Planning for a trip to Taipei in November and I am wondering about foot massages and dim sum. I am curious what the going rate for a foot massage and a hair cut (not at the same place, of course) would be and how the price would compare to my past visits to Beijing? I will be with a Chinese speaking relative so that will not be a problem. I am staying with them but do not know the area of the city they live in as they just moved to Taipei. I was hoping for some suggestions for dim sum places that are not tourist destinations but where the locals would go to eat.

Dim Sum is more of a HK thing, though I am a big fan of Din Tai Fung (restaurants worldwide, but a TW chain). For eating I would reccommend the night markets where many Taiwanese eat. They are cheap, full of variety, clean and very tasty. I spend 3 nights worth of dinners at Shilin Night Market, but there are definitely so many others that can be explored.

Hopefully others have some concrete ideas?

Foot massages tend to run about TWD600 for a 40-minute session.

As Jamoldo says, dim sum isn't really a Taipei thing, though there's still a lot to chose from. Taipei is really more about snack foods & noodles, night market or otherwise. Just check out the restaurants lining Yong-kang St.; also An-he Rd.

I also like Ding Tai Fung. One Hong Kong-style dim sum possibility is "City Star"--guaranteed to be full of locals (http://www.citystar.com.tw). There are fancier places, but City Star is good. Be prepared to wait for a table if you are going anywhere around meal times to late evening.

Thanks for the suggestions and help. I found out the district I will be staying in is called Da'An. If there are any other suggestions for that specific area it would be helpful. It appears the foot massage will be more costly than on the mainland but if there is a really good place in the above area, I would appreciate the name.

Daan is pretty centrally located and you can reach any part of Taipei rather easily via bus, MRT or both.

I've been to CityStar and found it to be alright. Certainly good enough for someone coming to visit Taiwan from North America. The good thing about CityStar is that it's open twenty-four hours. There seems to be another place near the intersection of Zhongxiao & Dunhua called Hung Kan that is twenty-four hours and also advertises HK style dim sum. Haven't eaten there, though.

Even dim sum is more a HK thing, it's not uncommon for folk to go out for dim sum in Taiwan.

I agree with taipeipeter. City Star is a good choice. If I am not mistaken, the owners (or cooks?) are originally from HK. That should add more "authenticity" to their dim sum . Since it's open 24 hours, better go during off-peak hours.

Another possibility is Brother Hotel (兄弟飯店). My family really enjoy their dim sum at Ume Restaurant (梅花廳) on the 2nd floor (link here). Good crowd there whenever we go. If you don't want to wait a good hour, better make a reservation in advance.

The cost of a hair cut can range from TWD$100 (10-min cut w/o shampoo) to TWD$8K. I don't know how they do it nor charge in Beijing but I would say you can get a pretty decent cut paying $500-$1K, with full service (shampoo, cut/style, blow dry & a bit of neck/shoulder massage) in Taipei.

I am at Daan so I know this area pretty well. Foot massage isn't the main attraction at Daan District. Spa and foot massage brings quite a few Japanese tourists to Taiwan. You may want to check out this article and get a sense of the local foot massage/spa culture. Depending on your budget, you may be introduced to or leaning toward different packages/services. I don't know them well enough to give you a personal recommendation in Taipei though.

As pointed out, Daan is conveniently located in the city. You don't have to go far for shopping or eating. Both Tunghua (or Dunhwa) and Shida Night Markets are nearby, if you are into night markets.

If I may, you should try some traditional Taiwanese food (NOT from night markets). Shin Yeh (欣葉台菜) and Chin Yeh (青葉台菜) are two big names. Shin Yeh has a (branch) restaurant at Taipei 101. AoBa (@ An-he & Hsinyi RD) is the younger version of Chin Yeh and run by the 2nd (or maybe 3rd?) generation. Therefore, you'll get to taste "neo-Taiwanese" food at AoBa.

Is this your first trip to Taiwan and Taipei? Let us know what you like (to see or eat), so we can give better suggestions/advice. Welcome to Taipei!

Is this your first trip to Taiwan and Taipei? Let us know what you like (to see or eat), so we can give better suggestions/advice. Welcome to Taipei! [/QUOTE]

I visited Taipe in the early 90's but was with non Chinese speaking friends and did limited sight seeing. I did visit one night market and the National Museum. I enjoy all most all ethnic food and certainly Chinese. Prefer eating at places where the locals go since language will not be a problem. Seems to me that is the best way to get to know the country and its people.

I forgot to ask if there is an experience in Taipei that I should not miss such as the pearl market in Beijing. Maybe another way to state it would be what experiences do tourists often miss in Taipei because they did not do enough research or did not talk to the right people?

i am gonna visit there this xmas, cant wait!

I think visiting a couple of the big temples is a great experience. I'm not sure how many tourists think to do this, but the must-see temples are all (mostly) listed in the guidebooks. It's more about people-watching though temple architecture and the gods are interesting too.

Also, as with any city, walking around a few of the neighborhoods.

[ Also, as with any city, walking around a few of the neighborhoods.[/QUOTE]

That is a wonderful idea! Will I encounter anyone who speaks English? I have heard the people in Taipei are generally very friendly. I always carry the address I am staying at on a card in Chinese in case I get lost.

Compared with many other Asian destinations, English isn't widely spoken. Actually Taiwanese are often very shy to try the English they do know.

But Taiwan is not overrun with foreign tourists, so you are more likely to bump into ordinary people who are not out to make money off you. It really is hassle free and rather civilised. If you get on a bus and get lost, often someone will rustle up some English and help you find the way to go - concern overriding the shyness! I have the impression that people are quite touched that people should bother to visit Taiwan (not many do, except mainlanders and Japanese). So they do come over as being friendly and this starts at the airport on arrival.

If you get stuck, you're guaranteed to find English speakers in Starbucks. Starbucks seem to have the knack of choosing staff that are really keen to use English. Sadly for them they don't get much chance - hence you're greeted with enthusiasm (as well as decent aircon).