4 Nights in Taipei: Temples, Night Markets & Hot Springs

Taoyuan Airport → Taipei

Take the Taoyuan Airport MRT Express to Taipei Main Station (~35 min, NT$160). It's fast, comfortable, and drops you right in the center. From Taipei Main, transfer to any MRT line to reach your hotel.

Check into your accommodation. For solo travelers, the Zhongzheng or Zhongshan districts are ideal — central, well-connected, with great food on every block.

Yongkang Street Stroll & Bubble Tea

Walk off lunch by exploring Yongkang Street — a tree-lined pedestrian area with cafés, dessert shops, and boutiques. Grab your first bubble tea at 50嵐 (50 Lan) or Tiger Sugar for their famous brown sugar boba with fresh milk. This is ground zero for Taipei's café culture.

Shilin Night Market (士林夜市)

Taipei's largest and most famous night market. It's sprawling, chaotic, loud, and absolutely wonderful. The underground food court (Shilin Market Food Court, B1) is where the real action is — dozens of stalls cooking everything from oyster omelets to flame-grilled steak cubes.

Must-eat at Shilin:

• Oyster omelet (蚵仔煎) — the signature Taiwanese night market dish. Chewy, eggy, briny. NT$65.

• Pepper bun (胡椒餅) — flaky pastry stuffed with peppery pork, baked in a clay oven. NT$50.

• XXL fried chicken (豪大大雞排) — a piece of fried chicken literally bigger than your face. NT$70.

• Mango shaved ice — if available (seasonal), mountain of shaved ice with fresh mango. NT$120.

Don't try to eat everything — come hungry, graze 4–5 things, and save room. You have more night markets ahead.

Longshan Temple (龍山寺)

Built in 1738 and still the spiritual heart of Taipei. The temple is breathtaking — ornate carvings, dragon columns, burning incense, and locals deep in prayer. Pick up a set of incense sticks at the entrance (free, donation welcome), follow the worshippers through the three halls, and light your incense at each altar. Even if you're not religious, the atmosphere is profoundly moving.

The area around Longshan (Wanhua district) is old Taipei at its most authentic — herbal medicine shops, traditional breakfast places, elderly men playing chess. It's gritty but real.

Dalongdong Baoan Temple (大龍峒保安宮)

Take the MRT to Yuanshan Station and walk to this UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Award winner. Where Longshan is busy and devotional, Baoan is serene and artistic. The painted door gods, ceramic roof decorations, and intricate stone carvings are museum-quality. The temple courtyard is one of the most peaceful spots in Taipei.

Right across the street is the Confucius Temple — a quiet, elegant complex with beautiful traditional architecture and almost no tourists. Worth 20 minutes.

Dadaocheng (大稻埕) — Taipei's Most Charming Old Quarter

Walk south from Baoan Temple into Dadaocheng, Taipei's historic trading quarter. In the 1920s this was the commercial heart of Taiwan — tea merchants, fabric traders, and the island's first Western-style buildings. Today it's a beautifully preserved neighborhood with Baroque-style shophouses, dried goods stores, traditional Chinese medicine shops, and some of Taipei's best independent cafés.

Dihua Street (迪化街) is the main artery — a long pedestrian-friendly street lined with century-old buildings selling dried foods, Chinese herbal medicine, and traditional fabrics. The quality of goods here is extraordinary. Pick up some dried mango, oolong tea, or dried shiitake as souvenirs.

Raohe Street Night Market (饒河街夜市)

Locals will tell you Raohe is better than Shilin — it's smaller, more manageable, and the food quality is consistently higher. The market is one straight 600-meter street, so you can't get lost. Enter through the ornate gate at the Songshan MRT end.

Must-eat at Raohe:

• Fuzhou pepper bun (福州世祖胡椒餅) — the very first stall at the entrance. THE pepper bun in Taipei. Expect a 10-min wait. Worth every second. NT$60.

• Medicinal herbal ribs soup (藥燉排骨) — warming, herbal, deeply nourishing pork rib soup. Perfect for a cool evening. NT$80.

• Stinky tofu (臭豆腐) — yes, it smells. Yes, you should try it. Crispy on the outside, custard-soft inside, served with pickled cabbage. NT$60.

• Flame-torched beef cubes — tender, smoky, cooked to order with garlic and pepper. NT$100.

Taipei → Jiufen

Take the MRT to Zhongxiao Fuxing Station, then bus 1062 direct to Jiufen Old Street (about 90 minutes, NT$98, pay with EasyCard). The bus winds through mountain roads with ocean views that get more dramatic the higher you climb. Sit on the right side for the best views.

Alternative: Train from Taipei Main to Ruifang Station (45 min, NT$76), then local bus 788 to Jiufen (15 min, NT$15). Faster overall but requires a transfer.

Jiufen (九份)

A former gold mining town clinging to a mountainside above the Pacific. The main draw is Jiufen Old Street (基山街) — a narrow covered alley packed with food stalls, tea houses, and souvenir shops. It's touristy but undeniably atmospheric, especially in the fog (and it's almost always foggy).

Don't miss:

• Taro balls (芋圓) at Ah Gan Yi Taro Balls (阿甘姨芋圓) — chewy taro and sweet potato balls in sweet soup. The signature Jiufen snack. NT$50.

• A-Mei Tea House (阿妹茶樓) — the iconic red-lantern tea house perched on the hillside. Looks like it's straight out of an anime. Order a pot of high-mountain oolong, sit on the terrace overlooking the ocean, and stay awhile. Tea set from NT$300.

• Shengping Theater steps — the famous staircase with red lanterns. Most photogenic at dusk, but beautiful anytime.

• Walk down to the Shuqi Road lookout for panoramic views of the coast and Keelung Island.

Shifen Waterfall & Old Street

If you have the energy, take the bus back to Ruifang Station and hop on the Pingxi Line local train to Shifen (30 min). Shifen is famous for two things: a beautiful 20-meter waterfall (Taiwan's broadest, called "Little Niagara") and sky lanterns that you can release along the train tracks.

The Shifen Waterfall is a 20-minute walk from the station — lush jungle trails lead to a dramatic cascade. The old street runs along active train tracks — yes, people eat and shop literally on the rails and step aside when the train comes through. It's wonderfully bizarre.

Beitou Hot Springs Valley (北投溫泉)

Take the MRT Red Line to Beitou, then transfer to the cute Xinbeitou branch line (one stop). You'll smell the sulfur before you see the steam. Beitou is Taipei's hot spring district — volcanic water bubbling up from Yangmingshan National Park.

Start at Thermal Valley (地熱谷) — a vivid turquoise sulfur pool that reaches 80°C. You can't swim in it (obviously), but the billowing steam against the green hillside is otherworldly. Free, 10-minute walk uphill from the station.

Then soak at Beitou Public Hot Spring (北投露天溫泉) — an outdoor public bath with multiple temperature pools carved into the hillside. It's basic, no-frills, and wonderful. Bring a swimsuit (required at public pools) and a towel.

Beitou Hot Spring Museum & Neighborhood

Visit the Beitou Hot Spring Museum — a gorgeous 1913 Japanese-colonial bathhouse, now a free museum explaining the area's geothermal history. Beautiful architecture, tatami rooms, and old photos of Beitou when it was a Japanese resort town.

Walk through Beitou Park and along the hot spring creek. The Taipei Public Library Beitou Branch is also here — a stunning green-roofed wooden building that's one of the most beautiful libraries in Asia. Worth popping in just to see the architecture.

Elephant Mountain (象山, Xiangshan)

The most iconic sunset viewpoint in Taipei. Take the MRT to Xiangshan Station (the last stop on the Red Line), exit 2, and follow the signs. The hike is about 20 minutes of steep stairs through lush forest — sweaty but short. At the top: a jaw-dropping panorama of Taipei 101 and the entire city skyline.

Arrive by 5:00 PM to claim a good spot on the viewing rocks. Watch the city transition from golden hour to blue hour to full city lights. Taipei 101 is so close it feels like you could reach out and touch it. This is one of the best free viewpoints in all of Asia.

Alternative: For a more casual last night, hit up Ningxia Night Market — smaller, food-focused, and beloved by locals. The taro balls, braised pork rice, and oyster omelets here rival any night market in the city. Near Zhongshan MRT.

Zhongshan District Morning Stroll

If you're staying near Zhongshan, take a final walk through the tree-lined lanes between Zhongshan and Shuanglian MRT stations. The area has excellent independent coffee shops, bookstores, and quiet side streets perfect for a contemplative last morning. Fujin Street in the nearby Songshan area is another lovely option — Taipei's version of a curated lifestyle street with design shops and brunch spots.

Pineapple Cake Shopping

You cannot leave Taipei without pineapple cakes (鳳梨酥). The best: Chia Te Bakery (佳德糕餅) near Nanjing Sanmin MRT — always a line, always worth it. Their pineapple cakes have won every award. A box of 12 is about NT$360. Also excellent: SunnyHills (微熱山丘) in Songshan for a more upscale version with 100% real pineapple filling.

Head to Taoyuan Airport

Take the Airport MRT Express from Taipei Main Station (~35 min, NT$160). Check-in counters in the basement of Taipei Main Station let you check bags and get boarding passes before you even get on the train — a brilliant system unique to Taipei.