Taipei Hotels

The architecture is generally haphazard and the signage confusing, but that’s the beauty of Taiwan’s capital and one of its most underrated tourist destinations – you never know what you’re going to get next.

Once you’ve learnt to embrace the bright neon lights and the often overpowering smell of fermented bean curd, you’ll find that Taipei is exciting and vibrant. In Ximending and Shida, Taipei’s traditional Chinese heritage is blending at light-speed with a bright (literally), Japanese-influenced youth culture. With 24 hour bars aplenty and the famed Shilin Night Market to explore, being bored simply isn’t an option.

The hyper-modern Xinyi district is all about ritzy modern mall shopping. But just beyond the rather soulless air-conditioned high rises sit Yangmingshan and Chiufen with their hot springs and ancient temples. There, you can recharge, think deep and meaningful thoughts and prepare for another night of supercharged mayhem back in the heart of Taipei’s hustle and bustle.

TAIPEI’S TOP 10

TAIPEI LOCAL

Once you’re in the heart of Taipei, don’t expect to leave. Incomprehensible signage and maze-like streets will keep you there forever. Well, OK, that’s a slight exaggeration. Armed with a map and some commonsense, you should be able to find your way to the culturally diverse outer suburbs….

Wanhua

Made famous by the Taiwanese gangster film Monga, Wanhua is a one of Taipei’s shadiest neighbourhoods. Don’t be shocked to see a drunken cabbie puking next to his car, or a prostitute burning incense in front of a temple. But it’s also the home of many iconic buildings and heritage sites, including the Long Shan Temple, Taipei’s oldest temple, or the Red House Theatre, the original Taiwan teahouse and playhouse. Ximending in the north is younger and trendier, with an unmistakable Japanese influence from architecture to vibrant hairstyles to holding up two fingers in photographs.

Xinyi

Taipei’s premiere shopping spot, ritzy Xinyi is dominated by Taipei 101. The tallest building in the world until those pesky people in Dubai stepped up, it’s over 500 metres tall and features a massive internal mall. Don’t head there expecting to learn the basics about Taipei, though. The name is derived from the number of floors.

Vertigo-sufferers and credit card-torturers should visit high-end department stores Shin Kong Mitsukoshi and New York New York. The latter also tells you all you need to know about the dining options in this district: generic, American and best avoided. However, if you can find your way out of the maze of malls, the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall is worth a visit for an insight into Taiwan’s troubled history.

Shilin

Best known for the huge and chaotic Shilin Night Market, there’s much more to the district than haggled-down sacks of frogs’ legs – no matter how delicious you find them. Overlooked by hiking hotspot Yang Ming Mountain, Shilin is a chillin’ place for university students, with bars and cheap eateries catering to the youngsters (and visitors who can stand the thought of students spouting pseudo-philosophical nonsense in a foreign language). Cultural highlights include the Chinese Culture and Movie Center and the pride of Taiwan, the enormous National Palace Museum.

Zhongshan

To many visitors, Zhongshan is a recreational paradise, a haven for anyone seeking an inner-city escape. To others, though, the charms of Rongxing Garden, Xisheng Park, Zhongshan Fine Arts Park and the Dajia Riverside Park pale in comparison with the underground Zhongshan Metro Shopping Mall or the many pubs and bars in the district. It’s a tough choice.

Shida

Once a not-so-hotspot of mom-and-pop vendors, Shida has seen an upsurge of cool over the recent years – thanks in part to its proximity to the National Taiwan Normal University (not to be confused with the National Taiwan University). The Shida night market is smaller than its Shilin counterpart and dining is more tourist-friendly – especially after a late and alcohol-fuelled night. Try the chicken leg rice at Precious Taste and the DIY grease fix at any of the carts lining Shida Road Lane 39 – simply load up a container and hand it to the cook for deep-fried perfection.

TAIPEI EAT & DRINK

An unfortunate side-effect of Taiwan’s Western focus is that many people in Taipei – residents and visitors alike – roam the streets with steaming polystyrene plates and takeaway containers full of either Western fast food or cheap and stinky fermented bean curd. The markets are a great snack choice, but Taipei has some of the best and most diverse food in Asia, so don’t miss it.

TAIPEI EVENTS

A time of family reunion and fanatical celebration, the Taipei Lunar New Year Festival in January/February is an excuse for several days of unadulterated revelry. It’s followed by the six-day Lantern Festival. If you’ve never seen tens of thousands of colourful lanterns mark lit up, it’s quite a site.

The patron saint of fishermen is celebrated at Taipei’s Matsu Cultural Festival each April. But even if fishing leaves you bored stupid, the elaborate rites and festive frolics are worth seeing.

April also brings the cherry blossom-laden Yangmingshan Flower Festival, when locals celebrate the beginning of spring.

The city is a winter wonderland during October’s Taipei Hot Spring Season. Actually, ‘winter wonderland’ is a bit of an exaggeration, but the relative lack of humidity does make it the perfect time to visit the city’s surrounding mountains.

Taipei’s Golden Horse Film Festival each November/December is a local culture junkie’s wet dream, honouring Chinese language cinema.

Taipei locals dedicate one month to the ghosts at the Ghost Festival (August). Some people indulge in four days of non-stop chanting, which kind of puts trick-or-treating in perspective.

Commemorating the attempt to rescue Chinese poet Qu Yuan from drowning, the Taipei Dragon Boat Festival (late-May or early-June) features over 100 dragon boat teams from around the world.

10 October is Double Tenth National Day. Cue huge public parade, spectacular fireworks and an elaborate concert…

The Mid-Autumn Festival is celebrated in Taipei with traditional moon-gazing and not-so-traditional barbeques.

WHEN TO GO

· The humidity in Taipei can turn you into a sweat-soaked mess just by stepping outside, so if feeling sticky isn’t your thing, October and November are the best months to visit.

· With its tropical climate, rain can be expected at any time of year. But December and January are generally the driest months.

· Taipei enjoys a moderate climate, with summer highs rarely scraping 30°C and winters rarely dipping below 10°C.

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WHAT TO MISS

· Don’t go to Snake Alley expecting to see live snake performances – there are few, and they’re generally just sales techniques.

· Cheap bean curd. It’s everywhere, but is best avoided.

· The Miramar Entertainment Park Shopping Mall. Impressively big, but irritatingly generic.

GETTING AROUND

· Take a pen if you’re planning to catch a cab, as drivers will usually need the destination written down.

· Buses are crowded and dusty, but they get around the convoluted streets quickly thanks to marked bus lanes.

· Watch the fast-closing doors on the MRT subway, and double-check the map to find the closest station.