Taipei

Taipei (?? or ??) is the provisional capital of the Republic of China, otherwise known as Taiwan. It is located in the northern part of the island in a basin between the Yangming Mountains and the Central Mountains.

Understand

In 1884 the governor of Taiwan decided to move the provincial capital to Taipei, and with the construction of government offices and the influx of civil servants, Taipei's days as a sleepy market town were over. As Taipei is located in the north of Taiwan (the closest area to Japan), the city continued to thrive when Taiwan was ceded to Japan in 1895. However, as Japan was in the throes of a 'modernize-come-what-may' period, little regard was paid to Taipei's traditional Chinese-style architecture and many of the old buildings, including the city walls, were demolished. During the Japanese period of colonial rule, several prominent buildings were however constructed, the Presidential Palace and National Taiwan University being among the most famous, but the city's architecture again suffered a major onslaught when the KMT government arrived from Mainland China in 1945.

In order to cope with the influx of millions of immigrants, temporary housing estates sprang up all around the city. Later, these were replaced by soviet-era style (or I should say, 'no-style') concrete apartment buildings. These buildings characterized Taipei's landscape until very recently.

In the 1980s, Taiwan's economy began to take off. Wages rose and in order to satisfy a wealthy and sophisticated market, Taipei began to change. Wide, tree lined boulevards were laid, high quality apartment blocks constructed and stylish restaurants and cafes established. The city was booming and has never looked back since.

The Taipei of today is a confident city of about 2,500,000 (about 7,000,000, with suburbs) inhabitants, and is characterized by its friendly people and safe streets. While it is not usually high on the list of tourist destinations, it is a fascinating place to visit and live. Furthermore, despite its size, Taipei does not have any rough areas that are considered unsafe, even at night - which in itself is attractive.

The downtown area is culturally divided into East and West. The West side, with its narrow streets and road side vendors, is considered the bastion of old Taipei life, whereas East Taipei, with its classy malls, chic boutiques, and stylish restaurants and cafes, reminiscent of those found in London, Paris or New York, represents the city's metamorphosis into a modern and international city.

Districts

Taipei City administers twelve districts (?). This article covers the downtown districts only. For other areas please see their specific articles:

Downtown districts

Suburban districts - North

Suburban districts - South

Surrounding cities Taipei City is surrounded by Taipei County (???), which is an amalgamation of several cities and towns. The city and county are basically one metropolitan area, but run by different government authorities. Individual cities are listed on the Taipei County page.

Get in

International travel

Taipei's international airport (Chiang Kai Shek International Airport - often abbreviated as CKS) is located about 30 km from the city. Freeway buses ply the route, picking up and dropping off passengers at most of the five star hotels as well as Taipei Main Station and the domestic airport (Songshan Airport), which is located in downtown Taipei. Buses also connect to other cities in the area and Taichung City in the middle of Taiwan. Travelers to other destinations need to change transportation in Taipei.

At airport terminal 1: After passing through customs, you have the choice of exiting to the left or right. Turn left for limousine buses. There are several booths serving private bus companies, with each displaying a bus route map for their particular service. The cost is between NT$120 and NT$145 to downtown Taipei. For destinations in West Taipei, avoid the Air Bus Company as their West Route bus (the East Route one is fine) meanders through local towns dropping off airport employees before joining the freeway. If, however, you wish to pick up complimentary maps and avail yourself of tourist information services, turn right after customs. This is also the exit for getting a taxi. Both sides have money changers.

Domestic travel

Taipei is easily accessible by train, airplane, freeway, or bus from other cities in Taiwan.

By plane

Songshan Airport at the top end of Dunhua North Road is the city's domestic airport, and there are flights arriving and departing for all major cities on the island every minute.

By train

All trains to/from other cities on the island arrive and depart from Taipei Railway Station on Zhongxiao West Road, Sec 1 - opposite the 53 floor Shinkong Mitsukoshi Building. Tickets are purchased on the first floor, while the platforms are located in B1.

By Bus

Private and government intercity buses leave and depart from the Taipei Bus Terminal (also called Taipei Intercity Bus Terminal) - a few minutes walk to the west of Taipei Railway Station (to the left and behind the station when facing the building from Zhongxiao West Road. It is the furtherest bus station of two when coming from the railway station). Generally speaking, the buses operated by private companies are more comfortable and sport such amenities as wide reclining seats and individual game and video monitors. The government run buses are blue and white and are called guoguang hao. All intercity buses are known as keyun and can be distinguished from the local city buses (called gongche) by the fact that they do not have a route number, only the name of the destination.

Get around

By metro

See also:

Taipei City has a very clean, efficient and safe Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) system. The majority of lines are underground, though the Muzha line, which connects to Taipei Zoo, is a driverless elevated system. The last trains depart at midnight. Fares are between NT$20 and NT$65 for one-way trips around town. Stations and trains are clearly identified in English, so even for those who cannot read Chinese, the MRT system is very accessible.

Women and/or children travelling at night can benefit from the Safe Zones - sections of the terminal that are under heavy surveillance - located in some of the subway lines.

In addition to single journey tickets, the Taipei MRT also sells value-added cards called EasyCard. These cards hold amounts up to NT$5,000, and one only needs to swipe them past the barrier monitor to gain entry and exit. Value added cards can be purchased at station ticket offices or at vending machines. One great advantage of using the EasyCard is that there is a 20% discount on all MRT rides, and if you transfer from the MRT to an ordinary city bus, or vice versa, within an hour, the bus ride is only NT$7. The discount is automatically calculated when you leave the MRT station.

By bus

Taipei City has a very efficient bus service, and because all buses display information (destination and the names of stops) in English, the system is very accessible to non-Chinese speaking visitors. Payment can be made by cash (NT$15) or EasyCard (see "Metro" listing) for each section that the bus passes through. For local buses (all local buses have a number, but long distance buses do not) the maximum will be two sections with a total cost of NT$30. The confusion, however, arises by not knowing where the section boundaries are located. If you begin your journey at the first stop, you may travel for a long distance for only NT$15. However, if you get on just before a section boundary, you will have to pay for two sections, even if you have only traveled one stop.

When to pay: Above the driver, there is an electronic red sign. If the Chinese character for "up" (?) is lit, then you pay when you get on. If the same sign is lit when you get off, you do not need to pay again. However, if the sign is displaying the Chinese character for "down" (?) when you are getting off, then you will need to pay a second time. Finally, if the character for "down" is lit up when you get on, then you only need to pay when you get off. Until you get the hang of the system, just let the locals go first and follow their action. It's really not as complicated as it sounds!

By taxi

Taxis are the most flexible way to get around, and are extremely numerous. They are expensive in comparison to mass transit, but are cheap when compared to taxis in the rest of the world. Most taxi drivers speak very limited English, and it will be necessary for non-Chinese speakers to have their destination written down. Taxis are metered, with higher rates for night and rush hour journeys. Tipping is not necessary.

Passengers who sit in the front seat of the taxi are required to buckle their seat beat. Considering the aggressiveness of a Taipei taxi driver's technique, this may not be a bad idea.

Taiwanese taxi drivers are notorious for their strong opinions on politics as they spend all day listening to talk radio, although they will probably be unable to share any of this with you if you do not speak Chinese.

Address system

The Taipei address system is very logical and user-friendly. The hub of the city is the corner of the west-east running Zhongxiao and north-south running Zhongshan roads. All major roads are identified by their direction in relation to these roads. For example, all sections of the north-south running Fuxing Road north of Zhongxiao are called Fuxing North Road. Likewise, those sections to the south are called Fuxing South Road. Those that cross Zhongshan road are similarly identified as either east or west. Sections (?-duan) numbers begin at 'one' near the two defining roads and increase at intersections of major highways. For example, Ren'ai Road (which only has an east location, and therefore does not have a direction suffix) section 1, will be close to Zhongshan South Road. The section number will increase as one moves further away from Zhongshan Road. So, for example, when Ren'ai Road reaches Dunhua South Road far in the east of the city, a typical address could be: 7F. 166# Ren'ai Road, section 4, Taipei. The house and lane numbers begin at zero every section. Lanes (?-xiang) lead off roads (?-lu) and streets (?-jie), while alleys (?-nong) branch off lanes.

See

Landmarks

Museums/Galleries

Note: The museum is currently undergoing expanson and renovation, scheduled to be completed June 30, 2006. To to make up for the inconvenience, the Museum is offering special discounts, including a two-visits-for-one-ticket-purchase deal, a 15% dining discount, gift-shop deals, free admission to the Chih-Shan Gardens, and more.

Temples

Parks

Learn

Buddhism

Language

Taichi

Do

Hot Springs (??)

Hotsprings come in various brands in Taipei, ranging from basic, free 'rub and scrub' type public baths run by the city to plush spas at five star hotels. Most hotels offer the option of a large sex-segregated bathing area that generally consists of several large baths of various temperatures, jacuzzi, sauna and steam bath and also private and family rooms (NB: the law in Taiwan states that for safety reasons, individuals are not allowed to bathe in the private rooms, and there must be at least two people). Some hotels also have outdoor baths (????), which offer restful views over the surrounding country-side. Prices range from around NT$300 to NT$800.

Public hot spring etiquette requires that bathers thoroughly wash and rinse off their bodies before entering the bath, do not wear clothing (including swim wear) in the bath and tie up their hair so that it does not touch the water. Finally, people with high blood pressure, heart disease or open wounds should not enter the baths. There are three main places to have a soak in the Taipei area:

Festivals

Taipei hosts numerous festivals throughout the year, but as many follow the lunar calendar the dates according to the Gregorian calendar are inconsistent. Unless you possess a lunar calendar, it is therefore recommended to check the Taiwan Tourist Bureau's events section (see 'external links' below) before planning to attend an event.

Buy

It is often said that L.A. has no center. In contrast, one could say that Taipei is all center, and as such it has been given the epithet - "the emporium without end." Basically, however, the main shopping area can be divided into two districts: East and West. West Taipei is the old city and is characterized by narrow streets crammed packed with small shops. The Western district is also home to most government buildings and the Taipei Main Station. East Taipei boasts wide tree lined boulevards and the four main shopping malls are located in this area:

NB: In order to protect the environment, a government policy rules that plastic bags cannot be given freely at stores in Taiwan, but have to be bought - bakeries being an exception as the items need to be hygienically wrapped. Re-useable canvas and nylon bags are sold at most supermarkets.

Eat

Taipei probably has one of the highest densities of restaurants in the world. Almost every street and alley offers some kind of eatery. Of course, Chinese food (from all provinces) is well represented, but in addition, Thai, Vietnamese, Japanese, Korean and Italian cuisine is also popular. Basically, East Taipei, especially around Dunhua and Anhe Roads, and also the expat enclave of Tienmu is where to clash chopsticks with the rich and famous. Whereas West Taipei offers the more homely small restaurant. Vendor food is nearly always safe to eat and offers a cheap way to sample delicious Chinese 'home cooking.'

Due to the sheer amount of restaurants, it is almost impossible to compile a thorough list, but below are a few recommended restaurants catering to specialist tastes.

Vegetarian

Vegetarian food (??) is also common fare, with the city boasting more than two hundred such restaurants and vendor stands. Another Taipei speciality is vegetarian buffets. They are common in every neighborhood, and unlike the 'all-you-can-eat' buffets listed below (which charge a set price, usually ranging from NT$250 - NT$350 including dessert and coffee/tea), the cost is estimated by the weight of the food on your plate. Rice (there is usually a choice of brown or white) is charged separately, but soup is free and you can refill as many times as you like. NT$90 - NT$120 will buy you a good sized, nutritious meal.

Indian

Pizza

Pizza is easy to find in Taiwan, but top quality traditional pizza is not. The local variety is made in the usual way, but often adapted to Taiwanese taste with toppings of corn, peas or squid parts.

Drink

Tea House and Cafe Culture

Coffee

While traditionally a nation of tea drinkers, in recent years the Taiwanese have really embraced the cafe culture, and all the usual chains can be found here in abundance. For cafes with more character, however, roam the back streets near National Taiwan University (between Xinsheng South Road and Roosevelt Road), and also in the Ren'ai Road, section 4 - Dunhua South Road area. Also, Bitan River in Xindian (see Xindian entry) has a wide range of cafes, all with restful views over the river and mountains beyond.

Tea

Taiwan's speciality teas are:

Local and Taiwanese delicacies

These are all availabe at night markets.

Sleep

Hostels

Budget

Taipei's budget hotels run at a rate of about NT$1,000 - NT$2,500 per night (discounts can generally be negotiated for stays of over a week). Hotels within this price range are too many to list. Here is a random assortment:

East Taipei

West Taipei

Mid Range

East Taipei

West Taipei

Splurge

East Taipei

West Taipei

Contact

Dialing code

Tourist and emergency numbers

Hospitals

Major airlines

For up-to-date information on cheap flights, check the advertisement pages of one of the three local daily English newspapers (see media below)

Media

Taiwan has a very free and liberal press. There are three daily local newspapers available in English:

Internet cafes

Internet cafes are plentiful, especially in the maze of alleys between Taipei Main Station and Peace Park, although you may have to wander around (and look up and down as many are on higher floors or in the basement) before finding one. Some computers are coin operated. A clean, efficient and cheap internet cafe can be found in the basement of a building on the corner of Shi-da Road and (Shi-da Road) lane 117. It is a two minute walk from MRT station Taipower Building, exit 3 (just past the Wellcome Supermarket). Internet Cafes are known as wang-ka in Chinese (wang meaning 'net' and ka from the word 'cafe'.)

External links

This text of this article is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 1.0. It has been slightly modified to fit the general design of this website. The authors of this document are Anonymous user(s) of Wikitravel, Dan Monjar, Evan Prodromou, L. Chang, Mike Smith, S Chen, Wikitravel user Feiren and the following WikiTravel users: AYArktos, Chris_j_wood, Cjensen, Huttite, InterLangBot, Jpatokal, Maj, Nzpcmad, Sohcahtoa, WindHorse. The original version of this article can be seen at http://wikitravel.org/en/Taipei.