2 days in Taipei

Day by day

1. Day 1: Taipei 101 Observatory and Elephant Mountain (Xiangshan)

   Taipei 101 Observatory, Elephant Mountain (Xiangshan), Songshan Cultural and Creative Park and National Palace Museum, then Longshan Temple in the evening.

   1. Morning

      Taipei 101 Observatory

      High-speed lifts climb to the indoor observatory on the 89th floor in well under a minute, and inside you can see the giant tuned mass damper, a steel sphere that steadies the tower in typhoons and earthquakes. An outdoor deck higher up opens when the weather allows.

   2. Late morning

      Elephant Mountain (Xiangshan)

      The trail continues along a ridge to other peaks of the Four Beasts Mountains.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Beef noodle soup

      Specialist shops across the city, including several on Taoyuan Street near Ximending and around Yongkang Street.

   4. Afternoon

      Songshan Cultural and Creative Park

      It is a calm stop between Taipei 101 and the Zhongxiao East Road shopping streets.

   5. Late afternoon

      National Palace Museum

      Only a small rotating selection is shown at a time; star pieces such as the Jadeite Cabbage and Meat-shaped Stone are not always on display.

   6. Evening

      Longshan Temple

      Come in the early morning or around evening prayers to hear the chanting; visitors are welcome to watch quietly.

2. Day 2: Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall and Huashan 1914 Creative Park

   Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, Huashan 1914 Creative Park, National Taiwan Museum and Shilin Night Market, then Raohe Street Night Market in the evening.

   1. Morning

      Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall

      The grounds include gardens and ponds, and exhibitions inside cover Chiang Kai-shek's life and modern Taiwanese history.

   2. Late morning

      Huashan 1914 Creative Park

      A former wine and sake factory from the Japanese era, turned into a creative park of exhibitions, concerts, pop-up shops, design stores and cafés in brick warehouses and on lawns.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Xiaolongbao

      Dumpling restaurants citywide, including the original Din Tai Fung on Xinyi Road near Yongkang Street and many smaller local shops.

   4. Afternoon

      National Taiwan Museum

      A converted bank building across the road houses its dinosaur and natural-history displays.

   5. Late afternoon

      Shilin Night Market

      Classic bites include giant fried chicken cutlets, oyster omelettes and stinky tofu.

   6. Evening

      Raohe Street Night Market

      Join the pepper bun queue first, then walk the market and finish at Ciyou Temple when it is lit up.

Before you go

If it rains

• Swap in Beitou hot springs (Beitou): Bring swimwear for the public bath (it is mixed and requires costumes), or book a private hotel bath for a more relaxing soak.
• Swap in Taipei Fine Arts Museum (Zhongshan): Pair it with the temples near Yuanshan MRT or the Expo Park across the road.

Where to stay for this itinerary

Pace and daylight

The sights in this plan add up to roughly 14–17 hours of visiting over 2 days, before meals and getting between them. Daylight runs from about 10.6 hours in December to 13.7 hours in June.

Getting between stops: Metro. Taipei Metro's colour-coded lines connect almost every sight, including Taipei 101, Longshan Temple, Shilin, Beitou, Tamsui and the zoo for Maokong.

More or fewer days

• One day in Taipei
• 3 days in Taipei
• 4 days in Taipei
• 5 days in Taipei
• 7 days in Taipei

Questions travellers ask