Taiwan
Visiting Taiwan is very easy because of the visa free program that they offered to some countries. Many of our kababayans are taking this advantage to visit one of the beautiful places in asia.
Taipei is the thriving capital of Taiwan, standing on a basin surrounded by mountains and the New Taipei City. Interestingly, just like our country, it is deeply religious – largely dominated by Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism, among others. Upon arrival in downtown Taipei, I was greeted by neon lights with Mandarin characters, towering buildings, upscale shopping malls, electronic centers, intricate temples, purring scooters and the mouthwatering smell of Taiwanese food sold at a busy night market.
When to visit Taiwan?
When is the best time / month to visit Taipei? Because Taipei is located on Northern Taiwan, it has a subtropical weather with an average temperature of 22 degrees Celsius. So you won’t really experience four distinct seasons here. The best season to visit Taipei is during fall around November to early spring in April because of lesser rainfall. Typhoon season in Taipei ends around October. So you may want to avoid traveling here in May to August.
You may also want to avoid the Chinese New Year, which falls roughly around the end of January to early February when visiting Taipei. This is peak season, so prices of hotels are more expensive, not to mention most restaurants and shops are closed because of the holiday.
Internet in Taiwan
Although Taipei City offers free Wi-Fi, I find it unreliable, sometimes the connection can get real slow and oftentimes I get a security warning (unsecured connection) that keeps on popping up on my phone. Thus, I highly recommend getting a portable Wi-Fi router when traveling in Taipei. You can rent pocket Wi-Fi at the airport, but devices may ran out quickly, so to make sure, I suggest to RENT POCKET WIFI HERE and just claim it once you arrive at Taiwan Airport (Taoyuan International Airport). You get a 4G unlimited Wi-Fi with roughly 8 hours battery life and it is dirt cheap!
How to get to Taipei City from Taipei Airport
Taipei has two airports: Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport and Songshan Airport. Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport caters mostly to international flights, so if you are coming from Manila, Philippines, you will most likely land here. Meanwhile, Songshan Airport located in downtown Taipei serves mostly domestic flights and trips to Japan and China. I’ve been to both since I landed in Taoyuan International Airport and the taxi driver made a mistake of sending me to Songshan Airport instead of Songshan Train Station (talk about language barrier). There are 3 options to get to Taipei City from Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport: by train (Metro Transit Rail / MTR), by bus or by renting a car.
Getting around in Taipei
I would really suggest using the MRT - Taipei Metro Rail Train is dub as one of the best in the world and it’s easy to understand why. Unlike the complex subways in Japan, Taipei’s train system is pretty easy to use because there are only 5 lines. And it is super convenient since most of Taipei’s attractions are located near the MRT/ train stations. MRT fares usually costs NTD 20/ PHP 33 / USD 0.67 – NTD 50 /PHP 183/USD 83. Here’s a photo of the Taipei MRT Map, take note that the boxed numbers are the train fares (e.g. 20, 25, 35).
I highly recommend purchasing a rechargeable IC Card such as Easy Card, Happy Card, ICash and IPass so you don’t have to buy train tickets for every ride. You can also use the IC card in many buses across Taipei and even at neighboring cities like Kaohsiung. Plus if you use the IC Card, you get a discounted fare, I noticed the usually NTD 20 / PHP 33 / USD 0.67 fare becomes NTD 16 / PHP 27 / USD 0.53 whenever I use my Easy Card.
You can also ask for an MRT Map at the Information Counter of any MRT stations in Taipei and you can get a Taipei Travel Map at Taipei Main Station. If you are a first-timer in Taipei and you want to make sure you are on the right track, you can also download the Taipei Metro App on Google Play.
Places to visit in Taipei
- Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall
- Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall
- Taipei 101
- Elephant Mountain
- Night Markets
- Ximending Youth Shopping District
- Jiufen Village & The Northeast Coast
- Yehliu Geopark
One of the top attractions in Taipei is the Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall and this place is surrounded by a beautiful manicured garden. Here, you’ll also find the National Theater and the National Concert Hall. But the most photographed is the Memorial Hall itself for Chiang Kai Shek, the former President of Taiwan (Republic of China) from 1928 to 1975. The iconic white building is octagonal-shaped with blue roof and two stairs leading to its main hall where a massive statue of Chiang Kai Shek is sitting. If you are lucky enough, you can witness the changing of the guards here which happens every hour until 5:00 PM.
Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall may not as grandiose as the Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall but definitely it’s worth a visit, after all this place is dedicated to Dr. Sun Yat Sen, father of Republic of China (Taiwan). The memorial hall is surrounded by a beautifully manicured park known as Zongshan Park. Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall is located near Taipei 101. I was able to witness the changing of the guards here around 5: 00 PM.
Taipei 101 (台北101) is Taiwan’s most famous and most photographed landmark. This soaring building was once named as the tallest building in the world. Tourists going to Taipei for the first-time make it a point to see this icon. Taipei 101 houses an upscale shopping mall and boast of the Guinness World of Record fastest elevator in the world. Imagine it can take guests on top for only 37 seconds.
Undoubtedly, the Elephant Mountain has one of the best views of the city but be prepared to hike up the summit with a lot of stairs! Visit during the late afternoon and catch the sunset here, wait for the blue hour and early evening to take photo of Taipei.
A visit to Taipei will not be complete without trying the food on one of its many night markets. The most popular and most touristy is Shilin Night Market (士林夜市).
Ximending Youth Shopping District is walking distance from my hotel. This shopping haven was established during the Japanese colonial period as recreation area. Today, it is packed with shops and restaurants and is the go to place of Taipei youths. While in the area, make time to visit the Read House Theater and Zongshan Hall.
Situated in Wanli District in New Taipei, Taiwan, Yehliu Geopark is a popular day trip excursion for tourists visiting Taipei. This area known for its rock formations including the hoodoo stones sprinkled around its coast.
Where to eat in Taipei
Yongkang Street is Taiwan’s food mecca. You’ll find the original Din Tai Fung (鼎泰丰) Restaurant here opened in 1949 along Xinyi Road. It is famous for its soup dumpling. But if you are visiting Taipei 101, you can also look for Din Tai Fung at B1.
Honestly, everywhere I buy, I like the food being served to me in Taipei. Night markets are a great way to taste local food in Taipei, and some of the best are Shilin Night Market, Raohe Street Night market, Tainan Flowers Night Market, Huayuan Night Market, Feng Chia Night Market and Keelung Miaokou Night Market.