Why Stay in Taipei?
Taipei is one of Asia's most underrated capitals — a city where incredible night market food, ancient temples, modern design, and natural hot springs coexist within a subway ride of each other. The Taiwanese capital combines Chinese, Japanese, and indigenous influences into a culture that is uniquely warm, creative, and welcoming to visitors.
Hotels in the Xinyi district near Taipei 101 offer the most modern accommodation with shopping and entertainment at your doorstep. Zhongshan offers boutique hotels along tree-lined boulevards with excellent restaurants and independent shops. Beitou, in the city's northern hills, provides natural hot spring resort hotels where you can soak in mineral-rich waters just 30 minutes from downtown.
Taipei's night markets are legendary. Shilin Night Market, the largest, offers hundreds of stalls serving everything from stinky tofu to bubble tea to oyster omelettes. Raohe Night Market is smaller and more curated. Ningxia Night Market specialises in traditional Taiwanese delicacies. The energy, aromas, and communal dining experience make night markets an essential Taipei experience.
Beyond the food, Taipei offers the Taipei 101 observation deck (formerly the world's tallest building), the atmospheric Longshan Temple, excellent museums including the National Palace Museum's Imperial Chinese art collection, and easy day trips to Jiufen (the inspiration for Spirited Away), Yehliu Geopark, and the Yangmingshan National Park hot springs.