Taipei travel info

Six in the evening at the gate of Raohe Night Market, and Taipei introduces itself through your nose. In front of the gold-eaved Ciyou Temple, a cook slaps pepper buns onto the inside wall of a clay oven while the smoke from stinky tofu and soy-glazed corn drifts down the line. Look up between the shoulders and Taipei 101, stacked like bamboo segments, is already lit.

Mornings run on a different track. Dozens of scooters idle in a single row at the crosswalk, waiting for the light, and in the side streets soy milk steams out of giant pots. Old buildings have covered arcades at street level, so when a downpour hits out of nowhere you can keep walking for blocks without an umbrella. Beef noodles on Yongkang Street for lunch, a half-sugar bubble tea in the afternoon, and the day is gone.

The metro is spotless, the signs are bilingual, and since July 2026 you can tap the same contactless credit card you use at home straight onto the gates. Around sunset, climb the steps of Elephant Mountain for twenty sweaty minutes. Sit on the boulders at the top and Taipei 101 is right at eye level.

Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport (TPE)

Taipei Songshan Airport (TSA)