A Weekend in Taipei: The Capital Where the Subway Ends at a Hot Spring

A weekend in Taipei is built on contrast. Incense smoke at Longshan Temple sits a short walk from a neon arcade street. A hiking trail starts behind a residential neighborhood and ends facing Taipei 101. The subway runs to a thermal valley where locals soak in public baths. Because the MRT ties all of this together, two days can cover far more here than in most Asian capitals of this size.

The plan below keeps each day to one side of the city. Day 1 stays in the old west: tea merchants, memorial halls and temples, finishing in Ximending. Day 2 goes up and out: a morning climb, an afternoon in the hot springs of Beitou and dinner at a night market. Meals are left for you to pick, since Taipei has a good option on almost every block, and the pace leaves room for that.

Day 1

Morning: Dihua Street and Dadaocheng

Begin in Dadaocheng, the old river-trading quarter. Dihua Street is lined with narrow shophouses selling dried mushrooms, herbal medicine, tea and cloth, and the Xiahai City God Temple is small, crowded and active. Walk the length of the street and detour into the converted courtyards, where some of the best coffee and teahouses of the district sit.

Afternoon: Memorial hall, government quarter and the park beside the museum

Head south to Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, whose blue-tiled roof and white marble stairs face a wide ceremonial plaza flanked by the National Theater and National Concert Hall. Walk north to the Presidential Office Building, a red-brick colonial landmark, then through the old city park and past the National Taiwan Museum. It is a lot of Taiwanese history in a compact area, much of it shaded.

Evening: Longshan Temple, then Ximending

Visit Longshan Temple after dark, when the lanterns and the carved dragons on the roof are lit and local worshippers fill the courtyards. Then walk toward Ximending, the youth district of pedestrian streets, street-food snacks, arcades, tattoo studios and cinemas. It stays busy late, and Taiwanese street snacks make an easy dinner.

Day 2

Morning: Elephant Mountain and Taipei 101

Take the MRT to the Xiangshan stop and climb the stone steps up Elephant Mountain. The viewing platforms look straight across at Taipei 101 with the city spread out underneath, and the climb is steep but short and well-trodden. Come down into Xinyi District for a look at the base of the tower and the shopping streets and plazas around it.

Afternoon: Beitou hot springs

A short branch line from the Red line leads to Xinbeitou, the hot spring town. See the green, steaming Thermal Valley, the Beitou Hot Spring Museum in its old Japanese-style bathhouse, and the library set in the park. Finish with a soak at one of the public pools or at a hotel spa. Bring a swimsuit and a small towel, because some pools require swimwear and some do not.

Evening: Shilin Night Market

Shilin is the biggest and best-known night market in Taipei, and the Red line makes it an easy last stop on the way back from Beitou. Expect fried chicken cutlets, oyster omelets, grilled skewers, fruit stalls and carnival games. Raohe, beside Songshan Ci-you Temple, is the smaller alternative if the crowds at Shilin are too much.

Where to stay for a weekend in Taipei

Solaria Nishitetsu Hotel Taipei Ximen is a 4-star on Zhonghua Road with a 9.4 guest rating from 10,528 reviews, the highest of any hotel in this base area. It sits right at the edge of Ximending, so the evening street scene is a short walk from the lobby.

citizenM Taipei North Gate is a 4-star on Zhonghua Road Section 1 with a 9.0 rating across 20,138 reviews, a large and consistent record. It puts you near the old North Gate and the Taipei Main Station transit hub, which makes it easy to get to any of the weekend's stops.

Cityinn Hotel Plus Ximending Branch is a 4-star on Baoqing Road with a 9.0 rating from 9,365 reviews. It suits travelers who want to walk to Longshan Temple and the Ximending streets and skip the MRT on Day 1.

Roaders Plus Hotel Taipei Station is a 4-star on Zhongxiao West Road with a 9.0 rating across 9,987 reviews. It is built for short stays and early departures, and it is the pick for anyone arriving by airport rail or leaving for Beitou first thing.

Taipei Garden Hotel is a 5-star on Zhonghua Road Section 2 with an 8.9 guest rating from 15,683 reviews. It is the choice for a more traditional full-service stay while keeping the old-city sights close by.

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Weekend tips

• Get a rechargeable MRT card on arrival and use it for buses, the Maokong gondola and most convenience stores. It saves fumbling at ticket machines.
• Stand on the right on MRT escalators and keep to the system's rules: no eating or drinking inside stations or trains. Signs and announcements are in English.
• Pack for rain in every season, with a compact umbrella and shoes that handle wet stone. Taipei weather turns quickly, and the Elephant Mountain steps are slippery when wet.
• Arrive at Longshan Temple and other active temples as a guest. Keep your voice low, do not step on thresholds, and do not point your camera at people praying.
• Do not try to add the National Palace Museum or the Maokong tea hills to this plan. If either matters more to you than Beitou, swap it in for Day 2 afternoon.
• Check opening days for museums and memorial sites before you go, as some close on a set weekday. Night markets get busiest on Friday and Saturday, so go early on Day 2 if the crowds bother you.

Sources and further reading

• Taipei City > Tourism Administration, Republic of China (Taiwan): Taiwan's national tourism authority lists Taipei's top attractions and links to recommended itineraries.
• Taipei – Wikivoyage: A free travel guide to Taipei's districts, food, transport and getting around, including day trips.
• Taipei City Government – Tourism: What's the website address for Taipei Travel Net?: The city government confirms the official Taipei Travel Net site, so visitors know which tourism site to trust.