East District, Taipei: neighborhood guide

The East District is Taipei's financial and commercial centre, built on land that was mostly wetlands until the city expanded east. That late start is why it has wide blocks, towers and malls rather than the narrow lanes of the old town.

Taipei City Hall, the Taipei World Trade Center and Taipei 101 sit in Xinyi, with Daan to the west around Daan Forest Park. Days here are offices and shopping; evenings are restaurants, bars and the illuminated tower. It is the most modern part of Taipei and reads that way.

Yes for a first visit if your days are built around Taipei 101, the MRT and easy taxis home at night. The red, blue, green and orange lines all touch the area, so most of the city is one or two changes away.

No if you want cheap beds, street-food breakfasts outside your door or the temple-and-lane atmosphere of the older districts. Look at Zhongshan, Zhongzheng or Old Taipei instead, and treat the East District as a half-day visit.

Food here is mall food courts, department-store restaurants and international kitchens rather than night-market stalls. That suits families and anyone who wants air conditioning, English menus and card payment.

For cheap Taiwanese eating, walk west into Daan's lanes or take the MRT two or three stops to the older districts. The East District is where you eat well and pay for it; it is not where you eat for NT$100.

The area is served by MRT red, blue, green and orange lines plus many bus routes, so you rarely need a taxi inside it. Taipei 101 and Taipei City Hall stations put the main sights within a few minutes on foot.

From Taoyuan Airport (TPE), take the airport MRT to Taipei Main Station and change to the red or blue line; allow roughly an hour with luggage. From Taipei Main Station the blue line reaches the area in about 10–15 minutes.