Taipei 臺北

Taipei is the capital city of Taiwan. The city is located in northern Taiwan and is the largest city in the country.

Taipei is famous for their Taipei 101, night markets, historical sites, etc. Read on to find out more from my adventures.

From Singapore to Taipei

After accumulating my KrisFlyer miles for years and after a few rounds of extension of expiring miles due to Covid-19, it came to a time when there was no further extension and I had to use the miles before they expire.

Between using the miles for retail purchases and flights, obviously I decided on the latter. As I looked at the Award Charts and compared my available miles with the countries which had better values for redemption, Taiwan seemed to come up on top and since I have not been there before, I logged my redemption.

It was also my first time which I flew on a Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

During the flight, KrisFlyer members enjoyed complimentary in-flight wifi connectivity. Remember to add your membership number when you book your flight. I did a speed test and the download speed was quite decent at about 48.6 Mbps. However, Telegram could not be used with the wifi.

Arriving at Taipei

Upon arrival at Taoyuan International Airport, you can log on to the complimentary airport wifi and scan a QR code from the National Immigration Agency to complete the arrival card. Depending on the queue to clear immigration, you can fill in the card while queueing.

After exiting to the arrival hall, I went to the 'Taiwan the Lucky Land' booth to claim my 'lucky draw' prize. The Inbound Tourism Promotion Program was organised by the Taiwan Tourism Administration from 1 May 2023 to 30 June 2025 to celebrate 6 million tourist arrivals to Taiwan. The 'prizes' included iPASS, EasyCard, icash2.0 and accommodation vouchers worth NT$5,000.

During my research, I read that the EasyCard was more widely accepted thus I selected it as my prize but unfortunately, it was fully redeemed when I arrived and I had to settle for the iPASS card.

After collecting my prize, I went over to the Klook counter to pick up my 4G SIM Card from Chunghwa Telecom. In just a few minutes, the staff installed and activated the SIM card and I was connected.

In and Around Taipei

To me, the most seamless mode of transport to reach the city centre was by the Airport MRT. Just follow the signs that point to 'MRT/To High Speed Rail'.

There were 2 categories of trains- express and commuter. The express train stops at 5 stations- A1 Taipei Main Station, A3 New Taipei Industrial Park Station, A8 Chang Gung Memorial Hospital Station, A12 Airport Terminal 1 Station and A13 Airport Terminal 2 Station while the commuter train covered all the 13 stations from A1 Taipei Main Station to A13 Airport Terminal 2 Station. I took the former from terminal 2 and the ride to Taipei Main Station was about 40 minutes.

There was free 4G wifi at all stations. The express trains had wireless charging pads and luggage racks which the commuter trains did not have.

You can buy your EasyCard before you go and pick it up upon arrival at Taoyuan International Airport and start using it right away, by tapping to take the Airport MRT to town. If you decide to buy a trip-based ticket (which I do not recommend as reasoned below), you can follow the 'MRT Ticketing Machine' sign to the ticketing machines to buy a train ticket which was issued in the form of a round plastic token.

If your trip is like mine, which involved tons of public transport, I would recommend to get an EasyCard or iPASS card as it is more convenient and economical. Throughout my adventure, I could use my iPASS for all the public buses and trains I took but was not sure why I was told that I could not use the card for 1 of my train rides and had to buy a separate ticket. For buses, you do not have to worry about asking the bus captain about the fare and getting the exact coins (no change would be given) for your fare. Just tap your card on the card reader when you board and tap again before you alight. The usual protocol was to board from the front door and alight at the back door.

Taipei was my first and last leg of my Taiwan adventure as I had to fly in and out of Taoyuan International Airport.

As my accommodation was about 1 km from Taipei Main Station and the check-in time was after 1500 hours, I planned to deposit my backpack in a locker at the station, go on my adventure before returning to collect it and check in at the end of the day.

Taipei Main Station was huge and there were lockers all around. They were popular and if a panel of lockers is full, you can walk around to look for another. The lockers typically came in 2 sizes. Some charged on an hourly basis while others on a 3-hour base rate.

If you need to use a locker, some lockers have tiny LEDs beside each of the lockers to indicate if that panel of lockers has available ones, by their green LEDs. For others, you would need to go to the operation screen to check out if there are any empty ones.

When you are at the screen, select your preferred language, select 'Deposit' and the screen would indicate which ones are available. Select the locker number you prefer and put in your luggage. Some lockers would prompt you to key in your preferred PIN for you to use when you retrieve your luggage while others would generate them for you. Make the payment and close the locker door. Double check that the door is locked before you leave.

iseasywith.me Travel Tip

Some lockers accept multiple modes of payment, including by EasyCard or iPASS while others accept cash only. DO standby some NT$100 notes (the lockers I came across accept NT$100 notes only) or coins in case the lockers accept cash payment only. If you are paying by EasyCard or iPASS, you would have to slap the card flat on the reader and hold it there for about 5 seconds for the transaction to process.

Some lockers issue receipts with information such as the location e.g. panel 165 as shown in the above photo, locker number and PIN while some do not. Either way, you HAVE to remember your PIN else you may not be able to retrieve your luggage as quickly as you wished. If you think you may forget your PIN, note it down in your phone. If you think you may lose the receipt, take a photo of it. If you think you may not remember the locker's location, take a photo of the panel number. It is best not to lose the receipt as the one who picks it up may be able to retrieve your luggage.

Taipei part 1: During my first leg of my Taipei adventure, I went to the following places:

• Taipei 101 台北101 and Starbucks Taipei 101 星巴克台北101
• Beitou Public Hot Spring 北投溫泉/Millennium Hot Spring 親水公園露天溫泉
• Modern Toilet Restaurant 便所歡樂主題餐廳
• Shilin Night Market 士林夜市
• Fuhang Soy Milk 阜杭豆漿
• Yehliu Geopark 野柳地質公園
• Yehliu Fishing Port 野柳漁港
• Jiufen Old Street 九份老街
• Shifen Old Street 十分老街
• Pingxi Old Street 平溪老街
• Jingtong Old Street 菁桐老街
• Shi Jie Soymilk King 世界豆漿大王

Taipei part 2: After my return from Hualien enroute to the airport for my flight back home, I spent a few hours in Taipei and checked in at the following places:

• Yong He 永和
• Ximending 西門町
• Chia Te Bakery 佳德糕餅
• Huayin Street Shopping District 華陰街商圈
• Taipei City Mall 台北地下街
• Breeze Taipei Station 微風台北車站

Taipei part 1:

Taipei 101 台北101 and Starbucks Taipei 101 星巴克台北101

Taipei 101 is an iconic skyscraper and is a checkpoint when you visit Taipei. It has 101 floors, thus the name.

It has 2 observation decks- on the 89th (indoor) and 91st (outdoor) floors.

If you are there to grab some souvenirs, you can go to their kiosk at basement 1 near Starbucks or their store on the 5th floor.

iseasywith.me Public Service Announcement

You may have read in your course of research that there is a Starbucks on the 35th floor where you could enjoy panoramic views with a minimum order and you have to call a number to make a reservation.
I read about that as well and when I called the number listed on the blogs, it was no longer in use and when I called Starbuck's office, they mentioned that it was closed down for some time already.

Getting there

Just take the metro red line to R03 Taipei 101/World Trade Center station and follow the directional signs to Taipei 101.

Beitou Public Hot Spring 北投溫泉/Millennium Hot Spring 親水公園露天溫泉

Beitou Public Hot Spring/Millennium Hot Spring (NT$60 per session of 2/2.5 hours) was my next stop after Taipei 101, before I went to Taiwan's biggest and most famous night market, Shilin Night Market.

The facility was about 7 minutes walk from Xinbeitou metro station.

The time slots that you could use the facility were as follows:

1. 0530-0730 hours
2. 0800-1000 hours
3. 1030-1300 hours
4. 1330-1600 hours
5. 1630-1900 hours
6. 1930-2200 hours

The open-air, unisex facility has 6 pools- 4 warm/hot and 2 cold. The warm/hot ones were laid out over 3 'tiers' and ranged from about 35 degrees celsius for the lowest pool to about 44.3 degrees celsius for the highest one, where the source of the hot spring water entered the pool and cascaded down to the lowest tier, which explained why the pool at the lowest tier was the least hot among the 4 warm/hot pools. I did not try the cold ones as they required users to wear swimming caps which I did not come across when I did my research thus did not prepare for it.

You can start by trying the lowest pool to accustom your body to the water temperature before progressing to the warmer and hot ones.

As it was a unisex facility, swimwear was required. If it is your first time there, the staff would request to check if your swimwear meet their requirements.

Although the facility was unisex, there were separate changing and shower rooms for both genders.

There were lockers with locks (NT$20) and without locks. Those with locks (30 of them outside the male toilets) were located near the entrance and those without locks were located near the pools.

Cold showers were available by the pools and hot showers (chargeable) in cubicles were located near the lockers with no locks. If you intend to use the hot shower, bring your own shampoo and shower gel.

Before you enter the pools, remember to wash your legs with the scoop placed at the side near the steps of the pools.

Getting there

Just take the metro on the Red line to R22 Beitou station and go to the platform heading to Xinbeitou to take the train which heads to R22A Xinbeitou.

Upon arriving at Xinbeitou, just launch your Google Maps app and search for the walking direction to Beitou Public Hot Spring. If you pass by Beitou Park and Beitou Hot Springs Museum on your right along the way, you are on the right track.

iseasywith.me Travel Hack

If you plan to visit the facility and if were like me, who just deposited my backpack upon arrival and off I went for my adventure, you may want to consider packing your towel, swimwear, swim cap (if you want to use the cold pools), shampoo and shower gel (if you want to use the hot shower) into a ready-to-go bag in your luggage so that you can just pull it out and put it into your day backpack. Better still, just have it in your backpack like me, so that you do not have to open up your luggage at the lockers before you deposit it.
Bring a water bottle as there was a water dispenser at the locker area to refill your water supply for hydration during your session.

Modern Toilet Restaurant 便所歡樂主題餐廳

On the way to Shilin Night Market, you could pop by the Modern Toilet Restaurant to experience sitting on a toilet bowl to dine, food looking like poo poo and served in toilet bowls. 💩

I had a poo poo ice cream (NT$165) before walking about 200 metres to Shilin Night Market.

Shilin Night Market 士林夜市

Shilin Night Market was touted as Taiwan's biggest and most famous.

I heard from my friends that Taiwan night markets are same same but different and once you visit one of them, the rest are about the same.

There were many food options available thus you could take your pick at the local street food like fried chicken cutlet, gua bao, oyster omelette, stinky tofu, etc. that you planned to try.

Shilin Night Market was my first night market that I visited thus I kept my mind open.

Fuhang Soy Milk 阜杭豆漿

When in Taipei, one of the popular breakfast places was Fuhang Soy Milk.

Although the shop opened at 0530 hours, there was already a snaking queue along the corridor all the way upstairs to their entrance when I arrived at 0515 hours.

The turnaround was quite fast so take a look at the menu and decide what you wish to get so that the staff could process your order quickly.

By the time I received my order, it was already 0615 hours. As I planned to take the 0630 hours bus to Yehliu Geopark, I ran and chew it along the way, picked up 2 cans of UCC coffee (NT$30 1-for-1 promotion) from a convenience store and got to the bus station at 0630 hours, in time for the bus. 🫢

Getting there

It was located at 2F, No. 108, Section 1, Zhongxiao East Road and about 1 km from Kuo-Kuang Bus Taipei Terminal if you are going to Yehliu Geopark after getting breakfast here.

Yehliu Geopark 野柳地質公園

My second day started with a trip to Yehliu Geopark. It was drizzling but I just put on my jacket and cap, and just forged on.

Yehliu Geopark is a natural wonder that should not be missed when you are visiting Taipei. The geological formations were and are still sculpted by natural elements such as the rain, sea and wind.

Formations such as the Queen's Head, Bean Curd Rock, Fairy's Shoe, Fried Drumstick, Gorilla Rock, Pineapple Bun and Sea Candles were quite easy to spot while others need a little more exploration, patience and imagination.

You may wish to visit the geopark to see the Queen's Head as recent reports mentioned that due to the elements, her neck is thinning and the head may break off someday.

Getting there

I took bus 1815 from Kuo-Kuang Bus Station (next to Taipei Main Station) and alighted at Yeliu. The journey was about 1.5 hours.

iseasywith.me Travel Hack

The park opens at 0800 hours. If you prefer to have more rock formations in your photos than humans and have an exclusive date with the Queen, be there in time for the opening and before tour groups start arriving.

Yehliu Fishing Port 野柳漁港

If you are taking a public bus to Yehliu Geopark, you will pass by Yehliu Fishing Port on your left when you are walking from the bus stop.

If you are rushing to meet the opening time of the geopark, I would suggest to visit the fishing port after the geopark.

Jiufen Old Street 九份老街

After Yehliu Geopark, I proceeded with my next destination, Jiufen Old Street.

There was moderate drizzle when I got there but that did not deter other visitors or me from navigating the streets and for me to go foodhunting.

Jiufen Old Street, with the iconic Amei Tea House seen whenever Jiufen is mentioned, is another popular go-to place in Taipei.

I finally got to see and take a wefie with Amei. 😍

Have some cash with you as the stalls you patronise may accept only cash for payment.

Getting there

I took bus 790, walked to transfer to bus 788. The journey took about 2 hours.

Shifen Old Street 十分老街

After visiting Jiufen Old Street, I headed over to Shifen Old Street.

I took a bus from Jiufen Old Street to Ruifang Station and changed to a train there.

While waiting for the train, I walked around the area and discovered Ruifang Food Court about 200 metres opposite the station so if you are hungry and if the waiting for the train allows, you can make a pit stop to the food court to refuel.

The train journey from Ruifang Station to Shifen Station was about 27 minutes. Upon exiting the train, activities were buzzing with stalls selling sky lanterns and visitors taking photos and videos before releasing them into the sky along the unused train track. Some were successfully launched while a few unfortunate ones crashed landed back to the ground.

If you intend to release a sky lantern, remember to select the correct colour(s) as different colours represent different wishes.

You can walk to the nearby Jing'an Suspension Bridge to snap a selfie or to Shifen Waterfall Park which is about 1.38 km or 36 minutes walk away.

If you have some time, you can make a pit stop here for a bowl of noodles. The shop was located along the old street by the side of the railway.

Pingxi Old Street 平溪老街

From Shifen Old Street to Pingxi Old Street, it was just 3 train stops away.

It was less bustling compared with Shifen with fewer shops selling sky lanterns and visitors releasing them.

Jingtong Old Street 菁桐老街

Jingtong Old Street was just a station away from Pingxi.

It may be a little late when I got there as most of the shops have closed and it was even quieter than Pingxi. Perhaps Shifen managed to retain most of the visitors and activities and there was not much left for Pingxi and Jingtong.

I explored the place including the old building opposite the train station which was supposedly the coal washing plant, Jingtong Railway Museum and the police station where part of the building was in the shape of a sky lantern. The 'sky lantern' was actually a large screen which showed tourism videos when I was there.

Shi Jie Soymilk King 世界豆漿大王

Shi Jie Soymilk King was another go-to place for breakfast or for food at any time of the day as they were open 24 hours.

Getting there

Shi Jie Soymilk King was located at No. 284, Section 2, Yonghe Rd, Yonghe District, New Taipei City. If you are going from Jingtong Old Street like me, I took bus 795 from Jingtongkeng bus stop behind Jingtong Old Street, at the police station's 10 o'clock, to Muzha (BR02) metro station. From there, I took the brown line to Daan (BR09) metro station, changed to Daan (R05) on the red line to Dongmen (R07) metro station and changed to Dongmen (O06) on the yellow line to Dingxi (O04) metro station.

From Dingxi metro station, it was just a 2 minutes walk to the destination.

The journey was about 1.5 hours.

Taipei part 2:

Yong He 永和

There were quite a few variations of Yong He in Taipei- Yonghe Chinese type breakfast shop 永和豆漿, Yong He Soy Milk King 永和豆漿大王 and Shi Jie Soymilk King 世界豆漿大王 at Yonghe Road.

I walked from Taipei Main Station to the first Yong He, Yong He Soy Milk King (永和豆漿大王) but it closed down. I located another Yong He and saw that it was a different Yong He at the point of writing this post 🤪. I settled for breakfast there.

Ximending 西門町

Ximending is a vibrant shopping district known as a hub for youth culture, delicious food and trendy fashion.

Chia Te Bakery 佳德糕餅

Chia Te Bakery is a famous bakery renowned for its pineapple cakes.

The nearest Chia Te Bakery to Taipei Main Station was 6 train stops from Ximenting.

Huayin Street Shopping District 華陰街商圈

The street is lined with shops which sold their locally branded leather goods on a wholesale basis but they sell to customers at their retail front as well.

Taipei City Mall 台北地下街

Taipei City Mall, dubbed the Akihabara of Taipei. At about 1 km long, it is the largest and longest underground shopping mall in Taiwan, connecting the high speed rail (HSR), railway (TRA), Taipei Metro, Beimen Station and the Taipei Bus Station.

It is divided into four main sections, namely clothings, F&B, electronics and miscellaneous products.

Breeze Taipei Station 微風台北車站

Breeze Taipei Station is a 3-storey mall inside Taipei Main Station which comprised cafes, restaurants and shops.

You can buy Salico nougat candy and Saint Paul Q-Cake here before you fly home. Although they have branches across Taiwan, you may not want to get them yet if your adventure is like me, running around the country else you risk bringing home biscuit crumbs instead. 😂

If you managed to get the EasyCard or iPass worth NT$5,000 and have remaining value, you can use them at these 2 shops to expend the remaining value. There is a maximum amount of NT$1, 000 per transaction that you could 'charge' to the card thus if you are buying more than NT$1,000, just inform the cashier to split the purchase and if the remaining value is insufficient, just top it up with cash.

Food and Beverage

Fuhang Soy Milk 阜杭豆漿

Jiufen Old Street

Jingtong Old Street

Shifen Old Street

Shi Jie Soymilk King

Shilin Night Market

Literal to the name of the snack which means 'cut bun', Gua Bao is a popular street food and ingredients like braised pork belly, grounded peanut, salted vegetables and coriander are packed the 'cut' in a steamed, pillowy white bun.

Another popular street food, it consists of oysters, eggs and starch. The dish tends to be a tad too oily but it was too good to miss for me. As a consolation, I convinced myself that the calories would be burnt off with the number of steps that I would clock.

Although the name said 'stinky', it was actually a fragrant aroma to me and my nose would detect the presence of the dish whenever there was a stall nearby.

The tofu was fried crispy on the outside and soft on the inside and the dish was served with cabbage, with the option of chilli sauce for dipping.

This dish is a hit or a miss, like durian. It is either you like it or not.

Taipei Main Station

Yonghe Chinese type breakfast shop 永和豆漿

The items which I tried for my brunch included the ham flatbread 燒餅, fried dough stick 油條, soya bean drink 豆漿 and soya bean drink with egg.

Departing Taipei

Taipei part 1: After my Taipei leg of my adventure, I took the HSR to Taichung for the next leg of my adventure.

Taipei part 2: After my Taiwan adventure through Taipei, Taichung, Chiayi, Tainan, Kaoshiung and Hualien, it was time to fly home to face reality. Until the next adventure, this is iseasywith.me, signing off for now. 🙂