Best Things to Do in Taipei (2026 Guide)

Taipei has been the seat of the Republic of China government since 1949, when the Nationalist government retreated from mainland China at the end of the Civil War. The city occupies the Taipei Basin — a broad valley ringed by volcanic mountains, drained by the Danshui and Keelung rivers — and has grown from a colonial Japanese city into a metropolitan area of 7 million people. Taiwan’s economic transformation from an agricultural economy in the 1950s to a high-tech manufacturing powerhouse produced the wealth that built Taipei’s infrastructure (one of Asia’s best metro systems, the first high-speed rail in Chinese-speaking Asia) and cultural institutions. The city’s character is shaped by its layered identity: indigenous Formosan culture, Hokkien and Hakka Chinese heritage, Japanese colonial architecture and cuisine, and the mainland Chinese elite who arrived with the Nationalist government in 1949 — a complexity that makes Taipei one of the most culturally interesting cities in Asia.

Best Time to Visit Taipei

October through December and March through May are the best months — temperatures of 20-28°C, lower humidity, and clear skies for mountain views. January and February are cool (12-18°C) but seldom cold; the Lunar New Year period sees many businesses close but brings atmospheric lantern festivals. The summer (June through September) is hot (30-35°C), extremely humid, and brings typhoon risk — Taipei can receive 2-3 typhoons per year, typically tracked accurately by Taiwan’s meteorological service with 24-48 hours warning. November’s Jiufen autumn light is particularly beautiful.

Getting Around

Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport (TPE) is 40km from central Taipei — the Taoyuan Airport MRT (direct, 35 minutes) is the most convenient connection. Taipei Songshan Airport (TSA) handles domestic Taiwan flights and some regional routes. The Taipei Metro (MRT) is one of Asia’s finest urban rail systems — 131 stations, extensive coverage, with English signage and announcements. EasyCard (rechargeable transit card) covers the MRT, buses, YouBike rental, and many convenience store purchases. For day trips, the Taiwan High Speed Rail connects Taipei to Taichung (50 minutes), Tainan (95 minutes), and Kaohsiung (100 minutes).

Taipei 101 and Xinyi District

Taipei 101 (509.2m, 101 floors) was the world’s tallest building from 2004 to 2010 — its design references a bamboo stalk, with each eight-floor section tapering slightly and sporting traditional Chinese “ruyi” decorative elements at each floor-break. The building has the world’s largest wind damper (a 660-tonne gold sphere suspended on cables to counteract typhoon and earthquake sway) visible from the 89th and 91st floor observation decks. The Xinyi District surrounding the tower is Taipei’s most modern neighbourhood: Taipei City Hall, luxury department stores (Shin Kong Mitsukoshi, ATT 4 Fun), and the performance spaces of Taipei Arena. The adjacent Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall (1972) holds Taipei’s largest bronze statue of the Republic of China founder and has an hourly guard-changing ceremony.

National Palace Museum

The National Palace Museum in Shilin is one of the world’s great art museums — 697,000 artefacts spanning 8,000 years of Chinese imperial art, collected by successive dynasties and transported to Taiwan by the Nationalist government in 1949 to prevent their capture by Communist forces. The jade collection (including the Famous Jadeite Cabbage — a piece of translucent green-white jade carved to resemble a Chinese cabbage, with a katydid and locust — is the most viewed single artwork in Taiwan), the carved ivory balls, the Song dynasty paintings, and the bronze vessels are the highlights. The museum is genuinely vast — plan at least 3 hours for the permanent collection. The Southern Branch in Chiayi specialises in Asian civilisations.

Beitou Hot Springs

Beitou is Taipei’s geothermal hot spring district — a former Japanese colonial spa town (the most famous in Taiwan during the Japanese period, 1895-1945) now a municipality within Greater Taipei, 25 minutes on the MRT from the city centre. The hot springs here are of the “green sulphur” type — mildly radioactive (safe and beneficial), with a distinctive milky-white colour unique to Beitou. The Beitou Hot Spring Museum (the former Hokkaido, 1913 Japanese public bathhouse) is a preserved two-storey wooden building with tatami rooms and the original lead-glass windows — one of the finest examples of Japanese colonial architecture in Taiwan. The Beitou Hot Spring Park, along Hell Valley (Diyu Gu) — a vivid emerald-green natural hot spring stream — is free to access and one of Taipei’s most unusual urban experiences.

Jiufen and Northeast Taiwan

Jiufen, 50km northeast of Taipei (accessible by bus from Taipei Main Station or a short train + bus combination), is a former gold-mining town built into the cliffs above the northeast coast — a labyrinth of red lantern-lit steps, teahouses, and atmospheric alleyways that inspired the Studio Ghibli film Spirited Away (though the connection is disputed by Miyazaki himself). The A-Mei Tea House and the views from Jiufen Old Street across the Pacific Ocean at dusk are unmissable. Taroko Gorge, 3 hours south by train to Hualien, is Taiwan’s most spectacular natural landscape — a 19km marble gorge cut by the Liwu River through the Central Mountain Range, with sheer 1,000m cliffs and walking trails of extraordinary drama.

Night Markets

Night markets are Taiwan’s most distinctive cultural institution — outdoor street food markets operating from 5pm to 1am, combining food stalls with carnival games, clothing vendors, and live entertainment. Shilin Night Market (Shilin) is the largest and most internationally known — with two sections (the outdoor street stalls and the indoor food centre, rebuilt in 2011). Raohe Street Night Market is more compact, less touristy, and considered by many Taipei residents to have better food quality. The canonical night market foods: Oyster omelet (oysters, sweet potato starch, egg, and basil), stinky tofu (deep-fried fermented tofu — the smell is intense, the taste milder), bubble tea (invented in Taichung, perfected in Taipei), scallion pancakes, and pineapple cakes (the universal Taiwanese souvenir).

Practical Tips

• National Palace Museum: book timed entry online to guarantee access to the gallery with the Jadeite Cabbage — this specific room has limited capacity. Free audio guides are available in English at the entrance.
• Taipei 101 observation deck: morning (9-11am) has the clearest visibility; haze builds in the afternoon. The outdoor observation deck (91st floor) is subject to closure in strong winds — check conditions before going to the higher cost outdoor level.
• Jiufen timing: the village is packed on weekends; a weekday afternoon into evening (6-9pm for the lantern atmosphere) is the ideal visit. The last bus back to Taipei runs around 10pm.
• EasyCard: buy at any MRT station (NT$100 deposit, refundable). It works on all MRT lines, city buses, YouBike bicycle rental, and many convenience stores (7-Eleven, FamilyMart) throughout Taiwan.