Taipei Travel Guide: 30 Best Things To Do & Hidden Gems
These are my carefully selected 30 secrets & best places in Taipei which I've visited twice and includes gems like the Snow King, Laotian Lu, Knife Massages, Snake Restaurant, Din Tai Fong, Taipei Night Markets and Taipei Nightlife tips.
- Why: Food capital of Asia
- YouTube channel: Reformatt Show
- Accomodation: Stay in Taipei 101 or Ximending districts
- Wifi: 4G Pocket Wifi rental at airport for just $1.45 USD per day!
- Notes: I visited Taiwan twice to record this video, go watch my 12 Taiwan episodes as well.
- Book Now: Taipei 101 Observatory Ticket for just $19 USD
Buy Tickets for Taipei
I went to Taiwan with no major expectations but let me tell you, the country, people, food and nature truly blew me away and now I understand why people consider it a hidden gem in Asia. I started my Taiwan adventure in Taipei, often called the food capital of Asia for its wide assortment of cuisines and uniquely themed restaurants like the toilet restaurant, snake restaurant and turtle restaurant. For a brief introduction to Taiwan, go watch my first episode!
Taipei Map Download
Attractions • Restaurants • Rooftops
Bars • Nightclubs • Walking Routes
and Bonus Tips.
Best Places for Travel in Taipei
1. Fu Hang Soy Milk
Most popular Taiwanese breakfast, deep fried bread, Taipei crepe and soy milk. Map
2. Jiufen
From Taipei Main Station take the train to Jiufen, the most gorgeous mountain village in Taiwan. Map
3. Chicken Founding Headquarters
Exceptionally delicious chicken nuggets with basil, unmatched in the world! Map
4. National Palace Museum
Controversial museum with 700,000 Chinese artifacts brought over from mainland China during the communist revolution. Map
5. Modern Toilet Restaurant
Bizarre restaurant where you can eat beef curry out of a mini toilet bowl. Map
6. Prawn Fishing
Another bizarre activity is fishing for prawns at an indoor pool, open 24 hours. Map
The best way to start your Taipei adventure is with an epic Taiwanese breakfast at Fu Hang Soy Milk, the most popular breakfast joint in town but do come early, lineups can grow very large. I ordered the deep-fried bread stick, egg pancake and a delicious cold soy milk soup for 110 NT, roughly $3.60 USD. There is a good reason why locals wait hours in line to get their hands on this stuff.
7. Snake Venom
Most insane dinner experience at the snake restaurant for snake venom, snake blood and snake skin salad. Map
8. Rilakkuma Cafe
Cutest cafe in Taipei, order the adorable omelette with rice and a cute coffee. Map
9. Ice Monster
Most epic shaved ice shop in Taipei, my favorite being the almond shaved ice with red beans. Map
10. Elephant Mountain
Enjoy mesmerizing views of Taipei and the Taipei 101 tower but note; the hike is pretty steep. Map
11. Taipei 101
Beautiful views from the Taipei 101 observatory deck but do go on a clear day since tickets at 600 NT ~ $20 USD. Map
12. Din Tai Fong
Best soup dumplings in Taiwan rated a Michelin Star, totally worth every penny! Map
After your Taiwanese breakfast hike up the Elephant mountain for the best views of Taipei and the Taipei 101 building just make sure to take many breaks and drinks lots of water, especially on a hot summer day.
13. Death Star Mall
If you are a Star Wars geek, you will have a blast at the Core Pacific Mall, a giant Death Star downtown Taipei. Map
14. Addiction Fish Market
One of the best fish markets I've ever been too, salmon and tuna sashimi quality blew me away. Map
15. Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall
A memorial for the founder of modern Taiwan: Chiang Kai-Shek who took the nationalist government from China to Taiwan. Map
16. Ximending
Often compared to Tokyo's Harajuku for its large youth culture and popular fashion shops. Map
17. Ay-Chung Rice Noodles
Popular street snack in Ximending, delicious thick broth with thin noodles and pig intestines. Map
18. Laotian Lu Duck
Unique duck store in Ximending for all your duck pleasures ranging from tongue, feet, liver, gizzards and duck hearts. Map
You will be able to find one of world's largest Chinese art collections at the National Palace Museum having over 700,000 ancient artifacts on display, I do recommend bringing a bunch of Taiwanese fried chicken snacks from the Chicken Founding Headquarters to the nearby Zhishan garden.
19. Snow King
Bizarre ice cream shop for its Kaoliang ice cream at 58% alcohol percentage and sesame chicken ice cream. Map
20. Knife Massage
Unknown to most tourist, Dao Liao is an ancient knife massage and one of the best massages I've ever received. Map
21. Longshan Temple
Gorgeous Chinese folk religious temple downtown Taipei with daily rituals and offerings to the gods. Map
22. Hsing Tian Kong
Another famous temple often visited by businessmen looking for good fortunes. Map
23. Waterfront Ubike Ride
Relax during a waterfront bike ride north of Taipei along the Keelung river, these bikes at 20 NT per hour ($0.60 USD) Map
24. Mulberry Smoothie
Enjoy an epic Mulberry smoothie at the Moonlight Riverside Cafe for just 80 NT. Map
Hilarious places for dinner include the prawn fishing restaurant where you'll be able to capture your own dinner but also the Modern Toilet Restaurant where you can eat beef curry out of a toilet bowl. For dessert, indulge yourself into a delicious shaved ice delight at Ice Monster, my favorite flavour, the almond shaved ice, red beans and almond soft tofu.
25. Century Egg
Bizarre tea egg shop popular for its fermented duck egg which was surprisingly delicious. Map
26. The Grand Hotel
One of the tallest Chinese classical buildings in the world, a gorgeous hotel great for photography. Map
27. A Cheng Goose
Delicious rare goose meat was better than I expected, it is a meat that should be experienced in Taiwan. Map
28. Taipei Night Markets
Taipei is famous for its many night markets namely; Shilin, Linjiang and Raohe night markets open daily from afternoon to midnight. Map
29. Taipei Nightlife
Going out in Taipei blew me away, I had no idea the nightlife was this incredible at clubs: Vibe, Pong, OMNI, Babe18 and Elektro. Map
30. Hotel Royal Beitou
Unique hot springs hotel with your private hot springs bath and view of downtown Beitou. Map
After your dessert, head over to the Rilakkuma Cafe. The cutest cafe in Taiwan, including the cute cookies hanging off my coffee cup. On a sunny day, consider a bike ride along the Tamsui river by renting a super cheap Ubike, found all over Taipei for just 20 NT ~ $0.60 USD, that is a steal!
31. BONUS: Poffertjes Cafe
As a Dutch person I found this cafe very unique since I've never seen mini Dutch pancakes outside of Holland. Map
32. BONUS: Four Four South Village
Historic military housing for the fled soldiers from mainland China during the communist revolution. Map
33. BONUS: Taipei MRT
Perhaps the best metro system in the world, it was super simple to get around town without language barriers. Map
One of the most incredible experiences was getting a knife massage by knife massage practitioners who require to be vegetarian and meditate daily but don't worry the cleavers used are blunt, it is quite satisfying getting hammered by blunt metal to a point where I fell asleep from relaxation.
For ancient temples, visit the breathtaking Longshan temple also known as the 'meeting place of the gods' where you can witness daily rituals, offerings and many locals praying to the many deities.
One of the strangest foods I tried were the fermented duck eggs which were traditionally made by a mixture of lime, salt and ash turning the egg white base into a gelatin texture and the egg yolk green from fermentation, to my surprise, this was a delicious snack. Alternatively, there is a Dutch poffertjes cafe in downtown Taipei. Running into these mini Dutch pancakes on the other side of the planet was a great surprise.
As a giant lover of seafood, the Addiction Aquatic Development fish market is the ultimate destination. A high-end fish market with some of the best sashimi, grilled eel and other fish products I have ever tasted, a great spot for lunch!
Another bizarre place is ice cream shop Snow King where you can enjoy the most bizarre flavours from Taiwan beer, Kaoliang (58%), Brandy (40%) to sesame chicken ice cream with real bits of chicken. I double dare you to try the Kaoliang ice cream, it is an experience you'll talk about for the rest of your life.
In conclusion, Taipei left a lasting impression on me to such an extent that I returned to Taipei a second time in less than a month time to record even more incredible footage of this mesmerizing city. If you are considering of visiting Asia, do not skip Taiwan. As for the Taipei Night Markets like Shilin and Linjiang, go watch my special episode on night markets but the best part of Taipei has to be the Taipei Nightlife, I had no idea Taipei has so many amazing bars and night clubs with lots of positive, energenic and kind locals, do not forget to watch my Taipei Nightlife episode either. If you want to make new friends in Taipei, you will eventually be asked to be added to WeChat. WeChat is 'the' chat app in Taiwan, so if you do not have DATA on your phone during your stay, make sure to rent a dirt cheap pocket Wifi station at the airport. You can take these pocket Wifi stations all over the country and connect all of your devices (laptop, tablet, phone). It even fits in your back pocket. Luckily, there is a 10% discount on a pocket 4G Wifi station on Klook ($1.45 USD per day). I rent this device everytime I visit Taiwan to avoid any stressful situations.
My name is