Taipei itinerary 3 days — How to spend 3 days in Taipei perfectly but not for Lazies

Undeniably, the first thing that comes to traveler’s mind when they coming to Taipei is to enjoy excellent Taiwanese cuisine. But Taipei has much more to offer travelers. On the 3-day Taipei itinerary below including eating delectable food, explore must-visit places in Taipei, its beautiful scenery, but most importantly, you will be able to cross the forest and trekking the mountain to take you to an amazingly beautiful Taipei, worth exploring. So, what to do in Taipei for 3 days and how to spend 3 days in Taipei (three days in Taipei) perfectly? Let’s check out our Taipei 3 days itinerary blog with the suggested itinerary Taipei 3 days (Taipei 3 days 2 nights itinerary, Taipei 3d2n itinerary) with the best places to visit, top things to do for 3 memorial days in Taipei but… not for lazies!

With this Taipei 3 days itinerary, you will use public transport a lot and moving mainly on your own feet. So, if you are lazy to walk, you should prepare, don’t blame us when showing you a “mortified” itinerary, haha.

Taipei itinerary 3 days — Day 1: Climb Xiangshan Mountain (Elephant Mountain) to see Taipei

Before going to Mount Xiangshan, with a curious and spontaneous nature, I stopped at Daan Park Station before going to MRT Xiangshan Station (4 stops away), and trolling around this park, even the train station here is extremely impressively decorated.

Returning to Daan Park Station to get to Taipei 101, tourists as well as locals here are very bustling. You can come here to enjoy the extremely “famous” dimsum at Din Tai Fung, sometimes you have to wait in line for 2 hours to eat, but if you buy take away, it only takes 5 minutes.

Xiangshan Mountain (象山), also known as Elephant Mountain, is a climbing place located right in the heart of the city where you can climb up and admire the magnificent Taipei, especially at sunset or when the city lights up.

Xiangshan Mountain is very easy to climb, it only takes 600 steps to reach the middle of the mountain that enough to look down. The first day, so we can warm up gently enough to sweat, a slightly tired.

Here, you will be able to admire Taipei 101, the iconic bamboo-shaped building of Taipei. The trail to reach the top is quite convenient and there are many trees, so it is relatively fresh, the best time to climb the mountain is in the afternoon because it only takes you about 20-30 minutes to climb the top.

Getting there

From Taipei Main Station, you take the MRT Red Line to Xiangshan (NT$35) to the last station.

Going up to the ground, cross the road to the left, you will see the stairs leading to the mountain.

3 days in Taipei — Day 2 : Strolling around the ancient village of Jiufen

Visiting Jiufen on a cloudy day, my spirit was also lagging. Because it is located on a mountain slope, the whole town with winding roads overlapping each other, walking through the village also makes you have to exercise a lot.

Jiufen is very bustling, vibrant, especially in an ancient alley filled with shops, souvenirs, food stalls from stinky tofu, grilled skewers, bubble tea to taro sweets… If on the first day of climbing Xiangshan that make you quite tired, Jiufen literally slows you down.

When coming to Jiufen, don’t just chasing the food, walk around the village with countless lovely nooks and crannies, climb the winding stairs into the residential neighborhoods. It will be a bit tiring because all the roads are steep and there are many steps, but the view, landscape and fresh air make traveling more gentle, comfortable.

If you suddenly get lost in the food street, don’t regret it, try a lot of specialty foods to enjoy the diversity of Taiwanese cuisine. Many dishes to try, so let’s start with stinky tofu, taro balls, bubble milk tea, Taiwanese sausage, Taiwanese fish balls, and more.

Getting there:

Take the MRT Blue Line to Zhongxiao Fuxing MRT Station, get up at Exit 1, find bus 1062 and go straight to Jiufen with a fare of NT$100. The bus will stop opposite 7 Eleven convenience store.

Note that when returning to Taipei, you will need to take a bus 200m away to the left with a large bus stop. The staff will refuse to receive passengers when the car is full, so you should remember to queue early.

Taipei itinerary 3 days — Day 3: Beitou Hot Spring and trekking in Yangmingshan

Beitou Hot Spring – Thermal Valley

Get ready for a long, sweaty day with weary feet, but the scenery is absolutely stunning in northern Taipei.

Early in the morning, I set off from Taipei Main Station to Beitou Station. For some reason, I looked up Google Maps first, but I kept going to Beitou, not Xinbeitou, so I had to go around for a while to get there.

From Xinbeitou MRT station, cross the intersection on the left hand side, I looked up at the signboard and saw an impressive name “Thermal Valley”, so I was curious to follow it without knowing any interesting thing ahead.

Yet the 600m walk up the slope to reach the valley was not wasted. I was completely overwhelmed by the smoke from the volcanic activity rising from the bottom of the emerald green lake. The scene of “Thermal Valley” appears like a fairyland with swaying reed flowers and columns of smoke rising and blowing in the wind.

Getting there

Take the MRT Red Line from Taipei Main Station to Beitou Station (NT$30.) Find the platform 2, take the Xin Beitou Branch Line to get to Xinbeitou (NT$20.).

“Sometimes the best things come when you expect nothing.”

Trekking Yangmingshan mountains and forests

From Xinbeitou, I waited tiredly at the bus stop opposite the MRT station waiting for buses S9 and 230. But I went on the holiday occasion, each trip was crowded with people but the bus in Taiwan did not receive passengers when the bus already overloaded, even though if you want to be jostled, it also could not.

So I waited from 12 am to nearly 1 pm for the S9 bus passed by and still have seats. First time taking a bus in Taiwan, so it was quite confusing, a passenger told me the bus ticket price that sounded like NT$50 while the real price was only NT$15. I was instructed by the driver to sit in the empty front seat, so I had the opportunity to watch the steep roads when going up Yangmingshan.

It took about 15 minutes to get to Yangmingshan bus stop, from here I didn’t take the bus anymore, but walking down to Lengshuikeng, 6 km away from the northeast of Yangmingshan. If you are lazy, you can take bus 108, opposite 7 Eleven near Yangmingshan stop right near Lengshuikeng. But I chose to walk to sightseeing the scenery of the mountains and forests slowly and it was the right decision.

It took more than an hour and a half, going along the steep pass and sweating, but in return, I saw the cherry blossoms blooming at the hidden turns that if I take the bus will not stop to see, or immense reed flowers along the side of the road. All the natural images in Yangmingshan appeared brilliantly in my eyes.

Finally, it was almost 3 pm when I reached Lengshuikeng to rest and have a light meal. At first, I just planned to sit back for a while and then take the bus back. But the flow of people pulling each other into the depths of the mountains stimulated the limitless curiosity of a travel lover like me. I decided to keep going.

There were quite a few turns, but because it was dusk, I headed towards Juansi waterfall 1.9 km away. But don’t let the small distance number fool you, the road to this waterfall is difficult to go and makes 1.9 km longer than imagined. The trails in Yangmingshan are likened to the “Fern Trail” because on the side of the road are many plants of the fern family, which are rich and green all year round.

At the end of the trail to the waterfall, I was a bit disappointed because the waterfall is very small, but the water has a strange turquoise color. Juansi waterfall has a strong sulfur smell, this color is also caused by natural sulfur, if you look closely, you can see stones like white jade lying at the water bed.

I rested on a nearby rock, breathed in the fresh air of the well-preserved forest, and then continued on the way back out.

When I got out, Qixing Mountain appeared in the afternoon sun. My feeling at that time was really happy, because I could go everywhere and admire the beautiful scenery in the world, catch the brilliant moments of nature. When the sun set, it was the time for me to quickly return to Lengshuikeng bus stop to return to Taipei before it got dark.

Getting there

From Xinbeitou you take bus S9 or 230 to Yangmingshan, then take 108 to Lengshuikeng and vice versa. These buses are very crowded and every 30 minutes with a trip, so please wait patiently.

Ending this 3-day trip is still not the end of my experience in Taipei, but it does give me a different perspective on the city, a country where many tourists come here just to eat. I can see Taiwan’s beautiful and brilliant nature no less than any other country, experience its culture and understand more about the friendly people here. And I’m quite proud of being able to go so much, without having to check on Google first to see what’s good there, but just look at the map, go ahead as long as I like. The trip gave me 1 word “freedom” when I didn’t have to compete with anyone, I didn’t have to go for “enough” with anyone, just go because I like it.

Happy travelling!

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 looking for more Jiufen travel guide and top things to do in Jiufen: Tours, activities, attractions and other things? Read more: Jiufen day trip from Taipei — How to spend 1 perfect day in Jiufen? and Jiufen Shifen itinerary: Jiufen Shifen day trip — How to visit Jiufen and Shifen in one day from Taipei?