Top Attractions in Taipei Beyond the Beaches

Let me start with a correction, because it will save you a wasted flight booking. Taipei is not a beach city. The capital sits in a basin ringed by green mountains, about 25 kilometres from the nearest stretch of northern coast, and the sand people picture when they say "Taiwan beaches" is mostly in Kenting at the far southern tip or out on the Penghu Islands. So if you have landed on this page hoping to find out what to do in Taipei when you are tired of the sea, the honest answer is that you will barely miss it. Taipei is a city of steam, temples, night markets, cable cars and mountain villages, and almost everything good about it happens away from the water.

This guide is the long version of what I would tell a friend from Singapore over dinner. It covers the headline sights, the half-day trips that make the most of a short stay, the practical business of passes and transport, what things cost, what to eat, and how to stitch it all into three, four or five days. Where I mention something you can book through HolidaySG, I have linked it, but the recommendations come first and the tickets come second.

Why Taipei works so well for a short trip

Singapore to Taipei is a flight of roughly four and a half hours, so you can leave after work on a Friday and be eating a pork bun in a night market before midnight. The time difference is nil, which means no jet lag to burn off, and the airport connects to the city by a dedicated metro line, buses and private cars. The city itself is compact, safe at any hour, and absurdly well signed in English. You do not need to speak a word of Mandarin to get by, although a cheerful "xie xie" earns you smiles everywhere.

What really makes Taipei good for a short break is that the variety is stacked tightly. In a single day you can stand in a Qing-dynasty-era temple at breakfast, look down from the top of one of the tallest buildings on earth after lunch, and soak in a volcanic hot spring before dinner. Most destinations make you choose between culture, nature and food. Taipei hands you all three inside the same metro map.

One planning note before we get into the sights. Taiwan has a proper rainy season, and a typhoon season on top of it, so the weather shapes which attractions are worth your time on any given day. I will flag the rain-proof options as we go, and there is a section on timing further down.

Taipei 101 and the modern skyline

You cannot miss it, and you should not try. Taipei 101 rises 508 metres over the Xinyi district and, when it opened, it was the tallest building in the world. The Burj Khalifa took that title in 2010, but the Taipei tower still feels special, partly because of its stacked-pagoda silhouette, with eight segments echoing the lucky number eight, and partly because it is genuinely a working piece of engineering theatre.

The indoor observatory is on the 89th floor, reached by one of the fastest lifts anywhere. The ride up takes about forty seconds and the ears-popping sensation is part of the fun. Up top you get a full 360-degree view of the basin, with the Keelung River snaking around the edges and the mountains closing in on every side. Go about an hour before sunset and stay through the transition to dusk, because watching the city light up below you is the entire point.

The real show-stopper, though, is the tuned mass damper. It is a huge golden steel sphere, weighing around 660 tonnes, hung between the 87th and 91st floors, and it sways to counter the movement of the tower during typhoons and earthquakes. You can stand and look at it from a viewing platform, and there is a small exhibit explaining how it works. Even if engineering normally bores you, it is hard not to be impressed by a ball the size of a small house keeping a skyscraper steady.

Practical tips for Taipei 101:

• Book a timed ticket for the late afternoon, as sunset slots fill first on clear days.
• Check the weather before you go. On a foggy day the view is a wall of white, and a rescheduled slot is better than a wasted one.
• The base of the tower is a large shopping mall with an enormous food court in the basement, which is handy for a cheap, quick meal afterwards.
• Walk to the nearby Xiangshan trailhead for the classic photo of the tower from above, a short, steep stair climb that rewards you with the postcard shot.

If you only want the view and not the queue, the hike up Xiangshan, known locally as Elephant Mountain, takes about thirty minutes of stairs from the metro and costs nothing. It is crowded at sunset, so go slightly early or accept that you will be shoulder to shoulder with other photographers.

The National Palace Museum

If Taipei 101 is the city's present, the National Palace Museum is its memory. The collection holds close to seven hundred thousand pieces of Chinese imperial art, which were carried out of Beijing and across the water in the late 1940s. It is one of the great museum collections of the world, and unlike many famous museums it is not so large that it defeats you in one visit.

Most people come for two objects. One is the Jadeite Cabbage, a piece of jade carved to look like a napa cabbage leaf, with a grasshopper and a locust hiding on the leaves. The other is the Meat-shaped Stone, a piece of jasper that looks so much like a slab of braised pork belly that the first-time reaction is usually laughter. Both are small, so you will need patience to get to the front of the crowd. Visit on a weekday morning if you can, because tour groups crowd these two galleries from late morning onwards.

Beyond those stars, I would spend time with the bronzes, the Song-dynasty ceramics and the calligraphy. A good audio guide, or a guided visit, makes a real difference here, because without context a room of pale celadon bowls looks like a room of pale celadon bowls. With a guide, you start noticing the glaze, the shape, and the hundred small decisions that separate a masterpiece from a good pot.

The museum sits in the northern Shilin district, a short ride from the metro, so it combines naturally with the night market of the same name in the evening. You should plan around two to three hours inside. If you would rather have the history explained as you walk, there is a Taipei day tour that links the National Palace Museum with the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall and Longshan Temple, which suits first-time visitors who want the big three in one go.

Longshan Temple and old Wanhua

Longshan Temple is the one that makes visitors go quiet. Founded in 1738 by settlers from Fujian, it is in the oldest part of the city, Wanhua, and it still works as a living neighbourhood temple rather than a museum. Locals come before work to burn incense, shake fortune sticks and leave offerings of fruit and flowers. The air is thick with sandalwood smoke, the carvings on the roof ridge are a riot of dragons and mythical figures, and the main hall is dedicated to Guanyin, the goddess of mercy, with a mix of Buddhist and Taoist deities in the side halls.

There are a few things worth knowing. The temple opens early and is busiest around dawn and again in the early evening. Dress modestly, keep your voice down and do not photograph worshippers praying at close range. If you want to try the fortune-telling, the process is to ask a question, toss a pair of crescent-shaped blocks until you get a yes, and then draw a numbered stick and match it to a printed slip. Staff and volunteers will help you if you look lost, and many slips are translated into English.

The streets around the temple are among the most atmospheric in Taipei, if a little scruffy. Herb shops sell dried roots and fungi by the weight, and Huaxi Street Night Market, a few minutes' walk away, is known for its snake-alley history and its rows of seafood stalls. A guided visit unlocks all of this, especially the stories that make sense of the temple's quirks. The Longshan Temple walking tour takes the neighbourhood at a gentle pace, from S$25.51.

Beitou: Taipei's own hot spring valley

Here is the reward for every long walking day. Beitou is a hillside neighbourhood about thirty minutes north of the centre by metro, built around a volcanic valley where steaming sulphur water bubbles up out of the rock. The Japanese developed it into a bathing resort during the colonial era, and the tradition of the public bath, the ryokan-style hotel and the wooden bathhouse is still alive today.

Start at Thermal Valley, a pool of steaming turquoise water, quite literally too hot to touch, where the air smells of eggs and the surface releases clouds of vapour on cool mornings. Then walk down the hill past the Beitou Hot Spring Museum, a handsome Edwardian-style bathhouse that has been turned into a small museum, and the library that looks like a log cabin. The little stream running beside the main path is warm, and in winter you will see steam rising from it all along the route.

For actual bathing you have several choices. The cheapest are the public outdoor baths, which are basic, mixed, swimsuits required, and good value. The mid-range option is a Japanese-style public bath in a historic building, and the top end is a private room in a hot spring hotel where you soak in a tub fed straight from the source. If you want a refined, quieter experience, the Beitou Waterhouse Japanese-style public bath experience is a good choice, starting at S$26.44. Bring a small towel if you can, as many places charge extra to rent them.

One note on etiquette. In the traditional baths you must wash thoroughly before you enter the water, keep your hair out of the pool and leave your towel on the side rather than in the water. Tattoos are usually fine in Taiwan, which is not always true in Japan, but it is worth glancing at the sign at the entrance. Most of all, do not stay in too long. Twenty minutes in a hot sulphur pool is plenty, and standing up too fast after a long soak is a common cause of dizziness.

Maokong and the cable car above the tea hills

If you want a mountain view without a hike, ride the Maokong Gondola. It starts near the Taipei Zoo, climbs more than four kilometres over forested ridges, and ends at a tea-growing village in the hills south of the city. The ride takes around thirty minutes each way, and several cabins have glass floors, which is a delight for some people and a trial for others.

Maokong has been growing tea for well over a century, and Tieguanyin oolong is the local speciality. You can sit in a hillside teahouse, order a pot, and drink while watching the lights of the city come on below. Many teahouses serve simple meals too, usually tea-infused dishes, fried rice and local greens. There are short walking paths around the top that link the tea houses, and the evening view in clear weather is wonderful.

A tip that will save you a headache: weekend queues for the gondola can be long, especially in good weather and during autumn. Go on a weekday if you can, or go very early and stay for dinner so that you are travelling down after the main crowd has left. The cabins sometimes shut for maintenance or in strong wind, so check the status before you set out. You can find the Maokong Gondola ticket from S$10.00.

The classic northern day trip: Yehliu, Shifen and Jiufen

This is the loop that almost every visitor does, and for good reason. In one long day you can see a wild coastal geopark, release a lantern in a railway village, and wander through a hillside town of teahouses and steep stairs. It is a lot of ground to cover on public transport, so many travellers choose a private car or a small-group tour, which takes the stress out of the connections.

Yehliu Geopark

Yehliu is a narrow headland on the north coast, and the reason to go is the rock. Wind, waves and salt have carved the sandstone into extraordinary forms, including mushroom-shaped pillars, honeycomb-like pits and candle-shaped stones. The famous one is the Queen's Head, a slender neck topped by a rounded crown that looks uncannily like a portrait in profile. Erosion is slowly thinning the neck, and guides will tell you that it may not last long, which adds a pleasant sense of urgency to the queue for photographs.

Go early, since the geopark is busy by mid-morning and the coastal sun is strong. Wear shoes with good grip, because the rock can be slippery when wet. The walk to the end of the headland and back takes about an hour and a half, which is plenty for most people.

Shifen and the sky lanterns

Shifen is the railway village where the train still runs right along the main street, and the tradition is to write wishes on a paper lantern, hold it up for a photo and release it into the sky. Lantern shops line the track, and each colour stands for something different: red for health, yellow for money, and so on. You can write on all four sides, and the staff help with the lighting. When a train comes, everyone steps aside, and the moment the train passes you step straight back onto the tracks for photos.

Not far away is Shifen Waterfall, often called the Niagara of Taiwan, a broad curtain of water that is at its most impressive after rain. Combined with the lantern street, it makes a satisfying half day. If you want to add the neighbouring village of Pingxi, which has a lantern festival of its own, a private tour is the easiest way to fit it all in.

Jiufen Old Street

Jiufen began life as a gold-mining town, and when the gold ran out in the twentieth century it faded for decades before being rediscovered by filmmakers and travellers. Today its narrow lanes of stairs, red lanterns and teahouses cling to a hillside above the sea. The Old Street itself is jammed with stalls selling taro balls, peanut ice-cream rolls, fish balls and glutinous rice cakes. It is wonderfully atmospheric, and also wonderfully busy, so go late in the afternoon and stay into the evening when the lanterns glow and day-trippers thin out.

For the quietest experience, have tea at one of the traditional teahouses on the upper levels. The view of the bay at dusk, with fog drifting in, is one of my favourite scenes in Taiwan. Bring a light rain jacket, because Jiufen is notorious for drizzle and mist, even when Taipei is sunny.

If you want to see all of these places without juggling buses and trains, several private tours cover them in one day. The Yehliu Geopark, Shifen Old Street and Jiufen Old Street private tour covers about eight hours of driving and walking, starting from S$166.42. For a longer loop with Pingxi and an evening market at Keelung, look at the Shifen, Pingxi, Jiufen and Keelung Miaokou night market charter, from S$193.13.

Smaller sights that deserve a slot

Not everything in Taipei has to be a headline. Some of my favourite hours have been spent in places that never make the top-ten list, and the following are worth having in your back pocket for a slow afternoon or a rainy morning.

Railway Department Park. A beautifully restored railway-administration compound near the city centre, it preserves workshops, a bathhouse, offices and some old rolling stock. It is a quiet and photogenic place, and a good rainy-day option with a very different mood from the temples. You can learn more about it through the Taiwan Museum Railway Department Park listing, from S$5.00.

Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall. A vast white-and-blue hall at the end of a plaza, flanked by a traditional-style theatre and concert hall. The changing of the guard happens on the hour and is genuinely precise and theatrical. The plaza is a favourite place for locals to fly kites and practise dance routines.

Dihua Street. A historic trading street in Dadaocheng, lined with Qing-era shophouses selling dried goods, herbal medicine, tea and textiles. It is at its busiest before Lunar New Year, when the whole street turns into a festive market, but it is lovely at any time of year for a slow stroll and a coffee in a restored building.

Tamsui. A riverside town at the end of the red metro line, famous for sunsets, old brick forts, cheap snacks along the waterfront and a ferry across to Bali district. It is relaxed and breezy, and the closest you get to a seaside feeling without leaving the metro system. For a more cultural stop in this area, the Wu Dengyi Art Museum shows contemporary pieces in a striking waterfront building.

Miramar Entertainment Park. A shopping and leisure complex whose Ferris wheel is one of Taipei's best-known landmarks, particularly attractive at night when the wheel is lit up. It is a pleasant way to spend an evening, especially for families, and the views over the Keelung River are good. See the Miramar Entertainment Park page for current entry options.

If you do want the sea: Penghu and the south

Since the original premise of this article was "beyond the beaches," it would be unfair to pretend the coast does not exist. If you have a week and want to add genuine sand and snorkelling, there are two sensible directions. The first is the Penghu Islands, a windswept archipelago in the Taiwan Strait, reachable by a short flight from the main island. Penghu has pale beaches, basalt columns, old stone-walled villages, and an annual fireworks festival in the summer. The second is the far south, where Kenting National Park has the long beaches and the surf culture, and where the little island of Xiaoliuqiu offers some of Taiwan's best snorkelling with green turtles.

Neither is a day trip from Taipei, so plan on at least two or three nights if you head there. Penghu is best between April and October, when the weather is calm and the sea is warm. In winter, strong northeast winds make the crossing rough and the beaches inhospitable. If you are interested, there is a Penghu half-day sailing experience from S$39.53, and the Penghu Islands listing is a good starting point for the wider region.

Getting around: metro, passes and the high-speed train

Taipei's metro, the MRT, is clean, cheap, air-conditioned and easy to read. Signs are in English, announcements are in four languages, and the colour-coded lines make it hard to go wrong. Eating and drinking are banned inside the paid area, and the rule is genuinely observed, so finish that bubble tea on the platform before you tap in. Buses cover the gaps, and taxis are inexpensive by Singapore standards.

For payment, the simplest option is an EasyCard, a rechargeable card that works on the metro, buses, many convenience stores and some tourist sites. You tap in and out, you top up at any metro station or convenience store, and you get a small discount on fares. A visitor-oriented version can be collected at the airport, and you can reserve it ahead through the Taiwan EasyCard for transportation page, from S$5.00.

If you plan to see a lot of paid attractions and ride the metro heavily, a combined pass may save money. The Taipei Fun Pass bundles unlimited metro and bus rides with free entry to a list of sights, and in practice it works out best for people who are fast sightseers, doing four or five attractions a day. If you plan to linger over meals and go slowly, a rechargeable card and individual tickets will be cheaper. The pass is sold in one-, two- and three-day versions; see the Taipei Fun Pass for details, from S$53.00.

For travel beyond Taipei, the Taiwan High Speed Rail runs down the west coast to Kaohsiung in about an hour and a half, and reaches Taichung in under an hour. If you plan to visit Sun Moon Lake, Alishan or Tainan on the same trip, a rail pass can make economic sense. The Taiwan High-Speed Rail unlimited pass is available from S$84.06, and is worth doing the sums on before you buy, because the pass only pays off if you take several long rides.

What things cost in Taipei

Taipei is not as cheap as Bangkok or Hanoi, but it is noticeably gentler on the wallet than Singapore or Tokyo. The biggest savings come from food, local transport and temples, many of which are free. The biggest costs are usually the hotel and the day tours. The figures below are approximate and in Singapore dollars, so treat them as a rough guide and check current rates before you go.

For a comfortable mid-range trip, I would budget in the region of S$150 to S$250 per person per day including accommodation, meals, transport and a paid attraction or two. Taiwan's own tourism guidance puts a reasonable daily spend at a few thousand New Taiwan dollars per person, and that matches my experience. You can go lower if you eat in markets and use public transport, and much higher if you stay in a design hotel and take private cars everywhere.

Cards are widely accepted in malls and hotels, but cash still rules in night markets, small restaurants and temples, so bring some New Taiwan dollars. ATMs at convenience stores accept most foreign cards, and the exchange rates at the airport are usually acceptable. A small tip is not expected anywhere.

When to go, and what to pack

The best months are October to December and March to May. Autumn brings clear skies and cooler air, with temperatures around the low to mid twenties, and spring brings flowers and comfortable walking weather, though it is also drizzly. Summer, from June through September, is hot and humid, with afternoon thunderstorms and typhoon risk. Winter is mild by Singapore standards, but the damp can make it feel colder than the thermometer suggests, and the northeast monsoon brings grey skies and steady drizzle to the north of the island.

Pack light clothes that dry fast, a compact umbrella that you will actually carry, a thin waterproof layer for Jiufen and the mountains, and comfortable shoes with a decent sole. Temple visits call for covered shoulders and knees, and a light scarf does the job. A power bank is useful too, since you will be using your phone for maps, translation and payment all day.

Staying connected is easy. Free Wi-Fi exists in the metro and some public places, but it is patchy, and you will want a proper data connection for navigation. An eSIM is the cleanest answer for most visitors, and HolidaySG lists several, such as the 14-day 15GB Taiwan traveller eSIM from S$16.00. For a shorter trip, one of the daily plans, like the Commbitz Taiwan eSIM daily plan, from S$3.00, may be a better fit. Check that your phone supports eSIM before you buy.

What to eat while you are here

You could plan a whole trip around the food alone, and plenty of people do. The signature dish is beef noodle soup, a rich, dark broth with slow-braised beef and thick chewy noodles, and every neighbourhood has a favourite shop with a queue to prove it. Xiaolongbao, the soup-filled steamed dumplings, are the other must-try, and the best advice is to bite a small hole, let the steam out and sip the broth before you eat the rest.

At night markets, the order of the day is grazing. Try the oyster omelette, fried chicken cutlets that are bigger than your face, scallion pancakes, stinky tofu if you are brave, and a sweet finish of shaved ice with mango or taro. Shilin Night Market is the biggest and most famous, Raohe Street is more compact and easier to navigate, and Ningxia is the one locals recommend for traditional snacks. Go hungry, go with a friend so that you can share, and carry small change.

Bubble tea was born in Taiwan, so it would be rude not to try a cup. Look for shops that make it fresh, order your sweetness and ice levels in percentages, and be ready to find that "half sugar" is still sweet. For something quieter, a proper tea house will serve oolong in tiny cups and explain how to brew it. A tea session in Maokong or Jiufen is a lovely way to slow down.

For vegetarians, Taiwan is among the easiest places in Asia. There is a long tradition of Buddhist vegetarian cooking, and you will find dedicated restaurants, buffet counters and even convenience-store options marked with a green character. Muslim travellers can find halal restaurants clustered near the Taipei Grand Mosque, and several night markets now carry halal stalls.

Sample itineraries

These are starting points rather than commandments. Swap days around depending on the weather, because a clear day is better spent at Taipei 101 or the hills, and a wet one is better spent in museums, temples and hot springs.

Three days: the essentials

• Day 1. Arrive and drop your bags, then head to Longshan Temple and Wanhua in the afternoon. Dinner at Huaxi Street, then a night walk along Dihua Street if you have energy.
• Day 2. National Palace Museum in the morning, lunch in Shilin, then Taipei 101 at sunset. Eat in the basement food court or head to a night market.
• Day 3. A full day trip to Yehliu, Shifen and Jiufen. Return to Taipei in the evening for a last meal.

Four days: add the hills and the baths

• Follow the three-day plan above, then add a fourth day for Beitou and a bath, and an evening at Maokong, riding the gondola up for tea and down after dark.
• If you have a wet forecast, move the hot springs earlier in the trip and push the day trip to the northern coast for the best-looking day.

Five days: slow it down

• Add a gentle day in Tamsui with a late lunch on the waterfront, a visit to the Wu Dengyi Art Museum and a sunset by the river.
• Or use the spare day for a quick rail trip to Taichung and Sun Moon Lake, which is easy with the high-speed train, or join a guided Sun Moon Lake day tour from Taipei.
• Leave one afternoon with no plan at all. The best moments in Taipei are often a café, a lane or a market you stumbled upon.

Visas, entry and the paperwork side

The good news first. Singapore passport holders can enter Taiwan visa-free for tourism, with a permitted stay of up to 30 days on our latest check of the official source. That makes Taipei one of the easiest short-haul destinations from home. Travellers from other countries have different rules, and some nationalities, including certain Indian and ASEAN passport holders, can apply for an online visa or travel authorisation under specific conditions. Rules change, so always confirm with the official government website before you book.

To check what applies to your passport, use our visa requirements checker, which pulls from embassy-sourced facts and shows the fee, validity and processing time for each option. If you need help with an application, HolidaySG offers visa assistance, and you can start from the same page.

One more paperwork tip for travellers whose visa application asks for proof of onward travel. Some visa processes and airlines ask for evidence of a flight out of the country before you have finalised your plans. HolidaySG offers a manual flight reservation service designed for exactly this situation. It is a reservation for documentation purposes, not an issued ticket, so it does not replace a real booking, and it does not guarantee that an embassy will approve your application. Read the terms on that page before you use it.

Whatever your passport, check that it has at least six months' validity from your arrival date, and carry a printed copy of your hotel booking and return flight in case an immigration officer asks. Travel insurance with medical cover is a sensible idea, since typhoons can disrupt flights and hospital bills for foreigners add up quickly.

Booking your tickets and tours

You can walk up and buy most things on the day in Taipei, and a lot of the joy is in staying flexible. There are a few exceptions where booking ahead pays off. Timed slots at Taipei 101 sell out on clear weekends. Private day tours are easier to arrange, and often better value per person, when you book before you arrive and can share the car with friends or family. And passes and transport cards are simpler when they are waiting for you at the airport.

When you book through HolidaySG, you choose the date, the option and the number of travellers, and our team confirms the booking before your e-ticket is emailed to you, so allow a little time between booking and travel rather than leaving it to the last hour. Check the lead time on each product page, because timed sessions need at least a day's notice. Refund terms are set out on our refund page, so read them before you pay.

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Practical tips I wish I had known earlier

• Stand on the right on escalators. The left side is for people in a hurry. The same convention applies in the metro stations.
• Toilet paper goes in the bin. In many older buildings the plumbing cannot cope, and a small bin sits next to the toilet for this purpose.
• Carry a little cash for temples and markets. Many small vendors do not take cards, and mobile-wallet acceptance is patchier for foreign cards than you might expect.
• Convenience stores are your friend. They sell hot food, tea eggs, snacks, SIM top-ups, drinks, and you can pay bills, collect parcels and charge your EasyCard.
• Use the right emergency numbers. The police are on 110, and fire and ambulance are on 119. The tourist hotline is 0800-011-765, and it offers English-language help.
• Watch your belongings in crowds. Taiwan is very safe, but busy night markets and metro platforms attract the occasional pickpocket, so keep your phone and wallet zipped away.
• Expect rain even in sunshine. A small umbrella in your day bag has saved many of my plans.
• Be polite in queues. People queue patiently everywhere, and jumping the line is the quickest way to annoy a crowd.

Frequently asked questions

Does Taipei have beaches?

Not in the city itself. Taipei is inland, and the nearest sandy spots are on the north coast, such as Fulong, or farther afield on the Penghu Islands and Kenting. If you want a beach, plan a separate trip rather than expecting one near your hotel.

How many days do I need in Taipei?

Three full days is enough to see the main sights and take one day trip, four days lets you add hot springs and the tea hills, and five days gives you room to relax or add a rail trip. A long weekend works if you plan carefully.

Do Singapore passport holders need a visa for Taiwan?

For tourism, Singapore passport holders can enter visa-free, with a permitted stay of up to 30 days according to our most recent check of the official source. Rules can change, so confirm on the official site and use our visa requirements page for other nationalities.

What is the best way to get from the airport to the city?

The airport MRT is the simplest and cheapest for most travellers, taking around forty minutes to Taipei Main Station. A private car is more comfortable for families, groups or late arrivals, and you can reserve one in advance. Buses run too but depend on traffic.

Is Taipei good for families with children?

Very much so. The city is safe, clean and easy to navigate with a stroller, and attractions like the Maokong Gondola, Miramar's Ferris wheel and the railway park suit younger children. Night markets are fun but crowded, so go early in the evening.

Should I buy a Taipei pass or pay as I go?

Do the sums for your own plan. A pass pays off if you visit many paid attractions and ride the metro a lot every day. If you prefer a slow pace, a rechargeable transport card plus individual tickets is usually cheaper.

What is the best time of year to visit?

October to December and March to May offer the most comfortable weather. Summer is hot and carries typhoon risk, and winter is damp and grey, although it is the best season for hot springs.

Can I do Jiufen, Shifen and Yehliu without a tour?

Yes, with buses and trains it is possible, but the connections are fiddly and the day gets long. A private car or small tour saves time and lets you see all three comfortably, particularly if you are travelling as a group.

Final thoughts

Taipei does not need a beach. What it offers instead is a city that is easy to like, with enough substance to reward a second visit. You can eat superbly on a small budget, step from a temple into a skyscraper in twenty minutes, and soak your tired feet in a volcanic spring before bed. If you only have a few days, stay flexible, let the weather guide you, and leave space for the lane that looks interesting. The best memories from Taipei are rarely the ones on the list.

When you are ready to plan the details, start with the tickets and transport you know you will need, check your entry requirements, and keep a day or two loose. Safe travels, and enjoy the noodles.