I have been to Taipei multiple times (and I recently visited as well last month) so here are some of my tips on exploring the city!
First, let’s talk about the accommodation. In Taipei, there are lots of places where you can stay. Mostly if you’ve looked through the internet, the most suggested place is in Ximen area. Ximen is the most accessible and most convenient area to book an accommodation as it is located at the center of the city. There two MRT lines here (blue and green) and also here located is one of Taipei’s famous night markets, Ximending Night Market. This night market covers a big area so you’ll have to explore more to see the whole area.
You can book through Agoda, Booking.com, or book an AirBnB. You can book either a hotel room, a hostel room wherein there is no private bathroom, meaning it’s a shared bathroom for everyone staying in that hostel, or you can book an apartment as well via AirBnB. These can be booked through the websites mentioned as these are where I usually book our accommodation even in other destinations so I’m sure these are trusted websites.
On our 2017 visit in Taiwan, we booked 2 rooms in a hostel which isn’t located exactly in Ximen but it’s between the Taipei Main Station and Ximen Station. The room we booked is good for 4 pax each which is divisible to our group as we were 8 that time. It’s quite compact but we’ll just stay there as we sleep in our stay here so this one is good for budget travellers like us.
Our room got this view as well of the buildings which surround our hostel.
We even got time to photo shoot while waiting for our friends to take a shower and it all went well.
The hostel has common areas as well like a dining area where you can have your meal and use their utensils as well for your food. So this is where we eat our breakfast during our stay here.
If you’re interested on staying here, you can book via Agoda or Booking.com and look for MUIU Capsule Inn in Taipei.
In our recent visit in Taipei, we booked our accommodation through Agoda Homes under Agoda.com which I think was just released recently. It’s like an AirBnB service which you basically rent an apartment.
This time, we booked right exactly in Ximending. It was very convenient as the location is perfect for everything, from shopping, food, to transportation... all can be accessed downstairs from our room.
Anyway, enough with the accommodation, let’s talk about transportation.
Transportation
From Airport going to Taipei City, a budget friendly way is to take the Taoyuan MRT Line. This is the purple line which was built recently and operates from around 6:00AM to 10:30PM and can you to the city in 35 minutes!
In Taipei, there are many ways on how to explore the city. The most convenient way is through taxi or booking via Uber. But if you don’t feel like just riding the cab, you can take the train or MRT as it is convenient as well to ride.
When taking the MRT, all you need to purchase is an EasyCard which is a reloadable card that could be used for purchase in convenience stores, bus and train rides, or buy a single journey card/token.
Look at me trying to have a tourist-y shot at the train.
Bus is also an option as you can use your EasyCard as well on riding a bus. If you don’t have yet, you pay the exact amount at the driver.
Trains and buses are on time here in Taipei so it’s very east for tourists to navigate by themselves. On our visits here, we always use the train as this is very convenient for the tourist spots in Taipei.
If you know how to ride a bike, you can also rent one and use it around to explore the city. They call their rental bikes as YouBike. We always try to find time to use bikes within the city every time we come here as it's a different experience to tour the city using bikes!
You can rent either by having the EasyCard with a registered Taiwan Mobile Number, or use your credit card.
Aside from the mentioned transportation below, we also experienced riding on a Gondola. It is a lift transportation system in Taipei between Taipei Zoo and Maokong. If you are planning to go to the Zoo, you might as well try riding the gondola. See my photos below:
Lockers
If you are travelling to different cities and your accommodation has late check in time, you may opt to renting lockers and just leave your things there so you can explore the city in a much more convenient way! All train stations have this, Taoyuan Airport Line, MRT Lines, HSR, and even TRA (Provincial Train Line).
Thank you for reading!
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