Taipei in 4 days: night markets, beef noodles & lantern-lit Jiufen
Four days in Taipei and New Taipei: three night markets (Ningxia, Raohe, Shilin), soy-milk breakfasts, xiao long bao and beef noodles, Longshan Temple and Dadaocheng, a Jiufen–Shifen day trip with taro balls and sky lanterns, Beitou's steaming Thermal Valley, and the Elephant Mountain sunset over Taipei 101.
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- Day 13 pm – 9 pm · 2 stops
- 3 pm1Dihua Street & Dadaocheng strollTaipei
Taipei's oldest merchant street in Dadaocheng: tea merchants, traditional medicine shops, fabric sellers in Qing- and Japanese-era shophouses. The alley-level walk Mitchell asked for — no single sight, just the street itself.
8 min by train or taxi · 1.8 km - 6 pm2Dinner: Ningxia Night MarketTaipei
The connoisseur's pick: small, old-fashioned, almost entirely food — four Michelin-listed stalls in a couple hundred metres. Braised pork rice, oyster vermicelli, fried taro balls. Locals' favorite, minimal tourist circus.
- Day 29 am – 9:30 pm · 6 stops
- 9 am3Breakfast: Fu Hang Dou JiangTaipei
Taipei's legendary soy-milk breakfast at Huashan Market: savory soy milk, shaobing flatbread, egg pancakes. Go before 10am or join the famous line — firsthand regulars say it's worth it once.
8 min by train or taxi · 2.6 km - 11 am4Longshan TempleTaipei
Taipei's oldest temple (1738), still packed with worshippers. Incense, fortune-telling, a working folk-Buddhist/Taoist mix — the historical heart of Wanhua.
3 min walk · 200 m - 12:15 pm5Bopiliao Historical BlockTaipei
Preserved Qing-dynasty and Japanese-era streetscape two minutes from Longshan: brick arcades, exhibitions, film-shoot backdrops. Quiet contrast to the temple crowds.
8 min by train or taxi · 3.1 km - 1:15 pm6Lunch: Din Tai FungTaipei
The xiao long bao that made Taipei famous. The Xinyi original is a few blocks away; this branch takes the same 18-fold soup dumplings with shorter waits. Order the truffle and the taro buns too.
20 min walk · 1.5 km - 3 pm7Chiang Kai-shek Memorial HallTaipei
The white-and-blue monument with the vast plaza. Changing of the guard on the hour — time your visit for it, then walk the gardens.
10 min by train or taxi · 5.9 km - 6:30 pm8Dinner: Raohe Street Night MarketTaipei
The food-first visitor's market: one straight street from the Ciyou Temple gate to the illuminated arch, five Michelin-listed stalls. Join the queue at the temple entrance for Fuzhou black-pepper buns — it moves faster than it looks.
- Day 39:30 am – 7 pm · 4 stops
- 9:30 am9Shifen WaterfallNew Taipei
The 'Niagara of Taiwan' — a 20-metre curtain fall a short walk from Shifen station. Do this first, before the Jiufen crowds build.
15 min walk · 1.1 km - 11:30 am10Shifen Old Street sky lanternsNew Taipei
Sky lanterns released from the active rail tracks — decorate one with wishes and send it up. Snack the tracks-side stalls while you wait your turn.
13 min by train or taxi · 8.0 km - 2:30 pm11Jiufen Old StreetNew Taipei
The lantern-lit mountain town: Ah Gan Yi taro balls (hot or cold), peanut ice-cream rolls, fish-ball soup, grilled king-oyster skewers. Arrive mid-afternoon, eat your way up Jishan Street.
8 min by train or taxi · 3.7 km - 5:30 pm12Tea at A-Mei Tea House at duskNew Taipei
The red-lantern facade from every Jiufen photo. Terrace seats (300 TWD minimum spend) have the unobstructed lantern view — the hillside lights up around 6pm. Line forms from 5:30 on weekends.
- Day 49 am – 10 pm · 4 stops
- 9 am13Beitou Thermal ValleyTaipei
'Hell Valley' — a jade-green sulfurous crater lake steaming at 90°C. The otherworldly end of the Beitou hot-spring valley; pair with the Hot Spring Museum if time allows.
17 min by train or taxi · 11 km - 12 pm14Lunch: Lin Dong Fang beef noodlesTaipei
Taiwan's national dish done right: braised beef, chewy noodles, rich dark broth at this long-running Zhongshan shop. Firsthand regulars order it with dumplings.
8 min by train or taxi · 3.5 km - 4:30 pm15Elephant Mountain sunset hikeTaipei
Twenty minutes of stairs from Xinyi Rd Sec 5 Lane 150 for the classic Taipei 101 sunset shot. Go late afternoon, stay for the city lights.
13 min by train or taxi · 8.1 km - 7:30 pm16Farewell: Shilin Night MarketTaipei
The biggest and most famous — basement food court plus warren of alleys. Farewell blowout: giant fried chicken cutlet, oyster omelette, stinky tofu, bubble tea. Touristy, loud, and the correct final night.