7 Reasons why you should visit Taipei

Which countries in Asia are on your bucket list? Most of you won’t have Taiwain or its capital city Taipei on it. Why? There could be several reasons for this. But who says Taiwan doesn’t have much to offer for tourists and budget travellers?


We have here a list of why it should be on your bucket list.

1. It is not expensive.
If you are a budget traveller like me, you’ll love Taiwan. On both trips that I made to Taiwan last December and last May, I spent a little less than P15, 000. My budget includes 3-star hotel accommodation, food, and souvenir shopping.

2. It is an awesome place for food trips.
Anywhere in Taipei, you will find street food. You won’t go hungry in Taipei. Street food in Taipei is flavourful and made from fresh ingredients; you see them preparing it right in front of you. Two of my favourite street food is their pork buns and the scallion pancake. Hot Star Chicken in Ximending is also a must-try. ‘Street food ‘tripping is one thing you can do in Taipei and we can guarantee it won’t break the budget.

Stinky Tofu, Street food at Raohe night market

The famous Din Tai Fung restaurant is a must only if you are patient enough to wait in line for more than an hour before you get seated. But its world-famous Xiaolongbao makes the wait all worth it. You can try it at Taipei 101 or at Zhongxiao East Rd.


3. Taiwan’s transportation system is efficient.
On my first trip to Taipei I was with my husband and my 7 year old daughter. When travelling with the two I always worry about transportation, both are not up for long distance walking. Good thing is Taiwan has very efficient transport system. With a little research on train lines and stations closest to our hotel and places we are visiting, I didn’t hear a complaint from both.

From Taoyuan International Airport, you can hop on a train or 24-hr bus going to Taipei Main Station. At Taipei Main Station you can connect to buses, or trains going around the city, or catch high-speed trains (HSR) going outside Taipei. Just get the Easycard a prepaid touch and go card which you use as payment for train rides. It’s similar to Hong Kong’s Octopus card. You may also use it as payment in establishments when shopping or dining.


4. There are awesome places you can visit.
Taiwan has its own charm. It’s a mix of well-preserved history, culture, nature, and modern life. You may visit Taipei National Palace Museum to get a dose of Chinese history. Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Park is also an interesting place. Visit the early to catch the changing of the guards.



Taipei also has a hop-on hop-off bus that goes to the northern coast part of Taipei. You may catch the bus at Tamsui Station for only 160NTD. This shuttle bus will take you to places like Jinshan Old Street, Yehliu Geopark, and more.


5. Night market shopping is fun.
Shopping in Taipei gets interesting especially at the night markets. Ximending, one of the trendiest places in Taipei gets even more alive at night. It’s a pedestrian zone with all shops ranging from branded apparel, electronics, beauty products, food, and accessories. Miniso in Ximending is also interesting with all sorts of products cosmetics, household, kitchen ware, and a lot more. You can shop ‘til you drop at Miniso since you can get items for only 59NTD.


Wufenpu is also a good place to visit for women’s fashion if you want to purchase bulk items. This is a wholesale market that gives you huge discounts. It is located near Songshan train station.


6. It is not an overly crowded city.

One thing I love about being in Taipei is the city is not as crowded as other Asian countries. It’s highly urbanized but there are a lot of places where you can relax. If you don’t want to get out of the city, you can easily sit back and relax in a cafe. On my second trip to Taipei with friends, we had more time sitting in cafes, people watching, and just chatting over coffee and cakes.


Starbucks at the 35th floor of Taipei 101 should be on your list, too. But it requires reservations and bookings before going there. They’re doing this to avoiding the place being crowded. You can have your latte while enjoying the view of the entire city. Since they require reservations, what we did was ask our hotel concierge to make the reservations for us one day before. There are specific schedules for the visit.

View from Starbucks at Taipei 101

7. It is very close to the Philippines.
From Cebu, you can take a direct flight to Taipei via Cebu Pacific and AirAsia and in less than 3 hrs you’ll be in Taipei. Promo fares are common for both Cebu Pacific and AirAsia, too, so take advantage of this.

So next time you are considering a trip with friends and family, why not visit Taipei? Very soon Taiwan will be visa-free for Filipinos. For Filipinos with existing visa for the following countries, USA, Japan, Korea, Schengen, UK, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand valid or expired (10 years less), you don’t need to get a visa, just secure a Travel Authorization Certificate (http://www.boca.gov.tw/ct.asp?xItem=...tNode=868&mp=2).

(Contributed)