Taipei in a day: what to see

Taipei 101 is the first stop: for years the world's tallest skyscraper, inspired in shape by a jade bamboo, it hosts a panoramic platform from which you observe the entire Taipei valley surrounded by mountains.

Descending toward the center you reach the National Palace Museum, which preserves almost seven hundred thousand pieces of Chinese imperial art, from jades to porcelains, taken from the Forbidden City during the civil war.

Continuing you encounter the Longshan Temple, one of the oldest and most frequented sanctuaries of the city, dedicated to the goddess of mercy Guanyin, always animated by devotees with incense sticks.

For lunch, the restaurants around Longshan or Ximending offer street food Taiwanese cuisine, from baozi to noodle soups.

The Elephant Mountain trail, a short excursion through the hills south of the city that rewards you with the most famous view of Taipei 101 and the surrounding skyline.

Ximending, the youth district of the city, pedestrian and covered with neon signs, is instead the reference point for fashion and Taiwanese pop culture.

As evening falls, the Shilin Night Market, the largest in the city, remains the most direct way to close the day among street food stalls and amusement park games.

Taipei 101, the National Palace Museum, and Longshan Temple already tell Taipei's dual imperial and contemporary face well, while an afternoon choice between Elephant Mountain and Ximending brings the panoramic or youthful side.

Beitou hot springs and a trip to Jiufen, the mountain village that inspired Spirited Away, remain chapters for a second journey. Watching Taipei 101 soar above the green hills from Elephant Mountain remains the most direct image of the city.