The SPOT.ph Guide to Exploring Taipei by Train
Food crawls are made easy by Taipei's efficient train system.
(SPOT.ph) Steaming xiao long bao. Rich and tasty beef noodle soup. Stinky tofu. These, among other delectable treats, come to mind when one even so much as utters the name Taipei.
As one of Asia’s culinary powerhouses, a stay in the capital city of Taiwan begs for food crawls (yep, we made sure it’s in the plural). But there’s so much more to Taipei than just eating—though that’s a top priority—it has world-class museums, a lively art scene, and breathtaking nature just outside its doorstep.
Got only four days of vacation? Taipei is the perfect destination to be. And with the country's efficient railway lines, you’re sure to see as many sights, taste as much delectable food, and experience as many things as you can in a day.
Metro Taipei Itinerary for Four Days
Taipei Mass Rapid Transit (MRT), more popularly known as Metro Taipei, is the mass transit system serving the areas of Taipei and New Taipei.
Taiwan’s first-ever metro system, the Metro Taipei began operations in 1996 and now has six lines with 134 stations spanning a total of 152.9 kilometers. The MRT has a daily ridership of 2.16 million as of 2023 and an annual ridership of 531 million as of 2021, making it one of the busiest railway systems in the world. The system has been consistently praised for its efficiency, punctuality, and cleanliness, and has proven effective in relieving traffic congestion in the Taiwanese capital.
Day 1: Zhongzheng
We recommend starting your Taipei getaway in Zhongzheng district, where the transport hub—Taipei Main Station—is located. The area is served by the red and blue lines of the MRT with Taipei Main, NTU Hospital, and Chiang Kai-shek Memorial as the three main stations. Most government offices as well as museums, memorial parks, and historical sites are also here.
Start the morning with a tour of the Presidential Office Building, a structure built in 1919 and has served as the home of Taiwanese presidents since 1949. Its architectural style is notable for its elegant fusion of European and Japanese elements. Don't forget to book online three days before your visit.
From a taste of history, take a peek into various kinds of evolutions at the Land Bank Exhibition Hall. The former bank houses a mishmash of exhibits with the concept of evolution as its common theme: from the evolution of life to the evolution of Taiwanese society. It may sound a bit befuddling but the displays are highly informative.
Both the Presidential Office Building and the Land Bank Exhibition Hall are served by the NTU Hospital Station on the red line.
After lunch, head out to the National Museum of History through the MRT Chiang Kai-Shek Station, only a stop away from the NTU Hospital stop and is also on the red line. This museum has one of the best collections of Chinese art in Taiwan.
Afterward, you can proceed to one of Taipei’s most iconic sights, Chiang Kai-shek Memorial and Liberty Square. Flanked on either side by the National Theater and Concert Hall, this magnificent square is a must-visit for its sweeping beauty and cultural significance. Make sure to stay until the square is all lit up at night.
Spend the rest of your evening at the hip and quirky Huashan 1914 Creative Park, near MRT Zhongxiao Xinsheng, only five stations away from NTU Hospital on the blue line. This lively hive of shops, cafés, boutiques, and exhibits brings together the city’s young creatives. The refurbished factory zone dating back to the Japanese colonial period is now one of Taipei’s most Instagrammable spots.
Day 2: Ximending, Zhongshan, and Datong
Start your second day with a visit to one of Taiwan’s most important places of worship, Longshan Temple, which has its own station of the same name on the MRT blue line. Aside from being a house of worship, the temple is also known for its ornate architecture.
After a glimpse into how most of the locals practice their faith, take the MRT to Ximen, only a stop away, and you’ll find yourself in Ximending, Taipei’s version of Shibuya, though less crazy and less crowded. Spend the entire morning until about lunchtime exploring the shops, restos, and coffee shops in this area that always seems to be buzzing with life.
If you take pride in being a buffet monster, we recommend having lunch at Mala Hot Pot, which has a shabu-shabu setup similar to Tong Yang. What makes the experience more indulgent, though, is that they offer unlimited Mövenpick and Haagen-Dazs ice cream for dessert.
After lunch, head out to Dihua Street, with its crumbling yet charming old shops and ivy-covered brickwork which make for plenty of Instagrammable shots. Apart from being a photogenic area, the street is also lined with cafés, restaurants, and shops, so you’ll never go hungry even after two or three hours of aimless strolling.
Dihua Street is accessible via two MRT stations, Zhongshan (red line) and Daqiaotou (yellow line), a few stops away from Ximen.
If you still have the energy for some cultural sightseeing, you can pay a quick visit to next-door neighbors Bao’an Temple and Confucius Temple.
Probably Taiwan’s most popular and grandest temple, Bao’an has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site and was built in honor of Emperor Baosheng, who is revered as a god of medicine.
Nearby Confucius Temple, meanwhile, is known for its graceful architecture and for its informative and interactive displays of Confucian history and teachings.
When in Taipei, it’s always a good idea to end the day with a food crawl. For this leg of your journey, you can start with some refreshments at the outdoor food court of the Taipei Expo Park or Yuanshan Park.
For starters, head to the opposite side of the park to Addiction Aquatic Development which, faithful to its name, is a truly addicting place to be for foodies, with its wide array of eateries serving fresh seafood. There you can find sushi and seafood bars, hotpots, and grills aplenty.
The two temples and Taipei Expo Park are served by the MRT Yuanshan Station, which is three stops away from Zhongshan on the red line.
Cap off your second night in Taipei at Shilin Night Market, the city’s biggest night market popular among tourists and locals alike. The network of streets in this area starts coming to life at 5 p.m. with vendors jostling for space and selling everything from yummy street food to plastic toys. Don’t miss the lovely Cixian Temple in the middle of all the chaos.
Don’t be confused, but the nearest MRT station to Shilin Night Market is Jiantan, just one stop away from Yuanshan station on the red line.
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Day 3: Xinyi
No trip to Taipei is complete without seeing the lovely Taipei 101. To start the day, though, you’ll get to admire its beauty from afar with a morning hike to Elephant Mountain. This is where you’ll appreciate how green a city Taipei is, imagine having your very own verdant landscape just outside the city center.
What’s even better is that the mountain has its very own MRT Station on the red line—Xiangshan, which means Elephant Mountain in Mandarin. From the station, it’s just a five-minute walk away from the start of the trail. Expect a steep climb, but the effort is more than worth it. Stay hydrated as it can get pretty humid even outside the summer season.
Now that you’ve admired Taipei 101 from a distance, it’s time to experience it not just up close, but from within. Get off the station of the same name which is only a stop away from Xiangshan, buy a ticket (NT$500/adults; NT$450/kids), and get whisked 91 storeys high to an outdoor deck that offers splendid views of the city. There are also indoor observation areas on the 88th and 89th floors.
You must not miss Taipei 101’s stability ball which hangs like a pendulum between the 87th and 92nd floors. The 660-metric ton contraption does exactly what its name implies—it stabilizes the skyscraper during extreme weather conditions, especially since Taiwan is prone to typhoons just like the Philippines.
After enjoying the views from 450 meters above sea level, head down to Taipei 101’s food court at the basement level which has an excellent assortment of stalls selling various cuisines from Chinese to Italian, Thai to local.
After having had your fill of good food and some moments of rest after a jam-packed morning, you can while away the rest of the day shopping in Xinyi, Taipei’s answer to Manhattan, Orchard Road, or Myeongdong.
Xinyi is a pedestrian-friendly area and is near two MRT stations, Taipei 101 and City Hall, which are only a 10-15 minute walk away from each other.
You can start your shopping spree at ATT4FUN, which is popular among young locals. Studio Ghibli fans will be delighted to know that the mall has a Donguri Republic branch, which sells official merchandise from plushies to stamps. Make sure to line up for a photo in the Catbus or with Totoro.
You can proceed next to Songren Road for some more shopping—well, window shopping if you’re already running low on NT$. The strip is lined with shops carrying international brand names, but if you’re not into that kind of consumerism, you can sit at one of the benches and watch the locals go about their daily lives.
As nighttime falls, you can do one final shopping run at Eslite Spectrum that’s nestled in Songshan Culture and Creative Park. Bookworms, however, can opt for Eslite Xinyi which has a bookshop occupying two floors that has its own café and teashop. This Eslite branch has an excellent basement food court where you can have your dinner. If you’re a vegetarian or just missing your veggies, you’ll enjoy Minder’s vegetarian buffet.
Both malls are served by the MRT City Hall Station.
Day 4: Dongmen
You can take it nice and slow on your last day in Taipei. The best way to do this is to start your morning with a peaceful stroll in Da'an Forest Park, the city’s equivalent of Central Park. It has its own MRT station of the same name on the red line.
You can spend an hour or two watching people go by—locals jogging past, old men playing chess, young moms pushing their baby strollers. When your tummy starts rumbling, have breakfast or brunch at the nearby Café Libero. If a vintage-style café is not for you, you’d be happy to know that there are many other excellent options in the area.
Once you’ve satisfied your cravings, you can do some last-minute electronics shopping at Guanghua Digital Plaza, accessible via MRT Zhongxiao Xinsheng station (yellow line), six storeys of gadgets of all kinds from smartphones to laptops, cameras to peripherals. Don’t forget to haggle away.
If your flight doesn’t leave until late in the evening, you can set aside two to three hours exploring the shops, boutiques, and coffee shops in the area.
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