Photo: This Photo was taken by S…, CC BY 4.0 on Wikimedia Commons
Four unhurried days built around eating and soaking: temples, tea merchants and a night market in the old west of the city, a long lunch and a tower in the east, a day out by rail to the lantern village of Shifen and the hill town of Jiufen, and the hot springs of Beitou before a last night market.
The old west of the city. A busy temple in the morning, a restored lane of old shophouses, a street of tea and dried-goods merchants, and a small night market for dinner. Short metro rides and walks between the stops.
The classic Taiwanese breakfast: warm soy milk, sweet or salty, with a crisp fried dough stick wrapped in a soft rice roll or an egg pancake. Small breakfast shops near Longshan Temple serve it early.
Local tip Order the soy milk warm and dip the dough in. Soy, wheat and egg are all in this breakfast, so ask first if you avoid them.
A busy temple in Wanhua, the oldest part of the city, where Buddhist and Taoist gods share one set of halls. Families bring fruit and incense, and carved dragons crowd the roofs. Go early, keep your voice low and step around people who are praying.
Go when Early morning, before the tour groups arrive.
Local tip Walk in through the side door and keep to the edge of the courtyard, since worshippers use the middle. Look up at the carved roof, and ask before you photograph a person who is praying.
A restored lane of old brick shophouses with covered walkways, a reminder of how Wanhua looked long ago. Small exhibits tell the story of the neighborhood. Check ahead for what is open.
Go when Midday, as a cool pause between the temple and lunch.
Local tip Walk the covered lane and read the small panels. Check ahead for any exhibition, which comes and goes.
Minced pork stewed in soy sauce and spooned over rice, with a pickled radish and a clear soup on the side. Plain, filling and eaten at small shops all over the old west of the city.
Local tip Add a vegetable dish and a soup to make a full meal. Soy sauce is the base of the pork, so ask first if you avoid soy or wheat.
A long old street in Dadaocheng lined with narrow shophouses that have sold tea, herbs, dried goods and fabric for generations. Browse the doorways, taste before you buy, and look for tea to carry home.
Go when Afternoon, when the shops are open and the street is lively.
Local tip Step into a tea shop and ask to taste before you buy. Carry a little extra room in your bag, since dried goods and tea are easy to take home.
Tea shops along Dihua Street and the lanes beside it will brew a few kinds in small cups so you can compare. A calm, cool break in the middle of the afternoon.
Local tip Taste a light tea first and a dark roasted one last. Ask for the brewing method and keep your tea in a sealed bag at home.
A compact night market on one narrow street, known more for its food than for trinkets, with stalls that each cook a few small local plates. Easy to cover on foot, which makes it a good first night market.
Go when Evening, once the stalls are lit and the street fills up.
Local tip Walk the street once before you eat and then go back to the stalls you liked. Eat standing at the stall, and tell the cook about any allergy before you order.
Small oysters cooked into a gooey, starchy egg pancake with a sweet red sauce, then a few more plates to share: fried chicken bites, meatballs in a clear sauce, a bowl of pork-blood cake or a stick of grilled sausage.
Local tip Share a few plates and keep moving. Shellfish, egg, soy and peanuts are all common here, so tell the cook about any allergy before you order and ask again if the answer is unclear.
A day in the middle and east of the city. A big memorial square in the morning, a long lunch and a pot of tea on Yongkang Street, then the tall tower and a short climb for the evening view. Everything is a metro ride or a walk apart.
A thin egg crepe rolled around ham or cheese, or a slab of fried radish cake with a soft egg, with a cup of milk tea. A quick, filling breakfast from the small shops near the memorial hall.
Local tip Ask for the sauce on the side if you want it mild. Egg and wheat are the base of the breakfast, so ask first if you avoid them.
A white hall with a blue octagonal roof at the end of a wide square, with gardens and a national theater and concert hall on either side. The grounds are large and calm early in the day. Ceremonies and exhibitions change, so check ahead.
Go when Morning, when the square is quiet and the air is cool.
Local tip Walk the full length of the square, then the steps to the hall. Ceremonies change, so check ahead for what is on.
A short, lively street in Daan of dumpling shops, tea houses, cafes and small craft stalls, with a leafy park close by. A place to linger over lunch and a pot of tea rather than to rush.
Go when Midday, with nothing booked for the hour after lunch.
Local tip Walk the whole street first and choose the place with a short line of locals. A tea house is a good answer to the afternoon heat.
Small steamed dumplings with a thin skin and hot broth inside, eaten with black vinegar and ginger. Yongkang Street is known for them, and a shared basket is a fine lunch.
Local tip Lift one with your spoon, bite a small hole to let the steam out and drink the broth. It is very hot. Wheat and pork are the base, and some fillings use shrimp, so ask first if you avoid them.
The tall tower with stacked, bamboo-like sections that has stood over the Xinyi district since the early 2000s. Walk around the base and the shopping hall, or go up to the observation floors, which need a ticket. Cloud often hides the view from the top, so look at the sky first and be ready to skip it.
Go when Afternoon, if the sky is clear, with the evening still ahead of you.
Local tip Cloud and haze can hide the view completely, so look up at the tower first. If the top is in cloud, spend the time at the base and keep the observation floor for a clearer day.
A tall mound of fine shaved ice or milk ice, topped with fresh mango and a little condensed milk. Bubble milk tea is the other Taiwan favorite for a cold break, and shops for both are close to the tower.
Local tip Share a bowl, since the portions are big. Milk is the base of the ice, and some toppings use nuts or beans, so ask first if you avoid them.
A short, steep climb up stone steps and rocks above the Xinyi district to a ledge that looks across to the tower and the city. Popular near sunset. The view depends on cloud and haze, and the steps are slippery after rain, so wear shoes with a grip and carry water.
Go when Late afternoon, so you are on the ledge before sunset.
Local tip Take water and shoes with a grip, since the steps and rocks are slippery after rain. The view depends on cloud and haze, so look at the sky before you start, and bring a torch if you will walk down after dark.
A big bowl of wheat noodles in a rich broth of slow-cooked beef, with tender chunks of meat and pickled greens on the side. A dish the city takes seriously, from red-braised and spicy to clear and mild.
Local tip Add the pickled greens a little at a time. Ask for a milder broth if you do not like heat, and tell the staff about any allergy, since soy and wheat are in the base.
A day away from the city by rail and hill road. A branch railway line takes you to Shifen, where trains run through the middle of a street of shops, then a waterfall, and a bus or taxi up to Jiufen, a hill town of stair lanes above the sea. It is a full day with a lot of travel, and it is often misty or wet.
A palm-sized ball of sticky rice wrapped around pickles, pork floss and a fried dough stick, easy to carry. Pick one up with a cup of soy milk on the way to the station.
Local tip Eat it warm, and keep tissues handy. Soy, wheat and pork floss are common in it, so ask first if you avoid them.
A street where trains run through the middle of the shops on a small branch line. Visitors write wishes on large paper lanterns, and stalls sell snacks. Step well aside when a train comes, and check the local rules before you release a lantern.
Go when Morning, before the street gets busy.
Local tip The tracks are a live railway, so step well aside when a train comes. Check the local rules before you release a lantern, and write your wish before you let go.
The shops beside the tracks sell a quick lunch of grilled sausage, fried chicken, noodles or rice dishes, with a cold tea or a herbal drink. Eat them beside the line while you watch the lanterns go up.
Local tip Walk the street once before you buy. Peanuts, egg and soy turn up in many snacks, so ask first if you avoid them.
A broad, curtain-like waterfall in a wooded gorge, a walk from the old street along a path and across a suspension bridge. The flow depends on recent rain, and the stone is wet and slippery, so go carefully. Paths close in bad weather, so check ahead.
Go when Midday, with the whole afternoon still ahead.
Local tip Go slowly on the wet path and the bridge. After heavy rain the paths can close, so check ahead.
A hill town that grew with a gold rush, now a tangle of narrow stair lanes, tea houses and lantern-lit shops above the sea. The lanes are packed at weekends and on holidays, and mist and rain are common, so the view down to the coast comes and goes. Wander the stairs and the side lanes.
Go when Late afternoon, so you see the lanes by day and then as the lanterns come on, around sunset.
Local tip Mist and rain are common, so wear shoes with a grip and carry a light rain jacket. The lanes are crowded at weekends, so a weekday is calmer, and mind your footing on the steps.
Jiufen is known for chewy balls of taro and sweet potato in a sweet soup, served hot or cold, and for tea houses that serve a pot with small cakes. A warm, sweet stop in the mist.
Local tip Order a bowl to share, and choose a tea house with a seat at a window if you can. Nuts and beans appear in some versions, so ask first if you avoid them.
Small restaurants and tea houses on the stairs of Jiufen serve noodles, fish balls, sticky rice and a pot of tea, with a view over the lanterns when the cloud allows. Stay for the lanterns, or carry on to the city.
Local tip Mind the steps after dark and the last bus or train back. Fish, shellfish and soy are in many dishes, so tell the staff about any allergy before you order.
A last day with a slow start. A steaming valley and an old bathhouse in Beitou, a soak if you like, a big museum of Chinese art, and a last night market in Shilin. The stops lie along one metro line, north of the city.
A bowl of plain rice porridge with small side dishes: pickled vegetables, salted egg, tofu and a fried egg or pork floss. A gentle breakfast before a morning among hot springs.
Local tip Add the sides one at a time. Egg, soy and fish are common, so tell the staff about any allergy first.
A steaming green-blue pool of hot spring water at the head of the Beitou valley, with a smell of sulphur and a path along its edge. Look from the path, since the water is very hot. Check ahead, because the path closes at times.
Go when Morning, before the day warms up.
Local tip Stay on the path, because the water is very hot. Check ahead, since the valley closes at times, and keep a few minutes in hand to wander the stream below it.
A brick bathhouse in the Japanese style from the early 1900s, now a museum of the district's bathing past, with tatami rooms and a stone bath. Beitou is where the city soaks: public baths and hotel baths are close by. Rules differ on swimwear, tattoos and showering first, so check ahead.
Go when Midday, before a soak or a lunch in Beitou.
Local tip Take your shoes off where the signs ask. If you want to soak, check ahead for the house rules on swimwear, tattoos and showering first, and rest in the shade afterwards.
A tray with rice, soup and three or four small dishes of vegetables, tofu, egg and a little meat, the kind of set meal that small restaurants in Beitou serve to bathers. Warm, simple and enough.
Local tip Ask what the set includes and say if you avoid any dish. After a soak, drink plenty of water and sit a while before you move on.
A large museum of Chinese art and imperial objects from many periods, set on a hillside in Shilin. The building is big and the pieces are many, so pick two or three galleries. Displays rotate, so check ahead for what is out.
Go when Afternoon, when you want a cool, calm room.
Local tip Choose two or three galleries instead of trying to see everything. Pieces rotate, so check ahead for what is out.
A buttery pastry with a sweet pineapple filling, a Taiwan gift and a snack in one, best with a cup of tea. A good thing to buy to carry home too.
Local tip Choose a small box and taste before you buy a big one. Wheat, egg, milk and butter are in the pastry, so ask first if you avoid them.
One of the biggest night markets in the city, with a food hall below ground, crowded lanes of food stalls above and clothes and game stalls between. Loud, bright and a fitting last evening.
Go when Evening, once the stalls are lit and the lanes are full.
Local tip Start in the food hall below ground and then wander the lanes above. Share plates, keep a hand on your bag in the crowd and tell the cook about any allergy before you order.
A crisp fried chicken cutlet as big as your face, then grilled skewers of meat, squid and mushrooms, shared in the lanes. Finish with a cup of sweet tea over ice.
Local tip Eat the cutlet hot, with the spice on the side if you like it mild. Wheat, soy and shellfish are common in the sauces and coatings, so tell the cook about any allergy before you order.
It covers 4 days in Taipei, planned for mid October. Each day is built around a small number of stops, with room to rest.
It was planned for most travelers. The pace and the places reflect that, so check it fits how you travel.
No. Places marked "book ahead" need a reservation. Hours, prices and availability change, so confirm before you go.
Yes. Archie drafts a day by day plan for your dates and takes your pace, the weather and who is travelling into account. You can start one from the Archie app.
Yes. It is a starting point you can change to fit your own trip: swap a place, add a day or move the pace.
Each day has about 3.0 to 10.2 kilometers between its stops, and 28.2 kilometers in all across 4 days. A short hop is a walk and a longer one a ride. Distances are straight-line estimates, so allow extra for the streets.
Make it yours in a minute, then move days around and add what you want.
A trip idea · Updated October 2026
Want your own days planned like this? Plan your own trip on the web or get the Archie app.
6 days in OkinawaAbout 630 km away
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