I love Taipei
9AM
On arrival in the city centre, find the nearest MRT (Mass Rapid Transit) station and invest in an Easy Card for TWD500 (TWD1 = PHP1.35/USD0.03), which will cover your travel costs for the day and can be used on buses as well as the subway. Unused credit and the deposit are refunded on return of the card.
9:30aM
The best place for breakfast is Tunghua market, famous for its mouthwatering selection of street food. Dig into a bowl of rice porridge and a dough stick (TWD15), savory soybean soup (TWD15), plus an egg pancake (TWD22) at Qingdao Soybean Milk Restaurant (Tunghua Market, 73 Tunghua Road, between Hsinyi Rd Section 4 and Keelung Rd Section 2, Da’an district), which has been serving traditional Chinese breakfasts for half a century.
10:30aM
Get moving… take the bus over to Da’an Park (Xinsheng South Road Section 1, Da’an district) and walk along one of the many paths to see the locals practising Tai Chi. Taipei’s biggest park is also the place to spot some Taiwanese wildlife.
12PM
Catch the MRT to Longshan Temple (211 Guangzhou Street, Wanhua district, tel (+886) 2302 5162). With free admission, Taiwan’s oldest and largest place of worship is multidenominational, and enshrines over 100 deities. Once you’ve paid your respects, amble over to the adjacent Huaxi market for a delicious Taiwanese spring onion pancake (TWD20) for lunch, washed down with a cup of Taiwan’s famed bubble tea, milk tea with black tapioca balls, which you can pick up for around TWD30.
2pm
Pay a visit to the National Palace Museum (221 Jishan Road, Shilin District, tel (+886) 2 2881 2021, npm.gov.tw, MRT to Shilin then R30 bus; entry fee TWD160), home to the world’s finest collection of Chinese art – over 650,000 pieces in total. You will be there in good time for the free English guided tours, which begin at 3pm (also held at 10am) every day. Most spectacular are the exhibits from the Ming and Qing Dynasty.
5pM
Catch a bus back to Shilin then the MRT to Taipei City Hall. Here you can pick up the free shuttle bus to Taipei 101 in time to see the sunset. Standing 509m tall, this towering structure, built to resemble a stalk of bamboo, is still the world’s tallest building until the Burj Dubai opens. Stick around until six and you’ll see the tower light up; every day it is illuminated by a different color of the rainbow. Eat at the excellent Taipei 101 food court (45 Shihfu Road, Xinyi District, tel (+886) 2 8101 8777, www..taipei-101.com.tw) in the basement: Taiwan’s Dante Coffee or Barista Coffee chains both have meal deals (approximately TWD200).
8:30pM
Make your last Taipei activity a return trip to Tunghua street. Browse the racks of cut-price clothing: even if you’re not buying, it’s fun to compare the different colors and prices. Once you’ve finished your window shopping, pick up a late-night street food snack like a juicy pork bun or a square of stinky tofu (both around TWD20) – don’t worry, the taste is a lot more subtle than the potent smell.
11pM
Close your night by turning in at the City Inn Taipei (7 Huaining Street, Jhongjheng district, tel (+886) 2 2314 8008, www..gocityinn.com). This hotel costs about TWD2,000 per night for a single room and is handily situated near Taipei Main Station – but you can book a room in advance and make savings of up to TWD500. Attractively furnished, all rooms come equipped with flat screen TV, rainforest showers and wireless facilities.
By Helen Dalley
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