4 Days in Taiwan: The Perfect Taipei Itinerary

I landed in Taipei knowing almost nothing about it. My expectations were low. Four days later, it had become one of my favorite cities in Asia.

Taiwan was the last stop of my 15-day cruise around Asia, and I stayed four nights at the end before flying on to Shanghai. Best call of the whole trip.

Taipei is a proper hidden gem. Most people skip it or use it as a quick stop before flying elsewhere. That is a mistake, and I want to change your mind.

The first thing that hit me was the calm. Clean streets, quiet corners, polite people, green parks everywhere. It felt like the order of Japan with the warmth of Southeast Asia. I went in January, and the weather was mild.

So here is how I spent 4 days in Taiwan: three days in the city and one big day trip into the mountains. That one day gave me red lanterns in Jiufen, a mini Niagara waterfall, sky lanterns, and a whole village of cats, all within an hour of Taipei.

This Taipei itinerary only covers the city and a few nearby spots. Taiwan is far bigger than that, and you could easily spend two or three weeks here. But if 4 days in Taiwan is all you have, this is how I would spend them.

Things to know before visiting Taiwan

Taiwan is one of those places you barely hear about until you go. Then you wonder why nobody told you how cool it is. A few things to know first:

Taiwan is a small island in East Asia, next to China. It’s about seven times smaller than Romania, yet it has everything: modern cities, mountains, beaches, and storybook villages. The capital, Taipei, is spotless.
Most nationalities get 30 to 90 days visa-free, and your passport needs six months of validity. One rule you cannot skip: fill in the Taiwan Arrival Card online before you land. It is free and digital only, at twac.immigration.gov.tw.
Taiwan is almost fully cashless. Card or phone works nearly everywhere, so just keep a little cash for the markets. The currency is the New Taiwan Dollar, roughly 32 TWD to one US dollar.
For data, I used an eSIM from Airalo. Plans run from 3 to 30 days at good prices, and it worked the moment I landed.
One small thing I loved: many crossings let you walk diagonally too. You cross in one go instead of waiting twice, and it quietly saves time.
Taiwanese people are some of the most polite I have met. No eating or drinking on the metro, and everyone keeps quiet. And do not tip. It’s not a thing here, and it can even feel rude.

Where to stay in Taipei – best areas and hotels

When it comes to where to stay in Taipei, the trick is simple. Stay central, and stay near an MRT station.

The best areas are Xinyi (around Taipei 101, modern, malls everywhere), Ximending (young, buzzy, alive at night), Zhongzheng (by Taipei Main Station), and Da’an (green and full of cafes). Any of them keeps you close to everything.

We stayed in an apartment in Ximending, and I would do it again. The location was spot on, right in the middle of the action. It was a little cramped, but that is just how space works in Taipei. Just avoid booking far out to save a few euros, because you will spend the difference on taxis.

Here are my picks for where to stay in Taipei, sorted by budget. Click each one to check prices and availability:

Low budget: Mayer Inn. – a comfy, modern base with air-conditioned family rooms, private bathrooms and free WiFi, just 5 km from Songshan Airport and close to hiking trails, rated a solid 9.3 by couples
Mid-range: Dandy Hotel – Tianjin Branch – bright, modern boutique rooms with free WiFi and free laundry, 5 minutes on foot from Zhongshan MRT, buffet breakfast included
High-end: The Okura Prestige Taipei. – luxury rooms, a heated rooftop pool with panoramic Taipei views, a spa and three restaurants, just a 5-minute walk from Zhongshan MRT

4 days in Taiwan: the full day-by-day itinerary

Day 1: Old Taipei, temples, and the buzz of Ximending

Start in the historic heart of the city, where you will find some of the best things to do in Taipei. My first stop was the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, a huge white monument with a blue roof, set at the end of the largest public square in the country. Entry is free, and it looks like a postcard. Time it for the top of the hour to catch the changing of the guard, now held outdoors on the plaza (they skip it when it rains).

Now a little secret. Right next to the memorial sit gardens that most people walk straight past. On Google Maps they show up as Lehou Garden or Guanghua Lake. You get pagodas, bridges, and ponds full of koi. I have a soft spot for gardens like these, and these were my favorite in the city. One of the calmest corners in Taipei, and free.

From there, head to Longshan Temple, the city’s most famous, founded in 1738. It is very much alive: grandmothers doing divination, students praying for exams, incense in the air. Go at dusk, and it is free.

Save the evening for Ximending. People call it the Shinjuku of Taipei, and it earns the name. Neon, street performers, arcades, tattoo parlors, endless snacks. It only wakes up after dark.

This is where I understood Taiwan’s love for pop culture. People walked around dressed as anime characters, like they had stepped out of a cartoon. The street style caught me off guard too. The girls here dress so well, and I spent half my time people-watching.

This was also my first ever Pop Mart store, and it was game over for my wallet. Thousands of tiny dolls, all ridiculously cute, and just like that I had a collection. Consider yourself warned.

Day 2: Taipei 101, Elephant Mountain, and a night market feast

Day two is all about going up.

First, Taipei 101, the tallest building in Taiwan and one of the top things to do in Taipei. It stands 508 meters across 101 floors. It was the first building in the world to pass half a kilometer, in 2004, and it stayed the tallest until the Burj Khalifa in 2010.

The design is inspired by bamboo, built from eight stacked modules of eight floors (eight is lucky here). Because Taiwan gets earthquakes and typhoons, the tower hides a giant 660-ton pendulum near the top. It steadies the building during quakes, and you can see it up close.

The elevator shoots you to the 89th floor in about 37 seconds. A ticket for the observatory costs 600 TWD, around 19 dollars. Go up before sunset and plan to stay a couple of hours, because you will not want to rush this. The view is one of the most beautiful I have seen from a tall building, all the way to the mountains and, on clear days, the sea. Watching it shift from day to night was the highlight, and it easily makes my top three.

Fun fact: In January 2026, climber Alex Honnold, the guy from Free Solo, scaled the outside of Taipei 101 with no ropes, live on Netflix. He reached the top in about one hour and 31 minutes and set the record for the tallest urban free solo ever. I visited the same month, so it was the talk of the town.

After lunch, earn your dinner on Elephant Mountain, a short walk from Xiangshan MRT. Fair warning: the stairs are steep and endless, and it gets crowded. My legs were burning by the top. But I made it all the way up, and it was worth every step. This is the best view of Taipei 101 you will get. Set aside half a day and time it for sunset.

End the night at a night market, a must here and a huge part of the culture. I went to Raohe, which is compact and easy to walk. The energy reminded me of Bangkok‘s markets, only cleaner and calmer. I even saw someone walking a pig on a leash through the crowd, a first for me, and the old fairground games threw me straight back to childhood.

Now, a word on the food. It’s not really my thing. Taiwanese cooking leans heavily on pork, which I do not eat, so my options were limited. Stinky tofu is famous here, and one whiff was enough to skip it forever. The street food sweets are the exception, so go for those. Souvenir shops everywhere sell cheap local sweets too.

Day 3: The best day trip from Taipei (Jiufen, Shifen Waterfall, and a cat village)

This was my favorite day, and the best day trip from Taipei I could have picked. Everything below sits within about an hour of the city, and most of it is free.

Getting there: you can go by train and bus, but the buses got confusing fast, so we leaned on Uber. With at least two of you, Uber is cheap and saves you decoding timetables. We also walked a lot. For zero stress, a guided tour covers the whole loop.

One bus ride did win me over, though. We had no clue how to pay, but the driver just smiled, waved us in, and started chatting like an old friend. He even said we looked far younger than we are, which carried me through the whole day.

Jiufen came first, one of the prettiest places in the country. A village built into a hillside, all narrow lanes, red lanterns, and tea houses, with the ocean below. It genuinely felt like a Studio Ghibli film. We stopped for tea and watched the hills roll down to the sea. My favorite find was a tiny shop making ceramic cats you could whistle through, like little clay flutes. I did not expect to fall for a clay cat, yet here we are.

Next came the star of the day. People call Shifen the Little Niagara, and you see why. It is the widest waterfall in Taiwan, about 20 meters tall and 40 meters wide, and it is free. You reach it across a suspension bridge over the Keelung River, which is half the fun. A smaller waterfall sits nearby too, Yanjingdong Falls, and the site has viewing platforms on every side.

A few minutes away is Shifen Old Street, and this one is magic. Visitors write wishes on colorful lanterns and release them into the sky. We did not launch one ourselves, we just watched them float up, and that was lovely enough. The Pingxi railway runs right through the street, so every now and then a train rolls past.

Our last stop was Houtong Cat Village. In theory, cats are everywhere. In reality, I found about ten, and the rain started the moment we arrived, so I don’t blame them. It is a former mining town, now full of cat-themed shops.

If you are staying a few days in the city, this day trip from Taipei is worth every minute.

Day 4: A relaxed last day – old streets, hot springs, and one more market

By day four you have seen the big stuff, so slow down. These are the spots I would add, and a couple are still on my list. Pick based on your energy.

Dadaocheng and Dihua Street: Taipei’s old commercial quarter, full of historic shophouses, tea shops, and cafes.
Beitou: the hot spring district, a quick MRT ride away. Soak your legs and let Elephant Mountain fade. Great in winter.
Maokong Gondola: a cable car up to the tea plantations, with tea houses and city views up top.
One last night market: Ningxia is small and local, Shilin is the big famous one. Either works.

If you can stretch the trip, add the National Palace Museum for world-class Chinese art, a sunset in Tamsui, or the strange rock formations at Yehliu Geopark.

Best tours in Taipei

If you would rather not wrestle with timetables, book a guided tour. It is how I travel when I want zero logistics. In Asia I book mine on Klook, since it’s what everyone actually uses here.

The classic day trip from Taipei is the Jiufen, Shifen, and Houtong Cat Village loop, my whole day three in one ride. You will also find walking tours, food tours, hop-on hop-off buses, and skip-the-line tickets for Taipei 101. Click the ones you like and check the dates.

What to know before visiting Taipei

Is 4 days enough for Taiwan?

Four days is great for Taipei plus one big day trip, and this Taipei itinerary is built around exactly that. Taiwan itself is much bigger, so to see the whole island, plan for 10 to 14 days.

What is the best way to get around Taipei?

The MRT, hands down. It is clean, cheap, and always on time, and you just tap in with an EasyCard. Uber is cheap for the day trip. The buses work, but I found them confusing. And the city is walkable, so pack comfy shoes.

Is Taipei expensive?

Not at all, and this is one of my favorite things about it. MRT rides cost well under a dollar. A night market snack runs a dollar or two, and a full graze-y dinner rarely tops 10 dollars. A comfortable mid-range day lands around 80 to 140 dollars per person, and your hotel is what really moves that number.

Is Taiwan safe?

Extremely. It is one of the safest places I have traveled, and I walked around late at night without a second thought.

Do I need the Taiwan Arrival Card?

Yes, every visitor does. Fill it in online at twac.immigration.gov.tw before you land. It is quick, free, and skipping it can slow you down at immigration.

When should I visit, and what should I pack?

Spring and autumn are ideal, and winter is mild. A light jacket was enough in January. Summer is hot, humid, and typhoon season, so pack a rain layer either way.

Do people speak English?

Some do, mostly in tourist areas and hotels. Elsewhere, Google Translate makes daily life a lot smoother.

How do I get from the airport to the city?

I arrived by cruise, docked at the port, and took an Uber straight to Ximending. If you fly into Taoyuan Airport, the Airport MRT reaches Taipei Main Station in about 35 minutes for 160 TWD. Buses and taxis work too, and your EasyCard covers it.

Taipei surprised me in the best way. It is calm, clean, full of kind people, and packs a lot into a small, walkable space. If you have 4 days in Taiwan, spend them here. You will not regret a single one.