Taipei（台北） is the capital of Taiwan, located in the north of Taiwan.
As a modern metropolis, there are not only shopping streets and contemporary buildings, but also night markets and ancient museums.
For those who are coming to Taipei for the first time, please make sure you don’t miss this post, you will know what to do in Taipei.
*Cover image credit: @frankucc
1. Indulge in stunning city views at Taipei 101 observatory
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Taipei 101（台北101） is a famous hot spot, popular shopping mall, and the tallest building in Taiwan, which draws many tourists all over the world every year.
Whether you come to Taipei for a day or a week, it is not complete without experiencing the top of Taipei 101.
2. Soak it up at Beitou hot spring
There is nothing better than soaking in the hot spring during the cold weather or after a tired of trip, not only can relieve the fatigue, relax the body and mind but also some hot springs have the benefits for the skin.
Fortunately in Taipei also have a place to take hot springs, Beitou is the most famous area for hot springs, add it to your last destination before leaving Taiwan, for eliminating your tired body and mind after getting around Taiwan.
In addition to hot springs, there are many attractions and foods that you should never miss.
3. Watch the guard’s shift-change ceremony at Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall
The National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall (中正紀念堂) is a prominent landmark and is also one of the popular destinations in Taiwan, which attract thousands of visitors every year.
The spectacular memorial hall was built to commemorate the former Taiwan President Chiang Kai-shek after he passed away.
It’s an impressive monument and well worth a visit.
4. Ride the gondola to Maokong
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If you want to enjoy the stunning city view while sampling Taiwanese tea, riding on the Maokong Gondola to Maokong is the best choice for you.
Maokong（貓空）is located on the southeast mountain of Taipei City and offers outstanding views of Taipei 101; besides, it is used to be Taipei‘s biggest tea plantation, which is best known for Tieguanyin (Iron Goddess) and Baozhong tea.
Now, it is a popular place to go hiking, sample the Taiwanese teas and enjoy the scenery of Taipei City.
5. Learn 5,000 years of Chinese history from the National Palace Museum
The National Palace Museum（故宮博物院）is the popular museum in Taiwan, and today it houses a collection of over 700,000 works, from painting, calligraphy, statuary, bronzes, lacquerware, ceramics, jade to rare books and historical documents.
The National Palace Museum is dedicated to preserving and sharing the histories of the 5,000 years Chinese cultures, if you want to know about more history and culture, don’t miss this one of the largest museums collectIng ancient Chinese artifacts and artworks in the world.
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6. Explore the nostalgic old street of Jiufen
It was prosperous in the early era due to a gold rush for the abundance of gold mines, but a large number of people moved out when the gold mines excavation was once declined, and the town was almost forgotten for a while.
Until 1989, the film ”A City of Sadness” featuring Jiufen’s unique retro architectures and style attracts many tourists to visit, since then undoubtedly Jiufen has become one of the most popular tourism in Taiwan.
If you want to experience the style differentiated from the modern city, Jiufen definitely will be the best choice.
7. Stroll through the traditional and modern combined Dihua Street
Dihua Street (迪化街) is the oldest street in Taipei, its history and architecture have been preserved due to the city government’s conservation efforts.
Nowadays culture-creative shops, art yard, stylish restaurants, and cafes revitalize this historic street, all of them bring new life to the old Baroque architecture and traditional Fujian-style houses.
Although Dihua Street’s popularity is not as big as Taipei 101, it’s a great place to soak up the historic vibe and know about the story of Old Taipei.
8. Turn Back in Time at the North Gate
The North Gate（北門）, a historic landmark, was established in 1884 by the Qing Dynasty.
Nowadays it has transformed into the Beimen Memorial Park for people to go around and take the photograph.
There are also many snacks and stylish cafe nearby, you can plan a half-day tour to the North Gate and take an in-depth exploration of Taipei’s history and culture.
9. River cruise around Tamsui
Photo by Instagram @khaijeng
For people in the city, Tamsui is a good place to retreat on weekends and holidays.
In addition to the delicious street food in Tamsui Old Street, Tamsui has a rich history and many must-see historical sites.
Photo by Instagram @tamsuihistoricalmuseum 
Photo by Instagram @littlestar0202
The best romantic thing you can’t miss is to take a sunset cruise along the Tamsui River.
10. Eat your way through night markets
The one thing that you can’t miss on your travel itinerary is might market.
There are many Taiwanese street foods on the street at night, make sure you get this must-eat list before you start digging out these delicious Taiwanese street snacks.
– Shilin Night Market
Whether local or tourist, Shilin Night Market（士林夜市）is first thought when talking about Taipei’s night market.
Shilin Night Market is the most popular night market in Taiwan, also the biggest night market in Taipei that owns many delicious foods.
Photo by Instagram @chiyaocheng 
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– Ningxia Night Market
Ningxia Night Market（寧夏夜市）always belongs to one of the popular night markets in Taipei for locals and tourists, it has ever been voted for Taipei’s best night market in 2015.
Although it’s a small night market, nearly 200 stalls sell various cuisine along the street throughout the night, especially there are three stalls listed in the Michelin Guide Taipei 2019 Bib Gourmand selection.
11. Make a wish at temples
Bangka Longshan Temple（艋舺龍山寺）is a famous temple in Taipei and also a second-grade municipal heritage site, which attracts thousands of visitors from local and foreign every year.
The temple enshrines Guanyin and other almost 100 gods and goddesses that attract countless worshippers who come to pray for the good fortune, health, and even seek their true love by its effective matchmaking god.
12. Launch your sky lanterns in Pingxi
If you want to make a wish, come to the Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival（平溪天燈節）, which is one of the most prominent festivals in Taiwan and also famous worldwide.
The Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival held annually during the first full moon of the Lunar New Year, usually in February, attracting over 100,000 visitors gather together to release thousands of sky lanterns with wishes, ascending into the night sky.
It has been voted by Discovery Channel as “the second biggest New Year’s Eve celebration in the world” and listed in CNN’s “52 Things To Do in 2013“.
Additionally, it has been named one of the “14 Festivals To Attend Before You Die” by Fodor’s Travel.
13. Party all night
When you come to Taiwan, besides sightseeing and taste some delicious Taiwanese food, you could have a relaxing night at some best bars in Taipei, Taipei is famous for having a lot of fun at night.
Taipei’s drinking culture might not as like the western country, but doesn’t mean you can’t find the best place for cocktails in Taipei.
Many popular bars are around Taipei 101 area, you can go to Placebo – an eastern culture style bar or MQ [ Marquee Taipei ] – Jazz music bar.
And there are two bars I highly recommend, R&D Cocktail Lab and Alchemy Bar Taipei, but they are hidden and the entrance is a bit hard to find so that you might probably miss it easily.
I hope you enjoyed reading this post, in this post, you’ve known what to do in Taipei, tell me which one you prefer, and where you would like to go first?
Finally, If you still have any questions on your trip to Taipei, please leave in the comments below, I will be more than happy to help you out:)
