Three days is enough to feel you have really met Taipei, provided you plan by neighbourhood rather than trying to see everything. The city is long and thin, the MRT is quick, and the sights cluster naturally into three groups: the old west, the museum and hot-spring north, and the modern east around Xinyi. Here is a plan that follows that logic, with room to breathe and a night market each evening.
Before you go
Buy an EasyCard at the airport or any MRT station and top it up as you go. Book Taipei 101 for a day with a clear forecast, and consider a timed ticket for the National Palace Museum, which is usually closed on Mondays. Check the weather forecast for your first morning and swap days around if you need to, since the hills and the observation deck are best on clear days, while temples, museums and markets work in the rain.
Day one: old Taipei
Begin at Longshan Temple soon after it opens, when incense smoke hangs in the courtyards and locals pray before work. Walk to the Bopiliao Historic Block and then catch the MRT to Dadaocheng, where Dihua Street’s shophouses sell tea, dried goods and herbal medicine. Have lunch in the area, perhaps a bowl of braised pork rice, then continue to the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall and Liberty Square, where the guard changes on the hour and the huge white hall sits behind sweeping plazas. In the evening, ride to Raohe Street Night Market for a manageable, compact introduction to street food. If you still have energy, go on to a late bubble tea.
Day two: museum, hot springs and Shilin
Start with the National Palace Museum, which holds one of the greatest collections of Chinese imperial art in the world, and give it a full morning with an audio guide. Do not miss the jadeite cabbage and the carved olive-stone boat. Go back down the hill for lunch, then take the red MRT line to Beitou. The Thermal Valley steams in the hills above the village, and a soak in a public or private hot-spring bath is the best possible afternoon after a morning on your feet. The Beitou Hot Spring Museum is a gracious old bathhouse that is worth a short visit. Finish the day at Shilin Night Market, the city’s biggest, and eat as much as you can: oyster omelettes, fried chicken cutlets, pepper buns and shaved ice.
Day three: Xinyi and the hills
Take a morning ride on the Maokong Gondola for tea with a view, or, if you prefer a city morning, wander the cafés and temples in the Eastern District. Have lunch at a dumpling restaurant, since Din Tai Fung’s flagship is in this part of town, and then go up Taipei 101 in the afternoon, timing your visit so that you are on the observation deck in good light. Walk out afterwards to Elephant Mountain, where a short, stepped climb brings you to the classic viewpoint of the tower rising above the city, ideal for sunset. Come down for dinner in Xinyi or take the MRT back to a favourite night market for a final snack.
If you have a fourth day
The most popular add-on is the guided day trip to Yehliu, Jiufen and Shifen, which combines coastal rock formations, a hillside tea town and a sky lantern release over the railway tracks. It makes a lovely contrast with the city and is easy to arrange with a small-group tour. Other options include Tamsui for a riverside sunset, Wulai for hot springs and waterfalls, or a cooking class if the weather turns wet.
Practical tips
Wear comfortable shoes, since you will walk more than you expect, and carry a light rain jacket in every season. Eating and drinking are banned on the MRT, so finish your drink before you board. Cards are widely accepted in hotels and malls, but night markets are mostly cash only. Taxis are cheap and easy for short hops, particularly when it rains, and rideshare apps also work. Public toilets are clean and plentiful, and convenience stores are everywhere. Learn a few phrases of Mandarin such as hello, thank you and how much, and you will be met with warm smiles.
Where to stay
For this itinerary, a hotel near Taipei Main Station or along the red and blue lines is ideal, since you will pass through it on most days. If you prefer a quieter base, look at Da’an or Songshan, and for energy and shopping choose Ximending or Xinyi. All of them put you within a short MRT ride of the places in this plan, and none of them requires you to hire a car.
Adjusting the plan
If you are travelling with children, swap the Palace Museum for a longer visit to the Maokong Gondola and Taipei Zoo, and skip the late-night market in favour of an early dinner. If you love food, add a cooking class on day three. If you are short of energy, drop Elephant Mountain and enjoy the view from the observation deck instead. Whatever you choose, leave an hour each day with no plans, because wandering down a side street with no destination is where Taipei is at its most rewarding.
