Taipei itinerary 5 days blog — Suggested Taipei 5 days 4 nights itinerary on how to spend 5 days in Taipei perfectly?

Hearing about Taiwan for a long time, so I planned to explore this “island nation” in the middle of the sea. Because I only have 5 days for this journey and wanted a best trip, I decided to spend my whole time of the trip in Taipei instead of traveling throughout Taiwan provinces. So, how many days in Taipei is enough? For me, personally I think to fully explore and have a memorable trip in Taipei you should spend at least from 3 to 5 days. So, what to do in Taipei for 5 days? Let’s check out our Taipei itinerary 5 days blog on how to spend 5 days in Taipei perfectly (Taipei travel itinerary 5 days, Taipei 5 days 4 nights itinerary, 5 days 4 nights in Taipei, 5d4n Taipei itinerary, Taipei recommended itinerary for 5 days) to find out the answer!

A few little notes are:

• 1 USD ~ 28.34 TWD
• The fare for bus / subway (MRT) / trip: 15 TWD ~ 50 TWD depending on the distance.
• No matter how many MRT trips you take, just take any subway trip and traveling around downtown Taipei, the fare will be 15 TWD.

We also had another suggested article for 5 days in Taipei with a different itinerary, you can refer to here.

And here is my 5 days 4 nights in Taipei itinerary!

5 days in Taipei — Day 1 (The very first day): Taoyuan Airport – National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall – Ximending Pedestrian Zone (Ximending Walking District).

I took an early morning flight (at 2am) from Tan Son Nhat Airport to Taiwan. After 3 hours of flying, quite tired due to could not sleep on the plane, I arrived at Taoyuan airport. As expected of Taiwan’s international airport, it has a lot of support services for tourists. When you come here, please note the following information to save the most your time!

Arrival Card

When you arrive at the airport you will see small counters with available these forms. Your task is to fill out personal information as well as hotel information. This form will need to be presented when you get to Passport Control gate. For those who apply for a “special” visa – already have a visa for Europe, the U.S., and South Korea – be sure to prepare it ready to present!

SIM card

You will immediately see 3 counters selling phone sims right after passing Passport Control gate. In general, all providers are the same, not much different. I bought a 4G Sim for 300 TWD for 5 days of travel (already has 50 TWD topped-up to call). In general, this 4G package is quite comfortable because after 5 days I still have data to surf the web. You can book SIM card in advance here: 4G SIM Card for Taiwan from Chunghwa Telecom (TW Airport Pick Up).

Money exchange

The money exchange counter is right next to the SIM card counter. Because the exchange rate is not much different, if you do not exchange in time in Vietnam, you can come here to exchange also will be OK.

EasyCard

For the most convenient travel in Taipei, I decided to buy an EasyCard. This pass allows you use almost any means of transport in Taiwan, except the HSR high spped train. The price of the card is 100 TWD, I topped-up another 400 TWD for convenience when traveling. To getting from the airport to the center of Taipei – Taipei Main Station, I took Express train for 160 TWD / way, traveling time about 30 minutes. You can also go by bus for a cheaper price of 140 TWD / way, traveling time about 1 hour.

EasyCard (TPE Airport Pick Up)

Taoyuan Airport MRT Ticket & SIM Card & Exclusive Shopping Coupon

In addition the two ways I mentioned above, you can use the airport transfer service which can be book via Klook here: Sedan Taoyuan Airport Transfers (TPE) for Taipei.

Read more: 3 best ways on how to get to Taipei city from Taoyuan Airport.

Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall

From Taipei Main Station, I took shutte bus 262 to Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall. Alternatively, you can also take the MRT (subway), blue line to Zhongxiao Xinsheng Station then walk a little. Either way, it costs only 15 TWD! This memorial hall is completely free to access and quite spacious, you can freely visit.

Address: No. 21, Zhongshan South Road, Zhongzheng District, Taipei City, Taiwan 100
Hours: 9AM–6PM
Height: 76 m (249 ft)

After having lunch at the nearby 7-elevent convenience store, I found the way back to the Space Inn hostel in Hengyang Street. I booked this hostel through Agoda.com with a pretty good price, about $13 / night. (Check rates on Agoda.com or Booking.com).

Ximending Walking District

Around 6pm, I went to Ximending for dinner. You can go from Taipei Main Station, take the blue line subway to Ximen station, then walk up to the ground in 1 minute to reach Ximending! It costs 15 TWD!

This area is both a walking street and a night market, so it is quite bustling. You can find quite delicious foods here. My advice is that you should go with a large group of friends to try many dishes as possible, if not it quite waste money. Because just try 2, 3 dishes and you are full! The prices of the dishes are also quite cheap, ranging from 30 TWD ~ 100 TWD / dish.

I ate 3 dishes: The famous 40-year “standing” noodles at Ximending (50 TWD), grilled sausage sandwiched with sticky rice (40 TWD) and bubble milk tea 50 (50 TWD). After get full and I returned to the hostel!

Read more: Ximending food blog: Ximending street food — What to eat in Ximending, Taipei?

Taipei itinerary 5 days blog — Day 2: National Taiwan Museum – National Palace Museum – Huashan 1914 Creative Park – Taipei 101 (Taiwan’s highest observatory) – Shilin Night Market.

National Taiwan Museum

Because the National Taiwan Museum which was recognized as world heritage site on June 10, 1998 is located in a fairly large park which is also close to the hostel I stay and also convenient to go to Taipei Main Station to take the subway to get to National Palace Museum, I stopped by here for a while. Mainly to get some fresh air in the morning and see Japanese-style architecture designed throughout the park. Quite suitable for families with children!

Address: No. 2, Xiangyang Road, Zhongzheng District, Taipei City, Taiwan 100
Hours: 9:30AM–5PM/Monday: Closed

National Palace Museum

After arriving Taipei Main Station I took the MRT to Shilin (the red line), then took bus 815 to get to the National Palace Museum, the last stop of the bus route is National Palace Museum! In addition to this bus, you can catch many other buses, depending on the time, just be a little active, Google will show you the way, rest assured!

The National Palace Museum is quite large, divided into 2 zones A and B, zone B is usually only open when there are special exhibitions, so I went straight to zone A. Admission fee is 250 TWD / adult, children are 150 TWD. If you want English audio guide, you can pay an additional of 100 TWD. And if you do not know English to listen to the audio guide, please take the instruction sheet on the shelf, which has Vietnamese as well, although it’s a bit short.

National Palace & Shung Ye Museum Ticket

The National Palace Museum is divided into 3 floors, each floor will display different antiques of the Chinese feudal dynasties. Maybe I should thank the Chinese films for providing so much information that helped me visit the museum very quickly and remembered it very well and clear.

Each floor of the museum will have displayed its own antiques to explore. The most interesting things are the “Jadeite Cabbage” in room A106 and Meat-Shaped Stone. Please stop by to admire them!

National Palace Museum E-Ticket

In general, the National Palace Museum is worth a visit because there are many interesting things about history, many beautiful corners for virtual living, most importantly, you will be surprised to see a museum in Asia has so many visitors!

Read more: Explore the National Palace Museum Taipei Taiwan — What to see in National Palace Museum Taipei?

Address: No. 221, Sec 2, Zhi Shan Rd, Shilin District, Taipei City, Taiwan 111
Hours: 9AM–5PM/Monday: Closed
Founded: October 10, 1925

Huashan 1914 Creative Park

After leaving National Palace Museum, I took shuttle bus 225 then bus 109 to get to Huashan 1914 Creative Park. This area is quite similar to Zone 9 in Hanoi before, but at a much higher level from the layout, design, decoration to mixed colors. It is an entertainment area that includes dining, recreational and shopping. You will feel extremely excited when get lost in the creative spaces in this area. Especially, there are plenty of beautiful virtual living corners. It’s a bit regret when I came here when it was late afternoon, the shops started to close, therefore I could not play here longer!

Address: No. 1, Section 1, Bade Rd, Zhongzheng District, Taipei City, Taiwan 100
Hours: Open 24 hours

Taipei 101

The next place is Taipei 101. In order to not have to wait in line for too long (so many people said that), I decided to buy a ticket in advance on Klook, so I got a discount of about $3. However, the harsh reality is that I still need to line up to exchange the voucher.

To getting here, I went to Zhongxiao Xinsheng, station then took the blue line subway to Taipei City Hall Station, then walk a little.

Taipei 101 Observatory E-Ticket

Taipei 101 Skyline 460 Observation Deck Skip-the-Line Ticket

Because the weather was too cold and the fog, so I could not see clearly below, I was only able to go to the 89th floor instead of the 91st floor as originally planned. Actually, it is not too pleasing and eye-catching to look around from the observation deck because the surroundings are all glasses.

The souvenir area of ​​Taipei 101 is quite eye-catching, going down the 88th floor there are more stalls selling jade items. The price is in heaven, of course!

Shilin night market

Although I had filled my stomach with the dumpling dish under the building, but my stomach also demanded more food, so I went to the Shilin night market. I took MRT to Jiantan station, then walked about 500m to get to Shilin. Maybe it was a bit raining so the market wasn’t as bustling as I expected. However, the deeper I went inside, the more bustling I saw people buying and selling. The prices of the dishes here are not much different from those of Ximending, just go ahead and eat!

At the end of the second day in 5 days in Taipei, I went back to my hotel to prepare for the next day!

After the first two days exploring downtown Taipei, I spent the whole next 3 days to exploring the small villages around this beautiful city – Jiufen, Shifen, Pingxi and Xinbeitou!

Taipei itinerary 5 days 3 — Day 3: Jiufen Village

On the third day I decided to spend time to traveling and exploring Jiufen ancient village as well as sleep here for one night to feel this breath of the “mountainous area”. To get here, first you need to go to Taipei Main Station, then looking for the TRA train (transit train) to go to the outskirts of Taipei. Remember, find the TRA train.

Initially, I mistakenly thought have to take MRT, so I spent a lot of time to finding way here. Fortunately, I found it later, although it took a lot of efforts. Here are a few ways to get to Jiufen for you:

• From Taipei Main Station, take TRA Tze-Chiang Limited Express 118 to Songshan Station, then take bus 1062 to Jiufen.
• From Taipei Main Station, take the TRA Fuxing / Shuttle 4198 train to Ruifang Station (cost about 30 TWD), then take bus 788 for 15 TWD or share a taxi for 50 TWD to get to Jiufen. I chose the second option because it is more reasonable, you can visit many other villages such as Shifen, Pingxi, Houtong without having to worry in regard to traveling.

We had a very detailed on how to get from Taipei to Jiufen, you can refer to here: How to go to Jiufen from Taipei? — 3 best ways on how to get to Jiufen and Shifen from Taipei

After about 1 hour and 30 minutes by train + taxi (not to mention I spent much time to find TRA train), I arrived in Jiufen. The first impression of this village can be said to be quite good with one side is the mountains and hills, the other side has the sea, the air is very fresh and comfortable. The old village of Jiufen becomes even more magical when it is hidden in this space.

Read more: Jiufen day trip from Taipei — How to spend 1 perfect day in Jiufen?

Because I decided to stay in Jiufen for one night, I rented a room at My Story Inn Jiufen hostel for about $18 / night. This hostel is quite small, located right next to the Police Station of Jiufen, across the street is the bus station to return to Ruifang Station.

While was staying here I get 1 extra breakfast voucher worth TWD 50. This hostel owner must say is extremely friendly, giving you guidance in every step, so you will not get lost. After spending 1 night here, I understood why My Story Inn Jiufen was ranked 9.3 / 10. (Check rates on Agoda.com or Booking.com).

A Day Tour in Jiufen and Shifen From Ximen (Day and Night Scene in Jiufen)

During the day you can visit the Gold Museum (Jioufen Gold Mine Museum) as well as strolling around and watching the scenery of Jiufen. At night, wandering in the old village, admiring the high hanging lanterns, enjoying traditional dishes as well as sipping a cup of fragrant tea which is singature drink of this village.

Normally, the Taiwanese people close their shop early (around 10pm), in this small village the closing time even more sooner, around 8:30pm – 9pm, people have almost finished cleaning their shops. Therefore, in order not to be hungry, you should definitely buy more food to bring to the hotel or back to the hotel to buy instant noodles like me, LOL!

Read more: Jiufen Shifen itinerary: Jiufen Shifen day trip — How to visit Jiufen and Shifen in one day from Taipei?

On the way back to the hostel, I met a Chinese girl, she visited all other ancient villages such as Pingxi, Houtong, Shifen, Ruifang and had an extremely interesting “collection” of seals which inspired a great motivation for day 4 on my trip!

5 days in Taipei — Day 4: Pingxi Village – Shifen Village – Taipei Main Station

Pingxi

Leaving Jiufen, I took bus 788 back to Ruifang Station, then take the train towards Pingxi. This village was not originally on the list of places I will visit, however the owner of My Story Inn Jiufen introduced it extremely enthusiastically. She said this ancient village is very beautiful, very large, worth going to visit, beautiful no less than Shifen. So, I decided to come see why.

It is true that beautiful places that only locals people know, Pingxi is really cute, lovely you can not only wandering around the old village but also can dropping the sky lanterns right on the tracks here.

Oh, not only Shifen is the only place that allows you dropping sky lanterns but also in Pingxi you can do that. You can write many things you want on the sky lanterns such as wishes and release them into the sky. Price range from 100 TWD to 200 TWD depending on their colors, size of lanterns and text you want to write on it!

Shifen

The next destination is Shifen, in general this village is quite similar to Pingxi, which is a little smaller and more sky lanterns were released. The difference between Shifen and Pingxi is that Shifen has a waterfall. Vietnam has many more beautiful waterfalls but you should also visit it once.

Yehliu Geopark, Jiufen, Shifen, and Golden Waterfall Day Tour from Taipei

Initially, I planned to going to Houtong cat village to play a bit, but it was quite dark, so I decided to return to Taipei Main Station.

Because it is suburban, there will be no continuous trains coming here, there is only 1 train every 1 hour, so it is important to watching time. The last one is around 7pm. Traveling alone or go with a group of friends, you can follow the same itinerary as mine above.

In addition, if you go with the elderly, you can also book for a tour of klook to Shifen, Jiufen and Yehliu Geopark for about $32.50, the shuttle will pick you up and drop off at your hotel after the tour.

Yehliu, Jiufen, and Shifen Day Tour with Taiwanese Pastry Making

Taipei itinerary 5 days — Day 5: Xinbeitou Hot Spring – Taoyuan Airport

I went to Taipei Main Station and took the red line MRT to Beitou, every 5 minutes there will be a trip. Then transfer the train to Xinbeitou. The total ticket price is about 40 TWD.

Actually, on Day 5 in Xinbeitou didn’t have much to say since I came here on Monday, almost all the attractions here are closed. Some places you can visit (not on Mondays and public holidays):

Beitou Hot Spring Museum (free admission)

Public baths:

• Admission is 40 TWD / person, you must have swimsuits to enter. Because I planned go to here, so I brought a full set of clothes, soaking in the water was also cool.
• Visitors here are mainly older people, a few are tourists like me. You will spend an additional 20 TWD / time to rent a locker.
• The water in the tub is flowing from the hottest tub down to the “cooler” tubs below. Depending on your endurance, you can choose the most suitable temperature.
• Be sure to wash your feet and take a short shower before soaking in the tub.
  In general, this area is not very clean to me because so many people bathe here.

Public foot bath area

Unfortunately, I went in the hot season, so there is no water in this area. Next to there was a small garden for children to play, understandable because this area is a park!

Beitou Thermal Valley: A bit regret due to closed on Monday.

Xinbeitou is probably only the most beautiful and busiest in winter when it is cold. And more beautiful if you go to the more upscale hotels a little to enjoy the “luxurious” space of the real onsen bath art!

Grand View Resort Beitou Public Hot Spring Spa

Read more: Grand View Resort Beitou blog — Review: Hot spring bath at Grand View Resort Beitou, Taipei.

Leaving Xinbeitou, I went back Taoyuan airport. In addition to commuter train (this kind I didn’t go), you can take express train for 160 TWD to get to the airport, it takes about 30 minutes.

So, the end of the trip of 5 days 4 nights in Taipei! Happy traveling!

Taipei itinerary 5 days blog: Where to stay in 5 days in Taipei?

In addition to the two hostels I recommended above Below we recommend more best budget, mid-range and upscale hotels with good ratings and reviews you can refer to.

• Cityinn Hotel Plus – Fuxing N. Rd., Branch, 3-star hotel with room rates from $75/night. (Check rates and reviews on Agoda.com or Booking.com).
• Taipei Garden Hotel, 3-star hotel with room rates from $79/night. (Check rates and reviews on Agoda.com or Booking.com).
• Park Taipei Hotel, 4-star hotel with room rates from $78/night. (Check rates and reviews on Agoda.com or Booking.com).
• YoMi Hotel, 3-star hotel with room rates from $53/night. (Check rates and reviews on Agoda.com or Booking.com).
• WESTGATE Hotel, 4-star hotel with room rates from $131/night. (Check rates and reviews on Agoda.com or Booking.com).
• Swiio Hotel Daan, 4-star hotel with room rates from $139/night. (Check rates and reviews on Agoda.com or Booking.com).
• Hotel Relax 3, 3-star hotel with room rates from $70/night. (Check rates and reviews on Agoda.com or Booking.com).
• Pacific Business Hotel, 4-star hotel with room rates from $91/night. (Check rates and reviews on Agoda.com or Booking.com).

You can find more, check rates, availability & book for Taipei hotels on Agoda.com or Booking.com.

In addition, you can refer to one of the best Airbnb in Taipei:

• MRT Daan Station 4 mins by walk near Taipei 101 at $19/night.
• The Family Guest House Room No 2 at $17/night.
• Private room in apartment hosted by 國榮 at $19/night.
• 《畫室Atelier》Near Taipei101, MRT Yongchun, 天臺景觀宅 at $45/night.
• Near MRT Daan Station & Taipei 101 at $20/night.
• [K]38 COMFY｜MRT3min｜TaipeiStation&Ximending 8min at $28/night.
• Ximen MRT 2mins-Bright n Cozy wz Bathtub-Double Rm at $46/night.

–> Use this link https://www.airbnb.com/c/anht5185, to register for an Airbnb account and book a room, you will get a discount up to $55 for the first booking.

Some best day tours, trips, activities and transfer services, tickets in, to and from Taipei you can refer to

• Taoyuan Airport Private Transfers (TPE) for Taipei
• Sedan Taoyuan Airport Transfers (TPE) for Taipei
• [SALE] Taoyuan Airport MRT Ticket & Exclusive Shopping Coupon
• Luxury Taoyuan Airport Transfers (TPE) for Taipei
• Explore Taipei City
• Taipei Free Walking Tour Historic Route
• Taipei Double Decker Bus Tour
• Taipei Popular Sightseeing Private Car Charter : Jiufen, Pingxi, and North Coast (Chinese/English/Korean)
• Northeast Coast Scenic Day Tour
• Jiufen Shuttle Bus from Ximen
• Yehliu, Shifen, and Jiufen Day Tour with Korean and English Speaking Guides
• Taipei: Yehliu Geopark, Jiufen, Shifen, and Golden Waterfall Day Tour
• EasyCard (TPE Airport Pick Up)
• Klook Pass Taipei (For international travelers)
• Taipei 101 Observatory Ticket
• Maokong Gondola Ticket
• Yeliou, Jinguashih, Juifen and Shihfen Join Day Tour
• Taipei Unlimited Fun Pass
• Taipei: Beitou and Yangmingshan One-Day Tour
• [10% Off + 1 Extra Free Day] 4G SIM Card (TW Airport Pick Up) for Taiwan from Chunghwa Telecom
• 4G SIM Card (TPE Airport Pick Up) for Taiwan from Far EasTone Telecom
• 4G WiFi (TW Airport Pick Up) for Taiwan
• 4G Portable WiFi for Taiwan from Uroaming (Unlimited Data)
• 4G Portable WiFi for Taiwan from WiFiBB (Unlimited Data)
• 4G LTE WiFi (TW Airport Pick Up) for Japan
• [Sale – Taiwan Food Promo] Taiwan High Speed Rail (THSR) Discounted Ticket from Taipei
• Taiwan High Speed Rail (THSR) Consecutive Unlimited Pass (2 or 3 Days)
• Taiwan High Speed Rail (THSR) Discounted Ticket from Taoyuan
• THSR Exclusive Discount One Way Ticket from Taoyuan (Two Tickets for the Price of One)

Are you finding more top things to do in Taipei: Tours, activities, attractions and other things? Read more: Taipei travel blog — The fullest Taipei city guide for a wonderful trip to Taipei for the first-timers.