No sappy and unnecessary backstory here — just my two cents in the form of a travel guide from the 3 months I spent here in the Summer of 2018

This is a short and definitely a non-inclusive list of my favorite things to see, do and eat in Taipei, Taiwan.

This guide is only for locations at the Taipei capital. There are so many other places worth seeing outside the city and in other regions of Taiwan. (Will put those in another guide)

Scroll down to the bottom to see all the places on google maps! (divided up by districts)

Click here for a more condensed version of these recommendations :)

SIGHTS

Explore the Xi Men Ding Area

西门町

This is the main food and shopping hub of Taipei. Streets are always filled with tourists and locals. I always compare this to the Times Square of Taiwan (Except Taiwanese locals probably don’t hate Xi Men Ding as much as New Yorkers hate Times Square)

EATS ($)

Ay-Chung Flour-Rice Noodle

阿宗麵線

This place is famous for their rice noodles and it’s the definition of cheap eats & on-the-go food while exploring the Xi Men Ding Area. There is normally a line but it goes by really quickly. No seating but people are scattered in front of the storefront slurping down the noodles.

DOs ($)

Ri Xing Type Foundry

日星鑄字行

This hidden gem sells one thing and one thing only: stamps. This small shop literally has stamps for all the Chinese characters in the language and in different fonts too.

EATS ($)

Chang's Beef Noodles Shop - Muslim Halal Restaurant

張家清真黃牛肉麵館

I’ve tried at least 7 different places and this is the best Beef noodles soup (牛肉面） I’ve tasted so far.

SIGHTS

National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall

中正紀念堂

This a must go. This memorial hall is dedicated to Taiwan’s founder: Chiang Kai Shek. It’s beautiful. It’s massive and incomparable to the other memorials & temples I’ve visited.

This place is iconic. Trust me.

EATS ($$)

Daylight Brunch Cafe

光合箱子 東門店

This place is between Zhong Zheng District and Da' An District. I would suggest coming here before/after visiting the National Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall since its nearby.

This place is kind of out of the way but it's my favorite brunch place. They have massive portions at a decent price (It’s not Taiwan “cheap” but still good for brunch prices) I got the salmon egg scramble and it came with a bunch of veggies.

SIGHTS

Taipei 101

台北 101

I’ve spent three months in Taiwan and for some reason, I never got the chance to go up to see the conservatory. The tower is iconic and bonus: The world’s highest starbucks is up there too. (You must make a reservation beforehand though. There is also a 2 hours staying limit.)

SIGHTS

Hike Xiang Shan (Elephant Mountain)

象山

There are many different trails that could take you to the top but the most popular “hiking” trail one is a long staircase to the top. When I went, there are alot of tourists (Some even with heels and Gucci shopping bags) so be sure to plan to go on a weekday/night.

EATS

Lunch at Mayur Indian Kitchen

Yes, there were so many Taiwanese must-eats to try…but I relied on this place whenever I was missing a taste of good old Indian curry during my 3 months stay.  I ordered my usual Chicken Tikka Masala, garlic naan and basmati rice.

EATS ($)

Chen San Ding

陳三鼎黑糖青蛙鮮奶創始店

So Taiwan is basically the motherland of bubble tea so there is literally no such thing as bad bubble tea here but this is a must try. This drink is called 青蛙撞奶 （Qīng Wā Zhuàng Nâi). 青蛙 translates to ‘frog’ because the tapioca resembles frog eggs…yeah, it tastes a lot better than it sounds. This is essentially a combo of tapioca drowned in a shit ton of brown sugar + cold milk. This is liquid gold.

EATS ($)

Lan Jia Traditional Taiwanese Snack (Famous Guabao)

And while you’re in the GongGuan area, you gotta try the Guabao（juicy marinated meat tucked into a steamed bun and topped with cilantro)

SIGHTS

Afternoon Stroll or Bike Ride around

NTU (National Taiwan University) campus

 I studied at this campus when I came in Summer 2018. There are palm trees, small ponds on this beautiful campus. It’s also right next to Gong Guan night market.

SIGHTS | EATS ($)

Gong Guan Night Market

公馆夜市

The night markets are usually set up by 7pm-ish and there are about two short blocks of street vendors filled with so many quick and cheap eats.

DOs

Taipei Public Library Beitou Branch

臺北市立圖書館 北投分館

One of the most architecturally beautiful libraries that I’ve ever been to. It’s Taiwan’s first eco-friendly green library — built with large windows to allow natural sunlight. The roof is also covered with photovoltaic cells that are used to convert sunlight into electricity. Some part of the roof is also covered with a 20-centimeter-thick layer of soil to improve the thermal insulation. The slope on the roof is also used to collect rainfall and used for flushing!

Note: The library close at 5pm on Sundays & Mondays instead of 9pm so be sure to check before you go!

DOs

Thermal Valley

地熱谷

Beautiful and scenic valley to see a natural hot spring. Only a short walk from the MRT (train station) and it’s free to walk in !

DOs ($)

Beitou Public Hot Springs

北投公園親水公園露天溫泉

Came here on a weekend after I visited the Beitou Public library and The Thermal Valley. There were a bunch of cute grandmas and grandpas lounging and chatting away.

Note: Had to pay a small entrance fee and you can only bathe in the hotspring if you brought a bathing suit.

If you want to have a more private hot springs experience, there are also a lot of hotels in the area!

SIGHTS | EATS ($)

Shi Lin Night Market

士林夜市

This is not located in the Bei Tou District but it’s only a couple train stops away. I recommend coming here after exploring the Bei Tou area since it’s one of the biggest night markets in Taipei. (This is one of my favorite night markets along with Raohe Night Market.) There are hundreds of vibrant street vendors filled with good & cheap eats.