Taipei - where to stay for food and MRT
 

Hi all, where is a good location to stay for proximity to good street food areas (for breakfast and dinner in particular) as well as proximity to MRT stations? I am looking on AirBnB (have some credit sitting around I'd like to use up) as well as Amex FHR. Some quick research tells me that Shilin market is the top one to go to for food, but it does not seem to be very centrally located - not sure if this has an effect on a first-time tourist. Is it a good idea to stay near Taipei Station? Any advice on food and location is much appreciated! Thanks in advance!

I found Taipei very spread out and most inner city areas have good food not far away. Staying near Taipei Station would be okay, but probably check out what accommodation you can get and just check to see if it is either near a MRT or has plenty of shopping/restaurants nearby. I found taxis in Taipei very reliable and reasonably cheap. Shilin is a long way out of the best area to stay, but does have the best street food and sites to see - definitely go there on an empty stomach. It is on the way to (or way back from) the National Palace Museum, if that is something you want to see. The Taipei Fish Market is excellent for good seafood and would recommend it. Din Tai Fung is under Taipei 101 if you want the famous dumplings (but there can be a line up).

Shilin Night Market is NOT #1...
 

From a Taipei native POV, you obviously don't have the best of Taipei yet. :p

Just because Shilin Night Market is internationally famous, that doesn't mean it's best for food, especially for a first-time visitor. Most of the time the best street food or hidden gems doesn't come with any menu and one has to speak local languages, either Mandarin or Taiwanese, to order/enjoy them.

For night markets, try Ningxia Night Market (寧夏夜市) and Raohe Street Night Market. I personally don't recommend Shilin for night market experience. My reasoning? See here & here.

MRT shall take you to all the tourist spots with ease. Whichever night market you end up going, they are all MRT-accessible. You may want to choose your accommodation around the MRT lines as well. Taipei Station indeed is convenient, however the layout of MRT Taipei Station isn't that friendly and be warned, there's always big crowd there.

Good luck!

MRT is fantastic and can get you around relatively quickly and easily...and very cheaply. I love Taipei's public transit system.

Last time I was there I stayed in an apartment in a quiet sidestreet near Nanjing Fuxing station that I booked via a service like Flipkey or Airbnb that's based in Asia. It was a good base in the heart of the city. Afraid I am not really a food person so I can't help you much on that.

My friend/guide Neil Wade is a pro photographer who lives in Taiwan. His blog and blogs he links to might have some useful info on food. http://taiwan-photography-blog.com/

Thanks Lin for the info. I won't make Shilin my #1 but since I am spending a bit of time in Taipei, if I have time I may stop by eventually. Thanks!

No recommendations for one specific MRT station I should stay near? I'm trying to find something on AirBnB that has a distant view of Taipei 101. So far - no luck - still searching.

The NanjingFuxing MRT is a convenient location, right next to Brother's Hotel.

Another location is the Technology Building Station, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Techno...ilding_Station. There are lots of small restaurants in that area but you need some local language. My son used to have apartment nearby and we really enjoyed the food in the area.

For getting from TPE to Taipei city - I know there are buses available, but they all take 1+ hours. I'm not sure where I will be staying yet, but let's say I'm staying at The Regent hotel. I know there is a high speed rail from Taoyuan to Taipei - is it easier to take the bus from TPE to HSR Taoyuan, take the HSR to Taipei, and then switch to MRT to wherever I want to go? Or is it easier to sit on a bus for like 2 hours and then switch to MRT?

One thing to note is that I'm not going until April 2016. Hopefully the Taoyuan - Taibei MRT line will be open by then. The target completion date is March, but I wouldn't be surprised if it gets delayed again.

Also... does anyone know if the MRT 3-day pass works on trains (from Taipei main to Riufang) and buses? Or does it only work on MRT rides? And the MRT website says these are available at all metro stations... that means they are not available at the airport?

How much is your time worth? Heavy packer?

Bus/MRT route: about NT$200, total time ~ 90-120, depending on connection time
Bus/HSR/MRT: about $400, ~ 90 minutes depending on connection times
Taxi: about $1,000, less than 1 hr.

My time is not worth much when I'm on vacation. I will only have a backpack and a carry on. Seems like the second option is the best for solo, otherwise a taxi will probably do.

I'm still hopeful that the direct MRT line will be operational when I visit.

1. If the MRT is not connected yet, I'd just take the bus into the city; easiest option; shouldn't be more than an hour to various destinations (though of course a little more time if you have to add a subway or taxi ride).
2. One area to think about: YongKong Street (Dongmen MRT Station): many restaurants, not too necessary to know Chinese. Anyway, Taipei is extremely easy to get about. Also, for YongKong St.: you can walk to the Shida night market, which is not so overwhelming as others. Or contrariwise you could look for a place around Taiwan University or Normal University (Shida): lots of eats everywhere and easy to get to YongKong St. among other places.

I stayed in Ximending and it was a fantastic spot to tour the entire city from. Great home base.

I consider staying at Sheraton Grand Taipei, which seem to be reasonably downtown and seem to be right in front of Shandao Temple station. Is it reasonable place related to main Taipei landmarks?

Would you recommend taking HSR from the airport to Taipei station (then walk) - judging by the distance, hotel is ~300m from Taipei station? I will have only one light carry-on if that matters.

AX

Shilin is worth a stop just to see a large tourist market, but there is much better food at my favorite, Tonghua and for specific dishes like gua bao, you can't beat Shida.

What is your approx nightly budget for a hotel? There is a huge variety of locations and prices and quality ratings, so without knowing your budget and quality expectations, it's impossible to suggest a hotel.