Taipei for food lovers — 3 days of night markets

Taiwan's tallest tower anchors a grid of glass malls and rooftop bars built on reclaimed rice paddies since the 1990s, while a twenty-minute climb up Elephant Mountain's steep stone steps rewards hikers with the postcard sunset shot of the skyline lit gold.

1. 08:30
   Elephant MountainViewpoint, 1h 30m

   A steep staircase of roughly 600 stone steps climbs through Xiangshan Park to the Six Giant Rocks, boulder-top platforms that frame Taipei 101 against the skyline — the single most photographed sunset view in the city. Bring water and expect a queue for the top rock at golden hour; the trail has no gate and is open around the clock, but is unlit and best avoided after dark.

2. 10:15
   Taipei 101Landmark, 1h 30m

   The 508m tower held the title of world's tallest building from 2004 to 2010, and its 89th-floor indoor deck and open-air 91st-floor platform look out over the entire Taipei basin. Watch for the 660-tonne tuned mass damper suspended between the 87th and 92nd floors — it keeps the tower steady in typhoons and earthquakes. Last admission is 45 minutes before closing.

3. 12:00
   Lunch Shin Yeh Dining (Taipei 101)1h

   Perched on Taipei 101's 85th floor, this Taiwanese dining room pairs classic dishes — braised pork, three-cup chicken, superior stock soups — with floor-to-ceiling views over the Xinyi skyline. Reserve ahead for a window table, especially at dinner.

4. 13:00
   Songshan Cultural and Creative ParkHistoric site, 1h 15m

   A 1937 Japanese-era tobacco factory reborn as design galleries, indie boutiques and a lotus pond, its brick warehouses and pitched roofs preserved almost untouched. The outdoor grounds stay open around the clock; most shops and exhibition halls keep daytime hours, and step-free routes and lifts connect the main buildings.

5. 14:30
   Da'an Forest ParkPark, 1h

   Taipei's largest inner-city green space — 26 hectares of lotus ponds, playgrounds, and shaded jogging loops just a five-minute walk from Yongkang Street. Mornings bring tai chi groups and birdsong; the lawns and paths stay open all night, though some restrooms close after dark. Paths are flat and wide, with accessible restrooms near the MRT exits.

6. 15:45
   Qingtian 76Historic site, 1h 30m

   A 1931 Japanese-era wooden residence, once home to a Taihoku Imperial University professor, now a cafe-restaurant with tatami rooms and a small garden. Set-menu lunch, afternoon tea, and dinner service run through the day; shoes come off at the door to protect the hinoki floors, so wear socks. Closed the first Monday of each month, and reservations are recommended.

7. 17:30
   Dinner Din Tai Fung – Xinyi Original Store1h 15m

   The original 1972 storefront that turned Din Tai Fung into a global name for xiaolongbao — a minute's walk from Dongmen Exit 5, just past Yongkang Street. Expect a queue at peak lunch (12:00-13:30) and dinner (18:00-20:00) hours, and bring cash only — this location doesn't take cards. Vegetarian and vegan steamed-dumpling options are on the menu.

Taipei's stylish crossroads of incense and espresso: Xingtian Temple's smoke-free courtyard gives way, along Zhongshan Linear Park, to MOCA's red-brick galleries, Eslite's book-lined boutiques and Chifeng Street's vintage cafes.

1. 08:00
   Breakfast Coffee Dumbo30m

   A retro Americana coffee bar tucked into a Chifeng Street lane, all iron window grilles and mint-green booths — known for its caramel cinnamon roll and a steady line of phone cameras. Seating is tiny (groups over four aren't taken) and it's cash-only. Weekdays noon-6pm, weekends 11am-7pm, last orders an hour before close.

2. 08:30
   Xingtian TempleTemple, 30m

   One of Taipei's busiest folk-Taoist temples, dedicated to Guan Yu, god of loyalty and prosperity — famous for the robed attendants performing shou-jing (soul-calming) blessings beside the side altars. Free entry, open daily 4am-10pm. Since 2014 the temple has banned incense burners and offering tables to keep the air clean, so come empty-handed. Ramps and paved paths make the courtyard wheelchair-friendly.

3. 09:15
   Ximending Pedestrian AreaLandmark, 1h 30m

   Taipei's first and largest pedestrian-only shopping zone, radiating from Ximen MRT Station's exits with cinemas, fashion boutiques, tattoo parlours and street-food stalls. Come after dark, when neon signage and street performers fill the car-free streets.

4. 11:30
   Wannian BuildingShopping, 1h

   Seven cramped floors of anime figurines, cosplay costumes, trading cards and retro toys packed into a 1970s commercial tower, plus a basement food court of decades-old stalls. A rainy-day favourite for otaku browsing rather than a polished shopping-mall experience.

5. 12:45
   Lunch Ay-Chung Flour-Rice Noodle1h

   A single dish since 1975: a thick bonito-based mee sua studded with braised pork large intestine, eaten standing up at the counter because there's no seating. Order a small or large bowl, add the counter's garlic paste and chilli oil, and expect a queue at almost any hour.

6. 13:45
   The Red HouseHistoric site, 1h

   Taiwan's first public marketplace, an octagonal brick hall built by the Japanese colonial government in 1908 and reborn as a hub for indie designers, a small theatre and the surrounding 'Red House Plaza' bars that anchor Ximending's LGBTQ nightlife. Weekend creative markets fill the plaza outside.

7. 15:00
   Taipei Cinema ParkPark, 40m

   Ximending's largest green space, built on a former bus depot and dedicated to Taipei's film culture — skaters, street dancers and graffiti artists use its open plazas by day. A free, quiet breather two minutes' walk from the shopping crowds.

8. 15:55
   Museum of Contemporary Art TaipeiMuseum, 1h

   Taiwan's first museum dedicated purely to contemporary art, set inside a red-brick 1921 schoolhouse that later served forty years as Taipei's city hall — the Baroque facade and courtyard are as much a draw as the rotating exhibitions inside. Open Tuesday-Sunday 10am-6pm, closed Mondays (last ticket 5:30pm); general admission NT$100. Elevators and accessible restrooms throughout.

9. 17:10
   Eslite Spectrum NanxiShopping, 1h

   Eslite's flagship 'life' department store beside Zhongshan Station — five floors stacking a full bookstore, stationery gallery, homeware and fashion boutiques, plus a dining floor. The 5F bookstore keeps some of the latest hours in the neighbourhood on weekends. Overseas visitors can file a same-day VAT refund at the 4F customer service counter on purchases of NT$2,000-48,000.

10. 18:25
    Dinner Niu Dian Beef Noodles1h 15m

    A Michelin Bib Gourmand beef-noodle shop on a quiet Kunming Street corner, five minutes from Ximen Station. The signature 'manhan' bowl mixes shin, tendon and tripe in a beef-bone broth thickened with minced meat and vegetables — arrive right at opening, since the kitchen closes between lunch and dinner service.

North Taipei's day-and-night hood — the world's finest collection of Chinese imperial art sits on a quiet hillside a short bus ride away, and after dark Taiwan's biggest night market fills the streets around a 1796 Mazu temple, frying oyster omelettes and palm-sized fried chicken past midnight.

1. 07:40
   Check out of your stay
2. 08:30
   Ciceng TempleTemple, 30m

   A working Mazu temple first built in 1796 and rebuilt on this spot in 1864, standing right at the geographic and historic heart of Shilin Night Market — the market grew up around it. Step inside between market runs for a quieter look at the carved roof and incense-filled main hall; it opens early and stays open into the evening.

3. 09:15
   National Palace MuseumMuseum, 2h

   Home to one of the world's largest collections of Chinese imperial art — jade, ceramics, calligraphy and the famous Jadeite Cabbage — spread across galleries on a quiet hillside north of the city. It's a short bus ride from the night market rather than a walk: take the R30 bus from Exit 1 of Shilin Station (about 15 minutes) straight to the museum's B1 entrance.

4. 11:30
   Shilin Official ResidenceHistoric site, 1h

   The garden estate where Chiang Kai-shek and his wife Soong Mei-ling lived for over 25 years, with a Chinese-style reception hall, a Western-style house and rose gardens laid out around a small chapel. The residence buildings keep timed morning and afternoon sessions and are closed Mondays; the surrounding park paths are an easy stroll a few minutes from Shilin Station.

5. 17:30
   Dinner Zhong Cheng Hao Oyster Omelette1h 15m

   A Shilin institution since 1972, known for a crisp-edged oyster omelette of egg and sweet-potato starch studded with small fresh oysters, plus a thick stir-fried squid soup that's just as popular with regulars. It keeps some of the market's latest hours, running well past midnight on weekends — pay cash at the counter.