TAIWAN 101: Things you need to know, 5-day Taipei Itinerary, Commuting Guide, Food, Budget and a lot more

Starting November 01, 2017 up to July 31, 2018, Filipinos may enter Taiwan completely visa-free (and can stay up to 14 days). Though the visa-free entry is a 9-month trial (part of Taiwan’s goodwill and efforts of the ‘New Southbound Policy’), grabbing the opportunity of not having to a apply for a Visa would really be worth it. That is the reason why, when I was denied for my supposedly Korean trip (Read: Let’s fly to Taiwan instead), without hesitation we decided to book a flight to Taiwan. And bet you, it was one great decision we had.

Taiwan is a very tourist friendly country. Most of its locals may not speak much of the English language, but you will notice that when you ask someone they will courteously assist you with anything. I guess, being a colony of Japan had influenced them on this trait.

 Do not miss to visit Jiufen Old City, which is the inspiration of the movie “Spirited Away”

Taiwan is one of the largest economies in Asia. It is well known for having busy night markets, hot spring resorts, Chinese temples and of course the iconic bamboo-shaped skyscraper – Taipei 101.

 An hour hike to Elephant mountains peak to have this kind of view. 

Getting around the city will not be a problem (as soon as you were able to understand their transport system). I was happy to learn that the road signages and directions got an English version. In our whole trip, we did recently, we only manage to ask maybe two or three locals for directions.

Filipinos could mostly be seen roaming around the city. I think, right after the announcement of the free visa, a lot of Filipinos have been booking to fly to the big island. Truthfully, some of my friends were already asking me details and things they need to know about Taiwan especially when most Filipinos wanted to experience Winter in this country (starting December).

So before you hit the road and fly to Taiwan, here are some things and tips you need to know (or to learn) about this beautiful country.

SAMPLE 5-DAY TAIPEI ITINERARY (MANILA – TAIWAN)

 A private limo service from the airport courtesy of our hotel

We created a Taipei itinerary for our trip, but because the Hotel that we stayed in was so impressive, we found ourselves always crawling back to our beds (Will tell you more about the hotel we stayed in on a separate post). Because of that, we weren’t really able to follow everything we listed. We omitted a few, but it was okay at least it gave us a reason to always go back.

Here is a sample 5-day Taipei itinerary we created. Day 01 will be an early flight to Taiwan and day 05 will be an evening flight back to Manila. Taipei is very easy to navigate, you can always add up or omit a place as needed. As a bonus, I added up some tips.

	DAY 01	TIPS
4:00 AM	Flight from Manila
6:00 AM	Arrival in Taipei
7:00 AM	To Hotel	Try booking near Ximending (Check out amba Ximending hotel)
9:00 AM	Check-in
11:00 AM	BRUNCH
12:00 PM	Museum of Contemporary Art (MoCA) Taipei	Do not forget to check if the museum is open
2:00 PM	Highest Starbucks (Taipei 101)	You would need to book and call Starbucks before visiting
3:30 PM	Elephant Mountain	The highest peak will need to be trek for an hour
7:00 PM	Rainbow Bridge Taipei
8:00 PM	Raohe Street Night Market	All night markets looks the same, better pick one to explore
10:00 PM	HOTEL
	DAY 2
8:00 AM	WAKE UP
9:00 AM	BREAKFAST
10:00 AM	Taipei Zoo	If you are not into animals, a quick stroll is enough
12:00 PM	Gondola Cable Car	Check out the glass gondola
2:00 PM	Lunch at Maokong (Sanxuan Temple)	To get some extra time traveling back, try to do pooling with other passengers via taxi
4:00 PM	MAJI SQUARE	This is like a mall with a huge food court. Also, explore the nearby area, there are a lot of Instagrammable places within this place
6:00 PM	Taipei Fine arts museum	As of writing, the entrance is free starting at 5 pm onwards.
8:00 PM	DINNER: Din Tai Fung (Dongmen station)	Highly recommended!
10:00 PM	HOTEL
	DAY 03
8:00 AM	Breakfast
10:00 AM	Huashan 1914 Creative Park	Ready your OOTD’s here
12:00 PM	MODERN TOILET CAFE	Meal is just okay. Visit for the gram.
2:00 PM	The Red House	Cute, unique and premium Taiwanese items
3:00 PM	Bopilao Historic Block	For those people who love ruins and history
5:00 PM	Ximending	Shopping!!!
8:00 PM	Shi Lin Night Market	Eating!!! (Another Night market)
	DAY 04
7:00 AM	Breakfast
8:00 AM	to Yehliu
10:30 AM	Yehliu	Do not forget to bring your raincoat and umbrella
12:00 PM	Lunch at Keelung	Look for cute walls here
1:00 PM	To Jiufen
2:30 PM	Explore Jiufen Old street	You’ll love this especially if you are a fan of the movie “Spirited Away”
5:00 PM	To Shifen	Fly a lantern (and do not miss the train back to the city)
7:00 PM	To Taipei	Ride the train back to Taipei
	DAY 05
8:00 AM	Breakfast
11:00 AM	Early Checkout
12:00 PM	Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall	A few stations away from Ximen
1:30 PM	to P.S. Bu BU Cafe	Far but worth the visit
2:30 PM	P.S. Bu Bu Restaurant	If you are a Meteor Garden fan, this is one of the places you should visit
4:00 PM	Back to Hotel to get luggage
5:00 PM	Airport
9:00 PM	Flight Back to Manila	🙁

NI HAO! XIE XIE! (LANGUAGE AND COMMUNICATION)

The largest and most commonly understood language in Taiwan is Mandarin Chinese. Luckily some Filipinos do know how to speak the language, so it would be easier for those to adapt. Most of the locals do not even speak English, but you’ll get to see English speaking individuals in hotels, premium restaurants and/or shops where tourists are mostly seen. If you are visiting it is best to learn simple words in Mandarin Chinese like ‘thank you’, ‘How Much’, etc. Here are some useful phrases you can use:

• Ni Hao – Hello, How are you?
• Hen Hao – very good
• Xie xie – Thank you
• Tou shao chien? – How much?
• Wo yao – I want
• Wo bu yao – I don’t want
• Zai Chien – goodbye
• _____ Zai na li? – Where is ____?
• Duey bu chi – Sorry
• Hao chee – Delicious
• Wo yao huwan chien  –  I want to change money
• Sheng sheng – mister
• Shao jie – miss
• Ah ee – auntie

WEATHER? OOTD READY?

 Ready your umbrella and raincoats.

There are four seasons in Taiwan,  Spring is from March to May. Summer is from June to August. Autumn is from September to November. Winter is from December to February. It is a humid country and it rains most of the time. Personally, I think the best time to visit Taiwan is in Autumn, where the weather is cooler but still warm and sunny.

The months of October and November has relatively less rainfall, nevertheless, bringing an umbrella (or raincoat) as always is best whenever you go around. And oh! Ready your OOTD game! Layering is good for this season.

TRANSPORTATION / GOING AROUND THE CITY

First, you need to do is get an EASY CARD (it will make your life easier). You can get this at any MRT station. You would need to pay NT$100 for the card plus the load. On our 5 day trip, I was able to spend around NT$550 just by riding different modes of transport. You can also use this to buy stuff in other establishments like convenience stores or even parks. There are other price options in buying an Easy Card, check the list below;

• 1-day ticket costs NT$180
• 2-day ticket costs NT$310
• 3-day ticket costs NT$440
• 5-day ticket costs NT$700

This will allow passengers to take the metro and city buses unlimitedly within the valid time. It is actually good to get this if you are spending most of the time traveling, but if not, I suggest to get the reloadable instead. Loading can be done in any MRT stations and/or 7-11 stores (not sure if other convenience stores have to reload too).

Major transportations in Taiwan are Taxi, MRT, Train, and Buses. Aside from walking, the cheapest way to go around the city is by riding a bike. Ubikes are situated mostly around the city of Taipei. You can use your Easy Card but you need to register it first at a Ubike Kiosk using a local number. Tip: Make sure to pedal only on bike lanes or be fined. 

Next cheapest would be the Busses. You can only ride a bus on a designated bus stops. You also would need to know the number of the specific bus you need to ride. Same goes for the MRT which is actually faster than the busses and can bring you to places in no time. Earliest time to ride the MRT is 6am and the last ride usually is around 12mn.

You will be doing a lot of walking in the city most especially from transferring from one ride to the other but it is not a going to be a problem for you wouldn’t feel any sweat doing it. Pedestrian follows rules here so better be a good citizen when traveling in Taiwan. Also when riding a public transport, dark blue seats are for the elderly, pregnant and/or disabled person, locals wouldn’t take advantage of sitting on it even it is available. So be cautious as well.

When riding buses, remember to tap in and tap out. You can tap out as soon as you are going down on the next stop to inform the driver that someone is going down or you can even press the designated button to signal the driver that you are going down on the next station.

For a taxi ride, flag down rate is NT$ 70.

For the bike rentals, here are the rates:

• NT$10 every 30 minutes for the first 4 hours
• NT$20 every 30 minutes for 4-8 hours
• NT$40 every 30 minutes after 8 hours.

You can also do Uber, but it is a bit pricey. I think it is almost/or more than the same as riding a taxi.

WHAT TO EAT? PRICES? 

A lot of my friends who visited Taiwan told me that the food prices in Taipei were affordable, Well, comparing to Philippine pricing, ours are still way affordable. Personally, I find it a bit pricey; if we compare it to a local eatery here where price ranges from Php 50-60 per plate, a local eatery in Taiwan would cost NT$60-80, which is converting to Peso will cost around Php 100-120.

The more decent restaurants like P.S. Bubu Cafe or Modern Toilet Cafe (which we both visited), you will need to spend around NT$200 to 300 per head (Php 500 and up), if you decide to do a buffet like the famous ones like in  Grand Hyatt Hotel, it will cost you around NT$ 1000 or around Php 1600 to 2000.

 (1) Rice meal that looks like Adobo is priced at NT$60 (2) Buffet Breakfast at Hyatt (3) Late Lunch at Toilet Cafe

A bottle of water is around NT$20-50, while a slice of pork floss bread will be around NT$ 40-50. I think the only item that I really find cheaper in Taiwan are the Milk teas, which you can avail as low as NT$ 40. I love their Milk Teas!

 Trying some random milk teas

I guess if you are earning dollars, the food prices are just a standard (if you do not do a conversion). So I suggest, stop converting when you are already in Taiwan (or even when you’re in other countries, which I honestly am guilty of doing!).

(1) Noodles (2) Square Pizza at amba (3) Dumplings

For my Muslim readers, there are some restaurants who are offering only Halal foods. I wasn’t able to learn about those places but you would need to ask maybe someone who already visited.  A few restaurants are considered Muslim friendly, like the ones we stayed – amba Ximending hotel. As I was able to talk to the manager, she said that if you are a Muslim and if you wanted to dine in their restaurant, you would need to call or inform them at least an hour before your dining schedule so that they can prepare a separate/specific meal for you. I think they have a separate kitchen or area for making those dishes.

If you are a Christian who have reservations about eating blood, be aware of the blood coated tofu or the Pig’s blood cake which is mostly available in night markets. Also, there are some hot pot restaurants that serve it with pigs blood. Check the menu board, if you found this Chinese character 血 – it means blood.

HOW MUCH DO YOU NEED? (BUDGET)

The currency in Taiwan is New Taiwan Dollar (as of Nov 16, 2017, NT$ 1 = Php 0.69). For the 5-day trip we did in Taiwan, I only allocated a total budget of Php 10,000 which includes the travel tax I paid before the flight. The total budget is just for the daily expenses like food, transport and entrance fees, that doesn’t include the flight ticket as well as the hotel accommodation.  If you are a budget traveler, I think you could be able to even spend less for most of the entrance fee’s are really affordable.

Maokong Station is the last station of the Gondola Ride

WHERE TO STAY? (ACCOMMODATION)

Picking an accommodation in your stay in a certain place could be tricky.  Personally, I like picking the hotel last, that is after I have decided to map out my itinerary. Also, you need to really know the kind of traveler you are; Are you a business traveler, backpacker, or an easy going one? Are you travelling alone? With a friend? Family or a group of friends? There are a lot of things you should need to consider actually. Add to that the accessibility and the pricing of the place you are eyeing for. Your personality can also affect the location you will be picking in Taiwan. Here are some of the Hotels I could suggest:

Grand Hyatt Hotel – This is perfect for Business travelers who are doing conventions, seminars or business within the city. Tucked in the middle of the business center, this upscale hotel is adjacent to Taipei 101 skyscraper and is just a few minutes away from Taipei International Convention Center. The 5-star hotel is accessible via public transportation like buses and trains. If your into it, expect a luxury limo fetching you at the airport.

amba Taipei Ximending Hotel – If you want to be in a place where the fun is happening, better check out amba Taipei Ximending Hotel. It is for the hip and the youthful. The 4-star hotel takes roots in their concept and tapping the younger crowd. If you love busy streets, people watching and shopping this boutique design hotel is best for you.

If you are on a budget, doing a hunt on Airbnb, Agoda or Traveloka would really help. Will tell you more about the hotels we stayed in on a separate post.

WHAT TO WEAR? OOTD READY! 

Taipei in November is Baguio feels! That’s how I basically compare the weather of Taiwan on this month, wherein an on and off-jacket would be okay. It is mostly chill but will be a bit warmer if you’re in subways. Think of it as if you were doing a long walk but still not sweating at all. 

If you are sensitive to cold weather better to bring a jacket always. Having a nice walking shoe would be ideal as well. Also, do not forget to bring an umbrella or a raincoat for rain could visit quite frequent. The locals of Taiwan are way too fashionable (maybe because of the weather), that even the street vendors are in full-OOTD! If you are visiting better up your OOTD game, it is always fun to do styling in a cold weather. Here are some of the clothes I wore on my recent trip.

 (1) Wearing SM Youth Jacket, Forever 21 Plaids & Wrangler pants (2) Nice Dragon shirt I got from Ukay-Ukay (3) Uniqlo jacket and pants, Giordano shirt and Call-it Spring leather shoes. 

WiFi / APPS TO DOWNLOAD / ROAMING?

If money isn’t a thing, I would suggest for you to do roaming. When in Taipei, you would need to always be connected, why? Will tell you that in a bit, but for now let me tell you more about roaming.

If you are a Globe Postpaid subscriber, roaming is very easy to set up. Just ticked the roaming button on your phone ones you are already in Taiwan and it will automatically connect you to the Telecom partner of Globe there. An All-Day Postpaid Roaming will cost you Php 599 per day, that is pretty okay at least it will take out the hassle of finding a local WiFi connectivity. You can check out this link for more info.  http://www.globe.com.ph/international/roaming/roam-surf-promos

(On another news, the longer you stay in the USA, South Korea and Australia the more affordable your Globe Roam Surf could get. Customers can avail roaming rates for as low as only P300/day! for the said countries)

SIM cards stores are a bit hard to find in Taiwan. I think there is a specialized store where you can buy it if you are thinking of getting one for communication. It is not like here in the Philippines wherein you can buy sim cards even in streets, there we had a hard time looking one that we didn’t even bother to buy at all.

WiFi connectivity is mostly available in restaurants, hotels and even busses. For the applications, here are some of the suggested Apps that can help you navigate the city.

• Google Maps has been my best friend on this trip! It serves as my map and my guide to places I wanted to go. I commend the government of Taiwan for having a really efficient and tourist-friendly transportation that you can easily navigate. Google maps can easily point you anywhere with the specific distance, different ways of getting to the place, and even the number of busses or train and stop it will take. That’s really efficient!
• Go! Taipei Metro – This can direct you to the nearest Train terminal in your place.
• FTIT (Fun Travel in Taipei) – To get ideas about different modes of transportation, places to visit, events and even parking spaces.

A FEW MORE TIPS/OBSERVATIONS: 

For first time travellers to Taiwan, I could say that you wouldn’t really encounter a big problem in your trip. Navigating the train and bus system would be easier once you get the hang of it. Changing itinerary within the city is very manageable, for heavy traffic doesn’t even exist in the place. Travelling to the far north (Province) like Yehliu can only take you less than two hours.

The food is very adaptable for most of it are available in the Philippines. If you’re planning to visit night markets, according to a local friend, night markets are all the same, so if you included more than one in your itinerary, I suggest for you to pick one only to be able to make time for some other activities. Most stores closes at 8pm. Some do an extended store time like, 10pm mostly around Ximending and other night markets.

 (1) Random Street Art (2) Hello Kitty Eva Air Check in counter (3) Shot from Jiufen Old City (4) P.S BuBu Cafe

Taiwan is such a great way to start your solo backpacking out of the country experience.  It is very safe (I think they have a very low crime rate), that you wouldn’t even see any policemen or traffic enforcers roaming around the street. The people follow directions that they would even wait for the green light before crossing. They wait turns, falls in line, bike on the lane and wouldn’t even bother to sit on a seat not intended for them. Generally, I could say, Taiwan is way too flawless.

Will tell you more about the places I visited, the hotels we stayed in, videos and more soon!

Do share your personal tip if you do have, by commenting on the box below, let’s make this post more interactive. Will update it once in a while. 

Also Read:  Day1: Elephant Mountain | Day 2: Maokong Gondola