Things to Do in Taipei, Taiwan

1. Taipei 101

A skyline icon with sweeping views above Taipei. Ride the high-speed elevator to the observatory and watch sunset over the city.

Quick facts: From the observation deck you can feel a subtle sway as a 660-ton tuned mass damper cushions wind and quake forces, the massive sphere visible through the glass adding a surprising industrial drama. Riding the elevators is a giddy thrill; they climb at about 60 km/h and reach the observation level in roughly 37 seconds, leaving the city rushing away beneath the windows.

Highlights: Behind a wall of glass on the 88th floor, a 660-ton tuned mass damper, a polished 5.5-meter steel sphere suspended by 41 cables, rocks like a slow metronome during typhoons and earthquakes, and you can hear the faint creak and see the room drift. Step into the glass elevator and you surge from the 5th to the 89th floor in about 37 seconds at 60.6 km/h, your ears pop and the skyline melts into a streak of lights.

2. National Palace Museum

World-class collection of Chinese art spanning millennia, from jade to Song ceramics. Wander galleries, join a guided highlights tour, and relax in the courtyard garden.

Quick facts: Step into hushed galleries where over 600,000 jade, porcelain, and ink treasures shimmer under soft lights, their tiny brushstrokes and kiln marks rewarding close, patient viewing. A rotating exhibit schedule means you might stumble on imperial seals, miniature carvings, or scrolls that rarely travel, so every visit can feel like uncovering a secret.

Highlights: Walk up to the tiny, pale-green 'Jadeite Cabbage' and you'll spot a miniature locust and katydid tucked into the carved veins, the leaves standing about 18 centimeters tall yet carved with insect legs so fine they catch the light. Nearby the 'Meat-shaped Stone' shines like a lacquered slice of braised pork, its layered bands and glossy surface tricking your eyes and making many visitors laugh out loud.

3. Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall

Iconic Taipei landmark with grand white-and-blue architecture. Watch the hourly guard change, browse the museum, and stroll Liberty Square.

Quick facts: A thunderous hourly changing of the guard draws crowds, the precise choreography and imposing bronze statue create a surprisingly cinematic moment. Visitors remark on the vast marble plaza and striking white-and-blue color scheme, where the echoing vaulted hall and manicured gardens make the space feel both monumental and unexpectedly peaceful.

Highlights: Every hour on the hour a perfectly timed guard change plays out beneath the cobalt roof, boots snapping and drums punctuating the air so sharply that tourists fall into silence and children press their noses to the balustrade. At sunset the marble hall blazes a warm ochre while the reflecting pool flips the whole scene into mirror-image, the smell of frying scallion pancakes drifting across the plaza and making the place feel alive rather than solemn.

4. Longshan Temple

Longshan Temple combines ornate Qing-era architecture with lively ritual life, a window into Taiwanese folk religion. Walk incense-filled halls, watch ceremonies, and explore Wanhua's heritage streets.

Quick facts: Incense smoke curls through ornately carved halls, while dragon pillars and painted beams reward close-up inspection. Crowds toss coins, light incense, and knot prayer ribbons, believing whispered wishes might usher in good fortune.

Highlights: Founded in 1738, the temple breathes with thick, honeyed incense and the sharp clack of two crescent-shaped jiaobei blocks as devotees toss them for yes-or-no answers, the wooden echoes ricocheting under lacquered beams and carved dragons. Press a coin into the warm bronze of a guardian and you'll feel a smooth, polished divot from centuries of palms, and local lore says a single fortuitous jiaobei toss once warned worshippers of a 1945 bombing.

5. Shilin Night Market

A foodie and shopping paradise for adventurous eaters and bargain hunters. Wander endless stalls serving bubble tea, oyster omelet, fried chicken and quirky souvenirs.

Quick facts: Neon signs and sizzling woks guide you through a maze of hundreds of stalls, where the smell of stinky tofu and the rattle of arcade games hit every sense at once. Vendors push giant fried chicken cutlets and scallion pancakes that sometimes draw lines over a hundred people, turning midnight snacking into a full-on local pastime.

Highlights: Follow the smell of five-spice and frying oil and you'll find a Hot-Star stall where the signature fried chicken is pounded paper-thin, fried until the crust crackles, and served on a paper bag roughly 15 centimeters across. After midnight veteran vendors still gather under red lanterns to trade NT$100 palm readings, a quirky ritual where readers scribble tiny characters on slips of paper and gossip about exam results like old friends.

6. Raohe Street Night Market

Packed with iconic Taiwanese street food and buzzing local energy. Expect sizzling snacks, colorful stalls, and lively evening crowds.

Quick facts: Steaming, peppery buns crackle with hot juices at the stalls, sending fragrant smoke into the night and tempting long, hungry queues. Lantern-lit alleys host well over a hundred vendors, turning late-night snacking into a lively, sensory marathon of scent, sound, and neon.

Highlights: Walk under strings of red lanterns and you'll be hit by the sweet char of caramelized sugar and five-spice as a vendor shoves pepper pork buns into a cylindrical clay oven, the crust popping and hissing while a line commonly snakes 30 people deep at peak hours. Locals have a quirky habit of tearing off a corner of a sesame mochi to share with a friend before eating, a tiny ritual that turns every purchase into an instant, noisy communion: you'll hear chopsticks clacking, laughter, and people swapping bites like trading cards under neon.

7. Elephant Mountain (Xiangshan)

Xiangshan

Panoramic Taipei 101 and city skyline views from a short, steep trail. Expect stairs, lookout platforms, and golden-hour photos.

Quick facts: Sweat and exhilaration meet on a narrow staircase of about 600 stone steps, where layered lookout platforms reward the breathless with sweeping, glittering city panoramas. Golden-hour crowds and eager photographers stake out the best ledges, chasing the electric glow as the skyline shifts from warm pinks to twinkling blues.

Highlights: Climb the steep stone staircase of roughly 600 steps to a ridgeline perch that frames a 101-story skyscraper like a tiny model among a sweep of orange city lights, and at golden hour the air fills with the click of camera shutters and the warm scent of roasted chestnuts from street vendors below. Local photographers often arrive up to 60 minutes early to stake out one of about five favorite platforms with tripods, a low-key ritual of taped footprints and friendly bargaining over perfect angles that turns sunset into a communal countdown.

8. Yangmingshan National Park

Volcanic peaks, hot springs and alpine flower fields minutes from Taipei. Expect steaming fumaroles, grassy meadows, short mountain hikes and seasonal blooms.

Quick facts: Misty trails release a mineral tang as steaming fumaroles and bubbling hot springs punctuate fields of bright cherry and azalea blooms. Hikers can loop short crater trails to find panoramic ridgelines and rare volcanic landscapes, where cool forests sit alongside warm geothermal vents.

Highlights: Steam hisses from fumaroles at Xiaoyoukeng, where mineral-streaked rocks and a sulfur tang make the air taste metallic, a raw reminder that you're standing on one of the seven volcanoes of the Datun range. On sunny weekends families spread checkered blankets on Qingtiangang's windswept grassland, nibbling warm 'hot-spring eggs' bought from vendors near Lengshuikeng while chrysanthemums and azaleas paint the slopes in pinks and whites.

9. Beitou Hot Springs (Beitou Thermal Valley & Beitou Hot Springs Museum)

Beitou Thermal Valley & Beitou Hot Springs Museum

Steam rises over emerald pools, a rare geothermal spectacle in Taipei. Walk Thermal Valley and visit the museum for history, dramatic views, and hot-spring culture.

Quick facts: Steam curls from a milky turquoise pool that smells faintly of sulfur, and temperatures often hover close to boiling as minerals streak the water vivid green. Exploring a restored public bathhouse reveals vintage wooden tubs, interactive exhibits on bathing rituals, and a surprising glimpse into how hot-spring culture shaped everyday life.

Highlights: Stand close to the steaming pool and you'll smell sharp sulfur, see milky turquoise water hovering around 80°C, and watch thin steam curl up while the ground quietly hisses like a hidden kettle. Inside the century-old public bathhouse built in 1913, original wooden tubs and Japanese-era tiles are on display, and a local habit lives on where people crack eggs cooked in the hot spring vents and eat them warm as they stroll the gardens.

10. Tamsui Old Street & Fort San Domingo

Riverside charm and colonial history meet at Tamsui Old Street and Fort San Domingo. Stroll food alleys, climb the fort for river views, and watch the sunset.

Quick facts: Sea breezes and the smell of grilled snacks lure visitors through a lively waterfront market where narrow alleys brim with teahouses, street-food stalls, and nostalgic souvenir shops. Perched above the estuary, a weathered red-brick fort reveals layered colonial-era stories through exposed stonework, preserved rooms, and a surprisingly photogenic sunset viewpoint.

Highlights: On the waterfront market you can snag A-gei for about NT$40, bite into iron eggs stewed until deep mahogany that squeak against your teeth, and follow the tang of five-spice and soy as vendors fry fishballs in bubbling vats. A short climb up to the red-brick fort built in the 17th century rewards you with uneven stone steps, shuttered windows and a windswept rampart where colonial-era plaques tell stories of Spanish and British hands while the sunset paints the river copper.

11. National Taiwan Science Education Center

Hands-on science exhibits and a large planetarium that spark curiosity. Interactive labs, family demos, and rotating exhibitions await.

Quick facts: Hands-on galleries invite you to push, spin, and test real scientific principles, turning abstract ideas into playful experiments. Optical illusions and motion installations fill the rooms, and some sound exhibits make the floor hum beneath your feet.

Highlights: Slip into the dome theater and watch a narrated starfield wrap overhead, the projected constellations blurring into streaks of light as the sound system swells. At weekend live demos you can feel static electricity crackle and see plasma glow electric-blue mere inches from a gloved hand, a sensory jolt that surprises even regular visitors.

12. Beitou Public Library

A timber library in Beitou Park, famed for eco-friendly Japanese-style design. Vaulted wood interiors, cozy nooks, and a riverside balcony await.

Quick facts: Sunlight pours through deep, north-facing windows into warm wood-clad reading rooms, making the space feel more like a cozy cabin than a typical public library. Energy-efficient features and wide timber beams reduce glare and noise, while circulation paths curve around a central atrium where natural light gathers.

Highlights: In a quiet corner, a loft seating about 20 people offers the strong cedar scent of the timber, and rain on the wooden eaves sounds like soft percussion during monsoon evenings. Local visitors often bring takeaway tea to sip while reading, and the wooden floors creak gently underfoot, adding a tactile soundtrack that makes browsing feel intimate and slow.