5 Days in Taipei: Night Markets, Mountain Temples, and the Friendliest City in Asia

Every traveler I know who’s been to Taipei says the same thing: “Why didn’t I go sooner?” I was no different. Taiwan’s capital had been sitting quietly on my maybe-someday list for years, overshadowed by Tokyo and Bangkok and Seoul. Then I went, and within 48 hours I was texting everyone I knew telling them to book tickets immediately.

Taipei is the city that does everything right without making a fuss about it. The food is extraordinary — night market culture alone puts it in the global top tier. The temples are stunning. The people are genuinely, disarmingly kind. The mountains surrounding the city offer hiking that rivals much bigger countries. And somehow, all of this comes at prices that make even southeast asia look expensive. Five days in Taipei didn’t just surprise me — it reshuffled my entire list of favorite cities.

Here’s the itinerary that converted a skeptic into an evangelist.

Day 1 — Taipei 101, Elephant Mountain, and Getting Your Bearings

Start with the skyline. Taipei 101 held the record for world’s tallest building from 2004 to 2010, and the observatory skip-the-line tickets are worth the premium for the view from the 89th floor — the entire Taipei Basin spread below you, ringed by mountains, with the Tamsui River winding north toward the sea. The building’s design, inspired by a bamboo stalk, is more impressive in person: the eight segments tapering upward, the coin-shaped damper ball (a 730-ton pendulum that counteracts typhoon winds) visible from the indoor viewing deck.

In the afternoon, hike Elephant Mountain (Xiangshan). The trailhead is a 10-minute walk from Taipei 101 and the climb takes about 20 minutes — steep but short. The reward: the most iconic view of Taipei’s skyline, with Taipei 101 rising above the city against a backdrop of green mountains. Come for sunset. The sky turns orange behind the tower, the city lights switch on below, and you’ll understand why this hike has its own hashtag.

Evening: your first night market. Taipei has over 30 night markets, and they’re the beating heart of the city’s food culture. Start at Shilin Night Market — the largest and most famous. The food stalls are packed: oyster omelets, stinky tofu (yes, try it — the taste is infinitely better than the smell), pepper buns (baked in a tandoor-style oven, stuffed with spiced pork), bubble tea from the country that invented it, and flame-grilled Mongolian lamb. A guided night market tour navigated the overwhelming choice and introduced me to dishes I’d have missed — the mango shaved ice alone was worth the entire trip.

Day 2 — Longshan Temple, Bopiliao, and Taipei’s Cultural Soul

Longshan Temple is the spiritual heart of Taipei. Built in 1738 by settlers from Fujian Province, it survived earthquakes, typhoons, and World War II bombing (a direct hit destroyed the main hall but left the statue of Guanyin miraculously intact). The current temple is a baroque explosion of carved stone dragons, painted ceilings, and incense smoke so thick it blurs the ornate details into a golden haze. Locals come daily to pray, consult fortune sticks, and light incense — this isn’t a museum piece but a living, breathing place of worship.

Walk to the adjacent Bopiliao Historical Block — a preserved street of Qing Dynasty and Japanese colonial-era shophouses that traces Taipei’s architectural evolution. The buildings now house exhibitions, cafés, and artist studios. The contrast between the weathered brick and the modern city around it encapsulates Taipei’s approach to heritage: preserve, don’t freeze.

Afternoon in the National Palace Museum. This institution holds the world’s largest collection of Chinese art and artifacts — 700,000 pieces spanning 8,000 years, brought to Taiwan by Chiang Kai-shek when the Nationalists fled mainland China in 1949. The Jadeite Cabbage (a piece of jadeite carved to look like a Chinese cabbage with insects on its leaves) and the Meat-Shaped Stone (a piece of jasper that looks exactly like braised pork belly) are the most famous objects, but the scroll paintings, ceramics, and calligraphy collections are where the real treasures lie. Budget at least three hours.

Evening: Raohe Street Night Market — smaller and more atmospheric than Shilin, with a beautiful temple at the entrance. The pepper buns at the first stall (the one with the permanent queue) are legendary: flaky dough, juicy pork filling, charred from the oven. The medicinal herbal stalls, fortune tellers, and game booths alongside the food create a carnival atmosphere that perfectly captures Taipei after dark.

Day 3 — Jiufen, the Northeast Coast, and the Village That Inspired Spirited Away

The day trip to Jiufen and Shifen is one of Taiwan’s most popular excursions and deserves its reputation. Jiufen is a hillside village clinging to the mountains above the Pacific coast, its narrow lanes lined with tea houses, red lanterns, and food stalls selling taro balls, peanut ice cream rolls, and herring roe. The resemblance to the spirit world in Miyazaki’s Spirited Away is unmistakable (though Miyazaki has denied direct inspiration, the visual connection is undeniable).

The A-Mei Tea House, perched on the hillside with views across the sea and mountains, is the most photographed building in Taiwan. Order oolong tea — Taiwan produces some of the world’s finest — and spend an hour watching the clouds drift across the ocean below. The tea ceremony here is simplified but genuine: hot water over rolled leaves, the aroma rising, the taste evolving with each steep.

Shifen, further along the old railway line, is famous for sky lanterns. Write a wish on a paper lantern, light the fuel cell, and watch it rise into the sky above the old train tracks — it’s touristy and magical in equal measure. The Shifen Waterfall, a short walk from the town, is Taiwan’s widest and genuinely impressive — the “Little Niagara of Taiwan” nickname is only slightly exaggerated.

Return to Taipei for evening. Tonghua Night Market (Linjiang) is the locals’ favorite — smaller, less touristy, better food. The stinky tofu here, fried to crispy perfection and served with pickled cabbage, converted me from skeptic to addict in a single bite.

Day 4 — Beitou Hot Springs, Yangmingshan, and Nature Inside the City

Taipei has natural hot springs within its city limits — a luxury most capitals can’t claim. The Beitou district, accessible by MRT in 30 minutes, sits in a geothermal valley where sulfurous springs have been used for bathing since the Japanese colonial era. The Beitou hot springs experience ranges from free public footbaths to luxury ryokan-style resorts. The Thermal Valley (Hell Valley) is a jade-green sulfurous lake steaming dramatically against the forested hillside — the smell is strong, the visual is stunning.

The Beitou Hot Spring Museum, housed in a beautifully preserved Japanese bathhouse from 1913, traces the history of bathing culture in the area. The Ketagalan Culture Center nearby covers Taiwan’s indigenous peoples — a perspective often overlooked by visitors focused on Chinese culture.

Afternoon: continue uphill to Yangmingshan National Park. This volcanic mountain park sits directly above Taipei and offers hiking trails through bamboo forests, past fumaroles and hot springs, to panoramic viewpoints overlooking the city basin. The Xiaoyoukeng trail (easy, 40 minutes) takes you through a sulfurous landscape that feels like another planet. In spring (February-March), the park erupts with cherry blossoms and azaleas.

Evening back in the city. Ximending is Taipei’s youth culture district — pedestrian streets packed with shops, cinemas, street performers, and food. The area around Red House, a historic octagonal building now housing independent boutiques and a vibrant weekend creative market, is particularly atmospheric. Dinner in Ximending offers everything from Japanese ramen to Taiwanese beef noodle soup — the latter being Taiwan’s national dish and, in the right bowl, one of the most satisfying soups on earth.

Day 5 — Dadaocheng, Tea Culture, and a Farewell That Hurt

Your last day belongs to old Taipei. Dadaocheng, along the Tamsui River, was the city’s commercial heart in the 19th century — the tea and camphor trade that made Taipei wealthy flowed through these streets. The Dihua Street area has been preserved and revitalized: century-old shophouses now house artisan tea shops, fabric stores, traditional medicine halls, and hip cafés. The Chinese New Year market here (January-February) is legendary, but the street is atmospheric year-round.

Visit a traditional tea house for a proper oolong tasting. Taiwanese tea culture is distinct from Chinese and Japanese traditions — the gongfu brewing method used here extracts maximum flavor from high-mountain oolongs that are world-renowned. The tea master at the shop I visited explained how altitude, fog, and soil create flavor profiles as complex as wine — and the tasting proved it. Each steep of the same leaves produced a different character, from floral to buttery to mineral.

Lunch at Yongkang Street — the foodie street near Dongmen MRT. Din Tai Fung, the Michelin-starred dumpling restaurant that started here, always has a queue, but the xiaolongbao (soup dumplings) are transcendent: delicate skin, hot broth, pork filling, a dot of ginger vinegar. Even the non-DTF restaurants on this street are exceptional — beef noodle soup, shaved ice, scallion pancakes.

Afternoon stroll along the Tamsui River bike path, or revisit your favorite neighborhood for last-minute shopping and snacking. The Eslite Spectrum bookstore (open 24 hours at the Xinyi location) is worth a browse — Taiwan’s literary culture is vibrant, and the stores are beautifully designed.

Last evening: one final night market. I chose Ningxia — small, focused, and considered by locals to have the best food. Taro balls, lu rou fan (braised pork rice — Taiwan’s soul food), oyster vermicelli, and a final bubble tea. Taipei sent me home stuffed, happy, and already planning my return.

Budget, Transport, and Everything You Need to Know Before You Go

Getting there: Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport is well-connected to Asian and some long-haul destinations. The Airport MRT Express to Taipei Main Station takes 35 minutes and costs NT$160 (about $5). Comfortable and efficient.

Where to stay: The Da-an or Zhongshan districts offer the best balance of location, food, and value. Ximending is livelier and younger. Zhongzheng (near Taipei Main Station) is most convenient for transport. Budget NT$2,000-4,000/night (€55-110) for a good hotel. Taipei is excellent value.

Getting around: The Taipei MRT is clean, efficient, and cheap. Buy an EasyCard at any station or convenience store — it works on MRT, buses, YouBike (public bike sharing), and even 7-Eleven purchases. MRT rides: NT$20-65. Buses fill the MRT gaps and are equally easy with EasyCard. YouBike is excellent for short trips — the first 30 minutes cost NT$5.

Budget: Budget NT$2,500-4,000/day (€70-110). Night market meals: NT$50-150 per dish. Bubble tea: NT$40-70. Convenience stores (7-Eleven and FamilyMart) sell surprisingly good meals for NT$60-100. Taipei is affordable for the quality — you’ll eat like royalty on a modest budget.

Beyond Taipei: A multi-day Taiwan tour covering Taipei, Sun Moon Lake, Taroko Gorge, and Kaohsiung reveals an island of extraordinary natural and cultural diversity. The high-speed rail reaches Kaohsiung in 1.5 hours.

Taipei doesn’t shout. It doesn’t need to. It just quietly serves you the best meal you’ve ever had, shows you a temple that takes your breath away, sends you hiking through mountains you didn’t expect, and treats you with a kindness that restores your faith in humanity. Then it does it all again the next day, for less money than you’d spend on lunch in most Western cities. Go to Taipei. You’ll thank me. Everyone does.