6D5N In Taipei Taiwan (Full Itinerary)
Never ever thought of visiting the land of Taiwan, but here I am writing about my experience with the people, food, culture and places. This trip focuses on local recommendations instead of touristy ones. I've easily pinned down these locations with the help of local Taiwanese reels, blogs and websites within 2 months. Here's a full itinerary of my Taipei, Taiwan travel. Happy reading~ (Tips: find out my budget towards the end!)
First Visit To Taipei City, Taiwan
The underground railway is a maze. We were lost a couple of times while navigating the entries and exits for some of our location visits in the next few days (be sure to ask help from customer services as they're helpful!). Taipei Main Station is linked to a few huge underground malls. Make sure you're exiting through one of the underground malls (depending on the district you're staying). It took us over an hour to locate our area before heading to our hotel.
In case you're lost, follow the signboards on top of you and remember the views you've passed through them. If you're new to metros and railways, be sure to use Google Maps (accurate and on time) and check the signboards on the platforms you'll be onboarding.
Purchase an EasyCard/iCard costs 100NDT (depending on the design of the card) and top up your desired amount. The railway is affordable compared to taxis as each ride only costs around 15-25 NDT depending on the number of lines you interchange before reaching the destination.
Be sure to plan ahead the railway options to your destination to ensure you take the cheapest and shortest distance route (view the map below~).
I'm amazed by the interiors within the train station and the underground malls as they're decorated with mostly anime-themed adverts. Fun fact, you'll see parts of Taiwan with Japanese influence. 
Day 1 Zhongzheng District 中正区
We stayed in Zhongzheng district, within walking distance of Taipei Main Station.
Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall
We reached late afternoon and spent the short evening at the memorial hall. The landmark was majestically massive with Chinese elements that symbolise culture and history. Also made a short trip to Q Square Mall which was right opposite the Taipei Main Station. We ended the day with a bowl of noodles and dumplings (which was one of the best snacks I've tried!).
Recommended food locations in Zhongzheng:
北北車魯肉飯 (Good pork belly rice)
飯糰霸 (Classic Taiwanese rice ball)
阿仁福州包 (Pan fried dumplings)
福州世祖胡椒饼 (Pepper pork bun)
麦当劳 (Pork burger & corn soup)
Day 2 Full Day Tour
We had one of the classic on-the-go breakfasts with a rice ball (饭团) and soy milk (豆浆) before the day tour. I was amazed by the punch of flavours in the seaweed-wrapped rice as it was filled with airy pork floss, preserved vegetables, crunchy you tiao, egg, and other meat with vegetables.
Yehliu Geopark 野柳
Despite the heavy downpour during this day, the rain stopped at 2 of our pit stops, which allowed us to truly enjoy the scenery. Besides the various rock formations, I was in awe of the sea's vastness and the sound of the waves. I wish I could spend more time soaking in the view. We viewed the queen's head rock, which was the main highlight of the location.
Shifen 十分
Unfortunately, it was pouring a lot as we reached the area. We passed through a bridge and ended at the famous Shifen waterfall, Taiwan's broadest waterfall. Due to the rain, the water was gushing and flowing stronger, which created a thicker fall. We also stopped by the Shifen small town to see the local train passing by the rail tracks and groups gathering to fly off their paper lanterns.
Jiufen 九份
The night view after the rain was one of a one-of-a-kind experience. I enjoyed Studio Ghibli animes a lot and to be able to experience the view of the inspired building in The Spirited Away was a dream come true. We reached Jiufen around the evening and ended up watching the buildings light up with dazzling red lanterns. Here's a snapshot of the A-Mei Teahouse.
Raohe Night Market
Our last stop was at a famous local night market in the Songshan District. There were many food stalls lining the streets and it was a busy scene. We ended up at the famous tang yuan shop, selling sesame tang yuan with osmanthus syrup. Felt it was overhyped as it generally tasted similar to what we have in Malaysia (except for the syrup).
Recommended food locations:
御品元冰火湯圓-台北饒河店 (Try their tang yuan)
甘泉豆花-饒河店 (The store was closed on the day we went, highly recommended by locals)
甘泉豆花-饒河店 (The store was closed on the day we went, highly recommended by locals)
7-Eleven
We grabbed a few late-night dinner foods to eat before heading back to the hotel. This was the best beef noodles at a local convenience store. I was looking for the same noodles at another 7-Eleven but to no avail. The beef was super soft and melted smoothly in the mouth, the saltiness from the preserved vegetables balanced the oily spicy broth very well. The noodles were thick but QQ and overall, an amazing experience eating at the store while watching the busy night streets.
Day 3 Shilin & Datong District 士林和大同区
It was a new day of adventure and despite heading in the wrong direction, we viewed interesting rows of shophouses. We had a Taiwanese breakfast at a local coffee shop. We ordered soybean pudding (豆腐花), soybean milk (豆浆), rice milk (米浆), pancake with pork chop (烧饼+猪排), egg crepe (蛋饼), dumplings (小笼包), white radish cake (萝卜糕). After the hearty breakfast, we're off to a flower park.
Recommended food locations in Datong (Taipei Main Station Mall Exit Y8):
四海豆漿大王 Sihai Soy Milk (For classic breakfast)
Chiang Kai-shek Shilin Residence Park 士林官邸公園
There was a plethora of flowers and nature in sight. I've always imagined visiting a 4 season country just to experience the colours of flowers. I was super impressed with how well-maintained the park is, and there's even an actual grand piano inside the orchid greenhouse.
Dadaocheng 大稻埕
These were a few rows of heritage buildings in the town area.
Dihua Street 迪化街
We explored the chinatown of Taiwan. The stores were displaying herbs, sauces, dry ingredients, fresh foods, teas, pollack, woven bags, souvenirs, and snacks. You name it, they have it. The architecture of shophouses was different and unique from each other, which created so many picture-worthy moments. Also, had the best wheel red bean pancake (车轮饼) on the go, which used mashed red beans!
Taiwan New Cultural Movement Memorial Museum 臺灣新文化運動紀念館
The museum used to be a prison cell back in the days when Japan was colonising Taiwan. We witnessed the actual life cell and had a view of the history behind it. It felt like we were one step closer to understanding their culture and people. Most of the historical conversations were recorded in Hokkien, a prominent language used on the island.
Make sure to make a pit-stop at local supermarkets whenever travelling. You'll get a glimpse of livelihood and fresh groceries that you may never see before in your home country. It's also a great place to stuff up your souvenirs. A few of my top recommendations were chicken instant noodles, nougat biscuits, pineapple cakes, white radish biscuits, beef jerky, sun cakes, and mini puffs. *Saw the biggest tofu block at the supermarket. We met a lovely lady worker who recommended nice local snacks while chatting with us for a little while.
Ningxia Night Market
Hands down one of the best local night markets! We had chicken oil rice (鸡油饭) and sweet potato balls coated with plum seasoning (地瓜球). The foods there were a hit, and there's so much more to explore but we had little time. Definitely worth a revisit if I'm ever in the Datong area. Also, dropped by 50岚 to sip on some boba tea. I was overwhelmed by their huge menu, and it took me a while to decide on which to get. Highly recommend their black tea/oolong tea (红茶/乌龙茶).
Stall No.60 方家雞肉飯 (Chinese oil rice, winter melon pork rib soup)
Stall No.41 丸 地瓜球 (Sweet potato balls)
50岚 (Boba tea)
Local Bus Experience
We hopped on the local busses a few times to return to our accommodation. There's one incident where we barely recognised that it was an old local bus that stopped at random locations without a bus stop. Thankfully, we were able to conversate with the bus driver and took off at the right location.
Day 4 Datong District, Xinyi, Ximending & Chifeng Street
Datong district was huge and we managed to explore another side of Datong for breakfast. We had jajang noodles (麻酱面), wonton noodles (馄饨面) and pickled cucumbers. Then on, we explored the area for a bit and had a few famous snacks- milk-powdered doughnuts and scallion pancakes (葱油饼).
Food locations in Datong (Taipei City Mall Exit Y13):
華陰街無名麵店 (Jajang noodles, sesame paste noodles, wonton noodles)
脆皮鮮奶甜甜圈 台北店 (Chewy donut)
黃福龍脆皮蔥油餅 (Fried onion pancake)
脆皮鮮奶甜甜圈 台北店 (Chewy donut)
黃福龍脆皮蔥油餅 (Fried onion pancake)
The Red House 西門紅樓
As quoted, "The Red House was constructed in 1908 by Japanese architect Kondo Juro, which was the first government-built public market in Taiwan and also the most well-preserved Class III historic building in the nation." Currently, it houses many local designer items and DIY knick-knacks. Also, collect 2 stamps on their stamp card to redeem a free postcard!
Ximending
A busy shopping district with high-rise buildings and endless rows of commercial stores. This place is crowded even on weekdays, so be sure to visit on normal days to escape the heavy crowd. The Uniqlo store sells fresh flowers, which was unseen in my home country. Besides, we tried the famous mee sua (阿宗麵線) and pan-friend oyster (蚵仔煎).
Recommended food locations in Ximending:
阿宗麵線 Ay-Chung Flour-Rice Noodle (Foochow seafood mee sua)
天天利美食坊 (oyster omelette with tomato sauce)
Yet another huge shopping district and we managed to visit Att4fun & Shin Kong Mitsukoshi mall. We also viewed the ginormous Tapei 101 building, which stood 1667 feet tall.
Chifeng Street, Zhongshan
The night scene in the Zhongshan area was lively and bright. Many youngsters would dress up, hang out at local cafes and shop along the streets of Chifeng. There were many local boutiques and hipster vintage stores within the area. We finally had another big cup of boba tea (despite being M size).
Recommended food locations in Zhongshan:
一品現泡茶 中山南西店 (Order any boba tea)
Day 5 Zhongshan District
We experienced a swaying movement in our hotel due to a 6.2 magnitude earthquake at 2am. It was a first-in-a-lifetime experience. Although we barely get back to sleep, we thank God that we're safe and able to enjoy another full day in Taipei.
7-Eleven Snoopy Themed
Nearby our area, we visited a cartoon-themed 7-Eleven for a quick breakfast. Had the best, roasted barley tea! Some other must-tries include soft red bean buns, roll cakes and custard pudding!
Taipei Fine Arts Museum
It was an eye-opening and calm session as we checked out the local architectural concepts throughout Taiwan. They're meticulous in designing structures in such a way that exudes creativity and class at the same time. Impressed by the designers' work. 2 other quirky exhibits caught our eyes as well.
Taipei Expo Farmers Market
Saw the end season of cherry blossom trees near the farmer's market in Zhongshan. I also observed the electric boxes in Taiwan were usually painted with paintings.
Day 6 McD 麦当劳 & Departure
Had to try McDonald's pork burgers that we couldn't get in Malaysia. They tasted amazing and it was the last meal we had before departing. It was super easy to order with their machine, and you can opt to pay with EasyCard.
Total Budget Breakdown (per person):
Connecting Return Flight (KCH>KUL>TPE) | RM1,500 |
Hotel (5 Nights) | RM650 |
1 Day Tour (Book Through Agoda) | RM141 |
Food | RM600 |
Transportation (iCard) | RM120 |
Shopping | RM500 |
Total | RM3511 + 5000 NDT won |
Extra tip: Participate in the Taiwan 5000 giveaway to win 5000 NDT on your next Taiwan trip! Valid until early 2025.
Day 7 Overnight At Movenpick Hotel
Our flight back to Kuching was rescheduled. We're grateful Malaysia Airlines arranged a complimentary overnight stay at Movenpick Hotel before departing back to Kuching the next day. They also provided us dinner and breakfast coupons at the airport. Had a good night's stay and safely returned to Kuching the next morning.
If you're still here reading, hope this inspires you to travel to Taiwan to explore the city! See you on my next adventure ✈️
All photos by Prisc
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