FlyerTalk Forums - View Single Post - Itinerary: 1 full day and 2 nights in Taipei
Old Dec 21, 2012, 1:33 am
  #12  
lin821
 
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My Bold Suggestions for Your Taipei Visit....

Originally Posted by KRS
... about transportation from the airport and the possibility of stopping by the Longshan temple and surrounding night markets on the way to the hotel. Then we can do Yongkang Street the next day... I guess that should be doable?
Like others said, even with one full day and 2 nights, you don't have that much time to cover what you had planned for Taipei. However, I have some ideas to streamline your travel plan and cover as many sites as possible.

If you can take care of Longshan Temple and Snake Valley Friday evening before getting to Holiday Inn East, I will boldly suggest to spend your next day as followed:

Saturday Morning (9:00-10:30): Shenkeng Old Street
Does Shenkeng deserve a trip over from SVG to TPE? Definitely not. Since you are staying in Holiday Inn East and probably suffer a bit of sore legs from the night market and jetlag from the previous night, why not take it easy and enjoy the neighborhood scenery?

For old streets, I normally recommend Tamsui Old Street, but Shenkeng is closer to you. Shenkeng is famous for tofu and you get to enjoy a range of varieties, stinky or not, at Shenkeng Old Street. Shenkeng Old Street is a small alley that just recently came out from a 2+ years renovation this September. You can check out this English blog and get a taste of what it was like before renovation. This other blog gives you a good photo gallery of Shenkeng Old Street as of today (skip the text if Chinese is foreign to you ) .

I called up the District Office and was told the Old Street is about 2kms from Holiday Inn East. It's only a short drive by taxi but too far to walk. It's probably 4-5 bus stops from the hotel if you take Bus Route 660 & 666. I think the hotel frontdesk can help you with transportation. Most shops are not open until 10:00 but weekend hours may start a bit early. I believe a short walk of the old street and some vintage shops should give you a glimpse of old Taiwan. Psych youself up for some tofu adventure. The signature Senkeng stinky tofu is not the typical deep fried kind of stinky tofu. It's a bit of soupy. Since Shekeng is the so called "Capital of Tofu", you also get to sample all kind of tofu, grilled, steamed and fried. What about ice cream? They serve tofu ice cream at Shenkeng Old Street too!

It probably will be a good hour or two to tour Shenkeng Old Street then you can head back to the hotel to catch the hourly shuttle, possibly the 11:00 one, down to MRT-City Hall.

Around Noon to early Afternoon (11-ish to 2:00 pm): Eslite Bookstore, Xingyi District, Confucius and Baoan Temples

Depending on how your morning goes, you should be arriving City Hall no later than noon. Xinyi District has all the big department stores, movie theaters, and yes, Taipei 101. Eslite Bookstore is within walking distance so you may stop by their flagship store and stock up some books for your trip. Don't plan to get here too early since it's not open till 11:00 am. I shop at Eslite Bookstore all the time and personally prefer their original store in Dunhua S. RD., which is open 24/7. ^ Eslite has become a culture icon of Taiwan so it's worth a visit. Giving your limited time at hand, other than Eslite, I wouldn't recommend too much time in Xinyi District.

After Eslite, you can hop on MRT heading toward Confucius and Baoan Temples, both close by each other. You take the Blue Line from City Hall then transfer to Red Line at Taipei Main Station. Look for the Red Line heading for Tamsui (or Xinbeitou) and get off at Yuanshan Station. The MRT ride is about 20-30 minutes. Confucius and Baoan Temples are about 10-minute walk from Yuanshan MRT Station.

Afternoon (2:30 and on): Palace Museum
Instead of getting back on MRT, I would suggest taking taxi after your temple visit to save you time on transportation. The museum English guided tour starts at 3:00 pm. Get here early enough to sign up for the 30-person group tour. If your schedule doesn't work out with the 3 pm tour, you can always lean back on to the self-guided audio tour. Stop by the museum shop to get some souvenir. I think you can get some tea here too.

Evening: More Food and Shopping
The good part of your day is pretty much gone by now. If you can't squeeze in Confucius and Baoan Temples earlier during the day, do it after the museum. If you are so far on schedule, you can wrap up your day by more delicious food and some shopping.

Two places you can go after the Palace Museum. One is Shilin Night Market, which is closest to the museum. Or you may opt for some viewing in East District, between MRT Zhongxiao/Fuxing and Zhongxia/Dunhua Stations. Focus on the 4th Section of Zhongxiao E. RD, and pay special attention to Lane 216, close to MRT Zhongxiao/Dunhua Station. You simply can't miss Lane 216 Zhongxiao E. RD, Sec. 4 for serious Taiwanese food: beef noodles, pearl milk tea, dumplings, tempura/Tianbula,...etc. You won't leave hungry after Lane 216! There's also a small night market closeby on Daan RD, a few blocks from Sogo Department Store. By the end of the evening, you shall return to your hotel with a full stomach and big smile on your face.

Obviously there are other splendid suggestions in threads for places to see in Taipei. You just can't have it all in one single day. Hopefully, the Taipei you see in your 1-day-2-night trip will bring you back to Taiwan and asking for more. Welcome and enjoy Taipei!

Last edited by lin821; Dec 24, 2012 at 11:26 pm Reason: typo
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