Hellobee

We took a 9 day trip to Taiwan LAST May (yes, this post is just a little overdue!), and had a fantastic time! Since it’s around that time of year again where people are thinking of places to travel, I figured it’s better late than never to write this post.

I was actually raised in Taiwan up until I was 4, then returned to the states in time for Kindergarten. I hadn’t been back since, so this was a very special trip for me. It was also memorable because it was our first time introducing the kids to their great-grandparents. I even attended my cousin’s wedding. This was definitely a trip for the books.

The most well-known city in Taiwan is its capital, Taipei.  We spent most of our time exploring Taipei, but also traveled 2 hours by train to the city of Hualien. We ended up spending 5 days in Taipei, 2 days in Hualien, and 2 days for travel. It really was the perfect amount of time for this trip.

Celebrating my cousin’s wedding

Reminiscing with my grandparents

T A I P E I 

Where to Stay

Since we had family in Taipei, we stayed with them slightly outside the city center for our trip. It was inconvenient living 30 minutes outside the heart of Taipei, especially with a 3 and 5 year old… so my first recommendation for traveling is to stay close to wherever you’ll be spending most your time.

If I could choose where to stay, I would stay in the Taipei 101 area, though anywhere near the city center is fine as long as there is an MRT station nearby. Airbnb is always a great option for families too. The Taipei 101 area is modern, clean, and full of energy… offering plenty of options for shopping and eating.

Transportation

Taiwan has a really great public transportation system called the MRT. Everything is written in Simplified Chinese Characters, as well as a translation using English letters, so it wasn’t too difficult to get around. Taxi cabs are also cheap over there. We walked a LOT, so if you have children under the age of 5, I’d recommend bringing an umbrella stroller. It made getting around so much faster, and it allowed us to be super flexible with going places too because the kids often fell asleep in their strollers when they got too tired.

Pushed them around everywhere in our umbrella strollers. We did A LOT of walking.

Another way to get around (probably without kids or with older kids) is through YouBike’s, which is Taipei’s Bike Sharing system. They are located all throughout the city, making it another really convenient way to explore Taipei. More information about how that works here.

You can rent YouBike’s all over Taipei

Places to Eat

There are food stalls and restaurants everywhere, so it is not difficult to find places to eat.  There are basement food courts in just about every mall, and so many night markets you’ll never get to all of them! If I was traveling without kids, I would be hunting down the top rated food places all over Taipei, but with kids, convenience trumps all. So instead of giving you specific restaurant recommendations, here is a breakdown of the food Taiwan is most known for:

• Beef noodle soup
• Xiao long bao (soup dumplings) – I highly recommend Din Tai Fung!
• Traditional Taiwanese breakfast of hot soy milk and fried cruller
• Taiwanese fried chicken
• Stinky tofu
• Braised pork rice
• Steamed pork buns
• Scallion pancakes
• Bubble/Boba tea
• Shaved ice

My kids were obsessed with beef noodle soup

Some of the food we ate (from top to bottom/left to right) – Stinky tofu, soup dumplings, green onion pancake with egg, fried chicken, Angry Bird red bean-filled snack, oyster pancake, flour rice noodles, and Peking duck. 

Enjoying Mango Shaved Ice at Ice Monster

Places to Go

The Ximending area of Taipei

• Taipei 101 – The largest building in Taipei with an observatory on top where you can see all of Taipei. Has a huge food court on the basement level.
• Eslite Bookstore – Several branches in Taipei. It’s a multi-level bookstore, but sells a lot more than just books. Also has a large food court. A great place to come for a day if the weather is bad or if you want something to do. There is a kids section too where they have activities for kids.
• Ximending – A really hip, youthful area for eating and shopping.
• Taipei Zoo – If you want to bring your kids to see giant pandas.
• Maokong Gondola – Cable car up to the mountains to see panoramic views of Taipei.
• Elephant Mountain – A hike that takes you to great views where you can take pics of Taipei 101
• Da-an Forest Park – Like the “Central Park” of Taipei. Huge playground for the kids to play
• Tamsui – Historic town at the end of the MRT for more food and shopping

View of Taipei from Taipei 101 – it was foggy the day we went, so visibility wasn’t great

Spent several hours in Eslite Bookstore because it was raining so hard one day – very kid friendly!

The Night Markets

The night markets deserve their own section because Taiwan is infamous for them, and each one has its own charm. These were the Top 3 that were recommended to me.

• Shilin Night Market – The largest night market in Taipei. This was our children’s favorite, but also the most famous and touristy.
• Raohe Night Market – Night market with the best food. Cheaper and less crowded than Shilin.
• Tonghua Night Market – Near Taipei 101. Has more retail stuff than other night markets.

Exploring Shilin Night Market

Other Tips

Taipei’s Airport is very family friendly

• Taiwan is very kid-friendly. In fact, I think all of Asia is! The Taiwan airport even had an indoor playground and several play areas for kids.
• MRT stations are very family-friendly. Breastfeeding rooms, changing stations, family bathrooms, free wifi, etc.
• Taipei doesn’t have public trash cans on the street. It was so hard to find places to throw away our trash if we were just out and about!
• Tipping is not a “thing” in Taiwan.
• Sign up with TPE-FREE before you leave (needs to send a text message). Good for Wifi at MRT stations and 7-11’s or Family Marts.
• Get the prepaid SIM cards or a portable Wifi device that you can rent at the airport if you want to have Wifi at all times during your travels.
• Bring a rain cover for your stroller. Taiwan has tropical weather, so while it is warm year-round, it can rain any time of year. June to October is Typhoon season in Taiwan, and it can get really hot and humid in the summer. The best time to go is Winter and Spring.
• Purchase an Easy Card – this is a card that lets you load any amount, and can be used for public transit, subway fares, and any participating stores that accept it as payment. Can even be reloaded at 7-11’s. Kids don’t need it. It costs 500NT to open (100NT deposit and 400NT for using).

I’m so glad Noelle and Jaren were able to meet their great-grandparents, as well as get a glimpse into the Taiwanese side of their ethnicity. Taiwan definitely left a lasting impression on all of us, and we can’t wait to visit again in the near future.  Have you been to Taiwan, or other parts of Asia?  I’d love to hear your thoughts on places you’ve visited and would recommend!