Taiwan travel tips

Taiwan is an underrated travel destination. Geographically and culturally, at the intersection of Southeast Asia and East Asia, more than anywhere, Taiwan feels representative of Asia as a whole.

Until a few years ago, most in the West seemed to think Taiwan was Thailand. That’s changed, unfortunately, for some pretty negative reasons. Despite threats from the mainland, the nation of Taiwan continues to be a beautiful country that people should see.

General advice

• Taiwan is a very small island, so while many travellers only visit Taipei, it’s easy to visit many locations in one trip. High-speed rail connects the major cities down the west coast. Taipei and Kaohsiung are a must, but many smaller cities in between have much to offer, too.
• In Taipei, thoroughly explore Datong District, Wanhua District, Daan District, and Zhongzheng District.
• The east coast is flush with beautiful nature and dotted with smaller towns worth visiting for those who travel to see scenery or enjoy outdoor activities like hiking or surfing.
• Many tourists tackle cities like Singapore or KL through a one or two-night layover. Taipei deserves more time, though.
• Taipei is both very walkable and thoroughly serviced by its metro network. I recommend tackling as much of the city on foot as possible and reserving the metro for longer trips because Taipei features some beautiful urbanism worth seeing up close.
• Taiwan can be very humid, compounding the intensity of hot weather. Try to visit between December and April.

Specific things to see

• Taiwan is the home of bubble tea (i.e., boba). While this is now ubiquitous worldwide, you should be able to find particularly great cafes and boba vendors in Taipei.
• Taipei has several great night markets. Find one near your accommodation. Plan your nighttime walking routes to cut through these markets as often as possible.
• Look for xiao long bao (at Din Tai Fung, for example) and pork buns.
• Beef noodle soup is the best dish in Taipei. Locals seem intensely opinionated on who has the best offering. Ask around and try different places. I like it wet and spicy.
• Find a great gua bao streetfood vendor.
• Taipei has a decent cocktail bar culture. I’m not sure why, but many cocktail bars in Taipei are speakeasy’s hidden behind fire exits, inside barbershops, and apartment buildings. Most are worth the hassle to find.
• There seems to be a burgeoning trend of peanut butter burgers in Taiwan. Something to try. Some locals will have recommendations; others have no idea they exist, but in my experience, they seem to be! The best I had in Khaosiung was a place called Honbo. In Taipei, try Pony Burger.
• Taiwanese fried chicken is a must. They season it with cinnamon, Sichuan pepper, and star anise, which tastes very different from Western fried chicken.
• If you like live music, visit Revolver in Taipei.
• Wander around the area surrounding Bopiliao Street, the city’s ancient quarter.
• The major museums and galleries are worth visiting. They feature many historic artefacts from the mainland.
• Whether you like it or not, you will encounter stinky tofu. It tastes much better than it smells. Given you’ll be forced to smell it regularly, you may as well taste it, too.
• Taiwan has fantastic Japanese food. This is apparently a relic of Japanese colonisation, which lasted around seventy years. There are many other subtle nods to Japanese culture throughout Taipei, which can be interesting to notice and research.
• Learn about Chiang Kai-shek and Sun Yat-sen. Much of Taiwanese history is downstream from these two figures. There are notable monuments worth visiting in Taiwan.
• The area around Red House Theatre in Taipei can make for a great night out.
• Visit Taipei 101. One of the best-looking megastructures.
• Elephant Mountain is a nice inner-city hike in Taipei.
• Fo Guang Shan Buddha Museum is a spectacle in the south.
• Notice and enjoy the animated pedestrian traffic lights. Taiwan invented these, which you can now find around the world.
• FINAL, in Taipei, is one of the best clubs in Asia.

Accommodation

Stay around Jianan (Da’an District), Shuanglian station, or Ximending. Shilin is out of the way, but another great spot, specially for short trips.