Taipei or 台北

This past week I had the opportunity to go to Taipei, one of my favorite cities in Taiwan. It is extremely easy to get to Taipei. There are several bus companies who provide service, you can take the train, fly into one of the regional airports or take the brand new high speed rail line. Furthermore, Taipei is well organized because everything arrives and departs from Taipei Main Station.

Taipei is the largest city in Taiwan for example; one in eleven people in Taiwan live here. In the last ten years the subway system has expanded exponentially to the point that you will not need a car to get around in a few years. For example, if you were arriving from Taipei, Taoyuan international airport you can take a shuttle bus from the airport to the high speed rail station in Taoyuan. Upon your arrival you can head toward the Mass Rapid Transit Station (or Subway) that will take you into the heart of the city. This city is unique in that you can find something to do twenty four hours a day. On this trip I went to the National Palace Museum which opens at 9:00 am and runs till 5:00 pm. The unique aspect of this museum is that you can see over 620,000 artifacts that are over 5,000 years old under one roof. This statistic makes this collection of Asian artifacts one of the largest in the world. Due to the sheer size of this collection only a small percentage is on display at a given time. This does not bother me because I can go several times a year and see different artifacts.

Whenever I go to Taipei I usually spend a good amount of time looking for food. As I previously mentioned night markets are great if you are looking for local delicacies at decent prices. Usually, I’ll visit Shi Da Night Market (師大 夜市) located near Guting Station (古亭站), Tai Da Night Market (灣大夜市) located near Gongguan Station (公館站 ) or Shilin Night Market located across the street from Jiantan Station exit). But, if you would rather sit down and eat at a more traditional restaurant Taipei also offers several different options. If I have the time I’ll head over to Ding Tai Fung which is usually pretty packed. The only advice that I can give is get there early if you want to avoid the lines. For example, there was one occasion when I arrived around 4:45 pm and the store was completely empty because people had to wait till 5:00 to get off of work. If you are looking for a shopping district with less expensive restaurants Taipei has that to offer as well.

Ximending is a shopping district in Taipei that is frequented by high school and college students. I usually, stop by this area with friends to grab food, catch a movie or browse around a bit. However if you are in Ximending be vigilant for pickpockets. If you are in Taipei I would not pass up the opportunity to stop by Taipei 101 and Warner Village. The quickest way to get here is to take the MRT to the Taipei City Hall Station (市政府站) then look for exit 2 which will take you toward Taipei 101. Once you exit the station, there is a bus stop on the left hand side where you can catch a shuttle bus to Taipei 101. If you do not mind walking walk straight then take the first right this will take you past Elise Bookstore one of the largest book stores in Taiwan. (If you’re looking for a decent Thai restaurant there is one located on the top floor. I’ll talk about this at a later date) Once you pass the book store, Taipei 101 will be right in front of you it shouldn’t be too hard to miss. There are a lot of luxury items for sale inside of Taipei 101. If you’re looking for food, there are restaurants located at Warner Village located next door or within Neo 19 next door.
At the end of the night we stayed at the Burgary hotel located at No.168 Changhua Road, Section 1, Wanhua District, Taipei, Taiwan. The motel was conveniently located in Ximending. The rooms are not particularly large however I found this location to be extremely convenient. However, if you’re interested in hot springs this company has another location in Beitou. Spring City Resort is located at No.18 You Ya Road, Taipei 112, Taiwan 02-2897-9060. There is a large community spa area where customers can go to enjoy the local hot springs.

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