Taipei

Stay: 9:20 departure

1. 09:30

   sight

   Longshan Temple

   Wanhua

   Taipei's oldest and most atmospheric temple, founded 1738. Buddhist, Taoist, and folk deities share the same altars — that's Taiwanese religious syncretism in miniature. Watch locals perform jiaobei (moon blocks) divination in the main hall — both flat sides up = 'Sheng Bei' (god approves), one up one down = 'Xiao Bei' (god is laughing, considering), both down = 'Wu Bei' (refused). Free and open from 06:00. The 'Huaxi Street Night Market' next door (same district) is the century-old snake-restaurant and massage zone — go at night if you're brave; the snake-soup shops still operate, you can watch them prepare snake soup live.

   1 hour · Free

2. 11:00

   meal

   MRT blue → red line to Zhongxiao Fuxing, 15 min

   Lin Dong Fang Beef Noodle

   Zhongshan

   Taiwan's national dish, done by a 40-year institution. Order the half-tendon half-shank bowl with clear broth — both clear (qing tang) and braised (hong shao) traditions in one bowl, no need to choose. Get there by 11:15 to skip the 30-min line that starts at noon. Beef bones simmered 12 hours, deep yet light — completely unlike mainland China's Lanzhou or Chongqing beef noodles. With pickled greens (free refills) and chili oil to taste. $8 a bowl — you'll check your phone for next year's flight back.

   1 hour · ~$8

3. 13:00

   shopping

   MRT red line to Xiangshan, 10 min

   Eslite Xinyi (bookstore + lifestyle)

   Xinyi

   A 24-hour flagship bookstore that's become Taipei's cultural living room. Six floors of books, stationery, tea sets, clothing. The 3rd-floor English travel section is excellent for filling any Taipei gaps in your plan. The Eslite 'Stationery' department is one of Asia's highest-quality — bookmarks, notebooks, calligraphy brushes, all worth taking home.

   1.5 hours · ~$15 if you buy a book

4. 15:30

   sight

   10 min walk

   Taipei 101 Observation Deck

   Xinyi

   The 508-meter tower that was briefly the world's tallest. The 89th-floor indoor observatory shows you the tuned mass damper — a 660-ton pendulum that keeps the building steady in typhoons, you can climb up to see it. The 91st floor outdoor deck is the real view. Time it for ~17:00 to catch day + sunset in one ticket. The 'Damper Baby' is the 91st floor's mascot — Taipei's Hello Kitty equivalent, the plush toy ($7) is a great gift.

   1.5 hours · ~$20

   Tip: Buy online 1 day ahead to skip the ticket queue; sunset slots often sell out.

5. 17:30

   sight

   MRT to Xiangshan then 10 min walk to trailhead

   Elephant Mountain (Xiangshan) hike

   Xinyi

   20 minutes of steep stone stairs for Taipei 101's most famous photo angle. Sunset here is the Taipei iconic view — 101 tower framed by the Xinyi skyline. Bring water. Note: stairs are slippery, sneakers recommended. At the top there are 6 boulders; sitting on the 'Six Big Rocks' for the group selfie is the formula. On the way down, an alternate path leads to 'Yongchun Xinyi' MRT — avoiding the way-up crowds.

   1.5 hours · Free

6. 20:00

   meal

   MRT red line to Jiantan, 25 min

   Shilin Night Market

   Shilin

   Taipei's biggest night market. Order targets: oyster omelet (oa-jian, $2), stinky tofu (be brave), flame-torched beef cubes at the entrance ($10, grilled in front of you on a torch-blasted plate), bubble milk tea, shaved mango ice ($3). The underground food court is cleaner; the outdoor alleys are more fun. 'Hao Da Da Chicken' (giant fried chicken cutlet, $4, larger than your face) is a must — eat while walking, it's the night market rule. Saturday evenings the queue stretches kilometers; arriving earlier (18:30) gives a gentler pace than later (20:00).

   2 hours · ~$18 for multiple dishes

Stay: 8:20 departure

1. 08:30

   transit

   TRA train to Ruifang

   Taipei Main → Ruifang

   Walk or metro to Taipei Main. Buy a ticket on the TRA (Taiwan Railways Administration) local train to Ruifang. Sit on the right for ocean views after the tunnels. You pass through Keelung (industrial port) — large cargo ships visible. Ticket $2.50, no reservation needed. The TRA train is slower than a Shinkansen but 'authentic' — sitting among commuters, vendors come down the aisle with wooden trays selling bento.

   45 min · ~$2.50

2. 10:00

   sight

   Bus 788 or 1062 from Ruifang, 15 min

   Jiufen Old Street

   Jiufen

   A gold-mining mountain town turned atmospheric tourist village. Narrow stone stairs, hanging red lanterns, tea houses perched over the sea. A-Mei Tea House at Shu Qi Road is the inspiration for Yubaba's bathhouse in 'Spirited Away' — Instagram-canonical angle, 40-min wait on weekends. Siidcha or Jioufen Teahouse are quieter and equally scenic. Tea + snacks at the tea house ($10) is the experience to have — the host explains tea ceremony, you watch mist rise over the valley, the distant Pacific lighthouse start to blink.

   3 hours · ~$10 for a pot of tea

   Tip: Go on a weekday. Avoid Saturday — Jiufen becomes a bus-tour mob.

3. 13:30

   meal

   2 min walk within the old street

   Ah Gan Yi Taro Balls

   Jiufen

   The most famous snack in Jiufen — chewy taro and sweet potato balls in red bean soup. Try it hot in winter or on shaved ice in summer. Cash only. Ah Gan Yi's shop is at the very top of the stairs — eat while looking down at Jiufen's sea-mountain line, this is the free observation deck next to A-Mei.

   30 min · ~$3

4. 14:30

   transit

   Bus back to Ruifang

   Shuttle bus → Shifen

   Jiufen → Shifen

   Take bus 788 back to Ruifang then TRA Pingxi Line east to Shifen. Or book a one-way shuttle (~$8). The train is cheaper and has nicer views of the valley. This rail line opened in 1929 was originally for coal mining; today it's Taiwan's most romantic 'sky lantern line.'

   45 min · ~$3

5. 16:00

   activity

   Walk from Shifen train station

   Shifen Sky Lantern release

   Shifen

   Buy a paper lantern at a train-station-side shop (~$5), write wishes on all four sides with a brush (Chinese, English, alphabet all OK), release it over the railway tracks when trains aren't coming. Touristy but genuinely magical at dusk. Pick the 4-color lantern (wealth, health, love, career) or 5-color version ($7). This is a Taiwanese family activity — children next to you are writing 'first in class,' you're writing 'come back next year.'

   1 hour · ~$5

   Find tickets on Klook ↗

6. 17:30

   sight

   10 min walk

   Shifen Waterfall

   Shifen

   A 20-meter wide, Niagara-style falls. 10-min walk from the lantern area via a pedestrian bridge over the river. Good photo stop before catching the train back. In rainy season, mist rises from the falls and forms rainbows at sunset. Shifen Elementary School is right next door — you can hear the school bell, this is a real mountain village, not a tourist set.

   1 hour · Free

7. 20:30

   meal

   Train → Songshan Station, 1 hour total

   Raohe Street Night Market

   Songshan

   Smaller and more focused than Shilin — pepper buns baked in clay ovens at the entrance ($2.50, worth the 15-min queue), medicinal spare-rib soup ($4), and a single 600-meter stretch so you can see it all. Locals call Raohe 'the best night market in Taipei' — less touristy than Shilin. For a night-market photo, the Raohe arch is the best foreground — the rainbow neon 'Raohe Street Night Market' sign glows at night.

   1.5 hours · ~$15

Stay: 8:45 departure

1. 09:00

   sight

   Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall

   Zhongzheng

   A white marble monument with a 6.3-meter bronze Chiang Kai-shek. Watch the changing of the guards at the top of every hour — a slow-motion choreographed ritual: 5 guards in slow march, rifle rotations, foot stomps, called orders, 15 min. Photos OK after the ceremony (don't touch the guards). The plaza in front offers a distant view of Taipei 101 — history-modernity contrast. The basement museum has Chiang's car (1950s American Cadillac), private documents — free.

   1.5 hours · Free

2. 11:00

   meal

   15 min walk from CKS

   Din Tai Fung (Yongkang original)

   Yongkang

   The original 1972 location of the Michelin-starred xiao long bao empire. 18 folds per dumpling — that's the Din Tai Fung standard. Also order the drunken chicken ($8), the wonton soup, and chocolate xiao long bao for dessert ($6, surprisingly good). Arrive by 11:15 to get in before the 11:45 rush; no reservations for under 4 people — you go solo, just give your number, usually 10–15 min seating, the line moves fast. Bookstore next door for waiting.

   1 hour · ~$25

   Tip: Arrive by 11:15 to get in before the 11:45 rush; no reservations for under 4 people — solo just give your number.

3. 12:30

   shopping

   Walk

   Yongkang Street stroll

   Da'an

   The most walkable food-and-shopping street in the city. Smoothies, mango shaved ice, coffee shops, small boutiques. Window-shop your way from Din Tai Fung to the MRT. 'ICE MONSTER' mango shaved ice ($10) is a must-try — Taiwan Aiwen mango (in season May-September), pudding on top, red beans below, the mango fragrance so intense you'll forget any other shaved ice. 'Lai Hao' is a Taiwanese designer brand boutique — jewelry, scarves, leather goods, perfect for gifts.

   1 hour · ~$8 for a dessert stop

4. 14:00

   sight

   MRT green → red line to Daqiaotou, 15 min

   Dadaocheng Old Street (Dihua Street)

   Datong

   Taipei's best-preserved old neighborhood — late-Qing Dynasty baroque shophouses selling dried goods, tea, Chinese medicine, fabric. Stop at Xiahai City God Temple for a matchmaking charm (the Yue Lao here is reportedly Taiwan's most effective — you'll see foreign women in line). ASW Tea House on the 2nd floor has the best bubble tea in old Taipei — view of Dihua Street's tiger windows. Buy a bag of Lit Tin Hsiang's 'Pingan Gui' rice cakes to take home.

   1.5 hours · ~$6

5. 16:00

   meal

   MRT orange line, 20 min

   Fuhang Soy Milk

   Zhongzheng

   A breakfast institution with a queue until 10:00 every morning. If you're going late in the day, try their newer afternoon-friendly location nearby. Order hot salty soy milk + youtiao fried dough + dan bing egg crepe — classic Taiwanese breakfast trio. Salty soy milk $1.40 a bowl — with pickled mustard greens, dried shrimp, scallions, soy sauce, sesame oil — completely different from the sweet version you imagine. The 'Huashan 1914' creative park is nearby for further wandering.

   45 min · ~$5

6. 17:30

   rest

   MRT red line to Daan Park, 15 min

   Daan Forest Park

   Da'an

   Taipei's Central Park. A rest stop before the airport journey — pond with turtles, jogging path, the city skyline over the trees. Buy a tea from the park-side stand ($2). Weekends host 'Da'an Forest Farmers Market' — Taiwanese organic produce, you can buy Taiwanese tea, dried fruit, honey to take home.

   45 min · ~$3

7. 19:00

   transit

   MRT

   Return to Taoyuan airport

   Da'an → TPE

   MRT red line to Taipei Main, switch to Airport Line Express. 2 hours before international departure is enough — Taoyuan security is fast. On the airport line, look back at these 3 days: night-market sparks, Jiufen tea fragrance, Yongkang Street sweetness, Fuhang's salty broth. Three days in Taipei make you 'someone who wants to come back a second time.' Next time add Hualien, Kenting, Taichung.

   55 min · ~$5