Taipei surprised us in the best way. It felt very local, with barely any tourists, and the food scene really is as good as people say it is.
We ate nonstop, going from night market stands to long-standing family-run spots, and it’s easily one of our favourite cities we’ve travelled to. People were polite, friendly and had a good sense of humour.
Each neighbourhood feels different, with a mix of Chinese and Japanese influence, yet it still feels entirely its own.
You’ll find teahouses, great coffee, unique architecture and creative spaces inside old industrial buildings.
Our 4 day Taipei itinerary is built around great food, walkable neighbourhoods, independent shops, and must-do experiences we gathered after spending a week in the city.
4 Days in Taipei
Day 1: Explore Dihua Old Street, shop local boutiques, eat street food at Raohe Night Market, and finish with a nightcap at one of Taipei’s unique bars. Day 2: Discover Taipei's creative side, dive deeper into the food scene, head up Taipei 101, and eat at a retro American Chinatown-inspired diner. Day 3: Take the gondola to the scenic Maokong tea region and spend the evening at Taipei's largest night market. Day 4: Start with Taiwanese coffee, eat some of Taipei's standout dishes, and take your time at a traditional teahouse before a memorable final dinner. |
4 Day Taipei Itinerary
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Explore Dihua Old Street, shop local boutiques and eat your way through Raohe Night Market, and finish with a nightcap at one of Taipei’s unique bars.
Check into your hotel around Zhongxiao Dunhua
For your first visit to Taipei, we recommend staying around the Zhongxiao Dunhua area.We found ourselves coming back here without really planning to. It’s central, well connected by MRT, and easy to explore on foot, with streets lined with independent boutiques, low-key cafes and cool bars.
We stayed just outside this pocket at the Mandarin Oriental, which compared to other cities, felt like a rare chance to experience this level of hotel without the usual price tag.The rooms are spacious, the service is seamless, and after long days exploring, it was a calm place to come back to.
But for a more neighbourhood-focused stay, we’d recommend looking closer to Zhongxiao Dunhua itself.
🛏️ Browse more stays around Zhongxiao Dunhua.Explore Dihua Street and Taipei’s historic trading district
Start along Dihua Street, one of the oldest streets in Taipei, dating back to the 1800s when it was a centre for tea, textiles and traditional medicine.
The narrow shophouses and layered mix of Fujian, Baroque and Japanese architecture give it a distinct feel as you walk through.
Head up Dihua Street and down Anxi Street, where dried goods shops and traditional medicine stores sit alongside cafes and design-led boutiques in the old buildings.
Our favourite shops:
Brush & Green: for tablewares, brushes and stylish, well-made pieces. I picked up rope-style incense that I hadn’t seen before. The minimal techno playing in the background adds to the mood.
地衣荒物 Earthing Way: located a little further south, this was my favourite shop in Taipei. Around 90% of what they carry is made by Taiwanese artisans. I bought a ceramic mug.
Grab a bubble tea from 50 Lan
Afterwards, grab a bubble tea from 50 Lan, one of Taiwan’s most popular chains.
You’ll be asked to customize sweetness and ice - we go for the golden bubble milk tea at 25% sweetness with less ice.
The golden bubbles are smaller than typical tapioca pearls, made with a brown sugar or honey base, and have a springy chew. They are addictive!
Wander the Chifeng Street area
If you have time, walk over to the Chifeng Street area to shop small boutiques, vintage shops and indie vendors set along Xinzhongshan Linear Park. It draws a younger crowd and has a casual, creative feel.
A couple of spots to check out: NOR Coffee for its curated selection of 2000s-era digital cameras, and Banana Cats for vintage clothing. There are lots of similar shops scattered around here.
Eat your way through Raohe Night Market
Raohe Night Market
Head to Raohe Street Night Market for your first night market. It’s a great place to start since it’s just one strip, and not overly big or confusing.
Start at the side by Songshan Ciyou Temple. It was one of the most impressive sights we saw in Taipei, especially lit up at night. I gasped when I saw it.
From there, just make your way down the strip, with food vendors lining both sides.
First stop: the pork pepper buns from Fuzhou Pepper Bun. They’re Michelin-recommended and baked in a cylindrical oven, stuck to the sides until the outside turns crisp. The line moves quickly, and they are delicious.
Next, see what catches your eye as you walk down Raohe Street. Bring cash and come hungry!
Finish with a nightcap
If you still have energy, head out for a nightcap. Taipei has a great bar scene, and these three each offer something different:
To Infinity and Beyond: best for unique, complex cocktails. This bar has a creative, space-themed concept and is ranked on Asia's 50 Best Bars list.
三藩市Somefun: best for coffee-based cocktails and fun bartenders. Head upstairs and grab a seat at the bar. This spot feels intimate, local, and the espresso martinis are fantastic.
Double Check: best for the music. It’s dimly lit and feels like a listening bar, with a proper sound system. A good option if you’re in the mood for craft beer on tap as well.
Day 2
Visit a design-led cafe, explore a creative park, dive deeper into the food scene, head up Taipei 101, and eat at a retro American Chinatown-inspired diner.
Start your morning at one of Taipei’s design-led cafes
This is something the city does particularly well. While Taiwan is often associated with tea, coffee culture here is just as strong, shaped in part by Japanese influence.
The city's cafes feel designed for staying a while, not grabbing and going. We loved Congrats Cafe, a minimalist, industrial space with a calm feel.
You can choose from different beans and brewing styles. We sat on the second floor, which has really nice natural light.
Explore a former sake factory turned creative park
Huashan 1914 Creative Park
Next, head to Huashan 1914 Creative Park, a former sake factory that’s been converted into a creative hub.
You’ll find this throughout the city, where older buildings are repurposed into creative spaces that blend history with contemporary design.
Walk through the warehouse buildings and see what’s on. It’s usually a mix of exhibitions, small shops and pop-ups.
I picked up a silver ring and a vase made from old window panes sourced from the maker’s grandparents’ home. Ari bought some tasty wasabi rice cakes.
Dive deeper into Taipei's food scene with a local guide
Joining a food tour with a local guide is one of the best ways to get a deeper feel for the city.
Taipei’s food scene is huge, from night markets to tucked-away spots that have been around for generations, so the sheer range can feel overwhelming at first.
We did a private tour called 10 Tastings with Locals, and not only did we try different local dishes, we also learned a lot about Taiwan’s history and current culture along the way.The 3-hour tour was a great way to try a range of dishes while getting more context than you would on your own.
🍜 Reserve your food tour with GetYourGuide. They offer free cancellation up to 24 hours in advance.Ride one of the world’s fastest elevators up Taipei 101
Once the tallest building in the world, Taipei 101 is still one of the most distinctive, with its tiered, pagoda-inspired design built to handle typhoons and earthquakes.
The elevator ride up is part of the experience. It’s one of the fastest in the world, taking you to the 89th floor in about 37 seconds.
At the top, you’ll get panoramic views across the city. Choose a clear day (we didn't do this, and it was quite misty up there).
You'll also get to see the humongous tuned mass damper, a suspended sphere that helps keep the building stable. Ari was especially into this (he has an engineering background), and it ended up being a highlight for him.
🎟️ Get your Taipei 101 Observatory Deck ticket with GetYourGuide. They offer free cancellation up to 24 hours in advance.✔️ Top Tip: You can pay a bit extra for fast track tickets to skip the elevator lines.
If you’re feeling adventurous, you can also do the Skyline 460 Cloud Walk, where you step outside and walk around the building at 460 metres. It's the highest outdoor observatory in Asia.Head to Sinchao for fried rice in an American Chinatown-inspired diner
From Taipei 101, it’s just a 12-minute walk to Sinchao Rice Shoppe.
It’s a buzzy spot tucked on the second floor of a shopping mall, but don’t let that put you off. The focus is fried rice, with a creative take.
Our favourite was the prime ribeye fried rice, served with a sliced 10-oz steak on top of perfectly cooked rice.
The space is part of the experience, with a warm, wood-heavy interior inspired by old-school American Chinatown diners.
End the night with a view of Taipei 101 at YEN Bar
Walk across the street to YEN Bar for an awesome view of Taipei 101 from the 31st floor.
Located at the W Taipei, it’s a typical sleek hotel bar, but a great spot to get a good seat with a clear view of the tower.
We just showed up after dinner and got one of the best tables.
Day 3
Take the gondola to the scenic Maokong tea region and spend the evening at Shilin Night Market.
Take the gondola to the scenic Maokong tea region
Today you'll head just outside the city with a trip up to Maokong, Taipei’s tea-growing area.
Maokong has been producing tea for over 100 years and is known for its Tieguanyin oolong, a locally grown variety.
The easiest way to get there is to Uber to the Maokong Gondola station. The gondola ride takes around 25 minutes, climbing over the hills with the city opening up behind you.
On a clear day, you can spot Taipei 101 in the distance, surrounded by layers of green mountains.
One tip we were glad we followed: skip the glass-bottom gondola on the way up since the line is usually long. Instead, take a regular gondola up, then take the glass one on the way down when there’s little to no wait.
We bought our tickets on arrival.
At the top, head to your first teahouse. We loved Redwood Tea House, set along the mountainside with views of Taipei 101.
We ordered a pot of tea and the sweet and sour ribs, which ended up being one of the best things we ate on our trip.
From there, take a slow 20-minute walk over to 寒舍茶坊 Tea House, Maokong's first organic tea shop.
The quiet road winds along the hillside past tea fields and dense greenery.
寒舍茶坊 Tea House felt much quieter, with views over the valley and a real sense of being embedded in nature.
We ordered dumplings and another pot of tea and didn't want to leave!
Eat as much as you can at the Shilin Night Market
Head to Shilin Night Market for dinner. This night market is the biggest and most famous in the city. It’s been around for over a century and feels like a maze.
Go hungry and take your time exploring and trying different dishes. Our favourites were the fried pork ribs, soup dumplings and the cheese pogo.
There are also a few game stalls, like ring toss, if you want a break from eating.
You’ll probably catch a strong smell at some point - that’s stinky tofu. It’s fermented and deep-fried, and the smell is really intense. It actually got worse for me as the days went on. We dare you to try it.
Day 4
Start with Taiwanese coffee, eat some of Taipei's standout dishes, and take your time at a traditional teahouse before a memorable final dinner.
Start with classic Taiwanese coffee at Fong Da Coffee
Start your morning at Fong Da Coffee, one of Taipei’s original coffee shops. We loved its diner feel. It’s simple, but awesome.
Open since the 1950s, they roast their beans in-house. We tried one of their Taiwanese coffees.
Go early for beef noodle soup at Lao Shandong
From Fong Da Coffee, walk over to Lao Shandong Homemade Noodles and aim to arrive right when they open at 10:30am. We got a seat right away, and there was already a line by the time we left.
It’s tucked in the basement of a shopping mall, and they’ve been around for over 75 years.
The beef noodle soup was insanely good, with hand-pulled noodles, a flavourful, complex broth, and melt-in-your-mouth beef. A small bowl is more than enough.
✔️ Top Tip: Before you sit down, head to the sauce counter and add the spicy butter, green onions and pickled vegetables. It makes a big difference.
Walk through Bangka Old Street to Huaxi Street Market
After your savoury soup, make your way over to Huaxi Street Night Market. It’s about an 18-minute walk, and this stretch ended up being one of our favourites.
The route takes you along Bangka Old Street, the oldest part of Taipei.
You’ll notice it feels quite different from the rest of the city, with traditional shopfronts and older façades shaped by Qing-era and Japanese influences.
Bangka Qingshan Temple stopped us in our tracks, with its curved rooflines, intricate carvings, and colourful dragons and deities layered across the façade.
Once at Huaxi Street Market, stop in at Yuan Fang Guabao.
Gua bao is something you have to try while in Taipei. It’s a soft steamed bun filled with braised pork, pickled vegetables, cilantro and peanut sugar powder.
Yuan Fang Guabao has been around for over 60 years and does a great version.
Drink tea at a traditional teahouse
Taiwan has been growing tea for centuries, and there’s a deeper ritual side to it, which you’ll see reflected in Taipei’s traditional teahouses.
We went to Qingtian Teahouse, set in a traditional Japanese-era wooden house. The space is beautiful, and the whole experience felt very zen.
They guide you through how to prepare the tea properly, from rinsing the leaves to timing each steep.
We chose a pu’er tea made from leaves picked from 200–400-year-old trees.
Go all in on the Cantonese Crispy Roast Duck at Le Palais
This might feel a bit upscale for the itinerary, but it’s honestly one of the best-value Michelin experiences we’ve seen.
Le Palais holds three Michelin stars, and you can order à la carte, which is rare at this level.
The move here is the Cantonese Crispy Roast Duck (served four ways), and you need to pre-order it when you book.
The duck is brought out whole and finished tableside, with a brief flame to crisp the skin and render the fat. It’s then carved and served in stages.
First, it’s served with thin pancakes, where you wrap slices of crispy duck skin and meat with crisp cucumber, scallions and sauce.
The next course is sliced duck breast with plum sauce (I never knew plum sauce could taste like this).
After that comes lettuce wraps with diced duck, water chestnuts and pine nuts, and finally a broth. We chose the hot and sour cabbage soup made from the duck bones.
It’s a lot of food. We were completely full by the end, and the quality is exceptional. It's one of our best meals for sure.
Price-wise, the 4-course duck is NT$5,880, which works out to roughly $95 USD per person if you’re two people, and that’s at a three-star restaurant. For context, tasting menus at this level are often closer to $300–400 USD per person.
Reservations are the tricky part. Reservations open at 12:00 AM on the first of each month for the following month, and you’ll want to book right when they’re released.
If you miss it, keep checking back since cancellations do come up, but two-person tables are hard to come by.
Get started on booking your trip to Taiwan
- 🛏️ Book your accommodation: with Booking.com
- 🍜 Book your food tour with a local: with GetYourGuide.
- 🎟️ Get your Taipei 101 observatory ticket: with GetYourGuide.
Don't forget about travel insurance
👩⚕️ For affordable travel insurance: go with SafetyWing - it's budget-friendly and you can even buy it while abroad, but note the max medical coverage is $250,000 USD. 🏥 For comprehensive travel insurance: go with World Nomads - it's more expensive, but the max emergency medical coverage is $5-10 million, depending on the plan.Save and pin this 4 Day Taipei itinerary for later:
