Taiwan Taipei 3-Day Itinerary — Quick Answer
As of 2026- Trip length
- 3 days
- Est. cost / person (mid, ex-flights)
- $320
- Budget–luxury
- $155–$760
As of 2026, the recommended Taipei 3-day route runs Day1 Modern Taipei + Xinyi · Day2 Old Taipei + Ximending + Shilin · Day3 Jiufen + Shifen Day Trip, grouping the must-see sights with minimal backtracking. Estimated cost per person (excluding flights) is around $320 on a mid-range budget. Three days covers Taipei's icons + food culture. Day 1: Taipei 101, Xinyi District, Ningxia or Raohe night market. Day 2: Old Taipei (Longshan Temple, Bopiliao Old Street, Dadaocheng) + Ximending shopping + Shilin Night Market. Day 3: Day trip to Jiufen + Shifen (mountain town tea + sky lanterns). All MRT-walkable except Day 3 day trip. EasyCard handles everything.
3-Day Total Budget at a Glance
Budget
$155
Per person, flights excl.
Mid-Range
$320
Per person, flights excl.
Luxury
$760
Per person, flights excl.
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Day-by-Day Detailed Schedule
Modern Taipei + Xinyi
Taipei 101 · Xinyi shopping · Raohe Night MarketActivities
- 09:00 Breakfast at Fu Hang Soy Milk 1.5 hours
Taiwan's most-loved breakfast: salty soy milk + youtiao + scallion pancake. 30-60 min queue, but iconic.
Cost: $3-8 / NT$95-250 TIP: MRT Shandao Temple Station Exit 5. Closed Mondays. Start queue at 06:30 for shortest wait. - 11:00 Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall 1.5 hours
Massive white memorial with bronze CKS statue. Hourly changing-of-guard ceremony (09:00-17:00, ground floor). Free entry. National Theater + National Concert Hall flank either side.
Cost: Free TIP: Liberty Square at the front is the photo spot. MRT CKS Memorial Hall Station Exit 5. - 13:00 Lunch at Din Tai Fung Xinyi A4 1.5 hours
The xiaolongbao birthplace. Use Din Tai Fung app to virtual-queue from CKS Memorial Hall.
Cost: $10-25 / NT$320-800 - 15:00 Xinyi Shopping District + Taipei 101 base 2 hours
Mitsukoshi A4-A11 + Bellavita + Eslite Bookstore. Walking-friendly modern district.
Cost: Variable - 17:00 Taipei 101 Observatory 1.5 hours
508m skyscraper — 89F indoor observatory + 91F outdoor (weather-dependent). Sunset slot is the move; book online 2-3 days ahead.
Cost: $19 / NT$600 TIP: Sunset slot: 17:30-18:30 (book online). Outdoor 91F opens only on clear weather days. - 19:30 Dinner at Raohe Night Market 2-3 hours
Taipei's best food-focused night market. Pepper bun at the entrance is iconic; oyster omelet, scallion pancake, fried squid.
Cost: $10-25 / NT$320-800
Meal Recommendations
Breakfast
Fu Hang Soy Milk
Zhongzheng · $3-8 / NT$95-250
Salty soy milk + youtiao + scallion pancake
Lunch
Din Tai Fung Xinyi A4
Xinyi · $10-25 / NT$320-800
Pork xiaolongbao + truffle xiaolongbao + beef noodles
Dinner
Raohe Night Market
Songshan · $10-25 / NT$320-800
Multi-stall grazing — pepper bun, oyster omelet, scallion pancake
MRT: Shandao Temple → CKS → Taipei 101 → Raohe Night Market (Songshan). All within Zone 1, EasyCard works.
DAY 1 Estimated Spend (per person, flights excl.)
Old Taipei + Ximending + Shilin
Longshan Temple · Bopiliao · Ximending · Shilin Night MarketActivities
- 09:30 Longshan Temple 1.5 hours
Taipei's most important Buddhist + Taoist temple (1738). Free entry. Worship rituals + fortune-telling drawers. The senior crowd makes the atmosphere authentic.
Cost: Free TIP: Dress modestly (covered shoulders). MRT Longshan Temple Station Exit 1. - 11:30 Bopiliao Old Street 1 hour
Restored Qing-dynasty street, free entry. Background for several films + dramas. Pair with Huaxi Street (snake-alley night market, historic)
Cost: Free - 13:00 Lunch at Lin Dong Fang Beef Noodles 1 hour
Taipei's most-loved beef noodle since 1973. 16-hour ox-bone broth. Cash + EasyCard.
Cost: $8-15 / NT$250-470 - 14:30 Dadaocheng + Dihua Street 2 hours
1850s mercantile street, now a hipster + traditional shop strip. Yongle Fabric Market (cheap silk + leather), Asia's oldest dried-goods shops, modern coffee + design shops.
Cost: Free + shopping - 17:00 Ximending shopping district 2 hours
Taipei's Shibuya — youth fashion, K-pop merchandise, street art. The famous Ximending pedestrian crossing.
Cost: Variable - 19:30 Dinner at Shilin Night Market 2-3 hours
Taipei's biggest night market. Hot Star fried chicken (invented here), pineapple shrimp ball, stinky tofu.
Cost: $10-25 / NT$320-800 TIP: MRT Jiantan Station Exit 1. Crowded weekends; weekday better.
Meal Recommendations
Breakfast
Yong He Soy Milk King
Multiple · $3-8 / NT$90-250
Quick + 24/7 breakfast — soy milk + dan bing
Lunch
Lin Dong Fang Beef Noodles
Zhongshan · $8-15 / NT$250-470
Original clear-broth beef noodle — Taiwan's national dish
Dinner
Shilin Night Market
Shilin · $10-25 / NT$320-800
Hot Star XXL fried chicken + variety stalls
MRT: Longshan Temple → Ximending (5 min walk) → MRT Beimen → Dadaocheng. Shilin Night Market: MRT Jiantan.
DAY 2 Estimated Spend (per person, flights excl.)
Jiufen + Shifen Day Trip
Mountain tea town · sky lanterns · waterfallActivities
- 08:30 Train Taipei → Ruifang Station 1 hour
TRA Tze-chiang Express, 50 min, NT$76 / $2.40. Connect at Ruifang to Pingxi Line train OR bus to Jiufen.
Cost: $2.40 / NT$76 - 10:00 Bus to Jiufen (15 min from Ruifang) 15 min
Bus 1062 or 788 from Ruifang Station, NT$15 / $0.50, 15 min uphill.
Cost: $0.50 / NT$15 - 10:30 Jiufen Old Street + Amei Tea House 2-3 hours
1920s mountain mining town. Narrow stair streets, lantern-strung tea houses. Amei Tea House is the iconic red-lantern teahouse that inspired Studio Ghibli's 'Spirited Away.' Tea + Taiwanese sweets NT$300-500 / $9.50-15.80 per person.
Cost: $10-25 / NT$320-800 - 14:00 Train back to Ruifang + Pingxi Line 30 min
Pingxi Line scenic train through mountain villages. NT$80 / $2.50 round-trip, hourly departures.
Cost: $2.50 / NT$80 - 14:30 Shifen Sky Lanterns 1 hour
Buy a paper lantern (NT$200 / $6.30 small, NT$300 / $9.50 large), brush wishes onto it, release into the sky along the railway tracks. Most iconic Taiwan experience.
Cost: $6-10 / NT$200-300 - 16:00 Shifen Waterfall walk 1.5 hours
10-min walk from Shifen Station to Taiwan's biggest waterfall (40m wide). Free entry, scenic viewpoints.
Cost: Free - 18:00 Return to Taipei via Pingxi Line + TRA 1.5 hours
Pingxi → Ruifang → Taipei Main. 1.5 hours total.
Cost: Already on round-trip - 20:00 Late dinner + Ningxia Night Market OR farewell dinner 2 hours
Less-touristy Ningxia for oyster omelet + pork ribs herbal soup. Or splurge at Le Palais 3-star Cantonese.
Cost: $10-280 / NT$320-8,900
Meal Recommendations
Lunch
Amei Tea House (Jiufen)
Jiufen · $10-25 / NT$320-800
Tea + Taiwanese sweets — the iconic lantern teahouse
Dinner
Ningxia Night Market or Le Palais 3-star
Datong / Taipei Station · $10-280 / NT$320-8,900
Local market authenticity OR farewell Cantonese splurge
TRA train Taipei → Ruifang → bus to Jiufen → Pingxi Line train → Shifen. Buy round-trip Ruifang ticket + Pingxi day pass (NT$80) at Taipei Main Station.
DAY 3 Estimated Spend (per person, flights excl.)
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Packing Checklist
- ✓ Comfortable walking shoes — you'll do 15+ km/day at markets + temples
- ✓ Light layered clothing — Taipei AC is freezing inside malls + MRT
- ✓ Compact umbrella + light rain jacket — sudden showers any season
- ✓ Sunscreen SPF 50 + sun hat (April-October)
- ✓ EasyCard NT$100 deposit + NT$300-500 loaded (MRT, buses, 7-Eleven, YouBike)
- ✓ Cash NT$2,000-3,000 — night markets, breakfast shops, taxis
- ✓ Plug adapter Type A/B (same as US, 110V/60Hz)
Taipei 3-Day Itinerary FAQ
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Why you can trust 3-day itinerary
Based in Chiang Mai for 8+ years, with 30+ countries visited across Southeast Asia, Japan, and Europe. Every detail in this guide is primary-source verified as of April 2026, with prices auto-refreshed via live exchange rate APIs. This isn't AI-generated boilerplate — it's written from the perspective of someone who has actually been there.