Things to Do in Taipei - Top Attractions, Hidden Gems & Must-See Sights

Taipei has a volcanic hot spring district built right into its public transit system, and that fact alone makes Beitou unusual. Take the MRT to Xinbeitou Station and you are immediately in a neighborhood where sulfurous steam drifts from drains and the smell of minerals hangs in the air. The springs here draw from the Datun volcano group, producing three distinct water types: green sulfur (acidic, at Thermal Valley), white sulfur, and iron-rich springs. Thermal Valley, the most dramatic spot, reaches temperatures above 80 degrees Celsius. You cannot bathe in it, but standing on the viewing platform and watching the green water churn is eerie. For actual soaking, the public outdoor Millennium Hot Spring charges around NT$40 (roughly USD 1.30) and has several pools at different temperatures. Private bathhouses along the valley road range from budget to luxury. One MRT ride transports you from skyscrapers to a landscape of steam, old Japanese-era buildings, and forested hillsides. Visit the Beitou Hot Spring Museum nearby (closed Mondays) to see the Japanese colonial bathhouse that started it all. The whole area pairs well with a hike up to Yangmingshan, which sits just above.

The sheer scale hits you before anything else. The memorial complex covers 250,000 square meters, and the main hall rises 70 meters into the sky, clad in white marble with a blue octagonal roof. It was built in 1980 to honor former president Chiang Kai-shek, and whether you see it as a monument to history or a politically complicated relic, the architecture commands attention. The changing of the guard ceremony at the top of the main hall happens on the hour and draws big crowds. The surrounding Liberty Square is equally important. Flanking the plaza are the National Theater and the National Concert Hall, both built in a traditional Chinese palatial style. Together they form the National Performing Arts Center. The square itself has become Taipei's default location for large gatherings, from political rallies to outdoor concerts to New Year celebrations. It is one of the top sights in Taipei, and understanding its dual role as both monument and public space tells you a lot about the city. The hall is open daily from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM and admission is free. The closest MRT station, Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall on the Red and Green lines, drops you right at the edge of the grounds.

This museum holds nearly 700,000 Chinese artifacts spanning 8,000 years, making it one of the largest collections of Chinese art anywhere. The collection was shipped from Beijing's Forbidden City during the civil war in 1948, and it ended up here after a long journey through wartime China. The museum opened at its current Taipei location in 1965. Only about 7,000 pieces are on display at any time, with ceramics and paintings rotating every few months. The star pieces are surprisingly small. The Jadeite Cabbage, carved from a single piece of jade with two grasshoppers perched on its leaves, draws the biggest crowds. The Meat-Shaped Stone looks so much like a piece of braised pork belly you will do a double take. Beyond these famous items, the bronze collection with its lengthy inscriptions and the Song Dynasty landscape paintings are extraordinary. The museum sits in the Shilin district, about 30 minutes by MRT and bus from the city center. It is closed on Mondays. Tuesday through Sunday, hours run from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM.

For over five years, from 2004 to 2010, this was the tallest building on earth. At 508 meters with 101 floors above ground and 5 below, Taipei 101 still dominates the city skyline and remains Taiwan's tallest structure. The design by architect C.Y. Lee stacks eight segments meant to resemble bamboo, a symbol of growth. The elevators to the 89th-floor observatory move at 1,010 meters per minute, reaching the top in 37 seconds. That alone is worth the trip. Inside sits the world's first tuned mass damper open to public viewing, a 730-ton golden sphere suspended between the 87th and 92nd floors to counteract typhoon winds and earthquakes. The outdoor observation deck on the 91st floor is open on clear days and gives you an unobstructed panorama that makes the indoor deck feel like watching TV. The basement mall area has a massive food court, and the luxury shopping floors above street level are worth a browse even if you are just window shopping. Every New Year's Eve, the building becomes the centerpiece of Taipei's countdown with fireworks launched directly from the facade. On regular nights, the exterior lights cycle through a color scheme based on the day of the week.

Most capital cities do not have an active volcanic national park within their borders. Yangmingshan covers 11,338 hectares of mountains, fumaroles, hot springs, and grasslands on Taipei's northern edge. The park was first protected during the Japanese colonial period in 1937, and the current national park was established in 1985. Qixing Mountain, the highest peak at 1,120 meters, rewards hikers with views that stretch to the ocean on clear days. The park changes dramatically with the seasons. Cherry blossoms cover the hillsides in February and March, calla lilies bloom on Zhuzihu farms in April, and the silver grass on the擎天崗 plateau turns golden in autumn. The sulfur vents at Xiaoyoukeng are active year-round, hissing steam and coating the rocks yellow. Unlike the polished tourist zones downtown, Yangmingshan feels raw. Trails range from gentle hour-long walks to full-day ridge hikes. Getting there takes about 40 minutes from Taipei's Jiantan MRT station by bus (route S15 or 260). The park has no single entrance fee, though individual attractions like the Zhuzihu calla lily farms may charge a small fee seasonally.

Originally laid out as Taipei New Park in 1903 during the Japanese colonial period, this 71,520 square meter green space was renamed in 1996 to commemorate the February 28 Incident of 1947, a civilian uprising that led to decades of martial law. The memorial at the park's center and the 228 Memorial Museum tell that story directly. It is not a comfortable history, but it is essential to understanding modern Taiwan. The park itself is a mix of Japanese-era structures, Chinese garden elements, and open lawns. The National Taiwan Museum sits at the northern entrance, its colonial-era facade visible from the street. Walking paths wind through old banyan trees, past a gazebo-style bandshell, and around ponds. On weekday mornings, elderly residents practice tai chi on the lawns. On weekends, families spread out with picnics. It occupies a central Taipei location near the Presidential Office Building, making it easy to fold into a walking route through the government district. The park is open 24 hours and free to enter. It is one of the quieter places to visit in Taipei, especially compared to the intensity of nearby Ximending shopping district just a few blocks west. If you are working through things to do in Taipei and want a pause between temples and night markets, this is a good one.

This museum was once a public bathhouse, and you can still see the original bathing hall on the ground floor. Built in 1913 during the Japanese colonial period, it was modeled after European-style bathhouses with a two-story structure: the upper floor in Japanese wooden style for changing rooms, the lower floor in Western brick for the baths. The building was designated a city heritage site in 1998 and reopened as a museum in the same year. The Great Bath on the lower level is the main draw. The Roman-style arched hall still holds its original thermal pool, and the steam rising from the water gives the room a surreal quality. Upstairs, exhibitions cover the history of Beitou's hot spring culture, from its origins as a Japanese resort town to its complicated postwar years as an entertainment district. English signage is limited but adequate. The museum is closed on Mondays and open Tuesday through Sunday from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM. Admission is free. The museum sits steps from Xinbeitou Station and about a 5-minute walk from Thermal Valley. Among the best museums in Taipei, this one is worth 30 to 45 minutes before or after a soak at one of the nearby public bathhouses. It adds context to the entire Beitou district and helps you appreciate what you are soaking in. Among things to do in Taipei, pairing this museum with an actual hot spring visit makes for a complete experience.

Taipei calls this its "urban lung," and at 25.9 hectares right in the center of the Da'an district, the nickname fits. The park opened in 1994 on land that had been designated as Park No. 7 for decades. Dense tree cover, a jogging path, a children's playground, and a small ecological pond make it feel surprisingly wild for a space surrounded by apartment towers on every side. The ecological pool on the west side is the quiet highlight. Herons and egrets wade through the shallows, and in summer the lotus blooms draw photographers in the early morning. The amphitheater hosts free concerts on weekends. Walking the full perimeter path takes about 30 minutes at an easy pace, and the rows of camphor, banyan, and maple trees create genuine shade even in Taipei's brutal summer heat. Compared to the more historic 228 Peace Memorial Park across town, Daan is purely recreational. Daan Park MRT station sits directly beneath the park on the Red Line. The park is open 24 hours, free, and rarely feels crowded except during cherry blossom season in late January and February. It is one of the better places to visit in Taipei when the city wears you down and you need 45 minutes of quiet. Among things to do in Taipei, sometimes the best move is sitting still.

At just 184 meters, Elephant Mountain is not much of a climb. But it gives you the single best photograph of Taipei 101 framed against the city skyline, and that is why the trail is packed every evening before sunset. The mountain sits at the eastern edge of the Taipei Basin in the Xinyi District, part of a four-peak chain called the Four Beasts Mountains. The hike from the Xiangshan MRT station to the main viewpoint takes about 20 minutes up steep stone steps. The payoff is immediate. From the rock outcrops near the top, you look directly across at Taipei 101 with the sprawl of the city stretching behind it. Sunset is the prime time, when the tower catches the last light and then switches on its colored exterior lighting. Bring water. The climb is short but steep, and Taipei's humidity makes even a 20-minute hike feel longer. On weekends, expect to wait for a turn at the most popular photo spots. The trail connects to the other Beast Mountains if you want a longer walk, but most people head straight for the overlook and back. Free, open all day, and satisfying in under an hour.

Before it became Taipei's main creative arts hub, this was a sake and camphor wine factory built during the Japanese colonial era. The distillery operated until 1987, then sat abandoned for over a decade before artists began squatting in the empty buildings in 1999. Today the old warehouses and barrel rooms hold rotating exhibitions, indie bookshops, design stores, cafes, and small theaters. The name comes from the year the original factory was established. The atmosphere is somewhere between a European industrial arts district and a Taipei weekend hangout. Red brick walls, exposed pipes, and vine-covered facades give it a texture that the glass-and-steel Xinyi shopping district lacks entirely. On weekends, the central lawn fills with families and couples. Gallery exhibitions change every few weeks, ranging from contemporary art shows to pop culture collaborations. Most are free to enter, though ticketed blockbuster exhibitions happen a few times a year. It is open daily from 11:00 AM to 9:00 PM. The park sits in the Zhongzheng district, walkable from both Zhongxiao Xinsheng and善導寺 MRT stations. A 15-minute walk south brings you to the bustle of Yongkang Street for lunch.

Shilin is the biggest night market in Taipei and the most visited by tourists. It sprawls across multiple blocks around the historic Shilin Market building, bounded roughly by Wenlin Road, Jihe Road, and Xiaobei Street. The market opens around 4:00 PM daily and runs until midnight. In 2018, it topped OpView's survey as Taiwan's most-discussed night market online, and it has been the default recommendation for visitors for years. The underground food court in the main market building is where the action concentrates. Stall after stall of oyster omelets, stinky tofu, pepper buns, and massive fried chicken cutlets the size of your face. Giant squid on sticks, shaved ice mountains, bubble tea by the liter. The ground level has clothing stalls, games, and more food. It is loud, crowded, and occasionally overwhelming. If you have only been to quiet night markets elsewhere in Asia, this scale will catch you off guard. Shilin is a place to visit in Taipei at least once. The market is a short walk from Jiantan MRT station (not Shilin Station, despite the name). If you find the crowds too intense, Ningxia Night Market and Raohe Street Night Market offer a more focused, food-centric experience with fewer souvenir stalls. But Shilin is where Taipei does things to do in Taipei at maximum volume.

Covering 8.2 hectares on Nanhai Road, the Taipei Botanical Garden has been a research site for Taiwan's Forestry Research Institute since the Japanese colonial era. It is not a flashy attraction, and that is precisely why it works. The garden holds a documented collection of tropical and subtropical plants organized by themed sections, and walking through it on a weekday morning you might have entire stretches to yourself. The lotus pond is the centerpiece. From June through August, pink and white lotus flowers cover the water surface, and the boardwalk around the pond fills with photographers at dawn. The Qing Dynasty-era Qincha Xingshi building (a national heritage site) sits inside the park grounds, and the nearby National Museum of History neighbors the garden on its south side. Older banyan trees here have root systems that look like they are slowly swallowing the pathways. The garden opens daily at 5:30 AM and closes at 8:00 PM. Compared to the much larger Daan Forest Park, the Botanical Garden is more curated and historically layered. It is one of the quieter places to visit in Taipei and sits in the Nanhai Road cultural corridor, within walking distance of the 228 Peace Memorial Park and the Presidential Office. Among things to do in Taipei, this one is best for a morning walk before the heat sets in.

Xinbeitou Station is the gateway to Taipei's hot spring district. It sits at the end of the short Xinbeitou MRT branch line, a quick spur off the main Red Line that takes less than 5 minutes from Beitou Station. Step off the train and you are immediately in the Beitou hot spring area, with the thermal valley, public bathhouses, and the Hot Spring Museum all within a short walk. The original wooden Xinbeitou Station building, dating from the Japanese colonial period, was dismantled in 1988 when the railway was decommissioned. After a long public campaign, the restored structure was relocated to a small park right next to the modern MRT station in 2017. The old wooden building now functions as a heritage exhibit, showing what Taipei's railway stations looked like before modernization. It is a small stop, but the contrast between the preserved timber building and the sleek MRT station behind it captures Taipei's approach to its own history. As a place to visit in Taipei, Xinbeitou Station is more of a starting point than a destination. Combine it with Beitou Hot Springs and the Hot Spring Museum for a cohesive half-day trip. The station area has several cafes and restaurants if you need fuel before hiking up toward Yangmingshan. Among things to do in Taipei, the Beitou loop is one of the most satisfying day trips you can do entirely by public transit.

Perched on a hilltop in the Neihu district, Bishanyan is one of the largest temples in Taiwan dedicated to Kaizhang Shengwang, the Tang Dynasty general Chen Yuanguang who is revered as the patron saint of Zhangzhou settlers. Locals consider the mountain sacred, and the temple has been a pilgrimage site for generations. But the real reason to come is what you see from the temple terrace, not what is inside it. The platform in front of the temple looks out across the entire Taipei Basin. During the day, you can trace the Tamsui River winding through the lowlands. At night, Taipei 101 glows in the distance, the Grand Hotel's red columns are lit up on the opposite ridge, and planes land at Songshan Airport right below you. It is one of the best night views in the city and far less crowded than Elephant Mountain. The temple is open daily from 6:00 AM to 9:30 PM. Getting here takes some effort. Bus routes from Neihu MRT station bring you partway, but the last stretch involves either a steep road walk or stone steps through the forest. That effort filters out most tourists, making Bishanyan one of the genuine hidden gems in Taipei. If you have already done the Elephant Mountain sunset and want something quieter, this is the upgrade. Among things to do in Taipei, this temple-and-viewpoint combination is hard to beat.

While tourists line up at Shilin, locals eat at Nanjichang. This small night market on Zhonghua Road Section 2 in the Zhongzheng district has been running since 1986, growing out of a public housing community built on the site of a former military airfield ("Nan Ji Chang" means "south airfield"). The market is compact, just a few short lanes, and almost entirely focused on food rather than souvenirs or games. The stalls here have the kind of consistency that comes from serving the same neighborhood for 40 years. Look for the scallion pancakes (cong zhua bing), the pork rib soup, and the lu wei (braised everything) carts. Nothing costs more than a few dollars. The atmosphere is purely local: families from the housing blocks above, office workers grabbing dinner, and very few cameras. If you have eaten your way through the big markets and want to know where Taipei actually eats, this is one of the hidden gems in Taipei worth finding. The market opens around 5:00 PM and runs until midnight. There is no MRT station directly at the door; the closest is Longshan Temple station, about a 10-minute walk. Compared to the scale of Shilin or the foodie cred of Ningxia, Nanjichang is tiny and unpolished. That is the point. Among things to do in Taipei, this is the night market that earns trust through repetition, not spectacle.

Tucked into the basement of a financial building on Jianguo North Road, this was the first museum in Asia dedicated entirely to miniature art. The collection consists of dollhouses and architectural models built at 1:12 scale using real construction materials, with some pieces at 1:24 and 1:48. Many were custom-commissioned from European and American artisans, and the level of detail is absurd: working chandeliers the size of your thumbnail, hand-bound books no bigger than a stamp, furniture with visible wood grain. The museum appeals to a very specific kind of visitor. If tiny, perfectly crafted replicas of Victorian mansions, Buckingham Palace, and baroque churches make your brain light up, you will spend two hours here and leave happy. If miniatures are not your thing, you will be done in 30 minutes and wonder what you just paid for. It is niche, but within that niche, it is world-class. The collection spans over 200 pieces across multiple themed rooms. Open Tuesday through Sunday from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM, closed Mondays. Among the best museums in Taipei for something completely different from the history and art museums that dominate the city. The Zhongshan district location is near Songjiang Nanjing MRT station. Among things to do in Taipei, this one is polarizing: people either love it or are indifferent. Check photos online before committing.

Standing at the north entrance of 228 Peace Memorial Park, this is Taiwan's oldest museum. It was established during the Japanese colonial period and the main building, completed in 1915, is itself a national heritage site with a Greek Revival facade of Corinthian columns and a domed rotunda. The collection covers natural history, indigenous cultures, and Taiwan's ecological diversity. It is a compact museum. You can see the main building in about an hour. The museum has expanded in recent years by converting nearby historic buildings into branch galleries. The Land Bank Exhibition Hall across the street, housed in a former bank vault building, adds geological and paleontological exhibits, including a full-size dinosaur skeleton that surprises most visitors who came expecting a small local museum. The Railway Ministry Park, a few blocks south, is another branch worth visiting for its preserved Japanese-era government offices. Among the best museums in Taipei, the National Taiwan Museum works best as part of a broader 228 Park visit. The main building is closed on Mondays. Tuesday through Sunday hours are 9:30 AM to 5:00 PM. The location in central Taipei, steps from NTU Hospital MRT station, makes it easy to combine with the nearby Presidential Office and Taipei Botanical Garden. Among things to do in Taipei, this museum delivers more depth per square meter than many larger institutions.

Opened in 1983, this was Taiwan's first public art museum and the first dedicated to contemporary work. The building sits inside the Expo Park in the Zhongshan district, a brutalist grid of white concrete and glass that contrasts sharply with the traditional Chinese architecture you see at places like Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall. The collection focuses on Taiwanese modern and contemporary art from the late 19th century onward, with rotating exhibitions that pull in international work. The museum represents Taiwan at the Venice Biennale and commissions ambitious installations that fill its cavernous ground floor. Past shows have ranged from large-scale video art to politically charged retrospectives of Taiwanese artists who worked under martial law. The permanent collection gives a crash course in how Taiwan's art scene evolved through colonialism, authoritarianism, and democratization. It is not a casual browse. Plan at least 90 minutes. Hours are Tuesday through Friday from 9:30 AM to 5:30 PM, with extended Saturday hours until 8:30 PM. Closed Mondays. Among the best museums in Taipei, this one is the most rewarding for anyone with an interest in Asian contemporary art. The surrounding Expo Park has walking paths, a weekend market, and the Taipei Story House next door.

In a 2015 city government survey, Ningxia won five categories at once: best food, most fun to browse, most charming, most eco-friendly, and friendliest night market in Taipei. That is an unusual sweep for a market that covers just one short block of Ningxia Road in the Datong district. The market opens around 5:00 PM and closes at 11:30 PM, and the focus is almost entirely on traditional Taiwanese street food. The specialty here is old-school Taipei comfort food. Taro balls in sweet soup, pork liver soup, egg crepe rolls (dan bing), oyster omelets, braised pork rice (lu rou fan), and deep-fried taro balls stuffed with ground pork. Many stalls have been family-run for two or three generations. The market runs down the center of the road with stalls on both sides, and you eat standing at counters or at small tables set up on the pavement. It is more intimate than Shilin and more traditional than Raohe. Ningxia is a 10-minute walk from both Zhongshan and Shuanglian MRT stations, and a short walk south from the Xinzhongshan Linear Park area. Among the food markets in Taipei, this is the one where the food comes first and the tourist infrastructure comes second. If you want a night market that tastes the way Taipei tasted 30 years ago, Ningxia is it.

Raohe is Taipei's second-oldest tourist night market and arguably the best one for food. The market runs along a single straight street in the Songshan district, roughly 600 meters from end to end, with a grand entrance gate at the east end near the Ciyou Temple. It opens at 5:00 PM daily and runs until midnight. The single-street layout means you can walk the entire market, eat everything that catches your eye, and loop back without getting lost. That simplicity is its greatest strength. The food here is legendary. The black pepper bun stall (hu jiao bing) at the entrance gate has had a permanent line since the 1990s. The bun is filled with seasoned pork and green onion, slapped onto the inside wall of a tandoor-style clay oven, and pulled out when the crust is blackened and crispy. Beyond that, you will find medicinal herbal ribs soup, stinky tofu, oyster noodle soup, flame-torched beef, and the famous Fuzhou black sesame buns. Prices cluster around NT$50-100 per dish. Compared to the sprawl of Shilin, Raohe is more manageable and more focused on food. It is where to eat in Taipei if you want to try multiple dishes in one concentrated walk. The closest MRT station is Songshan, which puts you right at the market's west end.

Also known as Linjiang Street Night Market, Tonghua operates on a dual schedule: it is a daytime produce market in the morning and a night market from about 6:00 PM until midnight. Located in the Da'an district near Taipei 101, it is the most convenient night market for anyone staying in the Xinyi or Da'an areas. The market stretches along Linjiang Street and its side alleys, and the crowd here skews more local than Shilin or Raohe. The food leans toward sit-down meals rather than walk-and-eat snacks. Hot pot restaurants, grilled seafood stalls, and noodle shops line the street. The standout is the concentration of shaved ice and dessert stalls, some of which have been covered in local food media for years. Mango shaved ice in summer (roughly April through October) is a must-order. The market also has a decent selection of clothing stalls and household goods, but the food is why you come. Tonghua Night Market is about a 10-minute walk from Xinyi Anhe MRT station on the Red Line, or a 15-minute walk from the base of Elephant Mountain. If you plan to hike Elephant Mountain for sunset, walking here afterward for dinner is a natural pairing. Among the food markets in Taipei, Tonghua is the neighborhood regular: not the biggest, not the most famous, but reliably good.