Top 10 Things to Do in Taipei

The largest and most famous night market in Taiwan, Shilin draws enormous crowds every evening for its incredible street food lineup including oyster vermicelli, stinky tofu, large fried chicken cutlets, and fresh fruit juices. The underground food court beneath the market is enormous and gives a more comfortable dining experience during hot or rainy weather. Allow at least two hours to explore the food, games, and clothing stalls.

Perched on a hillside overlooking the Pacific Ocean, Jiufen's narrow red-lantern-lit lanes of tea houses and traditional shophouses inspired the fictional town in Hayao Miyazaki's Spirited Away — though Miyazaki has never officially confirmed this. The A-Mei Tea House offers stunning ocean views from its terraced balconies over a pot of traditional oolong. The 40-minute train ride from Taipei to Ruifang followed by a short bus ride is scenic and easy to navigate.

The geothermal Beitou district in northern Taipei is famous for its sulphurous hot springs, with both public bathhouses and luxury hot spring hotels operating alongside each other. The Xinbeitou branch of the Taipei City Library — a stunning green-roof building — is the world's first green library and worth a visit in itself. The Beitou Thermal Valley's vivid jade-green boiling pool is one of Taiwan's most surreal natural sights.

Din Tai Fung's original Xinyi Road restaurant in Taipei is the birthplace of the world's most famous soup dumplings (xiaolongbao) — now replicated in restaurant branches across the globe. Watch the skilled dumpling wrappers through the glass kitchen window as they fold each dumpling with exactly 18 pleats as mandated by the founder. The black truffle xiaolongbao and taro dumplings are seasonal highlights not always available at overseas branches.

Elephant Mountain is a 183-metre rocky peak at the eastern end of Taipei that offers the definitive head-on view of Taipei 101, particularly stunning at sunset and in the blue hour after dark. The hike takes around 20 minutes from the Xiangshan MRT station through forested trails and steep stone steps. Several flat viewing platforms along the trail make it accessible to most fitness levels and it's free to access year-round.

Housing one of the world's largest and most important collections of Chinese imperial art, the National Palace Museum holds over 700,000 artefacts including jade, bronze, ceramics, calligraphy, and paintings spanning 8,000 years of Chinese civilisation. The Jade Cabbage and Meat-shaped Stone (a piece of jasper carved to resemble braised pork) are the museum's two most beloved and endlessly queued exhibits. A full day is barely enough to scratch the surface of this extraordinary collection.

Built in 1738, Longshan Temple in Wanhua is Taipei's oldest and most atmospheric temple, dedicated to Guanyin and attracting thousands of worshippers and visitors each day. The elaborate carvings, incense-filled courtyards, and constant ritual activity make it one of the most authentic religious experiences in Taiwan. The surrounding Wanhua district has excellent snake alley street food and the fascinating Herb Alley traditional medicine market.

Often compared to Tokyo's Harajuku, Ximending is Taipei's youth culture and entertainment district, packed with cosplay shops, indie cinemas, bubble tea, street food, and tattoo parlours in a pedestrian-friendly zone. The Red House — a 1908 octagonal brick market building — is now a vibrant arts venue and LGBTQ-friendly bar district. On weekends the surrounding streets fill with street performers, buskers, and pop-up fashion stalls.

A volcanic national park on the northern edge of Taipei accessible by bus in 30 minutes, Yangmingshan offers crater hiking, hot spring streams, cherry blossoms in spring, and sweeping city views from its peaks. The Datunshan trail system is excellent for half-day hikes and the fumaroles and sulphur vents near Xiaoyoukeng are dramatically otherworldly. Families enjoy the free natural hot spring footbaths at Lengshuikeng.

The largest and most famous night market in Taiwan, Shilin draws enormous crowds every evening for its incredible street food lineup including oyster vermicelli, stinky tofu, large fried chicken cutlets, and fresh fruit juices. The underground food court beneath the market is enormous and gives a more comfortable dining experience during hot or rainy weather. Allow at least two hours to explore the food, games, and clothing stalls.

Perched on a hillside overlooking the Pacific Ocean, Jiufen's narrow red-lantern-lit lanes of tea houses and traditional shophouses inspired the fictional town in Hayao Miyazaki's Spirited Away — though Miyazaki has never officially confirmed this. The A-Mei Tea House offers stunning ocean views from its terraced balconies over a pot of traditional oolong. The 40-minute train ride from Taipei to Ruifang followed by a short bus ride is scenic and easy to navigate.

The geothermal Beitou district in northern Taipei is famous for its sulphurous hot springs, with both public bathhouses and luxury hot spring hotels operating alongside each other. The Xinbeitou branch of the Taipei City Library — a stunning green-roof building — is the world's first green library and worth a visit in itself. The Beitou Thermal Valley's vivid jade-green boiling pool is one of Taiwan's most surreal natural sights.

Din Tai Fung's original Xinyi Road restaurant in Taipei is the birthplace of the world's most famous soup dumplings (xiaolongbao) — now replicated in restaurant branches across the globe. Watch the skilled dumpling wrappers through the glass kitchen window as they fold each dumpling with exactly 18 pleats as mandated by the founder. The black truffle xiaolongbao and taro dumplings are seasonal highlights not always available at overseas branches.

Elephant Mountain is a 183-metre rocky peak at the eastern end of Taipei that offers the definitive head-on view of Taipei 101, particularly stunning at sunset and in the blue hour after dark. The hike takes around 20 minutes from the Xiangshan MRT station through forested trails and steep stone steps. Several flat viewing platforms along the trail make it accessible to most fitness levels and it's free to access year-round.

Housing one of the world's largest and most important collections of Chinese imperial art, the National Palace Museum holds over 700,000 artefacts including jade, bronze, ceramics, calligraphy, and paintings spanning 8,000 years of Chinese civilisation. The Jade Cabbage and Meat-shaped Stone (a piece of jasper carved to resemble braised pork) are the museum's two most beloved and endlessly queued exhibits. A full day is barely enough to scratch the surface of this extraordinary collection.

Built in 1738, Longshan Temple in Wanhua is Taipei's oldest and most atmospheric temple, dedicated to Guanyin and attracting thousands of worshippers and visitors each day. The elaborate carvings, incense-filled courtyards, and constant ritual activity make it one of the most authentic religious experiences in Taiwan. The surrounding Wanhua district has excellent snake alley street food and the fascinating Herb Alley traditional medicine market.

Often compared to Tokyo's Harajuku, Ximending is Taipei's youth culture and entertainment district, packed with cosplay shops, indie cinemas, bubble tea, street food, and tattoo parlours in a pedestrian-friendly zone. The Red House — a 1908 octagonal brick market building — is now a vibrant arts venue and LGBTQ-friendly bar district. On weekends the surrounding streets fill with street performers, buskers, and pop-up fashion stalls.

A volcanic national park on the northern edge of Taipei accessible by bus in 30 minutes, Yangmingshan offers crater hiking, hot spring streams, cherry blossoms in spring, and sweeping city views from its peaks. The Datunshan trail system is excellent for half-day hikes and the fumaroles and sulphur vents near Xiaoyoukeng are dramatically otherworldly. Families enjoy the free natural hot spring footbaths at Lengshuikeng.