Is A Week Trip in Taipei Enough? Here’s What I Thought!

Taipei is the first that comes to my mind as a first time traveler to Taiwan. Taiwan is one of the many countries I wanted to see and experience.

Looking at the globe, it’s just right above the Philippines, within the same timezone and just about 2 hours flight away.

I hope to share the positivity, excitement, and ideas you can do when you visit Taiwan too!

I kind of have several reasons why I dreamed of visiting Taiwan. Let me tell you a little throwback to warm this blog up.

When I was younger... ["younger" sounds better than just  "young", isn't it?], in the rural place where I grew up, there was this Taiwanese series released in the Philippines that I always hurried home from school to catch up and watch. 

Can you guess what it is? Clue: Jerry Yan starred in it.

Even before I became a KDrama fan, I was a TWdrama fan.

Honestly, though, I can't remember much about it, maybe because I was younger then and can only watch a series on the blurry TV, relying on the single antenna installed in the highest point of our house.

There's one particular TWdrama that I still remember until now.

Would you happen to have a guess?

No, it's not Meteor Garden. [I was very young when that was released and became popular in the Philippines. ]

It was "Hotshot" released in 2008. In this drama, I was particularly charmed by Show Lo. I enjoyed this Taiwanese series so much, making me want to come to Taiwan.

Jumping to 2023, I met a Taiwanese lady during a layover in Singapore. We joined the same tour group. As we still had a lot of time to kill before our next flight, we decided to get some local snacks and drinks together with another friend.

We practically talked about random but real stories of our lives. We instantly became friends.

Of course, our conversation went on and on. I told her about my interest in visiting different countries, including Taiwan. My foremost reason is to experience flying a lantern with all my wishes. She told me, she could recommend places and things to do if ever I’d come. That excites me even more!

I believed in manifestation, with action. I always think of coming to Taiwan. So my actions would follow through.

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I was very optimistic but silent about it.

At that time, I already had a plan of when to go and the number of days to take leave, though resources were limited, it seemed doable if you know what I mean… hehe

But you know what?

What we plan sometimes just doesn’t happen the way we want it to happen.

Things got messier for me. Pushing this trip to happen was just impossible – well, that’s what I thought then.

It’s already obvious that the Taiwan trip happened, so no need for the details on what happened in between. Insert Let’s skip to the good part!

If you’re planning to come to Taiwan soon, I hope my DIY itinerary will give you ideas on what you can do in Taiwan, specifically in Taipei!

Day 1 – Flying to Taiwan!

Let me be frank here, there’s nothing really special on the first day. It was the “night” of the flight from the Philippines to Taiwan. The itinerary is just me taking the flight.

Day 2 – Arrived in Taiwan, Elephant Mountain, Nigxia Night Market

It was past midnight when the plane landed at Taoyuan International Airport. For the sake of following the actual itinerary, allow me to count this on Day 2.

As soon as I stepped out of the aircraft, my heart was full of excitement. As I walked through the moving walkway, the “Welcome to Taiwan” sign hit warmly to me.

Another dream come true for me.

The first thing in my itinerary is to find the lucky land machine. I was looking forward to it!

This is a lucky draw for those foreign independent travelers who hold foreign (non-ROC) passports and will stay in Taiwan for 3-90 days.

For Philippine passport holders, we can enter and stay up to 14 days in Taiwan under the visa exemption program, which is currently ongoing until July 2024.This is also available for Thailand and Brunei passport holders.

Just a heads up, individuals holding diplomatic, official, or service passports are not eligible for visa-free entry.

Let me share some quick details about the “Taiwan the Lucky Land” draw.

How does it work?

1. You will need to register at least 1 day and within 7 days before arrival in Taiwan.
2. Once you arrive in Taiwan, you will draw using the lucky land machine at the arrivals hall of airports in Taiwan.
3. What’s awesome is? Once you win, you’ll get your prize on the spot. 

What’s the prize for this?

It’s a whopping $5000 NTD worth of e-vouchers! Find out more here

In my case, I got a “try again next time“! _^HAHAHA

I went to a convenience store to buy and top-up an Easycard.

This Easycard is important and handy to have, especially if you’re planning to take a commute during your trip to Taiwan.

One thing I can tell you now, even before you go on with my stories, the transportation system is great in Taiwan! So, go get yourself a card, you can use Easycard or iPass. You can also purchase them via Klook in advance.

Confuse which to get? Don’t sweat it! They have the same function. They are just from different companies.

The Taoyuan International Airport is still about 47.8 km away from Taipei City. There are many options to travel from the airport to the Taipei center.

For late-night travel, I took the Kuo-Kuang Bus 1819 Route to Taipei Main Station. The travel time was less than 35 minutes, and the bus was comfortable as it was clean and seats could be reclined. You can purchase the ticket in Klook too!

After arriving at the Taipei Main Station, I took an Uber to the hotel. Funny thing here, despite sleeping so late, I made sure to set an alarm to get up during the free breakfast time.

Who doesn’t love free breakfast? I don’t know about you, but I do!

I don’t have an itinerary in the morning considering that I still need to get some zzz. Also, it’s just technically the first day I can go around in Taipei, so I wanted to keep the expenses at a minimum.

I was just too excited to see INFINITE so I went to the New Taipei City Exhibition Hall to get a feel of how to get there and hoping to buy a Yeobong [Though it wasn’t originally included in my itinerary].

You can read “My Unforgettable INFINITE Comeback Again Concert in Taipei” to know what happened over there!

Then I went to hike the Elephant Mountain.

I planned to see the sunset in the Elephant Mountain Viewpoint. It didn’t happen! ^_hahaha, not all plans happen anyway!

Let me insert a bit of a quirky situation here...

Before flying from Manila, it was already raining due to the typhoon named Hanna. But Hanna followed me to Taiwan. So it was raining and mostly windy during my trip to Taiwan.

I miscalculated the hike time, plus the weather conditions then, the longer path Google has led me on, and what I always forget to bring – water, it was a tough hike.

I wonder why this place is called “Elephant Mountain” However, there are several elephant sculptures to see along the way.

It felt like a never-ending stairs to take. I wasn’t afraid though because the trail was well lit up. If you ask me how long the hike was?

Hmm… 2 hours, maybe?

I’m proud of myself for not giving up because after reaching the peak point, I was rewarded with a beautiful view at night.

I had a great time watching the city lights and the spectacular Taipei 101. It is truly stunning! I don’t think I would ever think of Taiwan without this iconic building.

When I reached the summit, there were a lot of tourists and photographers enjoying the captivating view. Despite the rain, a lot of people came to hike. It’s one of those hikes that I will never forget. Good thing the umbrella survived, despite the windy weather.

The Elephant Mountain alone, already made my Taiwan trip unforgettable.

I highly recommend anyone who’s reading this to visit this place. Just be sure you’re fit, in good health condition, and ready for the hike.

On my way to return to the hotel, I happened to pass by Ningxhia Night Market. I took the chance to take a walk there.

This night market offers a wide variety of street food. There was so much food selection, that I kind of regretted it because I wasn’t able to try any food except the guava juice. It was good!

Day 3 – INFINITE’s Come Back Again Day 2 concert in Taipei

I intentionally free this day for other activities than attending INFINITE’s Come Back Again Day 2 concert in Taipei.

For fangirls or concertgoers, you agree that you’d need to come to the venue ahead of time to line up, especially if there are perks or fan benefits you’d need to get.

Despite the concert will start at 4 PM, I can’t add activity as I’m saving my energy and want to have fun at the concert.

Which I surely had! Yayy!

I wrote about “My Unforgettable INFINITE Comeback Again Concert in Taipei” too.

It’s a very exciting experience, you’ll have fun reading it – I promise!

Day 4 – Spontaneous slash Productive Day in Taipei!

Of all the days I’ve planned, Day 4 is the most available one.

What this means is, I can do anything or go anywhere I want since it’s a free day. Considering that it’s the day after the concert, so I wanted to be sure I have enough rest, and I don’t have to be bothered by a scheduled tour or something.

Did that make sense? hehe

Even if it is a free day, I have a list of places to go, but without particular order. Wherever feels right to go, I’ll go!

Long Shan Temple as the first stop!

Fun fact: Longshan Temple is a wonderful mix of the Taoist, Buddhist, and Confucian faiths.

The Long Shan Temple is open daily from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.

It is the most famous ancient temple in Taipei. This was built in 1738 by settlers from the Chinese mainland and the temple was where residents worshipped the Guanyin Bodhisattva.

I went inside the temple to observe how locals pray and admired the bronze dragon pillars, works of wood, and the stone carving on the wall and ceiling.

Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall next!

I went to Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall afterward.

Actually, this is a wide area where you can find the majestic monument dedicated to Chiang Kai Shek, a major figure in China and Taiwan’s history. He is a former president of Taiwan.

Part of my itinerary is to watch the changing of guards that happens every hour. Truth is, I forgot about it until I noticed many people were rushing to get inside the hall and I realized this occasion was about to happen.

There were many people also came to watch this event. This is one of the most popular sights to see when you visit the Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall.

Outside the memorial hall, you’ll be facing Liberty Square Arch which was built in the 1970 and serves as the main entrance to Liberty Square.

The gate is huge, and appealing to the eye. Towards the left side is the National Theater and the National Concert Hall at the right. The middle part is a large plaza, and even the floor is uniquely designed.

If you stand in the middle, your eyes will enjoy the beauty of this Taiwanese architecture wherever you look. It’s a must-visit and experience if you come to Taipei.

The weather then was too cloudy, too windy and there were rain drizzles from time to time. Now that I'm writing about it, I think that is for the better.

I mean what if it was raining heavily or the heat was scorching because of the summer, then I might have not enjoyed the place as much as I enjoyed then. It's merely my opinion, okay?

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It’s a lovely place to visit. Plus, there’s no entrance fee!

I didn’t want to miss the Taipei 101 observatory!

As the evening approached, despite the weather, I wanted to take another chance and catch the sunset in Taipei.

I went to the one and only Taipei 101!

This building includes a mall. In order to get to the 89th-floor observatory, I took escalators up to 4th floor. Then a few steps from the 4th floor, there is an open area to the 5th floor, where you’ll also purchase or redeem the entrance ticket to the observatory.

Good thing I’ve already booked the entrance through Klook.com

But then, there’s still a queue to get into one of the fastest elevators in the world!

I had never been so excited to take a lift until that day. I was looking forward to that experience and I wondered how it would feel like.

When it was my group’s turn, I knew we were excited about this. We had to get my phone and record how fast it was to take the lift to the 89th floor. It didn’t even take a minute! Isn’t that cool?

As soon as we reached the 89th floor where the indoor observatory was, I knew I had to find an observatory spot! I immediately took the first available seat I saw.

The whole sky was covered by clouds, so there was no luck with the sunset. But still, the view is breathtaking!

I took the chance to set my phone for a time-lapse video. I knew it would look interesting! I also don’t want to miss the chance to enjoy a snack while appreciating the beauty of Taipei.

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You can see the unobstructed view of Taipei that will leave you in awe!

This is the tallest building, or should I say skyscraper I’ve been to in my life so far.

The 89th floor isn’t just for the city view, there are also cafes, souvenir shops, a variety of photo spots, photo machines, a binocular, post-drop boxes, etc.

One of the coolest things I saw here is the wind damper. It is a 660-metric-ton (728-short-ton) tuned mass damper (TMD). The ball is huge, located between the 87th and 92nd floors.

This stabilizes the tower against movements caused by high winds, and even earthquakes. Learn more here.

I decided to send a postcard from Taipei 101. I hope I did it right because it’s my first time.

It was a free day loaded with activities!

Day 5 – Group Tour to North East side of Taiwan

This day started crazily till the end!

Well, I booked a tour and the call time was 7:45 A.M. at one of the entrances in Taipei Main Station. When it comes to a scheduled tour, I always make sure to adjust the time in my itinerary. My goal was to be in the meeting place at 7:30 A.M.

I "Sharon" the free breakfast just to avoid getting late. Hahaha ["Sharon" is a Filipino fun word for the act of packing foods from a party, or event to bring home - mostly for leftovers]

As I expected even before this trip, Taipei Main Station is huge. So, I took an Uber to get to the supposed entrance.

After dropping off, I was so chill because I already saw the tour buses and I believed I was at the right place. BUT! None of those buses were on the tour I booked, so I called the tour guide, went inside the station, went out again and I still can’t find the tour I’d be joining.

A very chaotic start to the day, luckily they waited and I managed to join the tour.

The tour bus departed, and the tour officially started.

A beautiful sunny day in Yehliu Geopark

Our first stop is the Yehliu Geopark. This is located on the north coast of Taiwan, where the landscape of honeycomb and mushroom rocks eroded by the sea can be found. This is about an hour travel from Taipei Main Station.

As compared to the past few days of this trip, this day’s weather is just perfect. It felt like the date of the tour I decided was just right.

The tour guide told us about the famous Queen’s head to find in Yehliu Geopark, so I have set my mind to make sure I get to see it.

When we got to the Yehliu Geopark, our tour guide gave us our entrance ticket and we were free to roam around the geopark for an hour.

It was nice to start the tour in this place because there were still fewer people and it didn’t take long to queue and get a photo taken in the popular Queen’s head. Yes!

As there are many rock formations in this park, you can use your imagination as you look at any of them. As for me, the time wasn’t enough to see all of them there, but I enjoyed the art made by Mother Nature.

When you visit Yehliu Geopark, make sure to wear sunscreen because this place is an open area, there’s no shade as you go around the park. Don’t forget to also observe the signs and lines, are there are restricted areas.

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What’s the tea? in Jiufen Old Street!

This is an old gold mining town that has a significant part of Taiwan’s history.

While on the way, our tour guide told us about the history of this place. “Jiufen” means “nine units” or “nine sections” as they said only 9 households were living in this town before, and that’s where the name of this town came from.

One of the famous delicacies here is the pineapple cake. It was believed that if you ate a pineapple cake before mining, it was a good luck charm for you to get more gold. Sadly though, I didn’t get to try this. I can’t even tell you why, ^_hehehe

It’s a narrow way to climb up to enjoy Jiufen Old Street. Our tour guide asked who’d want to have tea in this popular quaint old tea house, which is a hundred years old.

As I love drinking tea, and I can’t resist watching the overlooking coastal view, I volunteered!

I have tried the freshly brewed oolong tea set. It comes with different snacks, and it costs $300/per person. I know, it’s quite expensive. This is the most expensive tea I have to date.

They demonstrated how to prepare the tea, which added to the experience. It was nice as I have learned how to serve the brewed tea.

I can’t remember how many teacups of tea I made and drank because I already spent my lunch allowance on this, and I’m saving the rest for the next stop.

Before returning to the bus, that’s the time I got to take some photos in Jiufen Old Street.

I made wishes in Shifen Old Street!

I was truly looking forward to it! The Shifen Old Street!

I’m finally sending lantern wishes off to the sky! I wanted to do this for a very long time!

It was past 2 p. m. as we were approaching the Shifen Old Street, it was mesmerizing to watch lanterns fly to the sky. This is the best location to release the lanterns because it’s an open area.

As soon as we reached the old railway, we heard the warning that the train was coming. We were in luck because this train passes by every hour, we’re only staying there for 45 minutes.

The tour guide said it’s a great sign that our wishes to release here will come true. [Fingercrossed]

We went to the lantern shop and wrote our wishes on 4 sides of the lantern. Each color represents what the wish is for.

There are options to get a single or multi-color lantern.

If you want to wish for everything, then you can get the 8-color lantern.

After writing the wishes, the lantern shop attendant guided us to the railway and took photos of our wishes from all sides before releasing them into the sky.

This was a very quick activity and I’m glad my lantern flew well.

The remaining time is for us to explore the Shifen Old Street. Aside from lanterns, there are snack shops, boba tea shops, and souvenir shops.

I wasn’t able to explore them much, but I still fulfilled my dream of flying a lantern in Taiwan. By the way, Jingan Bridge is also a few steps away.

It’s a great photo area too!

I fell… in the beauty of Shifen Water Falls!

Our final stop for the tour is the Shifen Waterfalls, the Little Niagara Falls in Taiwan. It’s about a 20-minute walk from Shifen Old Street.

On the way to the Shifen Waterfalls, we passed by the old railway used for transporting the mined coal a long time ago. We also crossed two (2) suspension bridges along the way.

Thank God for the amazing climate that day, the sun’s rays created two (2) rainbows. Since it had also been raining the days before, there was such nice flowing water down to the river.

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There’s just one word I can think of right now. It’s enchanting!

As we were about to conclude the tour, I decided to get a snack and a souvenir. Then the tour bus took us back to the Taipei Main Station. I shopped for a few pasalubong to bring back home and went to the hotel to rest.

Do you think the day was over? The day, yes! But the night is still young!

Ximending Market, it is!

I just went there to have dinner. I was knackered to explore more. _^hehe

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Day 6 – A laid-back adventure in Gongliao District!

I was very dramatic and emotional that day. I can’t get into so much detail about it, but basically, my day started like I wanted to go somewhere but I also didn’t want to go. It’s very confusing, isn’t it?

But then, who wants to waste a day just like that?

The original itinerary was supposed to be in the morning as I planned to go to the beach, in the northeast coach of Taiwan. But it was already late!

I thought I should just go somewhere closer, for sure there are a lot more places I could see. The thing is, I also don’t know where to go last minute.

I guess my itchy feet and inquisitiveness were just unstoppable.

At that time, the next train going to Fulong Station is coming from Beimen Station. I tried catching it with all my running skills but then, boom! I was a minute late!

A lot of crazy train scenarios happened next

So the next scheduled train to Suao will be in another hour but in Taipei station. It was still a long walk away from Beimen, but my fault for leaving so late. It was almost 4 pm and I didn’t even know if the decision to still go was right.

Fulong Station is about an hour and a half train travel from Taipei Station. Imagine what time I’d get there, and what else I can do there.

Anyway, the train came but it didn’t stop where we were waiting.

So, we had to run to the train, and I think they were saying to hurry up. I can’t miss this train again!

For the first time in Taiwan, I was worried if I was on the right train. Each train that stopped at Taipei station was going to a different destination, and I couldn’t afford a mistake to happen then.

You know I kept looking in the maps if I was on the right route and checking the LED signage. I was anxious!

I felt a lot better after reaching Fulong Station. I was excited that I had reached my destination. What I didn’t know, the train staff would wait for all the people to exit the turnstile. I was taking my time to exit – LOL. I realized I was the last one when I saw them immediately closing it after I passed through.

The moment I exited the station, I saw a very laid-back place. The vibe is just really calm and peaceful. It’s just what I needed that day.

There were bike rental shops just across the road, and I’ve been wanting to ride one since I came to Taiwan. The first shop I went to though was already closing for the day. It was already 5 p.m.

On another block, there where a group of tourists who seemed to be renting bikes too. A very nice lady assisted me with the bike rental. As I was wearing a dress, she offered to switch the bikes with the platform I could put my feet on. It was such a sweet gesture.

One thing though, it was the first time I’d be trying an electric bike. I never tried one and I was scared! I knew how to ride a bike, but I was just really nervous about it. [First time syndrome]

To get comfortable with it, I had to practice a few back-and-forth test rides in an alley. Then the ride went on!

I loved how calming the Fulong village was. It was a nice place to chill and just enjoy the beautiful mountains and beach views. The breeze, the weather, and the vibe are just… wonderful!

While I was riding the bike, I was also giggling. I can’t believe I had to go such a distance just to ride the bike. But you know what, it was my favorite activity on this Taiwan trip. Yeah!

My original plan was to see the sand castles as they happened to have an annual sand sculpture festival, but I didn’t get to see them up close. Not too sad about it! I loved the freedom I had there.

I just rode the bike and stopped where I wanted to stop. I crossed the Longmen suspension bridge. While exploring, I also saw the Dongxing Temple.

I enjoyed more places than I had planned. It was indeed the right decision to go! I would have regretted it if I didn’t.

After returning the bike, I had a nice dinner just across the road.

Here’s another crazy train scenario again…

I saw online that there are still a few train schedules back to Taipei Main Station, so I thought I’d just chill and take my time.

Until!…

I realized the last direct train to Taipei Main Station is about to leave in 2 minutes! So you can imagine me running and running again.

Then I went on the wrong side of the platform, so I had to run and run again.

But yeah, I made it on time! After I got seated, the train departed…

Before I return to the hotel, I can’t miss this one thing! Really! I can’t believe that was the last night of my trip, but I still haven’t had it.

I went to another night market, this time in Shida Night Market. It was a small night market as compared to the first two night markets I went to the past few days, but still, it was a nice experience.

I went there to look for a BOBA MILK TEA! Then I took the chance to try some snacks too. I wanted to shop but my “money don’t jiggle2x, it’s gone” already. ^_Hahaha

That was unbelievably a busy day!

Day 7 – It’s time to say goodbye, for now, Taipei!

I told myself this day that if only I were rich, I would probably stay for a few more days. I seriously fell in love with Taipei.

As I will have an early flight back to the Philippines, I couldn’t have breakfast. I just bought a takeaway food, then I took the express train to the airport this time.

As I just came right at boarding time, I was only able to eat breakfast during the flight. Then shortly later, I was back in the Philippines. Mabuhay!

My Taipei DIY itinerary isn’t perfect, yet it’s uniquely memorable!

At the airport, I saw this donation box where you can donate your receipts. The receipt will go to an organization, where they may win something out of those receipts. 

I think it's such a nice thing in Taiwan since receipts are usually thrown out and that's it. But in Taiwan, this gives hope especially those who are in need as they may win something out of the donated receipt.

So, is a week enough?

Just saying yes or no is very subjective.

If you simply want to visit Taiwan and see the most popular tourist spots, then probably it’s more than enough.

If your goal is to experience more than just the famous tourist spots or the thought of living in that place came for once, then I must say, you’ll need more than just a week.

As for me, I enjoyed and fell in love with Taiwan during this trip and it calls me to come back again.

If there’s a chance in the future, I’d love to return and explore more.

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So much of WHO we are is WHERE we have been

WILLIAM LANGEWIESCHE

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To my dear readers, thank you so much for visiting my blogs and enjoying my stories.

I don’t write perfect travel stories, I write real ones. If you want to join me on my next trip, feel free to contact me.

There are more stories here.

Love lots – Marez

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