My favorite places in
Taipei, Taiwan!
Taipei is best known for it's amazing food, but it's also a city bustling with friendly locals, an up-and-coming design scene, and some of the most incredible nature I've ever witnessed. The infrastructure in Taipei is such that you can subtract
a lot of headaches that you would normally run into while travelling—the cost of living is low, public transit is so, so convenient and inexpensive, and it's easy to get out of Taipei and visit other parts of the island on short notice.
Go to many night markets, drink lots of pearl milk tea (it's hard to go wrong), and go on a few hikes! If you're so inclined, there's always a gallery opening or cultural park event going on too. There are so many reasons to go, and while
I don't think I'll be able to capture them all here, I really encourage you to go and see for yourself!
Here's the full map with all the locations.
More Guides
The thousandth girl has guides for everything—the cost of living, food, applying as a foriegn student, design stores, nightlife, everything! Incredibly helpful and thorough.
You can't look up Taiwanese eats without running into this blog. It breaks down restaurants by cuisine, cost, location, and atmosphere—one of the most expanse food guides out there!
Vegetarian food
Before I moved to Taipei, I heard a lot of different things about the food scene for non-meat eaters. Taiwan has a large population of Buddhists and Daoists, but strangely the food isn't very spread out—it's much easier to find a
restaurant that only has vegan/vegetarian options, versus one that has food for all kinds of diets.
Don't worry though, because there are some pretty incredible vegetarian restaurants that put a lot of effort into making delicious food. Watch out for the vegan character 素, and the Buddhist symbol 卍.
Food for everyone
It's not hard to find recommendations for where to eat in Taipei, but these spots are special because they have food for all kinds of diets. You'll find vegan/vegetarian food AND meat-based foods all on the same menu, so no one has to compromise!
Behold, my list of meat-eater-approved and Angie-approved restaurants!
Night markets
I personally think night markets are the best way to try the most diverse amount of Taiwanese food at once. You can easily find a full list of the night markets (to my knowledge, all of them are open every night), but the one's I most frequent
are Tonghua (通化夜市) and Raohe (饒河夜市). They both have a good mix of food stands and places to shop, and are always lively but never cramped.
The most well-known of the bunch is Shilin (士林夜市), but if you aren't a fan of big crowds and long queues, I would skip it. I've gotten stuck waiting near a stinky tofu stand one too many times...
Cafes
There seems to be a never-ending supply of quaint cafes all around Taipei. All of them have solid coffee (averaging 130 NT/4 USD per cup, so not too different from the states), good internet, and a relaxed atmosphere.
Bars and lounges
The drinking scene in Taiwan seems to be isolated to Taiwanese millenials and expats, and because the majority of liquor is imported to Taiwan, it's not a cheap pasttime. It is fun to venture out every once in a while though, and these are the
places I frequent when I do.
If you're looking for something different to do at night, try visiting one of the many 24-hour Eslite bookstores. They're so much more than bookstores—more like design store malls with a floor for food and a floor for tea.
Things to do
The Taipei community seems particularly interested in the revival of retired buildings for public spaces. Huashan Creative Park and Songshan Culture and Creative Park are great examples (one, an old sake factory and another an old tobacco factory).
They cycle through exhibitions and events frequently, and typically have great nearby cafes and restaurants.
Make sure to make time for tea tasting or go up to the tea farms in MaoKong (貓空) to taste some local tea. The gondola to get there is a particularly beautiful ride.
Nature
Taiwan is so lush, so if you have more than a day or two to spend there, I recommend hopping on the train and getting outside the city. For an adventure not too far from Taipei, try the waterfall hike in Sandiaoling (三貂嶺) and finish up
the hike at Houtong (猴硐), the nearby cat village.
If you have time for a two-day adventure check out Taroko Gorge, where you can spend one day river tracing in the Golden Grotto, and the next day driving up the magnificent gorge itself.