Located at the northern tip of Taiwan, the city of Taipei is surrounded by mountains covered with rainforest. A distant and perfect destination for a stay between city and nature. We bring you six of our local favourites.
6 things not to miss in the Taiwanese capital of Asia:
1. Day Markets, Night Markets
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There are day and night markets in all areas of Taipei. Shuanglian’s is a must. We go there early in the morning when the traders are busy setting up their stalls with fruit, vegetables, fish, meat and ready meals.
Catherine Lefebvre / QMI Agency
In the evening the atmosphere changes completely. To venture out to the night markets, it’s worth working with an expert like Gin Lan, Like a Friend Guide from Voyageurs du Monde, a tour operator specializing in tailor-made stays. Originally from Taipei, she grew up in Montreal. She therefore speaks impeccable French with an accent that is familiar to our ears! During our visit, she takes us to New Taipei City, the left bank of the Taiwanese capital, to the Banqiao Night Market. It’s Monday night, the quietest night of the week, but Market Street is quite lively. We bite into delicious fruit covered in sugar syrup. We love the sweet potato donuts. And with appetite we enjoy the selection of black pudding and sticky rice with peanuts, coriander and spring onions.
2. The city of all temples
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Temples are everywhere in Taipei. There are great places of worship like Buddhist, Taoist and even Confucian Longshan Temple. Built in 1738 in Wanhua, one of the city’s oldest districts, it has repeatedly survived wars and earthquakes. Despite life’s vagaries, his many followers of all faiths have always cared. So it’s amazing how great it still looks almost 300 years later!
There are also very small temples at the end of the lanes and on the ground floor of small dwellings. This illustrates very well the gentle waltz between tradition and modernity that we perceive as soon as we arrive in Taipei.
3. Big “Wow” for Baos!
Catherine Lefebvre / QMI Agency
The influence of Chinese cuisine in Taiwan is evident. Dumplings, fondues, hot and sour soups and spring onion pancakes are just a few of the delicacies found on the menus of the capital’s restaurants. Of course, a unique twist is added to the recipes to make dishes unique to Taiwan, such as the ginger soup in xiao long bao (dumplings). Not surprisingly, Japanese cuisine is also represented. After the defeat of the Qing Dynasty by the Japanese Empire, their presence on the island from 1895 to 1945 until they lost World War II inevitably influenced the local cuisine. It is this diversity that makes Taiwanese food culture so special.
We have something for every taste and every budget. For a lavish meal, such as that at Hao Kung Tao Chin Chi Tan family restaurant in Da’an District, you can easily get by about twenty dollars per couple. We specialize in dumplings and baos (steamed bread) and enjoy the Xiao Long Bao with pork and leek, vegetables and crab. We accompany it all with braised, perfectly melt-in-the-mouth mushrooms, seared pork chops, and pork and spring onion baos.
But you can also indulge yourself in more upscale restaurants or in the thirty or so addresses recognized in the metropolis’ Michelin guide.
4. Oolong tea time
Catherine Lefebvre / QMI Agency
Gin Lan is not only an excellent “Like a Friend” guide, but most importantly, a tea master. Together with their mother Liu Su Ching, they welcome us to their pretty shop and tea house Liu Yu, which offers a huge collection of oolong teas, the local speciality. It is true that the mountain range that crosses the island from one end to the other offers an exceptional terroir for Camellia sinensis to reach its full potential.
“We also have a very special tea in Taiwan, Dongfang Meiren, which translates to ‘oriental beauty,'” explains Gin Lan. Green cicadas, insects endemic to the island, feed on the juice of the tea leaves. It triggers a defense mechanism in the plant that produces phytochemicals, and that gives this tea its distinctive aroma.”
5. Bike destination
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Taiwan is a perfect destination for both road and mountain bikers. There’s also plenty of fun to be had in Taipei on the bike trails around the city and surrounding mountains. For example, you can drive along the Tamsui and Keelung rivers, which bypass much of the city. It is flat and therefore ideal for a more or less long bike ride.
More experienced bikers can rent bikes on-site and have fun exploring Taipei and even venturing into the surrounding mountains. The view of the city from up there is great!
6. Relax in hot springs
Catherine Lefebvre / QMI Agency
Due to Taiwan’s location on the boundary of the Eurasian tectonic plate and the Philippine Sea, the island has one of the largest concentrations of natural hot springs in the world. On the Beitou side, about forty minutes by car or an hour by subway from Taipei, we take the opportunity to relax in the private baths housed in a small bamboo hut. Relaxation guaranteed!
Good to know
– To get there, Air Canada, in collaboration with its partner EVA AIR, the Taiwanese carrier, offers several one-stop flight options from major Canadian cities. aircanada.ca
– Voyageurs de Monde offers various stays in Taiwan. A combination with other destinations in Asia, such as the islands of Okinawa in Japan, Hong Kong or Seoul, is also possible. worldtravelers.ca
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Our employee was a guest of Voyageurs du monde.