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Voykit pocket guide · Taiwan

Taipei

臺北

Taipei is an MRT city: temples and old streets in the morning, air-conditioned malls and museums at midday, night markets after 18:00 — and carry cash and an umbrella.

Taipei's sights are spread over a flat basin and the MRT connects them, but the city is hot and wet for much of the year and small food stalls are cash-only. The trips that go wrong pay for it in three ways: noon walks in July, no umbrella in a typhoon-season shower, and a landing after 23:00 when the airport MRT has stopped. Four walking clusters cover a first visit; one bed is enough.

Ximending & Red HouseLongshan Temple & Bopil…Chiang Kai-shek Memoria…Xinyi & Taipei 101XimendingZhongshan2 kmpins: sleep areas · dots: places
Sketch, not to navigate by: shapes follow this guide’s areas and places, not official boundaries. North is up.
Country
Taiwan
Local name
臺北
Best months
Mar · Apr · Oct · Nov · Dec
Time zone
Asia/Taipei
Stay
2 days: Longshan + Ximending, Chiang Kai-shek Hall + Xinyi

Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.

Essentials

Currency
TWD
Money
Keep NT$1,000 in small notes for night markets; use convenience-store or bank ATMs, not machines on dark streets.
Daily spend
Budget NT$1,000–1,800 excl. bed · Mid NT$1,800–3,500 excl. bed · High NT$3,500+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
SIM and data
Chunghwa Telecom, Taiwan Mobile and FarEasTone sell tourist SIMs and eSIMs at TPE and KHH arrivals; a passport plus a second photo ID is required (check).
Emergency
Police 110 · Fire and ambulance 119 · Mobile emergency 112 · Tourism helpline 0800-011-765 · Foreigner helpline 0800-024-111
Plugs
Types A, B · 110 V · 60 Hz · US and Japanese plugs fit; European, UK and Australian plugs need an adapter, and 220 V-only appliances need a converter.
Tipping
Restaurants: No tip; a 10% service charge appears in many sit-down places and hotels.; Taxis: No tip; round up if you like.; Hotel porter: Not expected; NT$100 in luxury hotels if you want.; Private guide or driver: Not required; NT$200–500 a day or a meal is a thank-you.
Water
Treated at source, but locals boil or filter it. Filtered hot-and-cold dispensers are in stations, hotels and many public buildings; bottles cost NT$20–30.
Toilets
Free, clean toilets in every MRT station, convenience stores and department stores; paper goes in the toilet in most new buildings — follow the sign.

Get in

By air

Taoyuan International Airport (TPE)
TPE to Taipei: the airport MRT to Taipei Main Station in about 40 minutes, then one MRT hop; the risk is landing after 23:00, when the last airport train has gone and a taxi costs NT$1,400 or more.

Get around

Walk inside a cluster; MRT between clusters; taxi at night or with bags.

Passes
No pass. An MRT ride is NT$20–35 with an EasyCard; a short taxi starts near NT$85.
Late at night
The MRT stops around midnight; taxis and Uber run all night. Check the last train in Google Maps before dinner.

See and do

  1. 01Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall國立中正紀念堂

    Go at opening, before the plaza heats up; 60 minutes; catch the guard change on the hour, then the exhibition floor.

  2. 02Longshan Temple艋舺龍山寺

    Go before 09:00 for incense and prayers, or after 17:00; 45 minutes; keep to the side aisles during services.

Hours and prices are desk estimates (checked 2026-09); anything marked (check) is not confirmed. Coordinates open in any map app.

Eat

Ay-Chung Flour-Rice Noodle
Walk-in oyster-and-pig-intestine vermicelli in a bowl, mostly eaten standing on the street; go before 11:30 or after 14:00 to skip the queue.

Sleep

Ximending
First-timers: Ximen Station is one stop from Taipei Main, and the pedestrian streets are at the door; choose a hotel with a 24-hour desk and a lift.
Zhongshan
Quieter nights near Zhongshan Station: larger hotels, cafés and the Red line to the airport hub; 10 minutes to Taipei Main.

Language

Mandarin is the common language, written in Traditional characters; Taiwanese Hokkien (Taiyu) is the everyday home and market language for many, especially in the south and among older people. English appears on MRT, rail and road signs and in hotels, less in speech. Taiwan uses Hanyu Pinyin on most signs, but older spellings (Wade-Giles and others) survive in place names: Kaohsiung, Keelung, Taipei.

  • Hello: nǐ hǎo (你好). Thank you: xièxie (謝謝). Sorry / excuse me: bù hǎo yìsi (不好意思).
  • How much? duōshǎo qián (多少錢). This one: zhège (這個). No thanks: bú yòng, xièxie (不用，謝謝).
  • Where is the toilet? cèsuǒ zài nǎlǐ (廁所在哪裡). I don't understand: wǒ tīng bù dǒng (我聽不懂).
  • Takeaway: wài dài (外帶); eat here: nèi yòng (內用) — the first question at every counter.
  • Hokkien you will hear: lí-hó (hello), to-siā (thank you), hó-tsia̍h (tasty).
  • Show addresses in Chinese characters to taxi drivers; copy them from Google Maps.

Etiquette, safety and scams

Etiquette

  • Greeting: A nod or light handshake; 'nǐ hǎo'; avoid: Hugs with new acquaintances
  • Handing things: Two hands for cards, gifts and money; avoid: Tossing money on the counter
  • Gifts: Fruit or a boxed sweet for hosts; refuse once before accepting; avoid: Clocks, umbrellas, pears and anything in fours — they sound like death or parting
  • MRT: Queue at the markings, give up priority seats; avoid: Eating, drinking or chewing gum past the gates
  • Temples: Enter right, exit left; one or three sticks of incense; avoid: Stepping on thresholds; pointing at deities
  • Home visit: Shoes off; slippers provided; avoid: Writing names in red ink
  • Sensitive topics: Follow your host's lead; many people hold a range of views on identity and cross-strait ties; avoid: Assuming everyone thinks the same about China or the ROC's status

Red lines

  • Temples: do not step on thresholds or point at statues; follow signs on photos.
  • MRT: no eating, drinking or chewing gum in the paid area.
  • Do not photograph worshippers at close range.

Scams (Taiwan page)

  • Fake TWAC and visa sites: The arrival card is free and only on twac.immigration.gov.tw; visas only via boca.gov.tw.
  • Phone and investment fraud: Taiwan has a large fraud industry aimed at locals; ignore calls claiming to be police or banks and any 'investment tutor'. Report to 165 (anti-fraud hotline).
  • Unlicensed tour and driver touts: Book Taroko tours through the hotel or a licensed agency; agree the price and route in writing.
  • Night-market price confusion: Most stalls show prices; ask before ordering seafood sold by weight.
  • Overpriced airport taxis: Use the official taxi rank or the airport MRT.
  • Fake or grey-import electronics: Buy in chain stores with a receipt; check the warranty is valid outside Taiwan.

One and two days

1 day

The first day of the timed plan.

Day 1 — Longshan at dawn, Bopiliao, a 11:30 noodle bowl

  1. 07:30Longshan Temple
  2. bopiliao (optional)
  3. 11:30Noodles by 11:30, before the queue
  4. Hotel or AC café 13:00–16:00; Ximending and the Red House for the evening.

2 days

The first two days of the timed plan.

Day 1 — Longshan at dawn, Bopiliao, a 11:30 noodle bowl

  1. 07:30Longshan Temple
  2. bopiliao (optional)
  3. 11:30Noodles by 11:30, before the queue
  4. Hotel or AC café 13:00–16:00; Ximending and the Red House for the evening.

Day 2 — Chiang Kai-shek Hall at opening, Taipei 101 at sunset

  1. 08:30Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall
  2. liberty square (optional)
  3. taipei 101
  4. Evening: Xinyi malls and food courts from 17:00; take the MRT back before it stops around midnight.

Sources

Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.

Pocket card

Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.

Taipei臺北

My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)

Take me to

  • 國立中正紀念堂Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall
  • 艋舺龍山寺Longshan Temple

Voykit · checked 2026-09

Printed from Voykit (/taipei). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.