What to Do in Taipei: Night Markets to Mountain Hot Springs

Daytime: Temples, Tea and Views

Start at Longshan Temple, still a working temple thick with incense, then the National Palace Museum if you want the greatest Chinese art collection on earth. In the late afternoon, hike Elephant Mountain — 20 sweaty minutes of stairs to the classic Taipei 101 viewpoint at sunset. For a slower day, ride the metro to Beitou for public hot-spring baths in a volcanic valley, or the gondola up to Maokong's hillside tea houses.

Night Markets: The Main Event

• Raohe Street — the connoisseur's pick: black pepper buns from the entrance stall, single narrow lane, peak quality per metre.
• Shilin — the biggest and most famous; go for the chaos, the games and the fried chicken cutlets bigger than your face.
• Ningxia — compact, food-focused, beloved by locals for oyster omelettes and taro balls.
• Stinky tofu rule: smell it once, try it once — it tastes far better than it smells.

The Night: Xinyi Rooftops to KTV Dawn

Ximending is the neon youth district for street performers and cheap bars; the Xinyi district around Taipei 101 holds the flashy clubs and rooftop lounges; and Da'an's side streets hide the city's craft cocktail bars and speakeasies — our Taipei nightlife guide has the full breakdown. Then there's KTV: multi-floor karaoke palaces with room service that run until dawn, and honestly one of the best nights out in Asia.

Getting Around

The MRT is spotless, cheap and easy — grab an EasyCard, note the roughly midnight close, and remember eating and drinking are banned inside stations. Taxis and Uber are inexpensive after hours. YouBike share covers the riverside paths, and the whole city is safe to walk at any hour.