DAY 1
09:00 - Poolside recharge
Hopping on the city’s easy-to-navigate MRT system’s direct link from the airport whizzes you into the city in just over 30 minutes. Hailing an Uber is easy to do in Taipei, though the conversation isn’t so easy. After a complicated exchange of hand signals and map pointing in my ride from the station, I arrive at Hotel Proverbs, which is to be my home for the next two nights.
With just 45 rooms, a unique design, and a rooftop pool, Proverbs soared to the number one spot when considering all my options, especially upon learning it is a member of Design Hotels. Weather permitting, you might be tempted with a spot of poolside relaxation to ensure your batteries are fully charged before heading out for a day of exploration. Before you do, get your fix of caffeine from Regular Taipei café around the corner from the hotel. It’s one of the many excellent coffee spots around the city, and its double espresso – served by a passionate local barista – will definitely power you up accordingly.
11:00 - A Famous Bowl of Milk
The sheer number of recommendations I received about Fu Hang Soy Milk means I can’t leave Taipei without seeing what all the fuss is about. Waiting in a line that snakes down two flights of stairs, into the street, and around the block is followed by a rapid and confusing order process which may have had an impact on my subsequent feedback. It’s worth caveating this with an admission that I’ve only ever enjoyed milk in cereal, so ordering ‘just’ a dish of milk felt rather a bold choice. However, if anything could make a person actually like drinking milk, surely it could be famous Taiwanese soy milk, right? Wrong. After spending almost an hour waiting in line, my hearty appetite is left unsatiated as my taste buds outright reject Fu Hang’s infamous soy milk. Despite this and given both the queue and challenge in finding a spot to sit down in the packed canteen-style restaurant, Fu Hang’s soy milk is clearly a hit with most of those who visit. With that, you should probably try it for yourself — unless you’re not a fan of milk, either.
14:00 - Park Life
Once a sake plant before returning to its roots as a winery, Huashan 1914 Creative Park is now an important cultural hub of Taipei
Just two blocks away from Taipei’s most famous milk joint is Huashan 1914 Creative Park where you can while away the mid-afternoon hours enjoying its galleries and exhibitions, perusing its boutique shops, or indulging at one of the many cafés and restaurants that you’ll come across. Having spent some time as a sake plant after the Japanese took control of Taiwan in 1914, the space returned to its root as a winery in 1987 and has since evolved as an important cultural hub of Taipei.
15:00 - A slice of arts and culture
In the hills just North of the city, close to the Shilin District, is the gigantic National Palace Museum. Once located in Beijing before being moved to Taipei in 1965, the museum boasts an extensive collection of Chinese art and artifacts that date as far back as the Tang dynasty, which ruled from 618 to 907.
18:00 - Night-time antics
No trip to Taipei would be complete without a visit to one of its many night markets that have evolved significantly since their creation in the Tang Dynasty days. Once confined to street corners where sellers would huddle of an evening, night markets are now hives of activity where you can spend hours following your nose as it’s lured from one of the innumerable food stalls to another. According to a Taipei local, Shilin Night Market is the must-visit night market over all others and is a stone’s throw away from the National Palace Museum, so the perfect place to end your afternoon of cultural activity. You’ll quickly realise that Shilin Night Market has two main attractions: think fairground games but ones you’ve never imagined playing before, like fishing for live sea creatures or shooting balloons to win a sinister looking doll dangling by its feet, and, the main attraction – food (and lots of it).
Wandering around guided only by my senses, I overhear a trio of American tourists describing the pepper buns they are devouring as “The best in Taipei.” They explain that the stall is, apparently, Michelin-starred, and that I’ll find it only by spotting the line of people waiting to try one for themselves. Your challenges will be, first of all, to locate the stall, and then to stop yourself from queuing up again to go for round two. The Americans are right — the devilishly moreish pepper buns stuffed with ground meat and distinctive Asian-tasting ingredients such as ginger, soy sauce, rice wine, and a dash of honey, will make your mouth water long after you’ve savoured your last bite.
21:00 - Anyone for a nightcap?
To end the evening in style, head to Indulge Experimental Bistro only a few blocks from the hotel in the Da’an district. The cocktails – which take inspiration from the flavours of Taiwan, such as native teas – have afforded this bar a firm spot in the list of the Asia’s 50 Best Bars since 2017, and has also stolen the title for the seventh consecutive year of The Best Bar in Taiwan. Try the light and refreshing gin-infused green tea, which comes highly recommended.
DAY 2
09:30 - A day along
the Elephant Trail
Taipei is as much a sprawling concrete metropolis as you’d expect from a nation’s capital. However, the topography of the city and its surrounds include several hiking trails, with the most famous of them all being the Elephant Mountain trail. More of a steep hill than a mountain, the lush green and abundance of nature juxtaposes beautifully next to the hustle of the city. If visiting in warmer months, it’s advisable to make the climb in the morning to avoid the more intense heat and humidity of the afternoon. Signposted viewing spots and lookouts along the ascent are great places to catch a few moments to rest and admire the ever-changing view as you climb higher above the city’s streets. The reward once you reach the summit is uninterrupted views of the city. Taking centre stage is Taiwan 101 (Taipei’s financial centre), which spent a period of time as the tallest building in the world when it opened in 2004, until 2010 when Dubai’s Burj Khalifa took the top spot. Now, it’s home to an observatory, mall and more.
13:00 - Explore the East District for lunch
Once you’ve got your breath back and made your way back down to street level, treat yourself to the air conditioned MRT and head back to the East District. It’s here that you’ll become acutely aware that you might be just one of a handful of Western tourists, which is even more of an incentive to have an authentic explore. It’s in neighbourhoods like this where locals are going about their daily lives, completely uninterrupted by hordes of tourists, that the true essence of a city can really be captured. I spend a fulfilling couple of hours wandering aimlessly in fascination at the vendors prepping all kinds of foods at the many streetside food outlets. There are plenty of boutiques along the way, but I prefer to let my nose and inquisitive nature take charge, as I hunt out something traditional to eat for lunch.
16:00 - A walk through history
Taiwan’s complicated history regarding its longing for independence from China is an integral part of its national identity. Nowhere is that more prominent than at the Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall where an imposing bronze statue of the once governor of the same name towers above the memorial. It’s here, wandering through the art exhibitions, museum and library walls, that I get a true sense and understanding of Taiwan’s complicated history with, and self-proclaimed freedom from, China.
19:00 - Taiwanese hot-pot
As you make your way back to your hotel segue past Syabu-yo Zhongxiao Mingyao – a Taiwanese hot pot restaurant that I’ve been told to visit – and not only for the food itself. Located on the 11th floor of the Mingyao department store, this restaurant’s human staff is accompanied by a robot cat that brings you your choice of raw meat, which you then cook in a broth on a hotplate at your table. The language barrier makes for a humorously frustrating exchange when trying to decipher the menu. Thankfully, a Taiwanese lady on a neighbouring table, who is mastering the art of cook-at-the-table broth, notices my perplexed face and comes to my aid. She points me in the direction of a buffet area where I choose from myriad condiments, vegetables, and other curious ingredients that I add to my broth.
After 48 hours in Taipei, I leave feeling like i have learned enough about the city to know that it’s somewhere worth visiting again. a wonderful place with so much to offer
Once I too have mastered the art of cooking my own raw meat, I thoroughly enjoy the DIY chicken hot-pot experience, and the final dish on my culinary exploration of Taipei. After 48 hours in Taipei, I leave feeling like I have learned enough about the city to know that it’s somewhere worth visiting again. Charmed by the complicated history of the nation, more time could be spent diving deeper into its past through visits to the National Taiwan Museum and the National 228 Memorial Museum. A longer stay would also afford more time to spend soaking in the beautiful natural surrounds of the city on one of the many hikes and trails that can be enjoyed without having to travel too far. This wonderful city affords a curious traveller a fascinating insight into a truly authentic culture that can be enjoyed without the crowds of modern-day over-tourism.
