Taipei in 4 days: city lanes and mountain-town evenings

Airport rail, old Taipei and Ximending

1. 01Arrive at TPE around 14:00 and allow 60–90 minutes for immigration and luggage. Find the Airport MRT station for your terminal.
2. 02Take an express service toward Taipei Main Station if it suits your arrival. Allow approximately 35–40 minutes on the train, plus walks through the airport and station. Check current fares with Taoyuan Metro.
3. 03Check in or store your bags, then use the city MRT toward Longshan Temple (龍山寺). Visit only if there’s comfortable time left; Bopiliao's historic streets are an optional nearby stop.
4. 04Continue to Ximending (西門町) for a light meal at Ay-Chung Flour-Rice Noodle if open, followed by a short pedestrian-street walk.
5. 05Return to your hotel before the first evening becomes tiring. A delayed flight is a reason to skip the temple, not to rush through the city.

The Airport MRT and Taipei's city MRT are different services, with a walk between parts of the Main Station complex. Include that transfer time when traveling with luggage.

Memorial Hall and Yongkang Street, then one evening choice

1. 01Choose breakfast: eat near the hotel and leave around 08:30, OR join the early queue at Fuhang Soy Milk. The 06:30 food outing is optional.
2. 02Aim for Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall around 09:00–10:15, checking the day’s opening and ceremony notices.
3. 03Continue to Dongmen and Yongkang Street for lunch around 11:00–12:00. If Din Tai Fung has a long wait, choose another nearby meal.
4. 04After lunch, take a proper indoor break. Head to Xinyi around 14:00–15:00 only when ready.
5. 05Choose ONE evening focus: a reserved Taipei 101 observatory visit, OR dinner at Raohe Night Market. They are alternatives in the basic plan.
6. 06If you started with the early breakfast queue, finish after the afternoon outing and eat near the hotel. You can leave the night market for another evening.

Keep the early breakfast optional, then choose one evening highlight after a proper break.

Shifen first, Jiufen later

1. 01Plan an early departure from Taipei Main Station, around 07:30 if the day's schedule supports it. Take a suitable TRA train toward Ruifang (瑞芳), allowing roughly 40–50 minutes plus waiting.
2. 02Check Pingxi Line service and transfer times before continuing to Shifen (十分). Don’t treat a sample arrival time as a reserved connection.
3. 03Allow around 25–30 minutes each way to walk from Shifen station to the waterfall, plus time at the viewpoint and old street. Keep clear of operating railway tracks and obey staff instructions.
4. 04Take a suitable train back to Ruifang, then find the correct Jiufen-bound bus stop. Allow roughly 15–25 minutes on the bus, plus queues and traffic.
5. 05Spend the later afternoon around Jiufen Old Street (九份老街) and the stepped lanes. Check the day's route 965 service toward Ximen, including the last departure; allow roughly 70–90 minutes or more for the return.

Check the return options before leaving Taipei. If the Pingxi Line is disrupted or the connection is unsuitable, simplify to Jiufen or stay in the city. Don’t plan around an unverified last bus, and don’t add a lantern activity on active tracks.

Dihua Street, then the airport

1. 01Check out around 08:30 and leave your bags at the hotel if luggage storage is available.
2. 02Take a short Dihua Street and Dadaocheng walk around 09:00–10:30. Some shops open later; keep shopping optional.
3. 03Return to your hotel for luggage by about 11:00, then allow for the walk and transfers to the Airport MRT. Keep lunch quick.
4. 04For a flight at 16:00 or later, aim for an Airport MRT train around 12:00 or earlier. Check your terminal and timetable to reach the airport at least three hours before departure.
5. 05For an earlier departure, drop Dihua Street. Confirm terminal, baggage and check-in requirements directly with your airline.

A room near Taipei 101 requires an extra city transfer compared with the Main Station base. Don’t copy the same hotel departure time without adding that journey.