Lesser-known places in Taipei
Taipei's quieter half: a steaming valley in the suburbs, a village of artists on a hill, a wooden block from the Qing era and a night market without the queues.
7 of 7 places
Beitou Thermal Valley and Hot Spring Museum北投地熱谷
- Odd one
- Daytime
A sulphur-green pool that steams at up to 90 °C, and a 1913 Japanese bathhouse turned museum with a stained-glass bath hall.
- Getting there
- Xinbeitou station (MRT, branch line), 10 minutes' walk.
- Best time
- Morning; the museum is closed Mondayscheck.
- Cost
- Freecheck
- Visit with respect
- Do not touch the water; it is too hot.
DirectionsAdd your hotel to get directions from it. · stays in this browser; shared with the pocket card.
Approximate position 25.1370, 121.5070 · Taiwan
Treasure Hill Artist Village寶藏巖
- Art
- Daytime
Squatter houses built on a hillside by veterans after 1949, now shared by remaining residents and artists' studios.
- Getting there
- Gongguan station, exit 1, then 15 minutes' walk.
- Best time
- Afternoon; closed Mondayscheck.
- Cost
- Free
- Visit with respect
- Some houses are still homes; only enter open studios.
DirectionsAdd your hotel to get directions from it. · stays in this browser; shared with the pocket card.
Approximate position 25.0110, 121.5320 · Taiwan
Bopiliao Historic Block剝皮寮
- History
- Daytime
A preserved street of red-brick shophouses from the Qing and Japanese eras, near Longshan Temple but with few visitors.
- Getting there
- Longshan Temple station, exit 3.
- Best time
- Afternoon.
- Cost
- Free
- Visit with respect
- Exhibitions inside some houses have their own hourscheck.
DirectionsAdd your hotel to get directions from it. · stays in this browser; shared with the pocket card.
Approximate position 25.0360, 121.5010 · Taiwan
Dihua Street and the Xiahai City God Temple迪化街 / 霞海城隍廟
- Street or quarter
- Daytime
Taipei's oldest trading street for dried goods, fabrics and herbs, with a small, crowded temple where people pray for a partner to the Old Man Under the Moon.
- Getting there
- Beimen or Daqiaotou station.
- Best time
- Weekday mornings; the weeks before Lunar New Year are packed.
- Cost
- Free
- Visit with respect
- In the temple, walk in the right door and out the left, and keep photos discreet.
DirectionsAdd your hotel to get directions from it. · stays in this browser; shared with the pocket card.
Approximate position 25.0560, 121.5100 · Taiwan
Jiantan Mountain trail劍潭山
- Viewpoint
- Evening
- Not for everyone
A short climb to a ridge looking over the Grand Hotel and the city, with fewer people than Elephant Mountain.
- Getting there
- Jiantan station, then the trailhead on Zhongshan North Road.
- Best time
- An hour before sunset.
- Cost
- Free
- Visit with respect
- Take a torch for the way down.
- Not for everyone
- Stairs most of the way.
DirectionsAdd your hotel to get directions from it. · stays in this browser; shared with the pocket card.
Approximate position 25.0850, 121.5330 · Taiwan
Lin An Tai Historical House林安泰古厝
- History
- Daytime
A southern Fujian family mansion from the 1780s, moved stone by stone in the 1980s to a riverside park.
- Getting there
- Bus to Binjiang Street, or 15 minutes' walk from Yuanshan station.
- Best time
- Morning; closed Mondayscheck.
- Cost
- Free
- Visit with respect
- Do not sit on furniture.
DirectionsAdd your hotel to get directions from it. · stays in this browser; shared with the pocket card.
Approximate position 25.0720, 121.5290 · Taiwan
Nanjichang night market南機場夜市
- Food
- Evening
A neighbourhood night market beside an old apartment complex, known among locals for dumplings and braised pork rice, without the tourist crowds.
- Getting there
- Bus, or 15 minutes' walk from Xiaonanmen station.
- Best time
- 18:00–22:00.
- Cost
- Snacks about NT$30–120check
- Visit with respect
- Return trays and bowls to the stall.
DirectionsAdd your hotel to get directions from it. · stays in this browser; shared with the pocket card.
Approximate position 25.0290, 121.5070 · Taiwan
How places get on this list
- Fewer visitors than the city's top sights: no place on the usual first-day list.
- Open to the public: a street, park, market, museum or place of worship anyone can walk into, or a tour anyone can book.
- Legal and safe to visit as described. We leave out private property, closed or fenced sites, abandoned buildings, active rail lines, rooftops and rock pools known for drownings.
- Where access is limited (Hanoi's Train Street, Berlin's Spreepark, Barcelona's bunkers), we say what the rules are and how to see it without breaking them.
- Prices, hours and access rules change: anything marked check was right when written but should be confirmed on the day.
Checked 2026-09. Coordinates are approximate; use the map links to find the entrance.