[Mini-Guide] Places to go in Taipei

mini-guide: places to go in taipei

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For a mini-guide of cool/cute food places in Taipei, please check out this post! :) That covers about half the places I went to in Taipei, actually. The information in the post you're looking at right now won't really cover food.

A quick note about transportation. When I went, I used an EasyCard most of the time to ride on buses. It's pre-charged with money and you just have to hold it against a machine to pay. A ride costed half a dollar when I was there (15 TWD) so it was definitely cheap. However, I went by taxi a few times. I always traveled with my cousins though, never alone.

1. Taipei 101

This is probably the most well-known building in Taipei. At one point it was the tallest building in the world, but not anymore. Still, it's pretty cool!

The inside is neat but the real treasure lies on the 89th floor. You have to pay to go up there, but I think it's worth it to go once or twice. I personally went two times so I could experience both the day and night scenery. I have to say that I like the night more though!

Also, you can see the outdoor observatory on the 91st floor, and you access that with stairwell. You don't get to see too much since it's mostly blocked by bars (they don't want anything bad happening) but the view is still worth a look.

You also get to go on the world's fastest elevator (so far) so that's a cool experience, too. And on the way out, you have to pass by some exhibits. Of course, they want you to buy stuff, but I think it's still pretty cool to look. Some of the exhibits there are really interesting ^ _ ^

2. Wu Fen Pu

Wikipedia says that it's best known for wholesale garment market." Basically you can buy tons of clothes there and it's usually pretty cheap! It's like a marketplace, and there are hundreds (if not thousands) of small "stores" you can go into. It seems safe since there are tons of people there but I'd recommend that you don't go alone.

It usually keeps up with the latest trends, and I remember being super excited my first time. I bought five items of clothing that costed about $35, which was awesome. I went again in 2015 but only a few places interested me this time, so I only bought two things.

You can honestly find every sort of clothing here. They have a lot of so-called "hipster" stuff, but also a few for traditional clothing. One store this year leaned towards the lolita side, and some other stores were just casual-cute. It's definitely worth checking out, but it's not a must-see.

3. Miniatures Museum of Taiwan

This place was amazing! It's...well, a museum of miniature things. There are tons of exhibits and it's amazing to see the details in each one. There are some large exhibits as well but they have tons of tiny details inside.

4. Ximending

People often compare Ximending to Harajuku and Shibuya. It's a place where mostly young people (especially couples and groups of friends) hang out. As with many places, it's most lively on weekends, and there are tons of people.

You can buy a lot of things there, including food. The famous "Modern Toilet" restaurant is there, and it's definitely worth checking out! More details about it are in the food post I mentioned earlier.

You can easily spend hours there, so I'd recommend wearing comfortable shoes.

Some people also perform on the streets (dancing, singing, etc) and you often see a crowd gathered around these people. There are tons of things to do in Ximending, and for me, it was a must-see place.

5. Huashan Creative Park

This was another must-see place for me! I believe some independent films and artwork are displayed there, but I didn't get a chance to see that. However, they have other special things as well.

When I went there, it was the 60th anniversary of Miffy, so there was a museum-like place dedicated to that. It wasn't huge, but it had two stories. I also saw an aquarium-like place with only goldfish, and they were displayed in different ways.

Those two aren't permanent, though. Every few months or so, new exhibits are put in place so you can always see new things! That means they might not have Miffy again, but they'll replace it with another cool thing. It's definitely worth checking out for an afternoon.

6. Yang Ming Shan

For this one, I would recommend going with someone that knows the place fairly well. It probably isn't necessary, though. You can drive along and hike in some places, and you can buy things from a couple places.

It's not a must-see place for me, but there were some cool things in there that I didn't get to see.

7. Other places

Unfortunately, this post wasn't too long. There were only six places that came to mind (although there are 9-10 cool food places in the food post). However, there are some more notables ones as well.

• Shilin Night Market: It's famous and I only visited for about an hour, but it was an okay experience for me. Shilin is well-known for its food stands, so if you're a food enthusiast, I'd recommend this place!
• Raohe Night Market: Another famous night market, although I didn't go there.
• Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall: I wanted to go there but I didn't get a chance to. It's in honor of Chiang Kai-Shek (although some of us say Jiang Jie Shi). Apparently it's huge and worth visiting, so you might want to check that out.
• Beitou Hot Spring
• Bitan

If you go to Taiwan, I hope this post can help you a little bit. Thank you for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful day ^ - ^