Taipei
A temple of 1738 in Wanhua, the 509 metres of Taipei 101 over Xinyi, roast duck at Le Palais, and an airport inside the city on the metro.
- Arrival
- Taoyuan International · TPE
- To the city
- About 38 minutes by Airport MRT express
- Private jets
- Business aviation terminal at Taoyuan
- Best time
- March to April · October to December
The city
Old temples under a tall tower.
Taipei keeps its history close to its skyline. Bangka Lungshan Temple has stood in Wanhua since 1738; the National Palace Museum holds one of the largest collections of ancient Chinese art anywhere; and Taipei 101, opened in 2004, rises 509 metres over the Xinyi district. Two restaurants hold three MICHELIN stars: Le Palais, for Cantonese roast duck, and Taïrroir, whose name joins Taiwan and terroir.
Come in March and April, mild months before the plum rains of May and June, or from October to December, when the heat has gone and the typhoon season is ending. July and August peak at about 35 °C.
Arriving
Taoyuan for the world, Songshan in town.
Taoyuan International is forty kilometres west of the centre, thirty-eight minutes by the Airport MRT express to Taipei Main Station. Songshan sits inside the city, at its own metro station.
- Shanghai 1 h 15
- Hong Kong 1 h 25
- Ho Chi Minh City 3 h 15
- Doha 9 h 15 long-range jet
- Rome 12 h 45 long-range jet
When to go
March to April, and October to December.
The basin is subtropical and damp, and no month is entirely dry. Spring and late autumn are mild, with afternoons of 21 to 28 °C. The plum rains arrive in May, typhoons are most likely in August and September, and midsummer reaches 35 °C.
- 19° J 94
- 20° F 102
- 23° M 108
- 26° A 101
- 30° M 225
- 33° J 235
- 35° J 214
- 34° A 237
- 32° S 237
- 28° O 163
- 25° N 89
- 21° D 97
What to see and do
Days in and around Taipei.
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Landmark
Taipei 101
The tower over Xinyi, 509 metres from the ground to the tip and open since 2004.
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Landmark
Bangka Lungshan Temple
A temple that has stood in the Wanhua district since 1738.
-
Landmark
National Palace Museum
One of the largest collections of ancient Chinese art in the world.
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Opera & music
National Concert Hall and National Theater
Facing each other across Liberty Square since 1987, the two halls in palace style host the National Symphony Orchestra, opera, dance and recitals.
Official site -
Opera & music
Taipei Performing Arts Center
Designed by OMA and opened in August 2022 beside Shilin Night Market, its three theatres plug into a central cube for theatre, dance and music.
Official site -
Culture
Taipei Fine Arts Museum
Taiwan's first museum of modern and contemporary art opened in 1983 in Taipei Expo Park and organises the Taipei Biennial.
Official site -
Nature
Yangmingshan National Park
Volcanic hills on the city's northern edge rise to Qixing Mountain, at 1,120 metres the highest peak in Taipei and a dormant volcano.
Official site -
Culture
Beitou Hot Spring Museum
Built in 1913 as the Hokuto Public Bathhouse, then the largest in East Asia, it reopened as a museum of Beitou's hot spring history in 1998.
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Food & wine
Maokong
Reached by gondola from Taipei Zoo, the hillside tea district grows Tieguanyin and Baozhong oolong, with teahouses and the Taipei Tea Promotion Center.
Where to stay
On Dunhua North Road and in the hills of Beitou.
Shown for information. We have no arrangement with any of these hotels.
- Capella Taipei Eighty-six rooms by André Fu high above Dunhua North Road, and the only two-Key hotel in Taiwan.
- Mandarin Oriental, Taipei Art Deco in the spirit of the 1930s, with the largest rooms in the city and Cantonese cooking at Ya Ge.
- Kimpton Da An Taipei A former apartment block reworked by Neri & Hu, with a rooftop terrace over the city.
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Villa 32 A private house turned retreat, with five rooms and a geothermal bath in each.
Where to dine
Two kitchens with three stars.
From the MICHELIN Guide 2026, shown for information. We have no arrangement with any of these restaurants.
- Le Palais Three Michelin stars Cantonese $$$ Palais de Chine Hotel, Datong
- Taïrroir Three Michelin stars Taiwanese contemporary $$$$ Zhongshan
- A Two Michelin stars French contemporary $$$$ Diamond Towers, Da’an
- Eika Two Michelin stars Japanese contemporary $$$$ Datong
- L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon Two Michelin stars French contemporary $$$$ Bellavita, Xinyi
- logy Two Michelin stars Asian contemporary $$$$ Neihu
- Mizue Two Michelin stars Sushi $$$$ Capella Taipei, Songshan
- Molino de Urdániz Two Michelin stars Spanish contemporary $$$$ Hotel MVSA, Zhongshan
- NOBUO Two Michelin stars Contemporary $$$$ Zhongzheng
Elsewhere in Taiwan
More reasons to come.
Flying to Taipei?
Choose how you arrive.
A Business or First Class seat on a scheduled airline, or an aircraft of your own. Tell us the date and how many are travelling, and we reply with one final price, our margin included.