Taipei.

What to do in Taipei Northern Taiwan Taiwan

The city spreads across a wide mountain basin, tethered by an exceptionally clean and punctual MRT network that takes the anxiety out of cross-town navigation. Days naturally organise themselves around food: traditional soy milk breakfasts at dawn, cultural walks through Dihua Street by noon, and neon-lit markets after dark. It suits curious walkers, solo travellers, and anyone who appreciates exceptional public transport and meticulous cooking.

24 hours in Taipei Northern Taiwan Taiwan

Start at Fu Hang Soy Milk for savoury soy milk and shaobing flatbreads. Ride the MRT to Longshan Temple to admire intricate roof eaves, then cross town to browse dried-goods stalls on Dihua Street. Finish under the neon lanterns of Raohe Night Market with a hot black pepper bun, all within a 20-minute metro hop. Select 1 Day above to see it.

2 days in Taipei Northern Taiwan Taiwan

Day two heads north to Beitou for a morning soak in Japanese-era public baths, followed by the Imperial treasures inside the National Palace Museum. Spend the evening in the leafy alleyways of Da'an, hopping between quiet craft beer bars and unpretentious braised pork rice shops around Yongkang Street. Choose 2 Days to expand the plan.

3 days in Taipei Northern Taiwan Taiwan

A third day permits escaping the basin entirely. Ride the train east to the old mining hills of Jiufen and Pingxi, or head south on the Maokong Gondola for a long, quiet afternoon brewing high-mountain oolong tea at a mountainside teahouse, looking back at Taipei 101 through the coastal haze.

Taipei Northern Taiwan Taiwan itineraries by interest

• Night Markets in Taipei Northern Taiwan Taiwan

  Squeeze into Raohe or Ningxia for pepper buns baked in cylindrical tandoor-style ovens, oyster omelets, and stinky tofu served with pickled cabbage.

• Tea Culture in Taipei Northern Taiwan Taiwan

  Ride the gondola up to Maokong ridge to brew high-mountain Tieguanyin oolong in ceramic gaiwans overlooking the terraced southern hillsides.

• Sacred Architecture in Taipei Northern Taiwan Taiwan

  Watch worshippers present offerings of fruit and incense beneath the bronze dragon pillars of Longshan Temple and the carved halls of Baoan.

• Historic Quarters in Taipei Northern Taiwan Taiwan

  Walk Dadaocheng along Dihua Street, where 19th-century brick shophouses trade in medicinal dried herbs, mullet roe, and hand-woven bamboo steamers.

• Noodle Houses in Taipei Northern Taiwan Taiwan

  Order rich, slow-simmered beef shank soup with thick hand-cut wheat noodles and preserved mustard greens along Section 2 of Bade Road.

• Thermal Baths in Taipei Northern Taiwan Taiwan

  Take the red metro line north to Beitou to soak in sulfurous hot spring waters channeled from geothermal vents into stone baths.

• Morning Markets in Taipei Northern Taiwan Taiwan

  Queue at Shuanglian Market alongside neighbourhood elders for warm soy milk, freshly fried youtiao dough sticks, and scallion flatbreads.

• Hiking Trails in Taipei Northern Taiwan Taiwan

  Climb the steep stone staircases of Elephant Mountain and the Nangang range for broad skyline views framed by subtropical jungle fern.

• Modern Art in Taipei Northern Taiwan Taiwan

  Browse rotating contemporary installations inside the repurposed 1914 sake brewery warehouses of Huashan 1914 Creative Park.

• Traditional Crafts in Taipei Northern Taiwan Taiwan

  Explore ceramic workshops and tea-ware makers in nearby Yingge, or browse lacquerware and calligraphy brushes in the back lanes of Wanhua.

• Coastal Escapes in Taipei Northern Taiwan Taiwan

  Board the commuter rail to the windy crags and weathered sandstone rock formations of Yehliu and the fishing ports along the northern coast.

• Mountain Villages in Taipei Northern Taiwan Taiwan

  Catch bus 965 out to the steep staircases and former gold-mining alleyways of Jiufen, stopping for taro ball soup above the Pacific.