I will be in Taipei the second week of October. I will also be in Taipei during the National Day celebrations. Any recommendations of what to do/not to do? Have never visited Taiwan before. Thanks.

Take a look at this post

lin82 does a great job http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/asia/...tual-tour.html

Search under the Asia forum (not to make this political but Taiwan is not a part of China)

I hope you're finding some interesting ideas for Taipei.

A couple things I really like going to the night markets. I think Shilin is my favorite. See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shilin_Night_Market

You can have a great time just walking around looking at the food vendors, people watching and such. And if you're adventurous even try some of the interesting food.

Speaking of food, one of the most famous restaurants there is Din Tai Fung. They are famous for their steamed buns (I call them squirty buns). See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Din_Tai_Fung

There is an amazing bookstore chain called Eslite. It is way more than a bookstore having lots of other shops inside. (Ask the hotel people how to get to the newest Eslite. It is really a shopping center with books and all sorts of boutique shops)

Just find local areas around your hotel to explore. There are lots of street markets where locals go to shop for food and other goods. Very fun to explore.

In my experience Taipei is very safe and clean.

Have fun!

I did a trip report last year on my first time trip.
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-...tg-c-ua-f.html

I think the National Palace Museum is a must.

101 has some interesting exhibits on the observation deck level. Not cheap but I thought it was worth doing. Would be even more worthwhile on a clear day.

I think Elephant Mountain is worth the hike if you are up for a whole lot of stairs.

Use the MRT, it's fantastic! I'm a bit of a public transit buff so maybe it was more exciting to me, but I loved it. Clean, bright, extremely cheap.

Of all the places I've been in Asia TPE is my least favorite. But I can recommend the night market and Taipei 101.

http://focustaiwan.tw/video/00431856...g%3d%3d&page=1

You might think twice about night markets, Taiwan style is to wait for a disaster to happen before taking action.

Night markets is a must. The nightlife should be pretty good, if you are into that.

Any suggestions on where to stay in Taipei?

Depends a bit on your budget and what sorts of amenities you require.

I stayed at the Grand Hyatt last year and enjoyed it.

This year I'm doing a vacation apartment rental type of thing. There are lots of them around town.

I just dont understand what people find so interesting about shuffling around a night market, packed to the gills with sweaty bodies with dozens of stands all selling the same stuff

Definitely check out all the night markets! Like mentioned above Shilin is one of the best ones and my favorite as well. Other then that working around Ximending can be pretty interesting as well.

+1

+1 on the suggestion for Din Tai Fung. You definitely have to try the steamed buns (or 小籠包, pronounced xiao-long-bao).

I would also try to find a place with good beef noodle soup (if there are any suggestions from locals, I'm all ears!). I think people have recommended 牛爸爸 (or Niu Ba Ba) but I haven't visited it before. I think it's worth a try.

I'm not a big fan of night markets. I prefer sit down restaurants serving traditional Chinese/Taiwanese cuisine than street food.

I would consider Taipei to be more of a food destination than anything else. You can do all the touristy stuff such as the 101, CKS/SYS Memorial Hall, National Palace Museum, Yangmingshan, etc. but I think your impression of Taipei will be much improved with all the eating you'll be doing. Just my two cents - coming from a Taiwanese American who was born in Taipei.

Din Tai Fung as the Taiwanese say is for tourists its not real food

I disagree. As a matter of fact, most people eating there are Taiwanese; yes, it has a big tourist trade. As a matter of opinion, it's real food. Maybe a little pricey for what you get, but perfectly fine & reliable takes on a limited menu.