Last month, an image on Buzzfeed of a 53-year-old woman in Taipei eating a pork bun in the middle of Typhoon Megi was circulating on social media. Friends from the Philippines to New York were sharing it on Facebook, commenting that Taiwanese must love food. And look at the articles that get shared. There’s always something about street food and night markets. Bubble tea is a close second.
Blogs and articles will also suggest visiting Taipei’s many temples, the Tamsui wharf, Beitou’s hot springs, Addiction Aquatic Development (上引水產) for seafood and perhaps a day trip to Jiufen (九份). These places, while enjoyable to visit just a few years ago, have become less pleasant due to the tourists that crowd them on weekends.
This is not the Taipei that I have come to know and love over my two years uncovering the city’s culture and lifestyle scene. Taipei is so much more than street food and temples. You just have to look harder — or know the best times to visit in order to avoid crowds. Here are five Taipei hacks.
Photo: Dana Ter, Taipei Times
CLIMB FUZHOUSHAN, NOT XIANGSHAN
Xiangshan (象山), or Elephant Mountain, known for its sweeping views of the Taipei skyline, has become somewhat of a tourist hype — so much so that it’s nearly impossible to climb on weekends because of the roving hordes of people. Visitors dressed in full hiking gear — boots, gloves and hiking sticks — gather by the MRT by 9am on a Saturday. Never mind that it’s hardly a “hike” — it takes roughly 30 minutes to walk up the stairs.
For an actual nature retreat from the city, climb Fuzhoushan by Linguang MRT (麟光). Nearby is Liuzhangli (六張犁) where many victims of the 228 Incident are buried, which may also explain why Fuzhoushan is rarely ever crowded. If you don’t believe in ghosts, it’s a worthwhile mountain to climb.
Photo: Dana Ter, Taipei Times
There are a couple different paths from Fuzhousan Park (福州山公園) that lead to the top, some with marked paths and others muddier and shrouded in foliage. The view of the skyline from atop the mountain is as impressive as Xiangshan, with many unobscured spots — in fact, more than Xiangshan — where Taipei 101 can be seen. Spring, when cherry blossoms are in bloom, is particularly bucolic.
■ Fuzhoushan (福州山), 195 Wolong St, Taipei City (台北市臥龍街195號)
WATCH THE SUNSET AT TREASURE HILL
Photo: Dana Ter, Taipei Times
The former squatters-quarters-turned-artist-village is mostly frequented by artsy types during the day. Old homes scattered across the hill host art installations that are created by the artists in residence who hail from different parts of Taiwan and the world. Most exhibitions close at 6pm, but the village doesn’t close until 10pm — and security doesn’t start chasing you out until 11pm.
Have dinner in nearby Gongguan (公館), by the National Taiwan University, first, then grab a six pack and head up the hill. Finding a good spot to watch the sunset is easy. The rooftops of many of the old houses are an option, so is the giant sheltered area on the very top of the hill, though that’s a little harder to find and you’ll have to navigate through a maze of ascending staircases and artist studios. There are usually chairs lying about, too.
The view from Treasure Hill is more rural than from Fuzhoushan. Yongfu Park (永福公園) and Xindian River (新店溪) can be seen from a distance, beneath the interlacing highways that cut through the shrubbery.
Photo: Dana Ter, Taipei Times
■ Treasure Hill Artist Village (寶藏巖國際藝術村), 2, Aly 14, Ln 230, Dingzhou Rd Sec 3, Taipei City (台北市汀州路三段230巷14弄2號). Open daily from 11am to 10pm
VISIT THE PALACE MUSEUM AT NIGHT
Many don’t know that the National Palace Museum is open until 9pm on Fridays and Saturdays. The best time to visit is 8pm, not giving you alot of time, but at least the scores of tour buses have vacated.
Photo: Dana Ter, Taipei Times
Wander the museum’s three floors unperturbed by other visitors — you probably won’t need to line up to view the jade cabbage on the third floor. The permanent collection of Qing Dynasty furniture and porcelain and jade snuff bottles on the first floor are also among the worthwhile displays.
Lit up at night, the museum and its surrounding premises, are quite grand. Word of advice: it’s difficult to find a taxi around the museum at this time, so call ahead, or Uber it.
■ National Palace Museum (國立故宮博物院), 221 Zhishan Rd Sec 2, Taipei City (台北市至善路二段221號). Open daily from 8:30am to 6:30pm, until 9:30pm on Fridays and Saturdays
FORGET STREET FOOD. TRY JAMES KITCHEN OR STONE HOUSE
Taiwan is touted for its street food, but deep fried dough sticks (youtiao, 油條) and beef noodle soup (niuroumian, 牛肉麵) are not dishes that can be eaten on a daily basis — unless you have an iron stomach.
For a hearty, home-cooked meal, try James Kitchen, which is tucked away on the quieter end of Yongkang Street (永康街). Though hardly a secret, this tiny eatery tends to get overlooked by visitors more concerned with sampling the more famous beef noodle soup and mango shaved ice. With its rustic lanterns and old posters, the outside of James Kitchen is designed to mimic eateries from the 1950s. Inside it is furnished with antique paintings, while old school music playing in the background amplifies the nostalgic ambiance. Order the salted pork slices and the stir-fried chayote vine shoots.
A strong contender for Taiwanese home-cooked food is Stone House in Yangmingshan. The restaurant — a converted old stone house — rests on a perpetually foggy road high up on the mountain overlooking the Taipei basin. Gourds and traditional wooden cooking utensils hang from the walls inside, creating a rustic, homely vibe. Their specialty is the stewed tofu served in an earthenware pot. Another favorite of mine is the clams with basil, made with clams from Tamsui River below.
■ James Kitchen (大隱酒食), 65 Yongkang St, Taipei City (台北市永康街65號). Open daily from 11:30 to 2pm, 5pm to 10pm
■ Stone House (常青廬), 63 Zhuzihu Rd, Taipei City (台北市竹子湖路63號). Open Mondays, Fridays and Saturdays from 11:30am to 7:30pm, Sundays from 11am to 7:30pm
STAY HYDRATED AT MIKKELLER OR CRAFTED BEER
Gone are the days of drinking Taiwan Beer outside 7-Eleven. The craft brewing industry has really picked up, with microbreweries opening throughout the nation and pubs in Taipei offering a much wider selection of craft beer.
Two establishments recently joined the cohort of craft brew pubs which include Chuoyinshi (啜飲室), Alphadog Craft Beer and Beer Geek. The first is Danish microbrewery Mikkeller, which recently opened an outpost in the Dadaocheng area (大稻埕). While the outside of the three-story building retains its old, 19th-century Qing Dynasty charm, the interior is a sleek, Scandinavian design, much like their Copenhagen flagship bar. I’d go for the Yongle Brown Ale. For those with lighter, less hoppy palates, Mikkeller does a fine, frothy Cream Ale. There’s also the option of the Cold Brew Pouchong Tea on tap.
The recently opened Crafted Beer & Co in Maji Square serves local brews 23 Brewing, Sambar Brewing and Jim & Dad’s Brewing, as well as an exhaustive range of imported North American craft beers. Inside is like a bottle shop with high top tables and chairs. Crafted Beer also hosts “Meet the Brewer” nights where they invite Taiwan microbreweries to tell their stories.
■ Mikkeller Taipei (米凱樂啤酒吧), 241 Nanjing W Rd, Taipei City (台北市南京西路241號). Open Mondays to Thursdays from 4pm to 12am, Fridays to Saturdays from 4pm to 1am, Sundays from 2pm to 10pm
■ Crafted Beer & Co. (精釀啤酒屋), 1 Yumen St, Taipei City (台北市玉門街1號). Open Tuesdays to Thursdays from 4:30pm to 11pm, Fridays from 4:30pm to 11:30pm, Saturdays from 12pm to 11:30pm, Sundays from 12pm to 9:30pm
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