Over the last few weeks & months, I shared with you details about our Taiwan family trip last June 2019. The whole family went on a 4-day weekend in Taiwan, also to celebrate Father’s Day for the first time outside the country. I’ve already been to Taiwan twice in the past – one in 2015 with my high school friends & another one in 2017 with my colleagues at work, but I didn’t mind going back with my family to this beautiful country. Besides, our last family trip was in 2016 when we welcomed the new year in Singapore.
Allow me to share with you the details of our tour around Taipei City. We had a flexible itinerary because we were travelling with our parents, aunt, uncle & a 2-year old baby. We missed a few historical places & parks, but we definitely enjoyed each others company. Check out the trip details below.
ticket
For my past 2 Taiwan trips, I’ve flown with Cebu Pacific Air. Both tickets were at less than ₱3,000 return. Since Taiwan became visa-free to Filipino passport holders, airfare to Taipei & Kaoshiung became expensive. I found a good deal with EVA Air, Taiwan’s 2nd largest airline, last February. Return tickets only cost $127.32 (about ₱6,600+) & the fare already included in-flight meal, baggage & in-flight entertainment. Know more about my EVA Air experience in this flight report.
Accommodation
We stayed in Uinn Travel Hostel for 4 days & 3 nights. We booked 4 spacious double rooms that came with private bath & toilet. The hostel offers a superb breakfast & has modern facilities. They also have dormitory rooms for those who are travelling alone or on a budget. I’ve featured Uinn Travel Hostel as a Hostel Of The Day in this website. Check out this post to know more about the hostel.
Update: Uinn Travel Hostel has ceased operations.
taichung day trip
My sisters have always wanted to see the flower farms in Taichung. To make them happy, we rented a car through ACWorx Tours Taiwan. We got the car for 10 hours, went to Taichung, visited the Green Fantasy Forest, Houli Flower Farm & the Rainbow Village. Check out the photoblog of our Taichung Day Tour here.
around taipei
Taipei has a very efficient transportation system. All places in the city are connected by either a bus or a train. We used EASY Card, their own version of tap card, in going to different places. We bought the tap cards at the airport train station & just added value / credit when needed. This tap card can also be used in establishments like supermarkets & convenience stores.
HOLY FAMILY CHURCH
We started our day around Taipei with a Sunday English mass at Holy Family Church. It was also Father’s Day that weekend so we decided to attend the mass as a family. The church was packed with people from all over the world. I’ve been to this church in 2015 when I first went to Taiwan with my high school friends.
Access: Daan Park Station – Exit 2
DAAN PARK
After the mass, we decided to have a stroll around Daan Park. The park had a nice pond with ducks & wild birds. My baby cousin enjoyed walking around the park, spotting the animals around. It’s a perfect place to relax & walk around on a cold winter morning or afternoon. Too bad it was sunny & too hot during our visit.
Access: Daan Park Station – Exit 2
TAIPEI 101 MALL
We headed to Taipei 101 Mall for lunch & for sightseeing. The massive Taipei 101 welcomed us upon leaving Exit 4 of the metro station. We went around the different boutiques & shops while we waited for our turn in Din Tai Fung & our Taipei 101 Observatory schedule.
Access: Taipei 101 Station – Exit 4
DIN TAI FUNG
We had our lunch at Din Tai Fung in Taipei 101 Mall. This world-famous restaurant originated in Taipei back in the days. The restaurant is famous for its pork xiao long bao, braised beef noodles & steamed chicken soup. We waited for about an hour before we finally had our table. It was Father’s Day lunch so the family had a feast.
Access: Taipei 101 Station – Exit 4
TAIPEI 101 OBSERVATORY
After lunch, we all headed to the Taipei 101 Observatory. We bought our tickets through Klook on the same day & even got a discount for the large booking. Each ticket only costs about ₱600+ per person after the discount. Ticket redemption was easy; it was through an automated machine located near the ticket booth. We stayed on the 88th floor for about an hour & enjoyed the 360-degree view of the city.
Access: Taipei 101 Station – Exit 4
ELEPHANT MOUNTAIN
My sisters & I decided to hike up the Elephant Mountain after going up the Taipei 101 observatory. We wanted to see the city & Taipei 101 from a different angle. The hike up to the viewpoint took about 30 minutes & another 30 minutes going down. The viewpoint provided stunning images of the city & of the skyscraper. I’ve been to Taiwan twice, but it was only until this trip when I was able to go up the mountain. The best time to go up is either in the morning or during sunset. However, expect more people going up during these times.
Access: Xiangshan Staion – Exit 2
RAOHE NIGHT MARKET
We went to Raohe Night Market to have authentic street food for dinner. We got the famous pork pepper buns, pork sausages, fried milk & a lot more. The market was packed with tourists that Sunday night & we haven’t had the chance to try all the food around.
Access: Songshan Station – Exit 5
HUAXI STREET NIGHT MARKET
I met up with my good friend, Richard, after dinner to catch up & have some drinks. I met Richard in the overnight boat tour in Komodo, Indonesia. We’ve been really good friends since then. He was also in Taipei that weekend, waiting for his flight to Spain to be with his family on his birthday. Richard & I literally just walked everywhere until we reached Huaxi Street Night Market. It is a small local market, practically selling everything. This market catered mostly to the locals. Believe it or not, we had a hard time looking for a place to eat up to the point we ended up having pork dumplings & beer in a restaurant near Longshan Station.
Access: Longshan Station – Exit 1
YEHLIU-JIUFEN-SHIFEN KLOOK TOUR
One of the best day trips outside Taipei is the trip to the northeast towns of Shifen, Jiufen & Yehliu. Going to these places is not easy, especially if you’re a big group like us. We decided to avail Klook’s transportation package to make the day trip easy & comfortable. Know more about the tour price & itinerary in this separate Yehliu-Jiufen-Shifen Klook Package post.
Meeting place: Ximen Station – Exit 4 in front of GaKuDen Bakery
XIMENDING
A trip to Taipei will never be complete without a visit to the city’s shopping hub – Ximending. This area is where there young people go for shopping & food trip. It has also become famous for the tourists because of the shops & stores located in this area. The place is full of colorful lights & billboards at night; making it a vibrant hangout place for everyone.
Access: Ximen Station – Various Exits
CHIANG KAI SHEK MEMORIAL HALL & LIBERTY SQUARE
The last place we visited before we left Taiwan was the Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall & Libery Square. This memorial hall was built in memory of former President Chiang Kai-Shek. The hall has different display rooms & galleries where you will know more about the former president. On the other hand, the Liberty Square is Taipei’s largest public square. It is a place used for public gatherings during national holidays & important days in Taiwan.
Richard & I already went to this place the night before our family went. There were no other people there at around 12 midnight. However, the ground gates looked stunning with those lights.
Access: Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Station – Exit 5
This sums up the places my family visited around Taipei during our weekend visit last June. I know we haven’t been to everywhere but we had a great time building memories with each other. Have you been to these places in the past? Which one is your favorite & why? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section below. Alternatively, you can send me anything, as in anything about this post / blog / website, via email to contact@thewkndtravel.com. Don’t forget to follow me & please please please also help me in promoting my social media channels – Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.
PS. Photos were taken using my HTC U11.