Photo: Chensiyuan, edit by DXR / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.02 Days in Taipei: Taipei 101, Ximending & the Night Markets
A two-day Taipei weekend built around the city's greatest hits: ride up Taipei 101 and hike Elephant Mountain, wander Ximending's neon streets, and graze through Raohe and Shilin's night markets. Day two covers Dadaocheng's historic Dihua Street, Bao'an and Confucius temples, Yongkang Street's food crawl, and Beitou's hot springs. The plan re-plans itself around how you travel - your style, pace, and budget.
Pick a style, a budget and a pace — the route and days below re-plan themselves.
6 stops · 4 meals · 2 hotelsThis is the editor’s pick.
2 days
Each day takes one part of Taipei, kept close so you walk more than you ride. The map shows the whole route — pick a day to zoom in.
Monument to Dr. Sun Yat-sen with hourly guard-changing, exhibitions and Zhongshan Park's Lake Cui gardens. Open 9 AM-6 PM; entry free.
- The formal changing of the guards happens every hour - time your visit for it.
The world's most famous soup-dumpling house at its busiest outpost under Taipei 101. Sun-Thu 11:00-21:30; waits of 1-3 hours at peak - take a queue number and walk the mall.
- Take a queue number and walk the mall while you wait - peak waits run 1-3 hours.
Taiwan's tallest building - 89th-floor observatory, 37-second elevator, the world's largest tuned mass damper. Open 10:00-21:00; admission around NT$600.
- Last admission is around 20:15 - go for late afternoon so you catch daylight and dusk.
- Descend from the 89th floor straight into Din Tai Fung - take a queue number and walk the mall while you wait; peak waits run 1-3 hours.
Steep 20-minute stair climb to the Six Giant Rocks - the classic Taipei 101 skyline viewpoint. Free, open 24 hours; trailhead by Xiangshan MRT Exit 2. Bring water and mosquito repellent.
- The trailhead is by Xiangshan MRT Exit 2 - bring water and mosquito repellent.
Ichiran's second Taipei shop in B1 of Shin Kong Mitsukoshi Xinyi A11 - tonkotsu ramen in solo flavor-concentration booths, open late.
Closer: L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon, 10 min out of your way
Quirky 57-room art-filled boutique steps from Daan MRT - compact spotless rooms, complimentary breakfast, quiet lane off Xinyi Road. Mid-range and convenient.
Red-brick Qing-dynasty street turned heritage halls and art installations, three minutes from Longshan Temple MRT Exit 3. The outdoor lanes stay open to 21:00.
- Indoor halls run 9:00-18:00, but the outdoor block stays open till 21:00.
Taipei's oldest and most famous temple, founded 1738 - Buddhist, Taoist and folk shrines under one ornate roof. Come in the morning when worshippers light the first incense.
- Entry is free and the temple opens at 6:00 - arrive early to beat the tour groups.
- Tour the temple first, then walk the block - Bopiliao's heritage halls sit three minutes from Longshan Temple MRT Exit 3.
Ximending's busiest Taiwanese diner - famous lu rou fan with a fried egg (about NT$70) and wok-hei turnip cake. The queue moves fast; takeaway skips the wait.
Ximending institution for silky mee sua with pig intestines in thick gravy, eaten standing on the street. Open roughly 8:30 AM-10:30 PM; add the homemade chili sauce and black vinegar.
1908 octagonal red-brick market hall turned creative market - design shops, weekend performances and a theatre at the heart of Ximending. A good anchor for the afternoon.
- Closed Mondays - plan your Ximending wander for another day of the week.
Worth the trip
Taiwan's oldest Western restaurant, founded 1934 - the Minsheng West Road original is a registered historic building. Try the French duck rice and old-school Western set meals. Daily 10 AM-9 PM.
Closer: Mei Guan Yuan, right on your way
Switch bases tonight. 143 compact designer rooms a minute from Ximen MRT, famous pillow menu, organic breakfast cafe and 24-hour front desk. Rated 9.6 on Expedia - a smart budget base.
Where to stay in Taipei
Ranked for first-timer travelers on a comfortable budget. The places this plan sleeps in come first.
Folio Hotel Daan Taipei
Quirky 57-room art-filled boutique steps from Daan MRT - compact spotless rooms, complimentary breakfast, quiet lane off Xinyi Road. Mid-range and convenient.
Just Sleep Ximending
143 compact designer rooms a minute from Ximen MRT, famous pillow menu, organic breakfast cafe and 24-hour front desk. Rated 9.6 on Expedia - a smart budget base.
Hotel Cozzi Zhongxiao Taipei
Cathay's reliable mid-range stay on Zhongxiao East Road - 123 cozy rooms, buffet breakfast, steps from Shandao Temple MRT and Huashan 1914. 9.2 on Expedia.
Flights to Taipei
Fly into TPE (TPE)
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Getting around Taipei
How to actually move around the city — transit, rideshare, bikes, and taxis.
Public transit
Taipei's MRT covers the whole city and the Airport MRT reaches Taoyuan International Airport from Taipei Main Station; buses fill in the gaps and an EasyCard works across all of it.
- Taipei MRT
Taipei's MRT is the fastest way across the city: fares are distance-based, roughly NT$20–65, and trains generally run from 6:00am to midnight. Tap an EasyCard or other IC card at the gates.
Tip: Buy an EasyCard (悠遊卡) at any MRT station — it also works on city buses and YouBike.
- Taoyuan Airport MRT
Links Taipei Main Station with Taoyuan International Airport in about 35 minutes for NT$160 one-way; EasyCard and iPASS are accepted. Purple Express trains make five stops en route, and express and stopping trains charge the same fare.
Tip: Catch the purple Express train at Taipei Main Station (A1); blue trains stop at every station.
Rideshare
Uber runs around the clock in Taipei, and its app can also hail a licensed metered taxi — handy late at night or with luggage.
- Uber
Uber operates in Taipei 24/7 with UberX and other ride options. The app can also request a licensed local taxi with metered pricing — useful late at night or for airport runs (about NT$1,396 on average to Taoyuan Airport).
Tip: Compare the Uber estimate with the 55688 Taiwan Taxi app at peak times; fares vary with demand.
Bikes
YouBike 2.0 docks are everywhere in the central city and cheap for short hops — ideal for the riverside paths and neighborhood rides.
- YouBike 2.0
Taipei's docked bikeshare charges NT$10 per 30 minutes for the first four hours, NT$20 per 30 minutes for hours 4–8, and NT$40 per 30 minutes after eight hours. Taipei City members get a NT$10 subsidy per rental, in effect since February 28, 2024.
Tip: Register an EasyCard with YouBike on the official site before your first ride.
Taxis
Metered yellow taxis are everywhere, regulated and inexpensive; hail one on the street, call 55688, or use the city's toll-free safe-taxi line.
- Taipei taxis
Yellow taxis are metered, plentiful and cheap by world standards: NT$85 starts the meter for the first 1.25 km, then NT$5 per 200 m (NT$5 per 60 seconds under 5 km/h), plus a NT$20 surcharge per trip from 11pm to 6am. Hail on the street, use the 55688 Taiwan Taxi app, or call the city's toll-free safe-taxi hotline 0800-055850.
Tip: Have your destination in Chinese characters handy — most drivers speak limited English.