gallery, as well as various exhibitions and creative fairs. Spot Taipei, a “Cinema Paradiso” following the combination of a historic site with art, is now a shrine for film lovers from everywhere. Cultural creation has somehow become art's calling card in Taipei.

The majestic Sun Yat-sen Memorial House is a must-see cultural center in Taipei. It is not only a place that exhibits works of famous artists from home and abroad, but also the largest national performance center on the island. The grand ceremony for Chinese films - Golden Horse Award - is held here every year.

“You are either at home, or at Eslite.” Reading at Eslite Bookstore has become a lifestyle. In its bright and spacious space for art and culture, with the light aroma of coffee in the air, you can meditatively soak in the beauty of life through the words and lines of its books. You can visit its branch store at Dunnan, which is open round the clock, to relive the romantic story of how the hero encountered the heroine, as told on the silver screen.

How to Get There

There are two airports and one main passenger train station in Taipei. Taoyuan Airport is a 40-minute drive from the city centre, and is the main international airport of Taipei, with most foreign tourists arriving and departing from here. Surrounding the airport are a number of high-end hotels, such as Holiday Inn Express Taoyuan, a 15-minute drive from the airport and 30 minutes to downtown to ensure a relaxing and comfortable travel experience. Songshan Airport, mainly dealing with internal flights, is close to the city center with convenient transportation, and just a 10-minute drive to Xinyi District and Zhongshan District.

Taipei Main Station is the main transport hub for Great Taipei. It is located in Zhongzheng District, adjacent to the shopping area of Ximending. With its three-in-one construction, the station has integrated the railway, high-speed trains, and MRT, ensuring the convenience of zero transfers.

Be it sitting with books at Eslite Bookstore, stuffing yourself with delicacies in the night market, or strolling through the streets in the steps of a leading character from a famous drama, Taipei offers a thousand ways to tour it, with a thousand joys for your pleasure.