3-day itinerary · Taiwan
A realistic first-timer plan that keeps each day in one part of the city: the memorial hall, the Presidential Office, Longshan Temple and Ximending in the old west; the Sun Yat-sen hall, Taipei 101, the Elephant Mountain view and the Raohe night market in the east; then the shophouses of Dihua Street, the Bao'an Temple, the National Palace Museum and Shilin Night Market in the north. Every stop comes with walking distances and the opening rules that matter in 2026.
Updated 12 September 2026 · 7 official sources checked · report an error
The plan at a glance
Taipei's sights line up along its metro lines, so each day follows one: day one runs from Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall past the Presidential Office to Longshan Temple and the streets of Ximending; day two starts at the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall, goes up Taipei 101, climbs Elephant Mountain for the classic view of it, and ends at Raohe Street Night Market; day three walks Dihua Street and the Bao'an Temple, spends the afternoon in the National Palace Museum and finishes at Shilin Night Market. The National Palace Museum is closed on Mondays, so put day three elsewhere in the week.
At a glance
Day 1
Watch the changing of the guard at Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, walk past the Presidential Office to Yongkang Street for lunch, take the metro to Longshan Temple, and end the day among the neon and crowds of Ximending.
Morning
The white marble hall with its blue octagonal roof rises 76 metres over Liberty Square, flanked by the National Theater and Concert Hall; 89 steps climb to the bronze seated statue of Chiang, where the honour guard is changed on the hour, and the museum below tells the contested story of the man who ruled Taiwan from 1949 to 1975.
The red-brick Japanese colonial governor-general's office of 1919, with its 60-metre central tower, has housed Taiwan's presidents since 1950; walk past its guarded front on Ketagalan Boulevard on the way from the memorial hall towards the old town, and look for the 228 Peace Memorial Park behind it.
Midday
Afternoon
Founded in 1738 by settlers from Fujian and rebuilt after earthquakes, fires and a 1945 bombing, Taipei's most important temple is dedicated to Guanyin but shelters a hundred deities, from Mazu to the matchmaker god; the roof ridges writhe with porcelain dragons and phoenixes and the courtyard is thick with incense from dawn until late.
Evening
Taipei's Shibuya: a pedestrian grid of neon, street food, cinemas, sneaker shops and street performers where the city's teenagers meet, built around the octagonal Red House of 1908, a Japanese-era market turned theatre and craft market with a row of bars behind it. Come after dark, when it is at its busiest.
Day 2
See the hourly guard change at the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall, go up Taipei 101 when the observatory opens, climb the steps of Elephant Mountain for the skyline before sunset, then eat your way down Raohe Street Night Market.
Morning
The 1972 hall with its sweeping yellow roof, dedicated to the founder of the Republic of China, sits in a park of lawns and a lake with Taipei 101 rising directly behind it, which makes it the classic photo of the tower; inside, the honour guard at the seated statue changes on the hour, and the galleries show free art exhibitions.
The 508-metre bamboo-segment tower was the world's tallest from 2004 to 2010; an elevator that was itself a world record carries you to the 89th-floor observatory in 37 seconds, and the 660-tonne golden tuned-mass damper that steadies the building in typhoons hangs in full view a floor below. On a clear day the mountains that ring the basin are all around.
Midday
Afternoon
A steep 20-minute staircase from exit 2 of Xiangshan metro station climbs to the Six Giant Rocks and the photography platforms with the definitive view of Taipei 101 and the Xinyi towers; come 45 minutes before sunset to get a spot and stay for the lights coming on. The trail is paved with railings and benches all the way.
Evening
One of the city's oldest night markets fills a single 600-metre street from the ornate Ciyou Temple of 1753 at its eastern gate, with the pepper buns baked in clay ovens by the entrance, stinky tofu, oyster omelettes and grilled squid, and a Michelin-listed pork rib soup stall halfway along.
Day 3
Browse the tea, herb and fabric shops of Dihua Street, visit the Bao'an Temple and the Confucius Temple, spend the afternoon with the jade cabbage and the imperial treasures of the National Palace Museum, and finish at Shilin Night Market.
Morning
Taipei's oldest commercial street runs through the 19th-century port district of Dadaocheng, lined with narrow, deep shophouses in Baroque and Fujian styles selling dried goods, tea, Chinese medicine and fabric, now joined by cafés and design shops in restored buildings; the Xiahai City God Temple halfway along is where the city prays for love matches.
Founded in 1742 and dedicated to the medicine god Baosheng Dadi, the temple's decades-long restoration won it a UNESCO Asia-Pacific heritage award in 2003: look for the painted murals, the carved dragon columns and the ceramic figures on the roofs. The Confucius Temple, across the street, is a quiet garden of courtyards in contrast.
Midday
Afternoon
The greatest collection of Chinese art in the world, nearly 700,000 pieces from the Forbidden City shipped to Taiwan in 1949, is shown in rotation in a palace-style building on the hills of Shilin: the Jadeite Cabbage and the Meat-shaped Stone, Song landscapes, Ming porcelain, bronzes 3,000 years old and the calligraphy of the emperors. Allow a full afternoon and rent the audio guide.
Evening
Taipei's largest night market spreads over several blocks around Jiantan metro station and a covered food basement: fried chicken cutlets bigger than your face, oyster omelettes, bubble tea, carnival games and clothes stalls, at their busiest after 19:00.
Before you go
Questions
Three days cover the memorial halls, the great temples, Taipei 101 and its mountain, the old street of Dadaocheng, the National Palace Museum and two night markets. A fourth day allows the Beitou hot springs and Tamsui at sunset, the Maokong gondola and tea houses, or a day trip to Jiufen.
The National Palace Museum is closed on Mondays, so day three works best Tuesday to Sunday. The memorial halls, the temples and the night markets are open every day; the guard drills at Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall are cancelled in rain.
Tap a contactless Visa, Mastercard, JCB or UnionPay card, or a phone wallet, directly on the gate reader; an EasyCard bought at any station works the same way and also pays for buses.
Raohe is a single 600-metre street, easy to cover in an hour, with the Ciyou Temple at its gate; Shilin is larger and more varied, with a food basement and side streets. The plan visits both, on different evenings.
Between sights it comes to about 2 km a day in a straight line on the first two days, plus the metro, and under 1 km on day three; the Elephant Mountain steps are the only real climb.
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Places and coordinates: Wikidata and Tripwoa's open-data place catalog (Overture Maps Foundation, © OpenStreetMap contributors). Photos: Wikimedia Commons, credited on each image. Practical rules: the official sources linked in each note, checked in September 2026.
How this plan was made: Tripwoa's planner drafted the day order from real coordinates and typical visit times. Each stop was then reviewed, reordered where needed and rewritten with AI assistance. Walking distances are straight-line estimates, so allow a little extra time on real streets.