Taipei is one of Asia’s most popular tourist destinations, with the friendly city seeing tourist numbers rise continuously. Surrounded by mountains, Taipei has it all as one of the best leisure destinations in Asia. Taipei, located off the southeast coast of the Asian continent at the western edge of the Pacific Ocean, is a beautiful metropole whose allure lies in its blend of Chinese culture with a curious fusion of Japanese, Southeast Asian, and American influences.
There are endless reasons to visit Taipei, but here are ten of my favorites.
The local cuisine
Taiwan is a food paradise and one of the best food destinations in the world. Local indigenous flavors and external culinary influences have shaped Taiwanese food. The cuisine incorporates Min Nan, Teochew, and Hokkien kitchens and Japanese cooking techniques. Living on a small island also means that fish has become an important staple and source of protein. Seasoning is with soya sauce, rice wine, sesame oil, fermented black beans, pickled radishes, peanuts, chili peppers, cilantro, and a local variety of basil. There is also an abundant supply of various fruits due to the sub-tropical climate.
The night markets
The local approach is to eat often and eat well. Visitors should visit a night market to experience the local eating culture. While you can do some shopping at those night markets, you can eat delicious snacks and dishes such as beef noodles, braised pork rice, stinky tofu, or soup dumplings. Also, all street food vendors are proud of their food elevating quality standards. Taipei has about 20 streets dedicated to food, with Taipei’s Shilin Night Market being the largest and most well-known one.
The architecture
Taipei 101 is the most iconic building high above the city in the shape of a gigantic bamboo stalk. At 508 meters, the tower was the world’s tallest building and greenest skyscraper for several years. The city has a wide range of architecture going back more than one hundred years. For example, old buildings in Taipei’s Dadaocheng show baroque-style decorations and arched windows used during the Japanese era. The city has many magnificent temples, such as Longshan Temple, built in 1738 and located at the heart of Wanhua District. New projects now focus on green developments, such as the Tao Zhu Yin Yuan building designed by Belgian architect Vincent Callebaut in 2018. This building has a rare twisting appearance full of plants and received a LEED Gold energy label and Diamond level awarded by the Low Carbon Building Alliance.
The nightlife
During the daytime, Taipei is an energetic metropolis, but at night, the city is even more alive and has a reputation as a city that never sleeps. You can enjoy packed bars, busy night markets, and vibrant nightclubs playing music. Some places, such as the Eslite bookstore, are open 24/7, while night markets, bars, and clubs are open until the early morning. The Taipei MRT or subway closes around midnight, but taxis are always available to get you back home. Important to mention is that Taipei is a safe city with a low crime rate.
The shopping
The street and night markets offer incredible shopping deals on budget clothing and accessories, while the city’s department stores let you find the world’s biggest brands and labels. The hippest area of urban Taipei is the Xinyi shopping district, known as the Manhattan of Taipei. This shopping district has upscale malls, entertainment venues, cinemas, and local and international cuisine close to Taipei 101, the International Convention Center, Taipei World Trade Center, and National Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall. Xinyi district has the highest density of shopping malls in the world and is also considered the financial district of Taipei.
The museums, cultural and creative parks
Taipei has an incredibly vibrant art scene in galleries, parks, and streets. The city houses a Museum of Contemporary Art, a Fine Arts Museum, and the National Palace Museum, one of the most visited museums in the world. Taipei is known for its creative parks, such as Huashan 1914 Creative Park and Songshan Cultural and Creative Park, which are arts and design venues that are less formal and more urban. These creative parks are old industrial sites repurposed into modern multi-purpose creative spaces with restaurants and cafes.
The amazing city hikes
Nature is never far as the city is located in the Taipei Basin and bordered by the Xindian River on the south and the Tamsui River on the west. The low-lying terrain around the rivers slopes upward to the south, east, and the 1,120 meter high Qixing Mountain in the north, the highest dormant volcano in Taiwan in Yangmingshan National Park. You can hike to Qixing Mountain or try one of the many easy hiking trails in the city center. From Taipei 101, you can start climbing up Elephant Mountain to get the best views of Taipei 101 and the city skyline in less than 40 minutes. Birdwatching is another recommended activity with around 30 endemic species and many accessible birdwatching spots in Taipei city.
The cycling experience
Over 80% of all medium to high-end bicycles and bike components are manufactured by Taiwanese companies, with Giant being the most famous global brand. While Taiwan’s round-the-island cycling route is considered one of the best cycling experiences in Asia, one of the easiest ways to enjoy Taipei is to hop on a city rental bike or Youbike. An estimated 510 km of cycling paths connect Taipei city. Experienced cyclists can cycle up the mountains, while the riverside bikeways provide cycling routes suitable for recreational and passionate cyclists.
The hot springs
You are probably looking for relaxation after a few busy days in the city. Because of its unique geological structure, the island has one of the highest densities of hot springs globally and is called the Hot Spring Kingdom. These hot springs offer the best way to relieve stress and revitalize in a relaxing environment. Korean tourists prefer the hot springs in Wulai, while Japanese visitors like those closer to the city center in Beitou. The Beitou Hot Spring Museum was built in 1913 and is a copy of the bathhouses in Shizuokaken Idouyama in Japan, and is located near a thermal valley, a stone-lined basin filled with near-100°C green steaming sulfur water.
The business opportunities
Taiwan is a business hub for electronics and semiconductors, with HTC, Acer, ASUS, and Trend Micro being well-known brands in the electronics space and TSMC being the largest semiconductor company in the world by revenue. There is also an increased focus on biotechnology and sustainability.
Interesting to know is that Taiwan is in the top 10 in the chemical sales world ranking, with Taipei being the home of many petrochemical and specialty chemical companies. This industry is crucial as 80% of all produced goods globally use chemicals. A short business trip to Taipei will allow you to visit many companies to discuss opportunities or to attend exhibitions and events such as our Taiwan Petchem Bootcamp.
Photo Credit: Canva & Unsplash
