Things to do · Taipei · Taiwan
18 best things to do in Taipei
18 sights and experiences ranked for a first visit, with honest notes on time, cost and crowds.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: AngMoKio, CC BY-SA 3.0
Quick answer
The essential sights in Taipei are Taipei 101 Observatory, National Palace Museum and Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall. Of the 18 picks below, 9 are free, 6 work on a rainy day and 5 suit children. Allow about 5 days to see the highlights without rushing.
Key facts
- Top sight
- Taipei 101 Observatory
- Free sights
- 9
- Good on a rainy day
- Taipei 101 Observatory
- Time to see the highlights
- 5 days
At a glance
| Sight | Area | Time needed | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Taipei 101 Observatory | Xinyi | 1.5 hours | Mid-priced |
| National Palace Museum | Shilin | 3 hours | Low cost |
| Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall | Taipei Main Station (Zhongzheng) | 1 hour | Free |
| Longshan Temple | Wanhua | 45 minutes | Free |
| Shilin Night Market | Shilin | 2 hours | Low cost |
| Elephant Mountain (Xiangshan) | Xinyi | 1–1.5 hours | Free |
| Raohe Street Night Market | Songshan | 1.5 hours | Low cost |
| Beitou hot springs | Beitou | Half a day | Low cost |
| Maokong Gondola | Wenshan | Half a day | Low cost |
| Taipei Zoo | Wenshan | Half a day | Low cost |
| Dihua Street and Dadaocheng | Dadaocheng (Datong) | 2 hours | Free |
| Huashan 1914 Creative Park | Taipei Main Station (Zhongzheng) | 1–2 hours | Free |
| Songshan Cultural and Creative Park | Xinyi | 1–2 hours | Free |
| Yangmingshan National Park | Beitou | Half to full day | Free |
| National Taiwan Museum | Taipei Main Station (Zhongzheng) | 1.5 hours | Low cost |
| Dalongdong Baoan Temple | Datong | 1 hour | Free |
| Taipei Fine Arts Museum | Zhongshan | 1.5 hours | Low cost |
| Bopiliao Historic Block | Wanhua | 30 minutes | Free |
The 18 best things to do
Viewpoint · Xinyi
1.Taipei 101 Observatory
The 508-metre tower was the world's tallest building from 2004 to 2010. 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.
Go on a clear afternoon and stay through sunset; check visibility before buying tickets, as low cloud often hides the view.
- Time needed
- 1.5 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Iconic
- Views
- Rainy day
- Kids
- After dark
Museum · Shilin
2.National Palace Museum
One of the world's largest collections of Chinese art, much of it from the former imperial collection in Beijing, including bronzes, ceramics, jade carvings, painting and calligraphy. 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.
Arrive at opening or in the late afternoon to avoid tour groups, and use the audio guide; check which highlights are on display before you go.
- Time needed
- 3 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Iconic
- Art
- History
- Rainy day
Landmark · Taipei Main Station (Zhongzheng)
3.Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall
A white memorial hall with a blue octagonal roof stands at the end of Liberty Square, framed by a monumental gate and the classical-style National Theater and National Concert Hall. The grounds include gardens and ponds, and exhibitions inside cover Chiang Kai-shek's life and modern Taiwanese history.
Visit in the early evening when the buildings are lit and locals rehearse dance routines on the square.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Free
- Iconic
- Free
- Architecture
- History
- Photo spot
Religious site · Wanhua
4.Longshan Temple
Founded in 1738 by settlers from Fujian, Longshan Temple is Taipei's best-known temple, dedicated mainly to Guanyin but housing many other deities. Its carved dragon roofs, stone columns and constant flow of worshippers casting moon-shaped divination blocks make it one of the most atmospheric places in the city.
Come in the early morning or around evening prayers to hear the chanting; visitors are welcome to watch quietly.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Iconic
- Free
- History
- Architecture
- After dark
Market · Shilin
5.Shilin Night Market
Taipei's largest night market sprawls through the streets near Jiantan MRT station, with snack stalls, games, clothing and an underground food court. Classic bites include giant fried chicken cutlets, oyster omelettes and stinky tofu.
Arrive around 6–7pm before the biggest crowds, and explore the lanes beyond the main food court.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Food
- After dark
- Iconic
- Kids
- Shopping
Viewpoint · Xinyi
6.Elephant Mountain (Xiangshan)
A steep stone staircase from near Xiangshan MRT station climbs through forest to rocky viewpoints overlooking Taipei 101 and the Xinyi skyline in about 20–30 minutes. The trail continues along a ridge to other peaks of the Four Beasts Mountains.
Climb about 45 minutes before sunset and stay until the city lights come on; bring water and a torch for the descent.
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Views
- Free
- Active
- Photo spot
- Couples
Market · Songshan
7.Raohe Street Night Market
A single long street of food stalls beginning at the ornate Ciyou Temple, near Songshan MRT station. It is compact and easy to navigate, and the pepper buns baked in clay ovens at the temple entrance draw long queues every night.
Join the pepper bun queue first, then walk the market and finish at Ciyou Temple when it is lit up.
- Time needed
- 1.5 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Food
- After dark
- Free
Experience · Beitou
8.Beitou hot springs
Beitou's hot-spring valley includes the free Beitou Hot Spring Museum in a 1913 Japanese-era bathhouse, the steaming green waters of Thermal Valley and a low-cost public open-air bath. Many hotels offer private hot-spring rooms by the hour.
Bring swimwear for the public bath (it is mixed and requires costumes), or book a private hotel bath for a more relaxing soak.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Low cost
- Couples
- Nature
- History
- Rainy day
Experience · Wenshan
1.Maokong Gondola
A cable car rising about 4 km from the Taipei Zoo station over forested hills to Maokong, an area of tea plantations and tea houses with views back over the city. Some cabins have glass floors.
Ride up in the late afternoon, drink oolong at a tea house through sunset, and come down after dark; the gondola closes in bad weather.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Low cost
- Views
- Kids
- Couples
- Nature
Zoo · Wenshan
2.Taipei Zoo
One of the largest zoos in Asia, set on green hillsides at the end of the brown MRT line, with giant pandas, a Formosan animal area showcasing Taiwan's native species, and indoor pavilions for koalas, penguins and nocturnal animals.
Use the zoo's internal shuttle to reach the far end, then walk downhill; combine with the Maokong Gondola next to the entrance.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Low cost
- Kids
- Nature
- Outdoors
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Street · Dadaocheng (Datong)
3.Dihua Street and Dadaocheng
Taipei's oldest shopping street is lined with Qing and Japanese-era shophouses selling dried mushrooms, herbs, teas and fabrics, now mixed with design shops and cafés. The small Xiahai City God Temple is famous for its matchmaker deity, and the area fills with stalls before Lunar New Year.
Walk it in the afternoon and finish at Dadaocheng Wharf for sunset over the Tamsui River.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- History
- Shopping
- Food
- Architecture
Neighbourhood · Taipei Main Station (Zhongzheng)
4.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.
Check what exhibitions are on before you go; the grounds are free to wander.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Art
- Shopping
- Rainy day
Neighbourhood · Xinyi
5.Songshan Cultural and Creative Park
A 1930s tobacco factory with long corridors, a courtyard garden and a lotus pond, now home to the Taiwan Design Museum, exhibitions and craft shops. It is a calm stop between Taipei 101 and the Zhongxiao East Road shopping streets.
Visit after Elephant Mountain or Taipei 101; the factory's baroque courtyard garden is easy to miss.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Art
- Architecture
- Off the beaten path
Nature · Beitou
6.Yangmingshan National Park
A volcanic national park on Taipei's northern edge with trails up Qixing Mountain, the steaming sulphur vents of Xiaoyoukeng, grassland at Qingtiangang where water buffalo graze, cherry blossom in late winter and calla lily fields at Zhuzihu in spring.
Take a bus from Jiantan or Shilin MRT on a clear weekday, and bring layers; it is noticeably cooler and often misty at altitude.
- Time needed
- Half to full day
- Cost
- Free
- Nature
- Active
- Outdoors
- Views
- Free
Museum · Taipei Main Station (Zhongzheng)
7.National Taiwan Museum
Taiwan's oldest museum, founded in 1908, occupies a domed neoclassical building in 228 Peace Memorial Park and covers the island's natural history and Indigenous peoples. A converted bank building across the road houses its dinosaur and natural-history displays.
Combine it with a walk through 228 Peace Memorial Park and the memorial to the 1947 incident.
- Time needed
- 1.5 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Rainy day
- Kids
- Architecture
Religious site · Datong
8.Dalongdong Baoan Temple
A Taoist temple whose restoration won a UNESCO Asia-Pacific heritage conservation award, with exceptionally fine stone carvings, painted beams and murals. The quieter Taipei Confucius Temple stands next door.
Visit both temples together from Yuanshan MRT station, then walk to the Taipei Fine Arts Museum nearby.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Architecture
- History
- Off the beaten path
Gallery · Zhongshan
9.Taipei Fine Arts Museum
Taiwan's first modern art museum, in a 1980s building of stacked concrete boxes, shows contemporary Taiwanese and international art and hosts the Taipei Biennial. Admission is inexpensive and exhibitions change often.
Pair it with the temples near Yuanshan MRT or the Expo Park across the road.
- Time needed
- 1.5 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Art
- Rainy day
- Architecture
Historic site · Wanhua
10.Bopiliao Historic Block
A restored street of red-brick shophouses with arched arcades from the Qing and Japanese eras, near Longshan Temple. Some buildings hold small exhibitions on Wanhua's history and local education.
Stop here on the way to or from Longshan Temple; it is a five-minute walk.
- Time needed
- 30 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- History
- Photo spot
- Off the beaten path
Pick by interest
| Interest | Best picks |
|---|---|
| Art and museums | National Palace Museum, Huashan 1914 Creative Park, Songshan Cultural and Creative Park and National Taiwan Museum |
| History | National Palace Museum, Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, Longshan Temple and Beitou hot springs |
| Views | Taipei 101 Observatory, Elephant Mountain (Xiangshan), Maokong Gondola and Yangmingshan National Park |
| Outdoors and nature | Beitou hot springs, Maokong Gondola, Taipei Zoo and Yangmingshan National Park |
| Food and markets | Shilin Night Market, Raohe Street Night Market and Dihua Street and Dadaocheng |
| After dark | Taipei 101 Observatory, Longshan Temple, Shilin Night Market and Raohe Street Night Market |
| With children | Taipei 101 Observatory, Shilin Night Market, Maokong Gondola and Taipei Zoo |
| On a rainy day | Taipei 101 Observatory, National Palace Museum, Beitou hot springs and Huashan 1914 Creative Park |
Plan the rest of your trip
Questions travellers ask
+What is the number one thing to do in Taipei?
Taipei 101 Observatory. The 508-metre tower was the world's tallest building from 2004 to 2010.
+What can you do for free in Taipei?
Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, Longshan Temple, Elephant Mountain (Xiangshan), Dihua Street and Dadaocheng and Huashan 1914 Creative Park. More free things to do.
+What is there to do in Taipei when it rains?
Head indoors to Taipei 101 Observatory, National Palace Museum, Beitou hot springs and Huashan 1914 Creative Park.
+What is there to do in Taipei at night?
Taipei 101 Observatory, Longshan Temple, Shilin Night Market and Raohe Street Night Market are best after dark.