A couple years ago, I spent all of my AirAsia miles on a round trip ticket to Taipei. Even since I was in high school, I have been wanting to see Taipei 101. So when the visa requirements were waived for Philippine passport holders, I just started scraping all my extra money and just saved hard for the trip.
And it's actually one of the best I had so far.
Taiwan is an undeniably beautiful city. It has the best of both urban life and nature. And the food is just to die for.
I know we're still in the middle of a pandemic but it's never to early to start planning your next out of the country trip once all this is over, I would like to share the highlights of my solo travel.
I also added in a complete downloadable itinerary with estimated costs at the end of this post. 😉
Taking the metro. Public transportation is really a great way to save money when travelling abroad. While other countries still are struggling in this area, Taiwan has actually slayed it. The country has the best transport system that I have ever been to - and that is going up against first world countries. It is extremely easy to navigate. In this trip, I picked up a metro card at the Taipei airport and just loaded that up as needed.
Street food. Taipei has plenty of night markets and you can always find a variety of street food to munch on while you shop. It definitely is a candlyland for both foodies and those who want to try the country's local food.
One with nature. As I have mentioned, Taipei boasts the best of both urban and natural worlds. Their city is incredible and their nature is mesmerising. I had the chance to visit various natural parks such as Yehliu Geological Park, Yangmingshan and Maokong. I don't think any words would be enough to describe the beauty of those places.
Din Tai Fung. Because what is a Taiwan trip without a visit to the famous Din Tai Fung restaurant serving the best (I think) xia long baos in the entire world. The wait was crazy. When I got to the restaurant in Taipei 101 at 2:00pm, there was an incredibly long line. I was in for a two-hour waiting time. I even had the time to go up to the Taipei 101 observatory, had a short stroll at the mall and still had to wait 15 more minutes at the restaurant. But all of that was worth the wait. They really have the best xia long baos!
Go all the way to the top of Taipei 101. I think there's no better way to see the grandeur of Taipei than being 1,200+ feet above the ground. The price is also very reasonable for the experience. There was a long queue when I got there so I suggest you book online and also get a discount.
Shopping at Ximenting. I did not shop my heart out at Ximenting but I definitely could have had if I wanted to. The place is bustling with tons of shops selling endless amounts of anything you can imagine. Not to mention there's also so much choices of street food and milk tea shops!
Experience authentic Taiwanes culture at Jiufen. This is an experience where you will need good walking shoes. I sprained my ankle the day before so I wasn't able to climb all the way to the teahouses, but even then, I still enjoyed the food, the hospitality of the Taiwanese people and the shops.
I've always told myself as much as possible I do not want to go back to the same place (just because I cannot afford to lol), but Taiwan is an exception. I just know that even if I go back there countless times, I still will feel like it's the first time.
I just can hope so much that one day, when this pandemic is over, we'll all get back to normal and get to enjoy the treasured places like Taipei all over again.
Downloadable Content
I added a pdf file of my itinerary of my five-day trip in Taipei that you can download by clicking the button below in case you need ideas on where to go and how much things might cost. Take note though that this trip was back in 2019 so you will need to confirm the current costs of the activities. Enjoy!
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