4D3N:  Although I was born in Taiwan, I did not grow up in Taipei. So, I make a point to visit Taipei and its surroundings whenever I am back in the motherland. Taoyuan Airport (TPE, 35 minutes away from Taipei) is a major airport in Asia, and it is also the connecting point to many cities in Southeast Asia.  A friend of mine once referred to Taiwan as the mini Japan..it retained much of the culture from the Japanese colonial era but at a much lower cost of living.  You can continue to explore Taiwan by taking the High-Speed Rail (HSR) to visit Central Taiwan, Southern Taiwan, and Eastern parts of Taiwan, such as Hualien and Yilan. The itinerary below includes all the highlights for a first-time visitor to Taipei.

*Highly Recommended food & drinks

Day 1 (City Center):

• Early morning arrival in TPE

• Airport MRT to Taipei Main Station (35 mins on the express train)

• Check-in @ Regent Taipei (luxury) / CityInn Hotel Taipei Station III (moderate) / Chaiin Hotel - Dongmen (moderate)

• Lunch @ Sushi Express or food courts at the department store

• Metro/Walk to 2-28 Peace Park / Presidential Palace (photo only)

• Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hall

• Walk to Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall

• Walk/Metro to Ximending:

  • Ximen Red House

  • Ximen Pedestrian Zone

  • Hello Kitty 7-11

• Dinner @ Addiction Aquatic Development*

• Speakeasy @ PUN* (Best speakeasy in Taipei)

Day 2 (Tamsui & Beitou):

• Brunch @ Din Tai Fung* (Inside SOGO, B2F)

• MRT to Tamsui:

  • Tamsui Old Street

  • Tamsui Fisherman’s Wharf

  • Fort San Domingo 紅毛城

  • Must try snack - “A-Gei” 阿给 (fried bean curd stuffed with glass noodles) & Fishball soup

• Beitou Hot Springs:

  • MRT to Xinbeitou

  • Beitou Hot Spring Museum (Free admission; open ‘till 6 pm)

  • Thermal Valley

  • Plum Garden

  • Hot Springs experience (options below):

    • Free foot spa @ Fuxing Hot Foot Spa

    • Paid full-body hot springs @ Beitou Public Hotspring or Long Nice Hot Spring

    • Stay overnight at one of the hotels with the hot springs

• MRT to Jiantan for Shihlin Night Market (40 mins ride, opens at 4 pm)

• Massage @ Royal Paris Massage

Day 3

• Visit Jiufen (九份) & Shifen (十分) (suggested duration 8 hrs)

  • MRT Muzha station ---> bus 795 towards Shifen (takes about 100 mins; NT45 one-way)

  • Get off at Jingtong 菁桐坑: old rail station and railway museum

  • Train to Shifen (runs every hour; ~20 mins; NT15)

  • Visit the waterfall (free)

  • Release sky lantern on an active train track (~NT200 for 4 colors)

  • Shifen old street

  • Train to Jiufen (Shifen ---> train 4727 to Ruifang ---> Houtong Station 侯硐車站)

  • Walk around Cat Village Houtong

  • Train back to Ruifang and take the Keelung transit bus to Jiufen

  • Visit Juifen Old Street

  • Bus to Ruifang ---> switch train to Taipei Main Station ---> MRT to hotel

• Dinner @ James Kitchen*

• Mango ice cream @ Smoothie House*

Day 4

• Soybean breakfast @ Fuhang soy milk阜杭豆漿* (lines go by fast)

• Visit Qidong St. Japanese Houses:

  • Qi Dong Poetry Salon 齊東詩舍 (No. 25 & No. 27)

  • Taipei Qin Hall 中華古琴學會-臺北琴道舘

• Taipei 101

• Take the cable car to Maokong Mountain

• KTV @ New CB Party (NT419/person; comes with buffet food; ~3hr)

• Take Taiwan Railways to Songshan stop for Raohe Street Night Market

• Massage @ Thousand-mile massage center* (Free shuttle for 3+ people)

Other points of interest & food:

• National Palace Museum

• Yehliu Geopark

• Lunch @ Kao Chi YongKang Main Restaurant 高記, Tim Ho Wan, 大稻埕魯肉飯 (Braised pork over rice), MAJI Square

• Sushi @ 柳月居酒屋 りゅうげつ, 真真庵壽司割烹, 鮨崤, 明壽司, 揚日式料理

• Dinner @ Kanpai, Ramen Nagi Ximen Restaurant, Xiang Duck Taipei Jinshan South Branch, Indulge Experimental Bistro

• Drink @ AQ Casa, Li Tun, That Fucking Place, Alchemy speakeasy, Kavalan Whisky Bar

• Dessert @ Hello Kitty Kitchen & Dining, Beans Village

• Stinky Tofu @ 連城臭豆腐

Tips:

• Find your everyday beauty needs and pharmaceutical needs @ Watson’s or Cosmed

• 7-11 is like the super deli in Taiwan, and you can pay for bills and parking fees, pick up HSR tickets, and fulfill your midnight snack! Definitely visit whenever you need to pick up something cold for the road.

• For any electronic needs, stop by Guanghwa Digital Plaza and Snytrend Center.

• Don't forget to grab some bubble tea (a Taiwanese specialty drink)

• You can buy HSR tickets for 30 days ahead online

• Apply for TPE-Free/iTaiwan wifi at the information booth (near the Taipei Main MRT)