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Things to do in Taipei

Our locals will give you the best experiences that Taipei has to offer

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  Highlights & Hidden Gems of Taipei

  4.9

  244 reviews

  3.5 hours • City highlight tours

  from €48.65 per person
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  The 10 Tastings of Taipei: Street Food

  5.0

  914 reviews

  3 hours • Food tours

  from €59.81 per person
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  A Magical Evening in Taipei: City Tour

  5.0

  119 reviews

  2.5 hours • City highlight tours

  from €46.38 per person
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  The Ultimate Yehliu Geopark Day Trip

  4.9

  487 reviews

  5 hours • Day trips

  from €82.72 per person
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  City Discovery: Pingxi, Shifen & Jiufen Day Trip

  4.9

  241 reviews

  8 hours • Day trips

  from €83.82 per person
• With Judy

  Street photography with an award-winning professional

  4.9

  171 reviews

  3.5 hours • photo tours

  from €58.82 per person
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  Withlocals Your Way! - Taipei City Tour

  5.0

  720 reviews

  3 hours • city highlight tours

  from €35.30 per person
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  Full Coverage Taipei City Tour

  5.0

  704 reviews

  5 hours • city highlight tours

  from €58.82 per person

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Things to do in Taipei

If you love food, culture and history, Taipei is the best place to be. From towering buildings, beautiful temples, unique shopping experiences and crazy variety of street foods, you will definitely not run out of interesting things to do in Taipei. In fact, you will love the city even more once you get to experience it with a local guide by your side.

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  Feast on Gastronomic Delights

  If you love food, then Taipei is here to introduce you to tasty local dishes. The city is known for its abundance of night markets selling delicious food. In fact, Taipei should be on the bucket list of every food lover out there.

  You can start your day with a delicious breakfast at Fu Hang, a restaurant famous with the locals for its freshly baked sesame flat bread. In fact, people start queuing at this restaurant as early as 5 AM! You can then head over at Hang Zhou, where you can sample the popular soup dumplings of Taiwan. End your day feasting at the crazy street food varieties at Shilin or Raohe Street Night Market. Have a taste at some of the local favorites, such as the oyster omelet, pineapple cake, flaky scallion pancakes, and many more. Visiting these night markets should be on top of your list of things to do in Taipei.

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  Explore Shifen Old Street and Light a Sky Lantern

  Shifen is truly one of the most romantic places to visit in Taipei. If you want a place that invokes a feel of romance, you will surely love Shifen Old Street. The street is filled with both tourists and locals. You’ll find lovers with high hopes and dreams, releasing sky lanterns with their wishes, towards the clear blue sky.

  And to make this experience even better, your local host can arrange for a lantern that you can release for a more personalized experience. After this, explore the streets and observe how the locals go about their daily life.The narrow street opens into a railway track with shopkeepers selling local produce. You will be amazed at how quickly the shopkeepers would make way for an incoming train!

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  Witness the Changing of the Guards Ceremony at the CKS Memorial

  CKS or the Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall is a popular tourist destination and should be included on your list of things to do in Taipei. With the help of your local guide, you will not only learn about Taiwan’s culture and history but also find the hidden gems surrounding this main attraction.

  What a lot of tourists often miss is the changing of the guard. Your local guide will make sure that you get to witness this impressive ceremony. There are two guards on both sides of the hall and are changed every hour from 9AM until 5PM. The performance is truly exciting and something that you should not miss when you’re in Taipei.

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  Visit The Highest Coffee Shop In the World

  If you are fond of Starbucks, then you should not miss visiting the Starbucks at Taipei 101. Considered the highest Starbucks in the world, the coffee shop is located at the 35th floor. But unlike other Starbucks where you can simply walk-in and order your cup of coffee, getting into this branch is an adventure in itself. There are no signboards available and you cannot find any information from any travel guidebook.

  Because of the popularity of the coffee shop, a reservation is needed in advance. Your local guide can arrange to reserve a seat for you so you can experience having a cup of coffee with the best views of Taipei.

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  Take a Day Trip to Jiufen Old Street, Known As The Santorini of Taiwan

  Exploring Jiufen is one of the most interesting things to do in Taipei. It's a bustling district just outside of Taipei, known for its picturesque mountain views and beautiful old buildings decorated with red lanterns. But aside from these magnificent views, there are several other interesting things to do in Jiufen that a lot of people often miss when visiting this lovely town.

  When in Jiufen, your local guide will take you to Grandma Lai's Taro Ball shop, where you can sample the delightfully chewy taro ball. You will then drop by at a less touristy coffee shop that serves the most delicious filtered coffee, which locals absolutely love. And if you're a fan of Bubble tea, your guide will take you to Hanlin Tea house, which is the founder of the Bubble Teas.

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  Stay At a Local Homestay and Eat with your Hosts

  Immerse yourself in the local culture of Taiwan by staying at one of the local homestays in Taipei. This is also a great way to eat authentic Taiwanese dishes prepared by your lovely hosts right at their own kitchen. In fact, others would be happy to teach you a recipe or two.

  Known as minsu (homestay), the trademark Taiwanese hospitality is not like any other. There are thousands of wonderful locals all over the island who are just waiting to welcome you into their cozy abode. The best part of all is that staying at these homestays is a lot cheaper than some of the best hotels in Taipei. And let’s not forget about the incredible food you’ll get to taste!

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  Enjoy a Cup of Tea at Mao Kong Shan While You Marvel At the Beautiful Sunset

  Taipei is known for having an abundant of teahouses and drinking locally grown teas is one of the most popular things to do in Taipei. But if you want to enjoy a beautiful sunset while sipping delicious locally grown teas, then head over to Mao Kong Shan. Tea fanatics will surely love this place for the wide selection of teahouses. Most teahouses have beautiful scenic mountain views as the backdrop and they serve different varieties of local teas.

  What's more, you have the option to ride a glass-bottomed cable car on your way up there. Known as the Maokong Gondola, the cable car provides more viewing angles of the sunset. This is a great opportunity to fully immerse your self in the natural setting while it travels 4 km up into the mountain. And with a local guide by your side, the experience will be even more authentic.

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  Stroll Through Fujin Street and Check Out The Stylish Boutiques and Trendy Cafes

  Fujin Street is a lesser-known lifestyle destination in Taipei and very popular with the locals. There are lots of interesting things to be seen in this lovely tree-lined street. Situated away from Taipei's bustling city center, the street is lined with stylish boutiques owned by independent local designers.

  Aside from the stylish boutiques, Fujin Street is also famous for its wide array of trendy coffee shops. This is a perfect place to hang out after a long walk in the city. After you finish your cup of coffee, you can take a stroll with your local host where you can check out the various multi-concept boutiques and several other trendy cafes. The experience can be made even more enjoyable with a local guide who is familiar with this laid back neighborhood.

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  Relive History at Long Shan Temple and Let a Bird Tell Your Fortune

  Of the various temples in Taipei, Long Shan is probably the least mainstream and a hidden gem. However, this is the perfect place to catch a glimpse of the daily religious life of the locals. The temple is a fusion of modernity and tradition. It was built during the 5th Year of the Qing Dynasty, and thus, it’s the perfect place to relive the ancient history.

  But one of the most interesting things to do at the temple is to have a bird tell your fortune. You'll see birds hopping along the tables choosing from the various picture cards that will indicate one's luck. You can also give it a try if you want to experience something different from the usual things to do in Taipei. Getting a bird to tell your fortune is a popular tradition in Taiwan and your local guide can share more interesting facts and stories about this unusual tradition.

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  Join a Cooking Class That Includes a Tour of the Local Market

  Taiwan has one of the most delicious cuisines in the world. The best way to learn more about the country's food culture is to take part in one of the cooking lessons offered by the best cooks in Taipei. Most of these cooking lessons include a free tour at the local fresh produce market. During the tour, your local guide will introduce you to the various local produce of Taiwan and some other seasonal foods.

  After the market tour, the hands-on cooking lesson will start, which will normally take place at the kitchen of one of the locals. Depending on the cooking classes that you will book, you are free to choose the recipe that you want to learn. The classes will require visiting the house of a local, which makes for a fun and more authentic experience.

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You might be interested in these

• Guides in Taipei
• Tours in Taipei
• Activities in Taipei
• City Highlight Tours in Taipei
• Day Trips in Taipei
• Off The Beaten Track Tours in Taipei
• Food Tours in Taipei
• Photo Tours in Taipei
• Sports & Leisure in Taipei
• Things To Do In One Day in Taipei
• Things To Do In A Weekend in Taipei
• Things To Do On The Weekend in Taipei
• Things To Do Alone in Taipei
• Things To Do For Couples in Taipei
• Day Trips in Taipei
• Temple Tours in Taipei
• Things To Do Today in Taipei
• Things To Do With Kids in Taipei
• Things To Do With Teenagers in Taipei
• Raohe Street Night Market in Taipei
• Yehliu Geopark in Taipei
• Things To Do Tomorrow in Taipei