Taiwan
Taiwan, Taipei Sep 26 - Oct 03, 2023
Public Transportation in Taipei
Getting from Taouyan International Airport to Taipei
downtown
To travel from
the airport to downtown Taipei by public transportation you can take the train,
bus, taxi or metro. We found that the fastest way was by MRT metro. From
Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 there is an Express Train and a Commuter Train that
go all the way to Taipei Main Station. The ticket price is NT150 (New Taiwan
Dollar) regardless which one you choose. The only difference is that the Express
Train ride is 39 minutes and has only 4 stops while the Commuter ride is 53
minutes and stops at all 12 stations. The route map in the station will show
that the metro ride is from A13 or A12 (Terminal 1 or 2) to A1 Taipei Main
Station. Tickets can be purchased in cash at ticket machines or by Easycard or
IPass. For this route, Airport to Taipei Main Station, is possible to tap on
tap off with a credit card which we preferred, upon our arrival. The airport
had well marked signs so was easy to find our way to the Metro station.
Taipei has a very good public transportation system. There are 6 metro routes that can be easily remembered by their colour: Brown, Red, Green, Orange, Blue and Yellow. To ride the metro all we needed to know was the destination station. Above each ticket machine there is a map that shows the MRT station where you are and the fee for each destination station. You can pay in cash or buy the popular Easycard, a contactless smartcard that costs NT100 and can be topped-up with money and used on most types of transportation, MRT, buses, Taipei railway, but also in some stores to purchase goods.
Bus fares are
paid either in cash or by a contactless smart card on board and the ticket
price is based on fare zones, one segment NT15, two segments NT30, three
segments NT45.
After making
some calculations and leaving aside the convenience of using a card we decided
that the most economical way for us was to pay cash for our fares. On the MRT
you will actually get a plastic coin which you tap when transferring between
MRT lines and insert in the slot when you arrive at your destination. On buses
you can pay directly to the driver, but you will need exact cash.
Must see attractions in Taipei, Taiwan
The memorial
hall was built in memory of Chiang Kai-shek, former president of Taiwan. Seeing
the place in reality was a total different experience than seeing pictures of
it. As soon as you go through the Liberty Square Arch and step into the Liberty
Square you feel small among all these huge monuments and buildings. To the left
and right of the Square are two twin huge edifices, the National Theatre and
the National Concert Hall. Strolling ahead through the Square you will get to
the 89-step white marble stairway (symbolizing the Chiang Kai-shek’s age when he died) that leads to the
monumental white Memorial Hall. At the opening time, the impressive doorway
opened slowly to reveal the large bronze statue of the president. We also enjoyed seeing the changing of the guards’ ceremony which happens every hour. There is
no entrance fee and inside the building at the lower level there is also a museum that
commemorates the president’s life.
The place was
created with the main purpose to stimulate interaction between people and art.
It is an interesting place to visit if you have extra time in Taipei.
Walking the
winding pathways through the themed gardens, ponds and the many plant species
in the garden was a good time to relax and rest between other attractions.
It is an 18th
century heritage building in Taipei and nowadays an education center, also used
for exhibitions and cultural events. Located in the ancient city of Menga,
which was the birthplace of Taipei, the building and the area still show the
traditional Quing Dynasty-period architecture.
During our walks
we passed one day by the Presidential Official Building, which is the workplace
of the President of the Republic of China on Taiwan. The imposing building has
an interesting architecture that was carefully chosen through an almost 2-year
design competition.
The trail to
Elephant Mountain was a great hike and rewarded us with awesome views of the
city and Taipei 101. It was also very accessible by MRT. From Xiangshan Station,
which is the last stop on the Red metro line, it was just a short walk, 700 meters
to the Elephant Mountain Trailhead. From there the hike was entirely up the stairs to the
boulders and the lookout decks and was about 1.1 km out and back trail. The
elevation gain is 136 meters. It seems difficult but can be done easily with
few breaks along the way as there are many spots with nice views of the city
landscape. When on top, the trail leads to more trails if one wants to explore
more and walking the stairs has the advantage of not getting mud on your shoes during rainy days.
As Taipei’s most
famous attraction, the 508.2 meters’ tower used to be the world’s tallest
building for few years until the construction of Burj Khalifa in Dubai (828
meters). We visited the Observatory situated on 89th Floor for
panoramic views of the city from a height of 382 meters. Called also the Secret
Garden Observatory, the entire floor was designed with floral arrangements and
plants that made us fell like in a heavenly garden. From here we had also
access to 88th Floor which is the site of Taipei 101 wind-damper, an
amazing sight as the 660-ton and 5.5-meter diameter structure, the world’s largest
wind-damper. The tickets to the Observatory cost NT600 per person. There is also a Shopping Center at the base of the skyscraper with high end stores and lots of eateries.
Just across the
street from Taipei 101 is located Jimmy’s Moon Bus, a project based on an illustrated
book, When the Moon Forgot, by Taiwan author Jimmy Liao. Getting inside this
attraction we felt like kids again.
With a very
interesting architecture, this twisted residential building was worth a view.
The memorial
hall was built to commemorate the founding father of R.O.C. Dr. Sun Yat-sen and
is used to host cultural and art events throughout the year. While inside we
visited also the Calligraphy Exhibition where I got to sign my name with a
paint brush.
We visited this
cable suspension bridge while visiting Raohe Street Night Market. The bridge is located 200 meters from the market and lights up at night.
We spotted this
14 storey palace-like building when we visited the Taipei 101 Observatory and
being in the area we walked to it for a closer look. The magnificent building is
a landmark in Taipei and looks like a giant temple.
Located in the
228 Peace Memorial Park, this museum contains exhibits on anthropology,
geology, zoology and botany is the oldest natural history museum in the
Republic of China. The entrance tickets cost is almost symbolic, only NT60 and
includes another museum across the street that holds the Land Bank Exhibition
Hall.
Taipei Day Trip to Shifen and Jiufen
A day trip to
Shifen and Jiufen is one of the best trips outside Taipei and a very popular
destination. That means we expected crowds and these small mining towns in New
Taipei City were packed with tourists and locals from morning until evening. We
planned our day to go first to Shifen and then to Jiufen. From
Taipei Main Station we took a local train to Ruifang Station. The train ride to
Ruifang took 35 minutes and the one way ticket cost NT49.
This former
mining town is usually used as a base station for people visiting both towns in one day. Once we arrived at Ruifang we purchased the train tickets for Shifen but because
we had enough time until our train was due, we explored a little bit the area around the train station. There was a
market on the streets and we just wandered around to look at the food stalls
and the locals going on about their day.
Shifen, Sky Lanterns
From Ruifang we
took another local train to Shifen Station. The ride to Shifen was 27 minutes and the
ticket cost was NT19. Shifen is a beautiful town, well known for its waterfall, sky lanterns and of course the street food. As soon as we got off the train we were
immersed into the tourist atmosphere, there were already food stalls, sky lantern
vendors and people moving in all directions. Releasing a sky lantern on the
Pingxi railway line is one of the main activities when visiting Shifen and also on top of our “to do list”. We started by purchasing a sky lantern, they
have different prices depending if you want them in one colour or more colours.
The vendor also provided us with brushes and paint to write our wishes on each
side of the lantern and then took pictures and videos of us with our phone. We
had lots of fun doing it.
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Shifen Scenic Area
After releasing
the sky lantern, we walked towards the Shifen Waterfall which is one of the most
spectacular waterfalls in Taiwan. The trail is very well marked and goes by the
Shifen Visitors Center, where we picked up a map of the area and then crossed
the Keelung River on Siguangtan Suspension Bridge. There was lush vegetation
along the trail and on the river banks and a few food stands and shops, making
for a pleasant walk. The cascade is very beautiful with the water plunging in a
deep pool beneath, raising mist, which gave it the nickname “Taiwan’s Niagara Falls”. There are also many lookouts offering beautiful views of the waterfall.
After having fun
with the sky lantern and walking the Scenic Area trail we returned to the town
to stroll the famous Shifen Old Street. The street and few more alleys along
the railroad tracks are lined up with souvenirs shops and street food vendors and the smell was so
inviting that we tried quite a few of the local snacks.
From Shifen we
took the train back to Ruifang Station and then walked to Zushi Temple Bus Station. From here we took Bus 788 that left us very close to the popular
Jiufen Old Street. The bus ticket cost was only NT15 and the ride was about 15
minutes. Before becoming a mining town, Jiufen’s main activity was harvesting
and processing of camphor. There were nine processing sites which inspired the
name Jiufen which means “nine units”. Same as in Shifen, Jiufen Old Street is a
very narrow street that goes up and down a series of steps. There are also few
spots that offer a breathtaking mountain and ocean view. The streets are lined
up with food vendors, souvenirs, teahouses, woodcraft and pottery shops and
is decorated with the famous red lanterns. We spent the time sampling some of
the local delights and admiring the unique item displays in the shops.
Finding the bus
stop to return to Ruifang was a bit tricky as the road is a really winding serpentine
like road and after being turned down by two drivers, we walked to a different
bus stop where some volunteers told us we could even take the bus 965, (which
was in the station ready to go), directly to Taipei, so that was even better.
The cost of the ticket was NT90 per person and took us all the way to Taipei
Main Station.
The central
building of Taipei Main Station is the main hub for Taipei’s metro, trains and
buses. It has six stories underground and four above ground, a lot of eateries
and an impressive high ceiling lobby.
Ximending is a
neighbourhood in downtown Taipei where the first pedestrian zone was built. The
area is full with shops, souvenirs stores, eateries, street entertainment and
in the evening is home to Ximending Night Market.
A walk on Dihua
Street was like an immersion in Taipei of the past. The street is lined up with
traditional shops selling bulk spices and dried food, Chinese medicine and herbs,
wooden crafts, fabrics, street food.
Taipei River Walk
A nice way to
explore nature while in Taipei is to take a walk along Tamsui River. There are
nice bicycle and pedestrian paths and a beautiful green landscape. It was funny to see lots of crabs running away when we were getting close.
Best Parks in Taipei
Being a
sub-tropical island, Taiwan gets a lot of rainfall so its parks are full of
green, lush vegetation.
Located in the
Da’an District, this ecological park is the largest park in Taipei. The many
trees’ species, bushes and flowers along the ponds attract a variety of animals
and birds and enthusiast photographs. There is also Buddha Statue, an open-air
theatre and lots of shaded pathways for spending a relaxing time.
The
multi-purpose park is located at the site of a former winery. The winery’s
grounds were converted into a creative space and together with the green areas
attract many visitors.
The park was the
site of the International Flora Exhibition in the past and since then the
government unveiled more exhibition halls such as the Pavilion of Dreams or the
Taipei Storey House. This vast park is in close proximity to Maji Square, an
international hawker centre with lots of restaurants and to Taipei Fine Arts
Museum.
The park is just
a short walk from Taipei Main Station and is the oldest park in Taipei. Initially
named Taipei Park, it was renamed 228 Peace Memorial Park to commemorate the
innocent people that died in 1947 confrontation with the government military
force and the several sculptures throughout the park were built for that
purpose.
Day trip to Yehliu Geopark
Yehliu Geopark is a cape that stretches out of the town of Wanli, on the north coast of Taiwan. It is a very popular attraction and an easy day trip from Taipei. To get there we took Bus 1815 from Taipei, a short walk from our hotel, directly to Yehliu. The bus ticket was NT93 one way and the ride was about 1 hour and 10 minutes. The park is a landscape of iconic rock formations formed through erosion of seawater and wind. Many of the rocks were named after their shapes and among the most popular were Queen’s Head, Fairy Shoe, Mushroom Rocks, Ginger Rocks, Candle Rocks, Pinneaple Bun Rock, Ice Cream Rock. We had fun trying to spot them while exploring the area. We also hiked up to the Yehliu Lighthouse where there are some lookout platforms offering nice views of the park and the ocean. The park has well maintained walkways and a Visitors Center where we picked up a map. The entrance fee was NT120 per person.
After visiting
Yehliu Geopark we got some local snacks from the food vendors and then took a stroll to Wanli Camel’s Hump, which we spotted while on top of
the cape at the Geopark. This is a coastal rocky formation that resembles a
camel resting and facing Yehliu. We passed by the fishing harbour and then
climbed the Camel Rock. From the top we were rewarded with stunning
coastal views.
To get to it we
took MRT Brown line and alighted at Taipei Zoo Station. From here was a 350
meters walk to gondola ticket booth. The fee for the ride depends to which of
the four passenger stations you want to get. For Maokong Station, our
intended destination, the fee was NT240 return. But we wanted to visit Zhinan
Temple too, which can be reached by gondola so by paying NT260 we got a Maokong
Gondola 1-Day Fun Pass which allowed for unlimited gondola rides for the day. The pass also came with a nice canvas bag, some sweets and a delicious drink. The full route is 4 km and makes for a very pleasant and peaceful ride with
nice views of the surrounding area.
Upon exiting the
Maokong Gondola Station and going left we strolled down a road that passed tea
plantations, Tianen Temple and Taipei Tea Promotion Center. The exhibition area
inside the Promotion Center shows the tea production process, how teas are
tasted, brewed and preserved and also the benefits of drinking tea. From here
we continued down the road to Maokong Sky Walk, a wooden viewing platform with
views of the mountain. We returned to Maokong Station and walked to the right
on Camphor Tree Trail, a popular destination in Maokong. The easy, paved trail
was winding through a beautiful landscape, green tea plantations, ponds, barns, farms, fruit and vegetable gardens. The whole Maokong area is filled with teahouses and tea
shops that offer specialty teas and meal combos. We finished our visit by
taking the gondola down to see Zhinan Temple.
Most Beautiful Temples in Taipei
Taipei has very
diverse religious beliefs so Taiwanese people practice Buddhism, Taoism,
Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Islamism, Catholicism and not only. Therefore,
their spiritual sanctuaries are many and diverse as well. Below are
just some of Taipei most beautiful temples we visited.
Bishanyan Kaizhang Shengwang Temple
Situated on
Bishan Mountain in Neihu District, this temple is a place of architectural
beauty with colourful elements and a large terrace offering great views of the surrounding mountains and Taipei City. To get here we took the Brown metro line to Neihu Station and then walked about 200 meters to the stop for Bus S2 Shuttle which
took us all the way up in front of Arch of Bishanyan, the gate to the temple’s
grounds. The bus ride cost us only NT15 one way per person.
A short walk
from the Bishanyan Temple we walked to Baishihu Suspension Bridge, another
popular attraction in the area. The bridge connects four mountains and it is
said that looks like a gigantic dragon watching over the scenic Baishihu area.
The Bishanyan Temple surrounding area has plenty of walking and hiking trails that go either up the mountain or to other scenic spots such as the Heart Pond, a wetland pond with a double heart shape design. Going up the stairs to the top of the mountain we encountered a lot of Taiwanese elderly people exercising and socializing, as this is part of their culture. Seeing those elderly men and women there was very inspiring to us because the climb is not quite an easy one.
This famous old
temple was built as a place of worship and gathering for the Chinese settlers. It
is one of the most visited temple by tourists probably for being located in downtown Taipei City but also because is one of the most beautiful temples in
Taiwan.
In the same
neighbourhood as Lungshan Temple we visited this Taoist temple, smaller in size
and nestled between two buildings like a street house but nicely designed with
door gods and stone lions carved from granite and bluestone.
Located in the
densely populated Songshan District and near Raohe Street Night Market the
temple was designed with a triple-eave roof and nice colourful carving details
everywhere. The main deity enshrined here is Mazu, guardian goddess of the sea.
A Taiwanese folk
religion temple with beautiful gardens built by immigrants from Xiamen. The
temple received the UNESCO Cultural Heritage Preservation Award to recognize
the collective efforts in successfully restoring the temple.
We walked by
this three-storey Taoist temple located in the middle of a residential area,
when we visited Yuanshan Expo Park.
The temple is
located at the base of Zhishan Mountain and is easily accessible by taking the
metro Brown line to Taipei Zoo Station first. From there it can be reached
either on the main road, by Maokong Gondola or by hiking the 1,200 steps hiking
trail. The main buildings include Lingxiao Palace, Daxiong Palace and Dacheng
Palace and we could walk from one to the other on covered walkways. The temple
incorporates elements of Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism so it gets a lot of
believers and visitors. There are many spots where you can view the city and
the surrounding beautiful landscape.
Best night markets in Taipei
A trip to Taipei City must include a visits to street night market as is one of the best way
to immerse into the Taiwanese atmosphere, mingling with locals and having an
authentic eating experience. There are more than 30 night markets just in the
greater Taipei area and they usually open after 4-5 pm when the Taiwanese
people and tourists start to crowd the streets in search for the perfect snack.
We visited a different night market every evening, they are different in size, some more popular than others but otherwise they all offer an abundance of foods,
tasty treats, souvenirs or opportunities to play various games. The markets are known for
“small eats”, meaning small portions at inexpensive prices. We tried some of
the most authentic and famous snacks, spring-onion pancakes, fried dumplings,
deep fried chicken breast, grilled Taiwanese sausages, pork and vegetable buns to name a few. The only snack we could not make ourselves try was the “stinky
tofu”, a very popular treat but really...stinky. The Taiwanese people visit the
night markets to eat, play and meet with friends or family in the evening when
the temperatures are more bearable.
Raohe Market is
located in Songshan District and very easily accessible by taking the metro Green line to Songshan Station which is the last station. It is a popular area
for tourists as aside from visiting the market you can visit also Ciyou Temple,
located in front of the market and Rainbow Bridge behind the market.
It is located
downtown, close to Ximending Shopping area and in the evening the whole area is
brightly lit up and bustling with people either shopping or eating at the food
stands lining up the streets.
One of the most
famous and largest night markets in Taipei. We took the metro to Jiantan
Station and from there was just a short walk. The market has two sections, a covered
one with goods and game stands and then the food area.
Nicknamed the
Snake Alley, the market is the most famous internationally with tourists, here
you can find herbal food, crafts, foot massage shops, health and spa shops and
of course tasty food, some cooked with snake meat (no, we didn't even think of trying it).
One of the
smallest night markets stretching few hundred meters and located solely outdoor
but packed with good and inviting snacks.
We stumbled upon
this traditional covered market while exploring the area, as is close to
Lungshan Temple and Bopiliao Historic Building. The market has stands selling
vegetables and fruit, meat, fish and also street food.
Visiting Taipei City and north of Taiwan was an unique experience. Taiwan has world renown
attractions, temples and museums where you could discover and learn about its
culture and history. Has natural beauty, beautiful landscapes, mountains and
beaches, amazing geological formations and many natural hot springs. The food
was incredible and the locals some of the friendliest we ever met in our travels. And
the most important when you are a tourist, Taiwan is very affordable and easy
to travel around, offering multiple cheap options for public transportation. We enjoyed the trip and gladly recommend Taiwan as a destination.
Here are some pictures of other interesting places we've seen during our trip
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