Day 1: Taipei
We landed in the afternoon, so we headed straight to check in to our Airbnb (at Zhongshan District, Xingtiangong station). Following that, we decided to check some night markets off the list. Our first destination was Wufenpu. My sister and I outgrew quite a bit of the Taiwanese/Korean fashion so we didn't get anything. But, if you're looking for cheaper t-shirts, skirts, pants etc, this is the place to go. It reminded me of Ehwa district in Seoul. There are quite a number of shops selling guys' clothes too! We took a walk down to Raohe Night Market for dinner and to soak in the Taiwan atmosphere. You should have small bites at the night market because there are just so many things to try! If this is your first time, just be daring and have a taste of the different types of cuisines. Since we're Singaporeans and Singapore has such a huge range of Taiwanese food, we skipped the trying and went straight for things that we liked. Captions are below the pictures.
You should see this sign for the entrance
This is the first store you'll encounter! They sell black pepper pork buns and there should be a long queue for it but it moves quickly
They bake the buns in these things!
This is how the black pepper pork buns look like
There are many stalls selling beef cubes. You should try them!
Taiwanese fried oyster. Honestly I prefer the taste of the Singapore ones but these are more generous with the oysters.
Day 2: Taipei (Yangmingshan hike, Shilin)
We had breakfast at this quaint little cafe called Zhenfang because it was near our accommodation. The signature toast is highly recommended! The rest of the toasts are pretty standard and can be found at other Taiwanese breakfast toast joints as well.
Signature toast - egg, cabbage, cheese, peanut butter, sausage patty
Things to bring on the hike: snacks, water, raincoat (especially in summer), windbreaker (gets rather windy at the top), shades/cap
Time required: hiking time is about 3.5 hours up and down, travelling time takes about 45 min up from Jiantan station and 1.5 hours back from Xiaoyoukeng trail end point
Directions to Yangmingshan:
- Take a train to Jiantan station. From there, take any of the buses you see at the interchange that goes to Yangminshan. There are multiple buses and usually the queues are extremely long and filled with university students because there is a university on Yangmingshan. The bus journey is approximately 45 min long.
- Walk up to the Visitor's centre. The walk there along is a little hike of about 700m. There are some signs along the way, but you can also ask the locals, they are always willing to help!
The visitor's centre is the starting point for the trails. There are signs to direct you to the various trails up to the Seven Stars peak, which is the highest peak on Yangmingshan. We chose the Miaopu trail, which is the fastest and the steepest way up.
The trail is filled with many stairs, so be prepared to sweat and climb! Also, if you go in summer like we did, it rains quite a bit so the stairs get slippery. Be careful when you step on them! It's about the same the whole way up, with some flat ground along the way.
The signage indicating the start of the trails
Group photo on the way up
The peak was too cloudy and windy that day!
We took the Xiaoyoukeng trail down. This is the recommended trail heading down because the slope is gentler and there are less stairs so it's not as dangerous when it rains. There are many sulphurous spots along the way and they do smell like rotten eggs so you'll definitely know that you're on the right track if you encounter them. Otherwise, the signages are pretty good and easy to follow!
Scenery for Xiaoyoukeng
Took the bus back to Jiantan station and continued to explore Shilin since it's at the same area. We were a bit early for the night market but Shilin has some shopping area as well and I managed to find more clothes that were more suitable for my style! Honestly, I felt that the night market was disappointing because they changed it to an underground one and there isn't much anymore. Still, we managed to find some food there (all the stalls are similar after awhile).
Day 3: Taipei (Day trip to Jiufen and Shifen, Ximending)
I would recommend to put the day trip out to Jiufen and Shifen together because they are on the same Pingxi train line. You can opt to buy a day pass that lets you enter and leave the train for an unlimited number of times in a day, but we decided to just focus on Jiufen and Shifen so we didn't get the pass.
Directions to and fro Jiufen:
- By train: take the mrt to Taipei Main Station and buy a local train ticket to Ruifang. At Ruifang station, walk to the police station and take bus 788/827 from the bus stop called "district square" in front of the police station. Jiufen is about 4km away.
- By bus: 1062 travels from Zhongxiao Fuxing station to Jiufen and back
Directions to and fro Shifen:
- By train: From Ruifang station, take a train towards Jingtong on the Pingxi line
- Note: there is no direct way to get from Jiufen to Shifen. You will need to go back to Ruifang.
We opted to go to Shifen first by train before heading to Jiufen and then back to Taipei via bus 1062.
Things to do at Shifen:
1. Shifen waterfall - it's about a 15-20 min walk depending on your walking speed. It's free, and it's rather pretty but you'll experience some splashes from the waterfall, and because it's near the mountainous region, rain has a higher tendency to fall.
2. Walk through the Shifen old street and have a hand at releasing the lanterns, taking photos on the railway, eating street snacks, drinking bubble tea. It's a quaint old street and makes very nice photos!
Take a touristy photo at the waterfall
Stroll along small rivers
Take a picture along the railway when trains are not passing by!
Lantern releasing
Things to do at Jiufen:
Walk around the old streets and try various types of food that have made their name internationally. Jiufen is like the asian version of Santorini and looks rather similar to Gamcheon Cultural Village in Busan, Korea.
The santorini of Taiwan
Please try the fishball vermicelli! They're cheap and good
Menu for the fishball vermicelli (it's the third from the left and costs 45 NT)
Lai Ah Po Taro Balls
Honestly not my favourite because it was just all starch and sugar. Overrated.
This is the cafe inspiration for some scene in Spirited Away!
The famous Ah Chung Mee Sua is here!! It's a bowl of rice vermicelli with a starchy gravy that contains pig organs. I highly recommend eating it with chilli and vinegar.
Hotstar fried chicken has also opened a franchise at Ximending so that makes such a good snack as well. These are the 2 must-eat Taiwanese food for me.
Ah Chung Vermicelli
Menu - Small 55NT, Large 70NT
Hotstar fried chicken!