Taipei 101 Observatory
The 89th-floor observatory of the 508-metre tower that defines the Taipei skyline, reached by one of the fastest lifts in the world. Come for the view of the whole basin and the giant damper that keeps the tower steady.
Taiwan
Taipei
Taipei is the friendliest big city in Asia to get to know: a green, mountain-ringed capital where a 508-metre skyscraper rises over incense-filled temples, night markets sizzle until midnight and a hot-spring valley sits at the end of a metro line.
The MRT is clean, cheap and signposted in English, so a first-timer can ride from the National Palace Museum, with one of the greatest collections of Chinese art anywhere, to the observatory of Taipei 101, the stairs of Elephant Mountain and the lanes of Longshan Temple in a single day. Beyond the city, the lantern-hung hillside town of Jiufen and the railway village of Shifen, with its sky lanterns and waterfall, make the classic day trip, while a gondola climbs to the tea houses of Maokong and the volcanic peaks of Yangmingshan steam just north of town. This guide books the tickets worth booking, points you to the free sights that matter most, and matches you to the right hotel, from a Mandarin Oriental splurge to a good-value base by the main station.
Don't miss
Taipei 101 Observatory
The 89th-floor observatory of the 508-metre tower that defines the Taipei skyline, reached by one of the fastest lifts in the world. Come for the view of the whole basin and the giant damper that keeps the tower steady.
National Palace Museum
One of the greatest collections of Chinese art in the world, from bronzes and jade to calligraphy and porcelain, in a palace-style museum in the Shilin hills. Book the audio guide and give it half a day.
Maokong Gondola and Taipei Zoo
A cable car ride over forested hills from Taipei Zoo to the tea plantations of Maokong, where teahouses serve oolong with views back to the city. This pass adds zoo entry and the zoo shuttle train.
Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall and Liberty Square
A vast white memorial with a blue-tiled roof, set on Liberty Square between the National Theater and Concert Hall. Free, photogenic and a lesson in how Taiwan sees its own history.
Things to do in Taipei
National Palace Museum
One of the greatest collections of Chinese art in the world, from bronzes and jade to calligraphy and porcelain, in a palace-style museum in the Shilin hills. Book the audio guide and give it half a day.
Jiufen Day Trip with Yehliu and Shifen
The lantern-hung old gold-mining town on a mountainside above the sea, combined with the rock formations of Yehliu and the waterfall and sky lanterns of Shifen on one guided day out from Taipei.
Shifen and Pingxi Sky Lantern Day Trip
Write your wishes on a paper sky lantern and let it go above the railway tracks of Shifen Old Street, then walk to the Shifen Waterfall. This small-group tour includes the lantern, Yehliu and Jiufen.
Beitou Hot Springs and Yangmingshan National Park Tour
Steaming thermal valleys, a Japanese-era bathhouse museum and the volcanic peaks and grasslands of Yangmingshan, all on Taipei’s northern edge. This guided day ends with a hot-spring foot bath.
Maokong Gondola and Taipei Zoo
A cable car ride over forested hills from Taipei Zoo to the tea plantations of Maokong, where teahouses serve oolong with views back to the city. This pass adds zoo entry and the zoo shuttle train.
FreeChiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall and Liberty Square
A vast white memorial with a blue-tiled roof, set on Liberty Square between the National Theater and Concert Hall. Free, photogenic and a lesson in how Taiwan sees its own history.
1 to 2 hoursDetails →
FreeLongshan Temple (Lungshan Temple of Manka)
Taipei’s most famous temple, founded in 1738 in the old Wanhua district, with carved dragons on the roofs, clouds of incense and worshippers asking Guanyin and Mazu for help. Free and always alive.
1 hourDetails →
Elephant Mountain (Xiangshan) Hiking Trail
A short, steep climb from the MRT to the most famous view in Taipei: Taipei 101 and the Xinyi skyline from the Six Giant Rocks. Free, open around the clock and best at sunset.
1 to 2 hoursDetails →
Shilin Night Market
Taipei’s biggest and best-known night market, a maze of food stalls, games and shops from early evening to midnight. Come hungry for oyster omelettes, giant fried chicken cutlets and stinky tofu.
Where to stay
Hotels we would book ourselves, from splurges to good-value bases.
$$$$Mandarin Oriental, Taipei
Songshan (Dunhua North Road)
Taipei’s grandest hotel, on Dunhua North Road, with 303 rooms and suites, a Michelin-starred Cantonese restaurant, an outdoor heated pool and a serene spa. The splurge of the city.
Check rates →Kimpton Da An Taipei
Daan
A stylish boutique hotel on a leafy lane in Da’an, designed by Neri and Hu, with an evening social hour, bikes to borrow and The Tavernist restaurant. The best small hotel in town.
Check rates →citizenM Taipei North Gate
Zhongzheng (Taipei Main Station and North Gate)
A playful design hotel facing the historic North Gate, with smart compact rooms, a 24-hour canteen and an easy walk to Taipei Main Station and the airport train. Great value for first-timers.
Check rates →amba Taipei Ximending
Ximending (Wanhua)
A fun, homegrown design hotel above a shopping complex in the heart of Ximending, with 160 rooms, a music-themed floor and the Buttermilk restaurant. Five minutes from Ximen MRT.
Check rates →CityInn Hotel Taipei Station Branch I
Zhongzheng (Taipei Main Station)
A small, tidy budget hotel on Huaining Street, about five minutes on foot from Taipei Main Station, with 51 simple rooms and free WiFi. The smart choice for day trips on a budget.
Check rates →Taipei guides
First Time in Taipei: What to Book, How to Get Around & How Many Days
The practical primer for a first visit to Taipei: the few tickets worth booking, the closing days and weather that catch people out, how the MRT works, and how to fit Taipei 101, the Palace Museum, the night markets and a Jiufen and Shifen day trip into four days.
Where to Stay in Taipei: Main Station, Ximending, Da’an or Songshan
How to choose your base in Taipei, from a Mandarin Oriental splurge on Dunhua North Road to a boutique Kimpton in leafy Da’an, design hotels by the North Gate and in Ximending, and a budget base by the main station.
