Why travel to Taipei, Taiwan?

When deciding on a trip this year I went back to Asia for affordability. When visiting Asia you can have a wonderful world-class trip without going into debt. The main goal of our trip was Bali, Indonesia. Yet, tickets there were expensive, so we looked for ways to get to Bali on a more affordable route. That’s why we decided to visit Taipei for a few days first, then travel to Bali from there. That made the trip affordable while also getting to explore another country.

Taiwan is an Island located in East Asia with Taipei being its capital. It gives the city life while still surrounded by parks and nature. It also has excellent public transportation street food and fun excursions.

We traveled to Taiwan in mid-October. Taiwan is prone to rain, especially in Fall and Winter. Leading up to our trip it said that it would be raining for most of it. Yet, we lucked up and didn’t encounter any rain the duration of our travels.

Make sure to have Google Translate with Chinese downloaded before you go. I was lucky to be with people that speak the language. But without them, I would have needed to rely on Google translate.

How much money to take to Taipei?

As a personal preference, I like to order my money from my bank before I go on trips. This allows me to have some cash and to get familiar with the currency. For the 5 day trip in Taiwan, I took $300 USD in New Taiwan Dollar (TWD). I was in a group where we shared costs for things. But this was enough for my trip. We ate street food and the day trips were easy to access on Taipei Metro. The most money went to Taipei 101, Hot Springs and Addiction Aquatic. Which ranged from $25-$65 USD.

I had a little bit of money left which I spend at the airport before going to Bali.

How to get from the Airport to your hotel?

From the airport, we had a driver that we hired ahead of time. Many services allow you to pay and hire drivers before you leave. They also have Uber in Taipei. Our drive cost about $30 USD to take us from the airport to New Taipei City.

You can also use the Taipei Metro. After a 14 hour flight, we liked the convenience of not figuring that out as soon as we landed.

Where to stay in Taipei?

When choosing a hotel we wanted something modern and close to public transportation. We choose the Chaiin hotel which was $60 USD a night. It’s a small boutique hotel but they pay attention to detail. They keep the rooms stocked with more than enough toiletries. Our room also came with complimentary breakfast every morning. The breakfast was buffet style which offered a different spread every day.

When traveling if you’re staying in a hotel find ones that offer complimentary breakfast. It takes care of a meal and saves you money.

The rooms were cozy so best for 1-2 people. When booking ask them for a view and the highest floor. We did and loved the view of Taipei from our room every day.

How to get around Taiwan?

Getting around Taipei is a breeze with the ease of public transportation. The Taipei MRT or Taipei Metro is easy to get the hang of and efficient. We had an MRT station less than a 5-minute walk from our hotel. This helped to make our day trips accessible.

If you’re intimidated about using the metro, don’t be. You can use Google Maps which will tell you which lines to take and connect to. Also, when using Google maps you can download offline so that it works with or without wifi or data. When using Google Maps you can pick the route that is easiest for you.

Before you start using public transportation, get an Easycard. You can buy one at any 7-11. I got mine and loaded it with $300 NT (about $10 USD) to start with and only reloaded one more time for $200 NT (about $7 USD). This is what you tap to enter and exit the MRT and buses in Taipei. It’s a must and a lot easier than calculating how much each metro trip is going to be.

When we needed to reload the card we went to the ticket window at the MRT station or the 7-11.

How to use your smartphone in Taiwan?

Unless your phone has global coverage you’re going to want to get a SIM card. First, make sure that your phone is unlocked. I have Verizon and it was as easy as signing into my account and talking to a live chat person. Verizon is a travel-friendly service provider. They unlock your phone after 90 days with them.

When you get to Taiwan you can pick up your SIM card at the airport or you can wait till you’re in the city. When I landed none of the phone stores within the airport were open yet. Which meant I had to wait to get a SIM card when a mobile store opened around 11 am.

I got my SIM card from TaiwanMobile. I got 4G and unlimited data for 5 days. This came to 1000NT ($33 USD). A SIM card will give you a local phone number. If you want to text friends or family give them the new number. This process took about 15 minutes to complete.

When getting a SIM card make sure to take your passport. As you’ll need it to take care of all the necessary paperwork.

I was only in Taiwan for 5 days. But if you’re there longer there are SIM card plans that can fit your needs.

Bathroom Tips

When traveling to Asia, you never know what the bathroom situation will be. Especially from a woman's perspective. In Taiwan, I found that it’s best to carry tissues and hand sanitizer in case. Also, the best bathrooms when out are in the MRT stations. They were always clean and had toilet paper. You will have to squat to use the bathroom in most places.

Things to do in Taipei

7-11 & Circle K

Asia keeps 7-11s and Circle Ks in business. They’re everywhere and I love them. One night I went out on my own to shop only to find everything closed. I ended up wandering around to different 7-11s. It’s a great place to pick up liquor, snacks, and water.

Raohe St. Night Market

If you love street food this is the street market for you. Versus markets that have a lot of clothes or souvenir shopping. They also have a lot of claw machines (a thing in Asia). You’ll find unique carnival games between the different types of food. We ventured outside of the market and grabbed some beers before venturing back in. Which made the process more fun.

If you need to use the bathroom while at a street market go through one of the claw machine arcades until you find one. Usually in the back and free to use.

Rainbow Bridge

From the Raohe St. Night Market stroll over to the Rainbow Bridge. It’s in the same neighborhood and a cool sight to see. This steel bridge is 167 feet long and only accessed by foot or bicycle. It lies across the Keelung River.

Day Trip to Jiufen

We went on a day trip to Jiufen which is an old mining town in the hills. Start early as traveling includes a few trains and a bus. Once in Jiufen you’ll find a street market, teahouses, and shopping.

Jiufen has a lot of beautiful views that you’ll want to check out from one of their many teahouses. When finding a teahouse don’t go to the first one you see. Make sure to check the prices of a few before making your selection and even asking to see the view. The teahouse we found was friendly and allowed us to grab some beers while enjoying the sights.

Light Lanterns in Shifen, Pingxi District

Light lanterns in Shifen. This is a popular tourist destination. You’ll want to visit it in the evening as the lanterns look cool going into the sky in the dark. That’s a personal preference though. We went all the way to the last stall and had a wonderful experience that seemed more private.

Photo: Getting ready to light lanterns in Shifen

Photo: Lighting Lanterns in Shifen, Pingxi District

The lanterns come in different color combinations. With each color symbolizing a different category. We were able to get 8 colors (two lanterns) and two polaroids for 350NT ($10 USD). They took a lot of photos for us with our DSLR camera with no problem. Very friendly team!

When you get the lantern you get to write your wishes on them in black ink. Then when you’re ready they light them and you let them go into the sky.

While I was there I also bought two mini lanterns as souvenirs they were $2 each.

If you go late you’ll deal with fewer crowds. Pay attention to when the last train is so you don’t miss it.

Maokong Gondolas

If you take the Taipei Metro the Taipei Zoo you can take grab the Maokong Gondola. This is a must-do if you visit Taipei. You can use your Easycard and get a discount if you go during the week. The cost was less than $5 USD roundtrip. When you go get the crystal gondola which has a glass bottom.

The gondola ride is about 30 minutes and will give you views of Taipei. It will take you to the village of Maokong which has street food and traditional teahouses. We did a tea ceremony there. A lot of the teahouses have a minimum that you need to spend to enjoy them. Our tea ceremony for 5 people was $15 USD in total.

Taipei 101

This is one of the biggest attractions in Taipei. It was the tallest building in the world from 2004 to 2010. It’s 101 floors with the main observatory on the 89th floor. The infamous elevator can transport passengers to the 89th floor in under 40 seconds.

You can order your tickets ahead of time for Taipei 101 or buy them there. To get to the entrance you’re going to walk through a huge mall with high-end stores. Once you get to the entrance of Taipei 101 you’re going to see a long line. That is for citizens of Taiwan. If you’re visiting you can go straight to the front and buy your ticket from a kiosk or person. The ticket is $20 USD per person. From there you’ll wait 20 to 30 minutes before you're let up to the 89th floor.

When visiting the 89th floor you’ll get 360 views of Taipei. You can also grab a snack and drink up there. I enjoyed the beer and mango ice cream float.

Addiction Aquatic Development

If you’re craving fresh sushi you’ll want to visit Addiction Aquatic Development. This is a fresh fish and gourmet market. It’s a bit overwhelming because it has a few different restaurants and packaged food you can pick up. If you want to eat sushi you can do it at the sushi bar. Which is standing only.

Beitou Springs

I had never experienced hot springs before and I went in with an open mind. The Beitou Springs are the most popular in Taipei. We went at night which meant fewer people and no sun beating down. This made for a relaxing night. The Spring City Resort is in the hills so you will need to take an Uber or car up very windy streets. It’s not a destination you can walk too.

The Spring City Resort can arrange a shuttle back to MRT or down the hill after your visit. We were having such a relaxing time we missed our shuttle and had to take an Uber back to our hotel.

The cost is $25 USD per person but there is no time limit and you can stay all day or night. We didn’t, but you can get a discount if you research and buy your tickets ahead of time.

Once you buy your ticket they’ll give you a bucket with:

Towels
Flip Flops (that you can keep)
Shower cap
Robe
Locker Key

Make sure that you take a bathing suit with you when going to the Hot Springs. They have a locker room where you can change, take a shower and store your clothes.

In Beitou Springs, they have spring pools at different temperatures. From cold to hot. Each pool has a sign with the benefits for the body. Once you’re done in the hot springs you can shower and return your bucket of items. Don’t forget you can keep your flip flops.

Nightlife

The W Hotel

If you want to take a peek inside luxury check out the W hotel. This is full of Instagram worthy shots and beautiful restaurants, bars, a smoke room, and lobby. Grab a drink at the bar and take in the views. The W hotel's located in an area of Taipei surrounded by designer shopping. So you know this area is a bit more expensive than most.

Frank Taipei

After a tipsy trek through the city, we finally found Frank Taipei. This is a hip rooftop bar that serves high-end cocktails. You can chill outside or at the bar. We found this to be a great place to grab a drink with friends and the bartenders were very nice.