places to stay:

last time i went i stayed at Journey Town Inn in Songjiang Nanjing, which is on the green and orange metro lines. this is one of my favorite hotels i’ve ever stayed in. it’s a small boutique hotel that’s located on the 6th floor of a multi-use building. frankly it’s kind of hard to find but once you find the entrance once you won’t have a problem. It’s also very conveniently located next to the subway exit, an amazing bakery, a 7-11, and many delicious restaurants. the only caveat is that it’s kind of in a “business district” so there’s not much nightlife but it’s easy to get to other poppin’ spots. the hotel itself probably has around 10 or fewer units all on the same floor, and the middle lobby feels like a cozy living room. it’s classic but also clean/modern and the rooms are super spacious. the owners are very personable, friendly, and helpful, and if you have LINE, you can communicate with them regularly to ask for recommendations and local tips.

other popular areas: ximen, taipei main station, zhongshan, taipei 101 area

transportation:

within taipei, you can get anywhere with a combination of subway/bus/walking. you can also uber if you’re feeling tired 😄 you can buy and load an EasyCard (or yoyo card) at any convenience store and top it up either at the store or at a subway station. EasyCard also works throughout Taiwan for transportation and sometimes even buying food!

fun fact: taiwan has gone crazy in terms of design with these transit cards so you can get really cute ones shaped like pokemon keychains or spy-family themed ones. i personally have a pompompurin one and i love it

i’m not sure why but google maps doesn’t work quite as well here for subways. it often recommended me routes with a lot of bus transfers when i could just transfer by subway (more reliable). usually what I do for places near a subway station is to just look at the subway lines and figure out my own route. the trains come frequently and transfers are super easy.

FOOD:

‼️ **Google Maps List** - this is so you can import to google maps and easily look up the spots as you walk around! it also serves as a TLDR if you don’t want to read 😄

• Xiang La Hotpot (lunch/dinner)
  • There are a ton of hotpot spots all over Taipei but this was one of my favorites. It’s super clean and modern, there’s a huge variety of meats and vegetables, and all you can eat ice cream/slushies/beverages. They also open 11:30am-2am which is amazing*.*
  • It does get busy so try to go on a weekday rather than a weekend or see if you can call to make a reservation.
• Yonghe Soy Milk King (breakfast)
  • There’s a huge breakfast culture in Taiwan and a large range of classic foods like egg crepe pancake, fan tuan (stuffed rice ball), sandwiches and toasts, soy milk, and more. Most people will probably tell you about Fuhang Soy Milk but the line is ridiculous and I think Yonghe Soy Milk King does the job. There’s also a ton of breakfast spots scattered around the city that mostly sell the same variety of items.
• Liu Shandong Beef Noodles (lunch/dinner)
  • I think this place got a Michelin star at some point so the lines got pretty long, but if you go earlier and on a weekday it should be fine. It’s a very casual, almost-janky, sit-down place with small stools, napkins dispensed on the wall, and people often sharing tables. This is the spot that my dad’s family went to growing up and they swear by it. They sell 4 “components” - broth, beef, pork chop, and noodles, and you can get any number of variations of it. Soup + meat, soup + noodle, noodle + meat, soup + noodle with meat on the side. Whatever floats your boat. It’s delicious.
• Wangtea Lab (tea/cafe)
  • Wangtea Lab was recommended by my good friend and cafe aficionado, Varun, and it does not miss. You should definitely get tea, AND most importantly, the tieguanyin mochi dacquoise. I can’t explain how good this pastry is and I’m shocked I’ve never come across a dacquoise in the US, but it was seriously one of the most delicious pastries I’ve ever had in my life. Outside of the food/drink, the design of this place is immaculate, kind of a brutalist minimalist Japanese vibe.
• Starbucks Reserve Bao’an Shop (cafe)
  • This is a really special 3-story Starbucks Reserve located in a historic building that seems to used to make preserved pineapple. This area is known as the “Daodacheng” near the famous Dihua St which hosts a lot of historic markets and food stalls near the old trading port. The Starbucks itself has beautiful architecture and has an “aesthetic college study hall” vibe, with a lot of students actually doing homework and studying. Also there was this grapefruit oolong drink that was amazing.

Bonus food recs:

I want to respect the 5-6 rec limit but there’s so many favorites in Taipei that I’ll leave some extras for you here.

• 綠咖生活概念店 greengreengreen cafe (cafe)
  • This cafe is near Taipei 101 and kind of hidden within the alleyway. In order to get to the actual cafe you have to open this non-descript door and walk up a flight of stairs. The cafe itself is this beautiful open-air, plant-filled space with high ceilings and natural lighting. There’s plenty of seating in various types so you can do anything from study/work to read or catch up with a friend. I wouldn’t say the drinks are my absolute favorite because I’m not a big coffee girlie and it’s on the expensive side but the french toast here was randomly really good.
• 三重知高飯 (lunch/dinner)
  • I stumbled across this place while looking for another spot actually (Shih Chia Big Rice Ball). This place feels very local and doesn’t really have any particular attraction for tourists. It’s just a simple and casual restaurant that serves braised meats, rice, and a variety of veggies almost in to-go, bento-box form. I love it because it hits the nostalgia of simple Taiwanese food and Taiwanese flavors, it’s cheap, and it easily fulfills carbs + protein + vegetables/fiber in one meal.