Lonely Planet Pocket Taipei , livre ebook

Contents

Plan Your Trip

Welcome to Taipei
Top Sights
Eating
Drinking & Nightlife
Shopping
History
For Kids
Entertainment
LGBT+
Temples
Festivals
Four Perfect Days
Need to Know
Taipei Neighbourhoods

Explore Taipei

Zhongzheng
Zhongshan & Datong
Ximending & Wanhua
Da’an
Songshan
Xinyi
Shilin

Worth a Trip

Maokong Gondola
Beitou Hot Springs

Survival Guide

Survival Guide
Before You Go
Arriving in Taipei
Getting Around
Essential Information
Language
Behind the Scenes
Our Writer
Welcome to Taipei

Taipei is the yin and yang of cities: modern malls and trading towers stack next to smoky temples and Qing-era shophouses. From its cuisine to the courtesy of its people, the city’s beauty is born from a blend of Chinese, Japanese and Southeast Asian influences. Taipei today is a celebration of tolerance and taste. Welcome to Asia’s most progressive capital!
Taipei Top Sights

National Palace Museum
World-famous imperial treasure house.

MAKOTO WATANABE / GETTY IMAGES ©

Taipei Top Sights

Taipei 101
Taipei’s Eiffel Tower.

CORDESCO / SHUTTERSTOCK ©; ARCHITECT: CY LEE

Taipei Top Sights

Bao’an Temple
Folk deities conjure rich dreams.

RICHIE CHAN / SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Taipei Top Sights

Dihua Street
Taipei’s most atmospheric district.

FREDERIK MORBE / SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Taipei Top Sights

Huashan 1914 Creative Park
Hip and historical converted wine factory.

CHRIS STOWERS / CONTRIBUTOR / GETTY IMAGES ©

Taipei Top Sights

Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall
Imposing square, bristling with history.

BEIBAOKE / SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Taipei Top Sights

Beitou Hot Springs
Soaks in the city.

MIREK NOWACZYK / SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Taipei Top Sights

Maokong Gondola
Sky sailing to mountain teahouses.

CHINGYUNSONG/ SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Taipei Top Sights

Shilin Night Market
Scrumptious, sizzling and squashed fun.

KEREN SU / GETTY IMAGES ©
Eating

The Taiwanese love to eat out so much that apartments often come without a kitchen. You’ve got local food at all budget levels from night-market sizzles to fine dining that requires reservations weeks ahead. There are all the Chinese cuisines, fantastic Southeast Asian restaurants, and some of the best Japanese food outside of Tokyo.

FISHWORK / GETTY IMAGES ©

Night Markets
One Taiwan experience you can’t miss out on is eating at a night market. It’s a national past-time.
Popular snacks include braised goodies, from tofu ( ; dòufu ) to coagulated duck’s blood ( ; yā xuè ) and pig’s intestines ( ; dà cháng ); fried taro balls ( ; zhá yùwán ); deep-fried chicken cutlets ( ; jī pái ), some bigger than your face; savoury rice pudding ( ; gu ); and sesame oil chicken ( ; má yóu jī ), a warming soup infused with aromatic sesame oil, with chicken pieces or pork offal.
Probably the most recognisable Taiwanese street snack is stinky fermented tofu ( ; chòu dòufu ). This deep-fried dish is something of an acquired taste, like certain European cheeses. That said, many eaters find the smell stronger than the taste.

Vegan Taipei
There’s been a huge explosion in vegetarian and vegan restaurants, on top of the long-standing vegetarian buffets which you can find everywhere. Marvellously they encompass all kinds of cuisines from burgers to Burmese. There are also some exquisite vegan dessert places and nut-milk bars.
To find vegan options in Taipei, check out HappyCow ( www.happycow.net/asia/taiwan/taipei ) listings or It’s a Vegan Affair ( www.facebook.com/groups/veganaffair ), which produces an annual map of vegan restaurants in the capital.

BUGKING88 / GETTY IMAGES ©

Best Taiwanese
Yongkang Beef Noodles Going strong since 1963.
Din Tai Fung Michelin-starred Taiwanese dumplings.
Zilin Steamed Dumpling House Baskets of inexpensive pillows of mouth-watering meat or cabbage and vermicelli.

Best Japanese
NOMURA Japanese chef; intimate space.
Addiction Aquatic Development Part fish market, part sashimi heaven.
Shirakawago Handsome sashimi chefs prepare delectable sashimi in a local market.

Best for Vegetarians
He Shun Xiang Tangy, creamy, spicy Burmese food without a single animal product.
MiaCucina Western vegetarian dishes; almost heavenly.
Vege Creek Select your own ingredients for a yummy vegan noodle soup.

Best Desserts
Snow King A 1950s ice-cream parlour with a kaleidoscope of flavours.
Shuanglian Sweet Rice Ball Dainty bowls of sweet-bean soup and shaved ice.
Ice Monster Shaved mango ice, Taiwan’s most delicious dessert.
Soypresso Velvety twirls of soft soy vegan ice cream.

Time for Dinner
The Taiwanese tend to eat an early dinner, around 6pm or 7pm (unless they are visiting a night market). Many restaurants will be winding down by 9pm.

Drinking & Nightlife

Two distinctly Taiwanese drinking experiences are tea (grown in the Central Mountains) and coffee, with Taipei possibly having the most coffee shops per capita in the world. Taipei is crazy for craft beer, with some excellent local breweries and swanky cocktail joints that compete for creativity.

LEREN LU / GETTY IMAGES ©

All the Tea…
While most people head to Maokong when they want to enjoy brewing and imbibing, there are a few excellent places within the city as well, many set in beautifully restored Japanese-era residences. If bubble tea (boba cha) is your cuppa, good news: you’ll find endless roadside stands and stalls throughout the city selling it hot or cold with ice. CoCo, Comebuy (our favourite) and 50 Lan are three of the most popular chains; you’ll see them everywhere.

Local Coffee Chains
Passable fresh-brewed coffee is available at any convenience store for NT$40 to NT$60. Some of the best, and ridiculously cheap for the quality, coffee comes from chains such as cama café, which roast on the premises and cater to takeaway. To save the environment, bring your own flask or ask for a mug and drink it on the premises.
Another massively successful chain is Louisa, which was one of the first to start selling flat whites. The one in Da’an Forest Park , attached to the MRT station, has a lovely garden cafe.

Whisky
Taiwan is the proud creator of a world-class whisky. Kavalan Distillery in Yilan in northeast Taiwan produces a smooth, tropical-fruity whisky that has bagged over 200 international awards since its launch in 2008 and is now available in 60 countries. You can find it in most bars in Taipei and it also has its own high-street stores.

CHARLESIMAGE / SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Best Coffee Shops
Cafe Libero Seductive evening atmosphere.
Fong Da Coffee Classic brews from the 1950s.
Kafka by the Sea Taipei’s coolest cafe.
wooo Coffee and beer in an old-world apothecary.

Best Teahouses
Wistaria Tea House You’ll be blown away by the beautiful interior of this old Japanese wooden house.
Buddha Tea House Twilight-lit cave, run by a garrulous artist.
Eighty-Eightea Enjoy a pot in the restored house of a Japanese priest.

Best for Craft Beer
Driftwood Eighteen delicious brews on tap.
Zhang Men Fine local brewery with outdoor rooftop patio.
Funky Fresh Bar Crafty cubby hole in Shilin Night Market.
Another Brick A place with proper pint glasses for its IPAs.

Best Venues with a View
FRANK You could reach out and touch Taipei 101 from the rooftop lounge.
Fujin Tree 353 Taipei’s Parisian-style cafe, with tables along the street.
Le Promenoir Coffee City views framed by wooden shutters on the 4th floor of Zhongshan Hall.
Pier 5 Fun gaggle of outdoor bars next to the river.

Best Cocktail Bars
Indulge Experimental Bistro Award-winning cocktail emporium.
Red House Bar Street Friendly, gay strip with the best ginger mojitos in town.

Shopping

With its endless markets, back-alley emporiums and glittering shopping malls, Taipei offers the complete gamut of shopping experiences. There’s a rich tradition of wood, ceramic, metal and glass production, and young designers are now pushing the envelope with everything from clothing to furniture.

54613 / SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Souvenirs
Taiwan gets creative when it comes to souvenirs; many tourist sites sell curious gifts such as cloth bags and tea bags with cartoon depictions of Chinese politicians, for example. Handicrafts are inspired by traditional Chinese arts and indigenous patterns. Good gift ideas are packaged organic teas, ceramic decorative tiles and the iconic pineapple cake (pictured).

Taxes & Refunds
Prices in Taiwan include a 5% value-added tax (VAT). Foreigners can claim back VAT paid on any items totalling NT$2000 or more and bought from a Tax Refund Shopping (TRS) store on the same day. To claim your refund apply at the Tax Refund Service Counter ( www.taxrefund.net.tw ) at the airport.

Bargain Buys
Bargaining is uncommon except in street markets, and even then discounts of just 10% are possible. If you buy in bulk, discounts are often given without asking.
Goods on sale are usually marked with a sign that includes a number under 10 and the character ( zhé ), which means percentage discount. The lower the number the bigger the price cut, so 8 means 20% off.

CHARLESIMAGE / SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Best for Gifts
National Cultural and Creative Gift Centre Government-sponsored shopping emporium selling good-quality, reasonably priced gifts.
National Palace Museum Shop Tell them it’s the real thing!
Sunmerry Cheerful and well-priced boxes of sweet pineapple cakes.
Wolf Tea Chic gift tins of locally grown tea; try before you buy.
VVG Thinking Quirky and vintage gift idea.

Best Markets & Malls
Yongle Market A forest of fabrics, plus tailors with their sewing machines ready to do your bidding.
Guanghua Digital Plaza Taipei’s electronics market extraordinaire.
Breeze Nanshan The city’s newest mall offers the essential Taipeiers’ shopping experience.
Tonghua Night Market Nighties, socks, flip-flops, bangles and T-shirts all at rock-bottom prices.

Best for Trad