What is Most Interesting Taipei Area for First Timers?
 

Hi,
This question is for people closely familiar with Taipei.
We’re a family of three (husband, wife, and 15 year old child) from Pennsylvania, US. We will be in Taipei for 4 days in October 2015. This is our 1st time in Taiwan and 2nd trip to the South Pacific.

Can you please suggest the best and most interesting neighborhood to stay in Taipei? We are good walkers, and we prefer to stay right in the midst of the Taipei “street life”, night markets, etc. I’m looking not for a hotel suggestion, but for a neighborhood suggestion.

Thank you in advance -:)
Vince.

Since I only spent six nights split between two locations I guess I won't bother trying to help.

I'm not sure how helpful I can be, as I've only been to Taiwan once for a week. We step at the Grand Hyatt, which was lovely.

You might start with a guidebook and read about different neighborhoods.

Are you sure you mean South Pacific? I know you have been to Singapore, but neither Singapore nor Taiwan are considered South Pacific. Singapore is SE Asia.

Yes, South East Asia, sorry.

I read that Ximending, Taipei Main Station, and Taipei 101 areas are good for tourists. Can you recommend one area over the other?

Thank you.
Vince.

There is a night market in Ximending. We stayed near Taipei 101, but I wouldn't describe it as a vibrant area for street life.

I stayed near the train station on my return from Taroko Gorge. The only reason to stay in that area is for the transport links.

If night markets are important to you, stay near a night market, presumably Shilin for choice.

Thank you.

It's a bit hard to suggest a neighborhood, but let me try:

- Xinyi district has more fancy department stores, night clubs and fancy hotels. Taipei 101 is here.

- Daan district has a mixture of residential & commercial area. Yongkang St, Gongguan, and Tonghua night markets are in this district, though Tonghua is also very close to Xinyi district.

- Zhongzheng district is where most of the government agencies are located, however it's also where the old Taipei town is. Taipei main train station and Ximending are here. (Well, technically Ximending is part of Wenhua District...) Ximending is a popular destination among younger generation.

- Certain part of the Zhongshan district historically is considered the red-light district, but I don't think it's not safe for the tourists.

- Wenhua district is famous for Huaxi street and Longshan temple. However, there are more homeless people around there, too.

If you are good walkers, as long as you stay near a MRT station in the main area, I think you can go anywhere pretty quickly by the MRT.

If you have some time, I will suggest going out of town to Jiufen or the northern shore for a day trip, or maybe going to Beitou for a hotspring :)

For a 1st-time visitor, I'd suggest staying at Ambassador Hotel in Taipie, (No. 63, Section 2, Zhongshan N Road)

https://www.ambassadorhotel.com.tw/T...dor_taipei.htm

The 4-star hotel is a bit outdated, but the location is central, near a MRT station (Shuanglian), and a short taxi ride from the Taipei train station. Many eating options are within walking distance of the hotel. A very nice Japanese buffet restaurant, Shin Yeh, is just across the street from the hotel, at No. 52 of the same street.