Taipei travel guide: night markets, temples, and getting around
Taipei is Taiwan's capital and cultural heartland, a city where the soaring Taipei 101 rises above ornate temples and dense, fragrant night-market lanes. It holds one of the world's great museum collections at the National Palace Museum, alongside modern neighbourhoods packed with independent cafes, bookshops, and street art. For a capital of its size, it is remarkably easy to love: warm, walkable, and wired with one of Asia's best metro systems.
Key facts
- Country: Taiwan (Asia)
- Language: Mandarin Chinese
- Currency: Taiwan dollar (TWD)
- Driving: on the right
What makes Taipei special
Taipei runs on contrast. In a single afternoon you can climb from the incense haze of Longshan Temple to the observation deck of Taipei 101, then descend into the steam and sizzle of a night market for dinner. The food alone justifies the trip: beef noodle soup, xiao long bao, bubble tea in its birthplace, and the endless small plates of the Shilin and Raohe night markets.
It is also a city that works. The MRT is clean, cheap, and signed in English, convenience stores are everywhere, and locals are famously helpful to lost visitors. That ease makes Taipei one of the friendliest introductions to East Asia for a first-time traveller.
Getting there
Most visitors arrive at Taoyuan International Airport, around 40 kilometres west of the city. The Airport MRT runs directly into Taipei Main Station in about 35 to 50 minutes depending on the service, and connects there to the wider metro network. Taipei Songshan Airport, much closer to the centre, handles some regional and domestic flights.
Once you are in the city, the MRT and a dense bus network cover almost everywhere a visitor wants to go. An EasyCard stored-value card works across metro, buses, and convenience stores, and saves fiddling with change.
When to visit
Autumn, from October to December, is widely considered the sweet spot: warm, drier days and comfortable evenings. Spring, from March to May, is also pleasant, though it can be damp. Summers are hot and humid with a real typhoon risk between roughly July and September, while winters are mild but can be grey and wet. If you want night markets without a sheen of sweat, aim for the shoulder seasons.
What to see
Taipei packs a lot into a compact area. Highlights include:
- Taipei 101. The landmark tower with an observation deck and one of the world's fastest lifts.
- National Palace Museum. An extraordinary collection of Chinese imperial art and artefacts.
- Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall. A grand civic monument with a ceremonial changing of the guard.
- Longshan Temple. The city's most atmospheric working temple, busiest and most photogenic at dusk.
- Shilin Night Market. The best known of Taipei's night markets, and a crash course in Taiwanese street food.
- Jiufen Old Street. A lantern-lit hillside town an hour outside the city, magical in the early evening.
For more on the wider country, our Taiwan destination page links through to other cities and sights.
Visa and entry
British passport holders can currently visit Taiwan visa free for up to 90 days for tourism. Entry rules vary by nationality, so confirm the requirements for your passport on the Taiwan destination page before you book, and check the official Bureau of Consular Affairs guidance for the latest position. Yoogo informs, but does not process applications or give immigration advice.
Staying connected in Taipei
Taipei is one of the easier cities in Asia to stay online, but you will not want to rely on hunting for public wifi between night markets and metro rides. The simplest option is an eSIM you install before you fly, so your data is live the moment you land. For Taiwan we use Saily.
Get your Taiwan eSIM sorted before departure and you can step off the Airport MRT already connected, with maps, translation, and messaging ready to go. For the full walkthrough, see our guide to the best eSIM for Taiwan.
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Frequently asked questions
How many days do you need in Taipei? Three to four days is enough to see the headline sights, eat well, and take a half-day trip to Jiufen or the hot springs at Beitou. A week lets you slow down and add day trips along the north coast.
Is Taipei easy to get around without speaking Mandarin? Yes. The MRT and major signage are in English, and translation apps handle most menus and directions. A little politeness goes a long way, and locals are generally happy to help.
What is the best area to stay in Taipei? Around Taipei Main Station is the most convenient for transport, while Ximending suits night owls and Da'an suits cafes and quieter streets. Anywhere near an MRT line works well.
Do I need a visa to visit Taipei? It depends on your nationality. British passport holders can visit visa free for up to 90 days, but check the Taiwan destination page for your own passport before travelling.
What is Taipei's night-market food like? Varied and inexpensive, from beef noodle soup and dumplings to stinky tofu and fresh fruit. Shilin and Raohe are the best known markets, and grazing across several stalls is the way to eat.
When is the best time to visit Taipei? Autumn, from October to December, offers the most reliable weather. Spring is also good. Avoid the peak typhoon window of mid-summer if you can.
How do I get from Taoyuan Airport to central Taipei? The Airport MRT runs directly to Taipei Main Station in around 35 to 50 minutes. Buses and taxis are also available around the clock.
Is Taipei a good destination for first-time visitors to Asia? Very much so. It is safe, clean, easy to navigate, and welcoming, which makes it one of the gentlest introductions to the region.
Can I use an eSIM in Taipei? Yes. A Taiwan eSIM gives you data across the city and the rest of the island. Install it before you fly using our best eSIM for Taiwan guide and you land already connected.
Using Taipei as a base for the island
Taipei is the natural first stop in Taiwan, and it is also the easiest place to plan the rest of a trip from. The high-speed rail runs down the western side of the island and connects the major cities end to end in a couple of hours, which puts Taichung, Tainan, and Kaohsiung within reach of a day trip if you would rather not move hotels. The slower eastern line runs the other way, through the mountains towards Hualien and the Taroko gorge country, and it is the more scenic of the two by a distance.
That makes a common shape for a first visit: three or four days in Taipei, then a loop out and back. Our one week in Taiwan itinerary sets out a realistic version of that route, and the Hualien city guide covers the east-coast end of it.
Day trips from the city itself are unusually good. Jiufen and the old gold-mining coast, the hot springs at Beitou, and the volcanic ridges of Yangmingshan are all within about an hour, and none of them needs a car.
For entry requirements, the Taiwan destination page carries the corridor detail for your own passport. British passport holders can find the process in our Taiwan entry guide for UK passports, and Swiss passport holders in the Swiss passport guide. The general route and the visa categories Taiwan issues are covered in the Taiwan visa guide.
Getting around Taipei
Taipei is one of the easier Asian capitals to move around, and most visitors need no more than the metro and their feet.
The MRT reaches the great majority of places a visitor wants to go, runs frequently, and is signed in English throughout. A stored-value card used across the network removes the need to buy individual tickets and works on buses as well, which is the main reason to pick one up on the first day rather than the third.
Buses fill in the gaps the metro does not reach, including some of the hill routes out of the city, and taxis are plentiful. What matters more than the mode is having live directions, because Taipei's addressing system uses lanes and alleys branching off numbered roads, and a street name alone will frequently not get you to the door.
Related Yoogo guides
- One week in Taiwan is a worked route using Taipei as the starting point.
- Hualien covers the east coast base for Taroko Gorge.
- Taiwan visa guide explains the categories Taiwan issues and who needs which.
- Best eSIM for Taiwan covers connectivity in more detail than this guide.
- eSIM device compatibility confirms your handset will work before you buy.