TAIWAN 2018

Taiwan is a small country but has so many natural attractions…

1st Day

We booked a day tour through KKday so it would be much easier to travel to Yehliu, Shifen and Jiufen. If you are going to book through KKday make sure it’s a weekday so they would include the Shifen Falls. There is also an option through Klook where you will be able to add Jinguashi (a town 10 minutes away from Jiufen) to the itinerary.

Yehliu Geopark

Be amazed by rocks shaped in honeycomb, candle, ginger, tofu and mushroom that were formed by marine erosion, weathering and earth movements. Make sure to buy the tickets online so you would be able to save time. The most popular of the rock formations is the Queen’s Head which they say in a few years would eventually break.

You will also see here a statue of a man who is honored for trying to save a child that was drowning in this area… sadly both of them died.

Shifen

This is an old town located at the Pingxi Area where people visit to release Sky Lanterns… People who visit here write their wishes and then releases it to the sky so it may reach God.

*There are different lanterns you can buy here there are even 4 and 8 colored lanterns, each color of the lantern represents a meaning such as money, love, luck and etc.

We bought the 8 colored lantern at around 400 NTD.

*Be careful when lighting your lanterns in the rail tracks as it is still operational.

Don’t miss the Shifen Waterfalls if you are planning to visit Shifen, it is the widest waterfall in Taiwan and it is definitely beautiful.

Address: 226, Taiwan, New Taipei City, Pingxi District, 十分老街


Jiufen

Jiufen is a beautiful mountain town that is known for street food, it’s small but very interesting… Here we were able to buy quality tea, pineapple cake, pork jerky and so much more. If you visit make sure to try their fishball soup and taro balls.

*My favorite food from here would be the Coffee Nougat Biscuit from Saint Peter Bakery.

If you can, visit on the weekdays because this place tends to get crowded on holidays and weekends.

The most photographed place in Jiufen is the A-Mei Tea House.

Address: Ruifang District, New Taipei City, Taiwan 224

2nd Day

Longshan Temple

Since our hotel is behind this temple, we decided to start our day here. You can see the devotees chant here at 6am and 8am.  This temple is beautifully decorated and is one of the most famous temples in Taiwan having been a gathering place for Chinese settlers.

This temple has a mixture of influences ranging from Taoist, Buddhist and other deities.

Address: No. 211, Guangzhou Street, Wanhua District, Taipei City, Taiwan 10853

Chung Kai-shek Memorial

Ride the MRT to this famous memorial, built for the former president of the Republic of China. This is a famous landmark and tourist spot at the Zhongzheng District.

Address: No. 21, Zhongshan South Road, Zhongzheng District, Taipei City, Taiwan 100

Huashan 1914 Creative Park

I love the idea of Creative Parks, it’s like a gathering place for arts, crafts and designs. These creative parks are like urban museums with rotating events and exhibits.

When we visited there was a bazaar that sold handmade products from different parts of Asia.

Address: No. 1, Section 1, Bade Road, Zhongzheng District, Taipei City, Taiwan 100

Taipei 101

Who doesn’t know this super tall skyscraper which was the tallest building until Burj Khalifa was built in Dubai (2010). *Bought the tickets for the observatory through Klook at 880 PHP per person.

Make sure to redeem the ticket bought through Klook at the machines near the ticketing kiosk within 30 minutes.

Was it worth it? Well for us, yes… because in every country we visit we make it a point to see its skyline not to compare but to appreciate the uniqueness of each places.

There is a Din Tai Fung located at Taipei 101 Mall… Din Tai Fung is famous for its Xiao Long Bao which you dip in 1 part soy sauce, 3 parts vinegar and some ginger. Don’t forget to poke a small hole in your Xiao Long Bao to release the broth inside.

Address:  No. 7, Section 5, Xinyi Road, Xinyi District, Taipei City, Taiwan 110

Elephant Mountain

If on a budget hike through the Elephant Mountain Trail and catch the sunset as it envelopes the city. We were planning to do this but we were really exhausted and I bet my mom wouldn’t be able to tolerate the 30 minute hike.

I heard someone say that hiking the Elephant Mountain is a bit tiring but definitely worth it!

Address: 象山110, Taiwan, Taipei City, Xinyi District

Shilin Night Market

Most famous night market in Taiwan with lots of different food choices, definitely a must visit!

My favorite would be the grilled screw shell sold by the man in the photo below… their sauce is just so delish!

We also tried the braised beef in Zhong Cheng Hao, it was fatty but tastes good.

If travelling with a group try the different food here and just share.

Address: No. 101號, Jihe Road, Shilin District, Taipei City, Taiwan 111

3rd Day

National Palace Museum

The entrance here costs around 600 PHP, it house nearly 700,00 Chinese Imperial Artifacts.

Address:  No. 221, Sec 2, Zhi Shan Rd, Shilin District, Taipei City, Taiwan 111

Beitou Hot Spring

Beitou is a very popular place to visit in Taiwan, it was so popular that they created an MRT line (Xin-Beitou) to reach the Hot Springs.

Here we visited the famous Thermal Valley, that is too hot it creates steam.

Before entering thermal valley we tasted the eggs sold in the shops that were cooked in the hot spring.

Address: 112, Taiwan, Taipei City, Beitou District

Tamsui

Tamsui Old Street

You can have your lunch here and explore local specialties.

Address: Zhongzheng Road, Tamsui District, New Taipei City, Taiwan 251

Fort San Domingo

This is a famous port that was owned by different colonizers. This is just a few minutes away from the Tamsui Fisherman’s Wharf.

Lots of history in here…

You’d have to pay for an entrance ticket here (80 NTD).

Address: 251, Taiwan, New Taipei City, Tamsui District, 中正路28巷1號

Fisherman’s Wharf

If possible make sure to come here at sunset, I can just imagine how beautiful the sunsets can be here.

Address: 251, Taiwan, New Taipei City, Tamsui District

Taiwanese Hot Pot

Make sure to try a Hot Pot Restaurant in Taipei if you’re a fan of Shabu-Shabu.

We initially planned to eat at Orange Shabu Shabu House but we did not know that you need to reserve days before so we ended up at One Pot Hot Pot.

This restaurant is very well decorated, and their food presentation is superb. The soup stock is just so tasty, they have even incorporated duck blood in the spicy soup.

Ximending

Ximending pronounced as Ximenting is the Harajuku of Taipei. There are lots of trendy shops and restaurants here.

Also located in this area is the very famous Ay-Chung Noodle and one of my favorite Milk Tea Shops.

I thought Ay-Chung Flour Rice Noodle is a bit overrated but boy, was I wrong. This one instantly became one of my favorite foods in Taipei. *Do note that this noodle soup has pork intestines in it.

Other Night Markets:

Raohe Night Market

I also enjoyed this night market, it’s not as big as Shilin; it’s more compact… but it also has lots of great foods you can try.

The entrance is near to Songshan Ciyou Temple.

Huaxi Night Market

This night market was formerly known as Snake Alley, it’s one of the oldest night markets in Taipei and was very popular before because of Snake meat.

Today, I think only one shop was serving snake.

We also tried the foot massage in this area at 300 NTD and it was definitely a good idea because we really had very sore muscles from all the walking.

Other Places You Can Visit/ Other Things You Can Do:

Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall

It is a memorial to the Republic of China’s National Father, Dr. Sun Yat-sen. You can add this to your itinerary when you visit Xinyi District.

Address: No. 505號, Section 4, Ren'ai Road, Xinyi District, Taipei City, Taiwan 110

Martyr’s Shrine

Here you can watch the changing of the guards.

Address: No. 139號, Beian Road, Zhongshan District, Taipei City, Taiwan 10491



This park is one of the nine national parks in Taiwan and if I were to return here I would definitely visit this place and do some hiking.

*Different flowers bloom here every season…

There is also a hot spring here and the famous Xiaoyukeng which hosts a volcanically-created fumaroles.

http://english.ymsnp.gov.tw/index.php?option=com_content&view=featured&gp=0&Itemid=104

Jinguashi

We weren’t able to cover Jinguashi in our itinerary because the day tour in Jiufen did not include this but Jinguashi is only 10 minutes away from Jiufen.

You can visit the Golden Falls, Jinguashi 13 Ruins, Gold Temple and The Gold Mine Museum.

Cape Beitou

Address: Bitou Road, Ruifang District, New Taipei City, Taiwan 224

Nanya Rock Formation

This reminded me of Pagudpud’s Kapurpurawan Rock Formations…

Address: 224, Taiwan, New Taipei City, Ruifang District, 北部濱海公路224號

Sun Moon Lake

This is also a very popular place in Taiwan where you can do water activities.

CNN said that this is one of the 10 Breathtaking Cycling Routes in the world.

Notes:

You can rent a car that will take you to Jiufen, Shifen, Jinguashi, Nanya Rock Formation, Ying Yang Sea and even add Keelung Night Market.

If you buy the Taipei Easycard your fares will be discounted but you’ll need buy it for 100 NTD, you can use this to pay for Public Transit and Convenience Stores.

You also have the Taipei Fun Pass option which has 3 types:

We used the Taipei Fun Pass for the unlimited use of the MRT for one day costing 180 NTD only. It was very convenient to use and worth it if you’ll be travelling a lot through the MRT in a day.

Taipei is a small country and most tourist attractions are accessible through their very efficient MRT…

2 of our most favorite milk tea shops are Specialized Tea Club and Ten Ren’s Tea.

Having the address of the important places during your travel in Mandarin is helpful when riding cabs.

We rented a pocket wifi for 5 days and costed us 400 PHP.

If you’re going to ride the Taoyuan Airport MRT make sure that it is a Rapid Train and not a Commuter Train. The Rapid Train will take you to Taipei Main Station in 35 mins. While the commuter train will take 50 mins.

The ATMs at 7/11 stores are a very convenient option when you need more NTD.

Using your credit card is also a good idea because it usually has competitive rates too.

Photos below are guides when riding the MRT..