Taipei in 3 days: a first-timer's walking itinerary (2026)
This is the route we would hand a friend visiting Taipei for the first time. Each day is eight stops in walking order, timed so the busy places come before the tour groups and the viewpoints land near sunset. Prices were checked in November 2026; where a price is older or not published, we say so.
Open the interactive 3D route →Day 1 · Wanhua, Ximending & Dadaocheng: Guard drill in the morning, river sunset and a night market
Old Taipei on foot and one short MRT ride. The honour guard drill at Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, incense at Longshan Temple, the red-brick lanes of Bopiliao, lunch in Ximending and the 1908 Red House, the old North Gate, sunset over the Tamsui River at Dadaocheng Wharf, then dinner at Ningxia Night Market.
Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall
A white hall with a blue roof at the top of 89 steps, looking over a huge plaza to the gate of Liberty Square.
Price: Free · Hours: Hall 9am–6pm · park 5am–midnight · honour guard drill on the hour 9am–5pm (cancelled in rain)
Tip: Stand on Democracy Boulevard in front of the hall stairs a few minutes before 10:00 for the guard drill (about 15 minutes). Then walk the plaza to the gate for the classic photo.
Longshan Temple
Taipei's best-known temple: carved dragon roofs, incense smoke and locals praying to Guanyin and the god of matchmaking.
Price: Free · Hours: 6am–10pm daily (last entry 9:45pm)
Tip: Go in through the right-hand gate and out through the left. Keep your voice low and don't step on the raised door sills.
Bopiliao Historic Block
A restored lane of red-brick shophouses and arched arcades from the Qing and Japanese eras, often used as a film set.
Price: Free · Hours: 9am–6pm · closed Mondays
Tip: The street itself is the sight; small exhibitions inside change. It is closed on Mondays, so plan Day 1 for another day.
Ximending · lunch
Taipei's youth district: street food, sneaker and character shops, film posters and bubble tea on every corner.
Price: Free · pay per dish · Hours: Streets open all day · most shops about 11am–10pm
Tip: Have a bowl of mee sua (thin noodles in thick broth) at a standing counter, then a bubble tea. Weekends get crowded after 2pm.
The Red House
An octagonal red-brick market hall from 1908, now home to small design and craft studios.
Price: Free · Hours: Tue–Thu 11am–8pm, Fri & Sun to 9pm, Sat to 10pm · closed Mondays (check)
Tip: Most of the craft shops are in the cross-shaped hall behind the octagon. There are toilets and a café inside.
North Gate (Beimen)
The best-kept gate of the old Taipei city wall, built in 1884 and freed from a road overpass in 2016.
Price: Free · Hours: Seen from outside, any time
Tip: Look around the plaza at the restored Japanese-era railway buildings and the old post office. Cross with the lights; the traffic circles fast.
Dadaocheng Wharf at sunset
The river opens up to the west here, and the sun sets (around 5:10pm in November) behind the far bank of the Tamsui River.
Price: Free · Hours: Riverside open all day · food stalls mostly from late afternoon (check)
Tip: Enter the riverside park through Water Gate 5 at the end of Minsheng West Road. Bring a light jacket; the river wind is cool after dark.
Ningxia Night Market · dinner
A compact one-lane night market known for taro balls, oyster omelettes and braised pork rice; easy to walk end to end.
Price: Free entry · pay per dish · Hours: Stalls from about 5pm to midnight (check)
Tip: Many stalls take cash only, so carry small notes and coins. Eat at the stall or its tables; bins are few.
Day 2 · Palace Museum, Shilin & Beitou: Imperial treasures, a hot-spring valley and Shilin by night
The National Palace Museum in the morning, the rose gardens of the Shilin Residence, then the Red Line north to Beitou for its wooden station, green library, bathhouse museum and steaming Thermal Valley. Soak in a hot spring at dusk and finish with dinner at Shilin Night Market.
National Palace Museum
One of the world's great collections of Chinese art: jade, bronzes, porcelain, calligraphy and, when on display, the famous Jadeite Cabbage.
Price: NT$350 adult (Exhibition Hall I) · Hours: 9am–5pm, ticket sales to 4:30pm · closed on most Mondays
Tip: Arrive at 9am and start on the top floor before the tour groups. Leave big bags in the lockers. Visitors aged 17 and under enter free.
Shilin Official Residence
Chiang Kai-shek's home for 26 years, with a rose garden, a European-style garden and a small chapel in the trees.
Price: Gardens free · main building NT$100 (2025 price · check on site) · Hours: Gardens 8am–6pm daily · main building Tue–Sun 9:30am–noon and 1:30–5pm
Tip: The main building closes for lunch; it reopens at 1:30pm. If you skip the house, the gardens alone take 30 minutes and are free.
Xinbeitou Historic Station
A small wooden railway station from 1916, moved back to Beitou and restored, with an old train carriage beside it.
Price: Free · Hours: 10am–6pm · closed Mondays
Tip: It stands in the park right next to Xinbeitou MRT station. Dip your hands in the free warm-water basin out front if it is running.
Beitou Public Library
A wooden eco-library with a grass roof and wide balconies, set among the trees of Beitou Park.
Price: Free · Hours: About 8:30am–9pm Tue–Sat, 9am–5pm Sun & Mon (check)
Tip: It is a working library: keep quiet, and photos are fine from the balconies and outside.
Beitou Hot Spring Museum
A Japanese-era public bathhouse of brick and timber, with a Roman-style bath downstairs and a tatami hall upstairs.
Price: Free · Hours: 10am–6pm · closed Mondays
Tip: Shoes come off at the door; wear socks you don't mind showing. Small bags only in the tatami room.
Thermal Valley
A milky-green lake of acidic spring water that steams all day, with a smell of sulphur in the air.
Price: Free · Hours: 9am–5pm · closed Mondays
Tip: Arrive before 4:30pm; the gate shuts at 5pm. The water is near boiling, so stay behind the railings and don't touch it.
Beitou hot springs · soak
Beitou's hotels and bathhouses pipe spring water into public pools and private rooms, a warm end to a cool November day.
Price: Price not published · check on site · Hours: Bath hours vary by venue (check)
Tip: The old riverside public pool has been closed for renovation; check whether it has reopened. Otherwise pick a hotel public bath or a private room, and bring a towel and swimsuit in case.
Shilin Night Market · dinner
Taipei's biggest night market: a food court in the basement of the market hall and lanes of games, snacks and shops around it.
Price: Free entry · pay per dish · Hours: Stalls from about 4pm to midnight (check)
Tip: Get off at Jiantan, not Shilin. Try a giant fried chicken cutlet, oyster omelette and pepper buns, and carry small change.
Day 3 · Dadaocheng, Huashan & Taipei 101: Old trading street to the city's best sunset view
Morning on Dihua Street among tea, herb and fabric merchants and the little City God Temple, lunch in the brick warehouses of Huashan 1914, the old tobacco factory at Songshan, up Taipei 101, a walk through a former military village, then the stairs of Elephant Mountain for sunset over the skyline and dinner in Xinyi.
Dihua Street
Taipei's oldest trading street: baroque shophouse fronts, dried fruit, tea, herbs and the fabric hall of Yongle Market.
Price: Free · Hours: Street open all day · most shops about 9am–6pm (check)
Tip: Shops open from about 9am; go before 11am for a quiet walk. Many sell sample tastes of dried fruit and tea.
Xiahai City God Temple
A tiny, busy temple whose Old Man Under the Moon is said to help people find a partner.
Price: Free · Hours: About 7am–7pm (check)
Tip: Staff at the side counter explain the matchmaking ritual in simple English. Keep photos discreet while people pray.
Huashan 1914 Creative Park · lunch
A 1914 winery turned arts park: brick warehouses with pop-up exhibitions, design shops, cafés and a lawn.
Price: Free · exhibitions priced separately · Hours: Park open all day · shops about 11am–9pm (check)
Tip: Check the gate boards for free exhibitions. Restaurants in the old warehouses make an easy lunch stop.
Songshan Cultural and Creative Park
A 1937 tobacco factory with a quiet pond and courtyard gardens, now used for design shows, next to the Eslite bookstore building.
Price: Free · exhibitions priced separately · Hours: Grounds about 8am–10pm · indoor areas about 9am–6pm (check)
Tip: Walk round the baroque garden pond and the inner courtyard, then cut through towards Taipei 101 on Guangfu South Road.
Taipei 101 Observatory
One of the fastest lifts in the world takes you to the 89th floor, with the giant gold damper ball hanging inside the tower.
Price: NT$600 adult (89F & 88F; outdoor 101F extra) · Hours: 10am–9pm daily
Tip: Go in the afternoon so you can be on Elephant Mountain for sunset. Queues are longest on weekends; online tickets can save time.
Four Four South Village
Low brick homes built for soldiers' families after 1949, kept as a small lawn and museum at the foot of Taipei 101.
Price: Free · Hours: Grounds open all day · shops and café hours vary (check)
Tip: Stand on the lawn for the best low-roof-and-skyscraper photo of Taipei 101.
Elephant Mountain at sunset
Twenty minutes of steep stone steps lead to rocks looking straight at Taipei 101 as the sun sets (about 5:10pm) and the city lights up.
Price: Free · Hours: Trail open all day
Tip: Start climbing by 4:30pm. The steps are steep and can be slippery after rain; wear proper shoes, carry water and a phone light for the way down.
Xinyi District · dinner
Skybridges link the malls around Taipei 101, with food halls, dumpling restaurants and lit-up towers at night.
Price: Free · pay per dish · Hours: Malls to about 10pm (check)
Tip: Department-store basement food halls are the easy choice. The tower changes its light colour by day of the week.
Top 10 places for a first visit
| # | Place | Area | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Taipei 101 Observatory The 508m tower's indoor deck on the 89th floor, with the giant gold damper ball inside. | Xinyi | NT$600 adult (89F) |
| 2 | National Palace Museum A world-class collection of Chinese imperial art: jade, bronzes, porcelain and calligraphy. | Shilin | NT$350 adult |
| 3 | Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall A white memorial hall with a blue roof above a vast plaza and the Liberty Square gate. | Zhongzheng | Free |
| 4 | Longshan Temple Taipei's most famous temple, busy with incense, prayers and carved dragon roofs. | Wanhua | Free |
| 5 | Elephant Mountain A short, steep stair trail to rocks with a head-on view of Taipei 101. | Xinyi | Free |
| 6 | Shilin Night Market Taipei's largest night market, with a basement food court and lanes of games and snacks. | Shilin | Free entry · pay per dish |
| 7 | Raohe Street Night Market A single 600m lane of food stalls starting at the ornate Ciyou Temple gate. | Songshan | Free entry · pay per dish |
| 8 | Jiufen Old Street A hillside gold-mining town of steep lanes, red lanterns and teahouses above the sea. | Ruifang | Free |
| 9 | Ximending A car-free youth district of street food, shops, cinemas and buskers. | Wanhua | Free |
| 10 | Dihua Street Taipei's oldest trading street of tea, herb and dried-fruit merchants in baroque shophouses. | Datong | Free |
Before you go
Entry
- Visa-free stays: Taiwan's Bureau of Consular Affairs lists visa-free entry of up to 90 days for Korean passport holders and up to 30 days for Singaporean passport holders. You need a passport valid for at least six months on arrival and a confirmed onward or return ticket. Confirm with the official site before travel.
- Taiwan Arrival Card (online, free): Paper arrival cards ended on 1 October 2025. Fill in the online Taiwan Arrival Card on the National Immigration Agency website in the days just before you land. It is free; don't pay a look-alike agency.
- Departure: The airport service charge is included in your air ticket, so there is nothing to pay at the airport.
SIM & eSIM
- eSIM before you fly: A data eSIM installed at home works on landing at Taoyuan. Compare days and data, not just price.
- At the airport: Telecom counters in the Taoyuan arrival halls sell tourist SIMs with your passport; queues are shortest right after you clear customs.
- Maps: Google Maps works well in Taipei for MRT, buses and walking, so data matters more than a local number.
Getting around
- EasyCard: A tap-on card for the MRT, buses, the Airport MRT, YouBike and convenience stores. Buy and top it up at MRT stations or 7-Eleven and FamilyMart.
- Airport to city: The Taoyuan Airport MRT express runs to Taipei Main Station in about 35–40 minutes; 2026 guides list the fare at about NT$160 (check at the gate). Taxis take 40–50 minutes and are metered, typically NT$1,100–1,500.
- MRT manners: No eating, drinking or chewing gum inside stations or trains, including water; fines apply. Stand on the right of escalators.
- Taxis: Yellow taxis are metered and plentiful; Uber also works. Carry the address in Chinese for the driver.
Local tips
- Monday closures: The National Palace Museum, Bopiliao, the Red House, Beitou's museums and Thermal Valley and many other sights close on Mondays. Plan museum days for Tuesday to Sunday.
- Night markets: Most stalls open from late afternoon to around midnight and many take cash only. Eat at the stall or its tables and keep your rubbish until you find a stall bin.
- Temples: Keep your voice down, don't step on door sills, and ask before photographing people praying.
- Hills and hot springs: Elephant Mountain is steep stone steps; wear proper shoes. Hot spring water in Thermal Valley is near boiling; stay behind the railings.
Money & tax refund
- Cash and cards: Cards work in malls, chain stores and Taipei 101, but night markets, small eateries and temples are mostly cash. ATMs in 7-Eleven and major banks accept foreign cards.
- Tax refund: Foreign visitors can reclaim the 5% VAT (less a service fee) on goods bought at stores with the tax-refund sign, if they spend at least NT$2,000 in one store on one day and take the goods out of Taiwan unused within 90 days. Some stores refund small amounts on the spot; otherwise claim at the airport before check-in.
- Tipping: Tipping is not expected. Some restaurants add a 10% service charge to the bill.
Weather in November
- Mild but changeable: Days are usually around 20–25°C with high humidity. The northeast monsoon brings drizzle and grey days, so pack a light rain jacket and a compact umbrella.
- Typhoons and sunset: Late-season typhoons are rare in November but possible; follow official warnings. Sunset is around 5:10pm, so the routes put the riverside and Elephant Mountain in the late afternoon.
Sources
- National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall — visit info & honour guard times
- Taipei Travel — Lungshan Temple (6:00–22:00)
- Taipei Travel — Bopiliao Historic Block (free, closed Mon)
- Taipei Travel — The Red House (closed Mon)
- National Palace Museum — admission (NT$350)
- Tripool — National Palace Museum hours & buses from Shilin (2026)
- Taipei Travel — Chiang Kai-shek Shilin Residence hours
- Taipei Fun Pass — Shilin Residence main building ticket
- Taipei Travel — Xinbeitou Station (free, closed Mon)
- Taipei Travel — Beitou Hot Spring Museum (closed Mon)
- Nick Kembel — Beitou hot spring guide (2026 info)
- Taiwan Obsessed — places closed in Taiwan (updated Oct 2026)
- TAIPEI 101 Observatory — general ticket (NT$600) & hours
- Maokong Gondola — hours & Monday maintenance
- Taipei Fun Pass — Yehliu Geopark ticket (NT$120)
- Bureau of Consular Affairs — visa-exempt entry (Korea 90 days, Singapore 30 days)
- National Immigration Agency — online Taiwan Arrival Card
- Tripool — Taiwan tax refund guide (2026)
- Taoyuan Airport MRT — timetables
- JusTaiwan Tour — Taoyuan Airport to Taipei (2026)
- Taipei Travel — official Taipei travel site
- Illustrated draft map by 3DAYS · real-data 3D map in preparation
Prices are for adults and can change; always check the official site on the day. Some ticket, hotel and eSIM links on 3DAYS are affiliate links: your price is the same and we may earn a commission. Rankings and routes are not paid placements.