A Taipei itinerary built around night markets and easy day trips
Taipei is compact, safe and easy on the MRT, and its best evenings happen in night markets. The hard part is choosing between day trips to Jiufen, Shifen, Beitou's hot springs and Yehliu. This prompt has your todo.is agent plan the city by day, a different night market each evening, and day trips that suit the weather.
The prompt
- Plan a [NUMBER OF DAYS]-day Taipei itinerary for [WHO IS TRAVELLING] in [MONTH], staying near [AREA]. Include Taipei 101 and the Elephant Mountain hike at sunset, the National Palace Museum, Longshan Temple, Dihua Street, Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall and Ximending. Plan a different night market each night from [NIGHT MARKETS] with 3 must-try foods at each. Add [DAY TRIPS] with train and bus routes and how long they take. Give a rainy-day swap for each day, how to use an EasyCard, and the MRT line for every move. Email me a PDF and a short summary on WhatsApp. Don't book anything.
What to change
- [NUMBER OF DAYS]: E.g. "4". Three days for the city, more for day trips.
- [WHO IS TRAVELLING]: E.g. "two foodie friends", "couple", "family with a toddler".
- [MONTH]: E.g. "November". October to April is pleasant; summer is hot with typhoon risk.
- [AREA]: E.g. "Zhongshan", "Ximending", "near Taipei Main Station".
- [NIGHT MARKETS]: E.g. "Raohe, Shilin, Ningxia, Tonghua", or "pick the best ones".
- [DAY TRIPS]: E.g. "Jiufen and Shifen, Beitou hot springs", "Yehliu Geopark", "Maokong gondola".
Example result
- Taipei in 4 days, two foodie friends in November
- Staying in Zhongshan · night markets every evening
- Day 1: Old Taipei
- • Morning: Longshan Temple, busy with worshippers and incense. Then Bopiliao Historic Block.
- • Afternoon: Dihua Street's tea shops, dried goods and Chinese medicine stores; a tea tasting.
- • Evening: Ningxia Night Market: oyster omelette, taro balls, braised pork rice (lu rou fan).
- Day 2: Museum and Beitou
- • Morning: the National Palace Museum (2 to 3 hours): jade, bronzes, the famous Jadeite Cabbage when on display.
- • Afternoon: MRT to Xinbeitou: Thermal Valley, the Hot Spring Museum, then a public or private hot spring bath.
- • Evening: Shilin Night Market: giant fried chicken cutlet, pepper buns, bubble tea.
- Day 3: Jiufen and Shifen
- • Train from Taipei Main Station to Ruifang (about 45 minutes), then the Pingxi line to Shifen.
- • Release a sky lantern on the old rail tracks; walk to Shifen Waterfall.
- • Bus up to Jiufen for the late afternoon: hillside tea houses and red lanterns at dusk. It gets crowded on weekends.
- • Evening: back late; a quick snack at Raohe Night Market by Songshan station (black pepper buns at the gate).
- Day 4: Modern Taipei
- • Morning: Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall for the changing of the guard on the hour.
- • Afternoon: Songshan Cultural and Creative Park, then Taipei 101's mall and food court.
- • Sunset: hike Elephant Mountain (about 20 minutes of steep steps) for the classic view of Taipei 101.
- • Evening: Tonghua (Linjiang Street) Night Market, then Ximending if you still have energy.
- Rainy-day swaps
- • Swap Jiufen for the museum day, or try Maokong gondola tea houses when the cloud lifts.
- Good to know
- • Get an EasyCard for the MRT, buses, trains and convenience stores.
- • Check the forecast; northeast Taiwan is rainy in winter.
- • Check opening days on official sites before you go.
How to do it with todo.is
- Copy the prompt and fill in your days, month, area, night markets and day trips.
- Paste it on the Today screen in todo.is or send it to your agent on WhatsApp.
- You get a PDF with daily routes, night market food lists, MRT lines and rainy-day swaps.
- Ask for changes like "add Yehliu" or "one night market only" and book what you need yourself.
Tips for a better result
- Hike Elephant Mountain about 30 minutes before sunset to see Taipei 101 in daylight and then lit up.
- Visit Jiufen on a weekday if you can. On weekends the narrow old street becomes a slow queue.
- Ask your agent to check the weather the night before your day trip and switch days if rain is forecast.
- Go to night markets hungry and share dishes. Small portions let you try ten things instead of three.
Taipei itinerary: FAQ
- How many days do you need in Taipei? Three days covers the main city sights and a couple of night markets. Four or five days lets you add Jiufen, Shifen and Beitou.
- Which is the best night market in Taipei? Raohe and Ningxia are the favourites for food. Shilin is the biggest and busiest, with shopping and games as well as snacks.
- Can you do Jiufen and Shifen in one day? Yes. Take the train to Ruifang, the Pingxi line to Shifen, then a bus or taxi to Jiufen for sunset.
- Can my agent remind me about typhoon warnings? Yes. Ask for a daily weather check during your trip, sent to WhatsApp, Telegram or email.
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