Taipei in 3 Days - Teatime, Street Food, and Din Tai Fung
Taiwan has been at the top of my dream destination list for a while now - it has always seemed like a city that is just electric, with a fascinating history, unique indigenous cultures, and apparently the best street food scene around. When I realized I had the chance to squeeze in a visit, I simply had to make it happen. Even better, an old friend who’d been living there the past few years offered to show me around - huge thanks, Nora! It was an absolute blast.
I arrived around mid-day on a Saturday and after working my way through the airport and hopping on the MRT to downtown, I left my bags with the hostel and headed out to meet up with Nora. We grabbed a late lunch at Chun Shui Tang, the home of bubble tea, and it was fantastic. So many good flavors, and the bubble tea was so refreshing. Note to self: Taipei is still scorching in early October…
After catching up over lunch, we headed out via MRT towards Taipei 101 to explore the neighborhood a bit. We opted to hike up Elephant Mountain for sunset, which was definitely crowded but also well-worth the press. I had to laugh a bit as one of my favorite virtual workouts on the stairmaster this past year was the Elephant Mountain Hike… I definitely appreciated the training on these stairs! Sunset painted the sky in gorgeous pink and purple pastels, and the juxtaposition of the forest greenery with the modern city skyline was very impressive.
For a light dinner, we headed to Lingjia Night Market and made our way through several stalls - featuring sweet potato puffs, mung bean smoothies, and my favorite item of the night - a kind of fermented rice wine cold mochi soup (?). I’m not entirely sure what it’s called, but it featured some red-bean filled mochi dumplings in a cold alcoholic broth. So delicious! We ended the night chatting over beautiful cocktails at the most adorable bar. It’s always amazing to me when you can catch up with a friend after years apart and it feels like no time at all!
The next day, we headed out for a daytrip in the nearby town of Wulai. I’d originally thought to go to Jiufen, but Nora made the very good point that it was a holiday weekend and might be too packed to be enjoyable. This was a great move as Wulai was incredible! We took the bus from the city center about 90 minutes through winding mountain roads. Walking from the bus station up towards the bridge, you pass by so many interesting street food stalls… before the end of the day, I’d had bamboo rice, scallion pancakes, and more mochi than I could count.
The river running through town is a stunning blue-green color and was even more spectacular on such a bright day. We opted to cool off a bit and explore some of the nearby museums, including the Atayal Museum, which focused on the history and cultures of Taiwan’s indigenous populations, and the Forestry Living Museum, which dealt with the history of the logging industry and subsequent railroad in town. Both were very interesting and gave some helpful context to the area.
In the afternoon, we hopped on the local scenic train up to the waterfall, which was absolutely magnificent. We ended up grabbing some coffees at a scenic cafe to soak up the view for a while.
When the time came, we headed back through town (and inevitably got loads of street foods to snack on) and caught the bus back to Taipei proper. Before going our separate ways for the evening, we enjoyed a fabulous dinner of beef noodle stew and a few delicious sides. This is one of Taipei’s famous dishes, and had been at the top of my list to try! So warm and hearty, there’s been many times I’ve craved it since.
The following day, Nora was working so I ended up with some time to explore on my own before meeting up with her in Maokong that evening. I enjoyed a leisurely breakfast at a small eatery close to my hostel - radish cakes and milk tea. This is a super traditional meal and was also apparently a very local eatery - I didn’t see any other tourists there on any of the morning I went (and yes, I did go back several times - it was that good!).
After eating my fill of radish cakes, I walked through town to the Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall where I got to see the changing of the guard and explore several of the buildings onsite. I especially appreciated the free museum as it was very helpful in giving historical context of Taiwan, especially as it pertains to its relationship with both China and the US. In my experience, this part of global relations is really glossed over in the US high school system, and learning a bit more helped shed some light on present day Taiwan’s development.
By noon, I’d caught the bus through town toward the Maokong area and snagged a ticket to take the gondola up the mountain. Because it wasn’t too busy, the gondola operators were seating each party in their own gondola, so I had it to myself for the whole 35-minute ride! It was a great way to see the mountains here, and you pass over the zoo and get a lovely view of the tea plantations as you make it further into the mountains. I hopped off at the top and took the afternoon to walk and explore the area, stopping at an adorable tea shop with perfect views for some iced tea, snacks, and reflection.
Even looking back, this might have been one of my favorite days of the trip. I feel like it’s quite rare to know that in the moment, but sitting on the patio of the tea shop, looking out over the mountains, I had such a profound feeling of satisfaction and contentment. And the day only got better! I wound my way back down the mountain, through beautiful gardens and along forested paths and popped right out by Nora’s office at the university. Couldn’t have been more perfect!
Nora and I headed back into the city for dinner, stopping at the famous Din Tai Fung. Although they have locations in the US, this was my first time dining at Din Tai Fung and it was magical! So tasty, and a really fun service concept with all of the options you can order. Not only were the dumplings fabulous, but each side was so delicious. I’d eat there again in a heartbeat! For dessert, Nora took me to another of her favorite spots for grass jelly. Another dish I hadn’t tried, but surprise, surprise, it was delicious! I especially loved the pairing of crunchy peanuts on top.
My last full day in Taipei, I spent exploring to the north, per some of Nora’s recommendations. My first stop was in Tamsui. There are several historical sites in the area from colonial times, including a Portuguese fort and residences from previous European ambassadors. I wandered along the Tamsui coastal walkway, enjoying a cold bubble tea until the museums opened and then spent a couple of hours exploring the sites.
By early afternoon, I was ready to head back south to explore the National Palace Museum on my way back to Taipei center. Although the famous jade lettuce was currently on loan in Prague, I did get to see many other Taiwanese artifacts and artworks, including the famous “meat-shaped stone.” An afternoon well spent!
Nora and I met up for one more evening of fun and delicious night market finds. I can’t thank her enough for making my time in Taiwan so special, and I can see why she fell in love with the country! Here’s hoping I am lucky enough to return one day.
