Taiwan became one of the popular destinations for Filipino travelers nowadays especially during BER months to sense the cold gloomy weather and immerse in its culture. Also, Taiwan grants visa-free entry for Filipinos effective November 1, 2017, until July 31, 2018. This is a 9-month trial period only and hoping they will extend it to cover the next BER months season.
Tip #1: Know more about the details of visa-free entry for Filipinos here before planning a trip to Taiwan.
Please continue to read about the prep guide and itinerary of our 3-full-day trip.
Airfare: By far, this is the all-time low RT airfare I booked with Cebu Pacific Air. I was able to snatch our Taiwan airfare tickets during the GetGo 10 Points seat sale to ALL destinations in March 2017. We chose to book during the winter season and to experience their cold and gloomy weather.
Tip#2: Maximize the benefits when flying with Cebu Pacific by signing up to their GetGo – the Lifestyle Rewards Program to earn points every trip.
Accommodation: We booked in Backpackers Hostel Ximen via Agoda as it offers a huge discount compared to the hostel’s website. We selected a private room good for 4 person which includes four bunk beds and a private shower room. Each bunk beds have an individual safe box, power socket and fluorescent tube lamps that is definitely convenient. The room is not that spacious for travelers with large suitcases. But for a trip that is 3-4 days, this hostel offers value for money.
Also, this hostel is 500 meters away from the train station. It is nearby the Ximending Shopping District, convenient stores, and food stalls.
Tip#3: Always select an accommodation that is near the train or bus station, and shopping area or convenient stores. It will save both money and time.
Transfers: The staffs from Backpackers Hostel Ximen are very accommodating and polite. They arranged the roundtrip airport transfers for us at a considerable price of 2200NTD, max of 4 persons. The hostel is approx. 40 minutes drive away from the airport. For the rest of the trip, we bought a prepaid Easy Card and preferred to ride the bus through the use of Google Maps. We find it cheaper than riding the train.
Activities: Below is our 3-day itinerary to roam around Taipei City and few spots at its side skirt.
Day 1: City Tour and Shilin Night Market
Our first stop is the ever famous landmark the Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial. It is a national monument located in Zhongzheng District, Tapei city.
The second stop is a quick visit outside the Presidential Office. The building is fully secured by a bunch of officers around. There is only designated areas to take photos.
Our third stop is the well-known Buddhist temple – Lungshan Temple of Manka. The structure is observed to be old but well-preserved. There is a small waterfall at the side which made the area refreshing.
It is common for tourists that during the night they spend time in night markets. This is one of the must-visit places in Taipei. The first market we visited is the Shilin Night Market. In here, we bought some souvenirs like ref magnets, keychain, and etc. I recommend trying the tasty Taiwan beef jerky.
Day 2: Maokong Gondola, Taipei 101 and Raohe Night Market
Our first stop for the second day should be the Tapei Zoo but because we woke up late (as usual) we skip it and just enjoyed the ride inside the Crystal Cabin Maokong Gondola and view the beautiful scenic mountain and city of Taipei. At the end of the station, we tried the Maokong Tea Ice Cream with Matcha and Oolong flavor.
Next destination is a quick visit to Taipei 101 which is known to be the “world’s tallest inhabited building” until 2010. We just drop by at the mall, stroll around and this is where we exchanged our USD to NTD because it is the only money exchanger that is open on weekends. During the night, the building shows a vivid and creative LED display around it.
Lastly, we spend most of the night in Raohe St. Night Market. Here, it is a long stretch of food stalls, and stores of cheap finds and buys like shoes, souvenir items, and other Taiwan products. We tried the popular pepper bun, people who love eating siopao will definitely crave for this bun.
Day 3: Ximending Area, Shifen and Jiufen Trip
We spent our morning until lunch exploring the Ximending Youth Shopping District. It called to be the “Harajuku” of Taipei where a huge number of fashion clothing shops, restaurants and bars can be visited. It is obviously a Japanese inspired shopping district.
We were able to spot the must-try noodle soup in the area which is the Ay-Chung Fluor-rice Noodle which has been known since 1975. It is also called as Misua soup. It has the distinct flavor that people craze about.
We booked a half-day tour with Klook for an afternoon trip to Shifen and Jiufen which is situated at side skirts of Taipei. These are some of the districts that travelers would not miss out. The itinerary and pricing can be viewed in Klook Website.
Shifen Old Street is where the famous sky lantern activity can be found. Sky lanterns are released with visitors wishes. Each color has equivalent wishes. We opted to get the colorful ones at 200NTD. It floats beautifully up in the air with our hope that our written wishes will come true.
Our last stop is the Jiufen historical hillside village. The town became the inspiration of the Japanese anime movie – Spirited Away. Aside from the must-visit A-MEI Tea House, there are several food stores and souvenir shops along the stairway streets. I personally appreciate this place during the night where we all the lanterns are lit.
We arrived in Ximending area at around 8pm and continue our food trip until we get packed up in the midnight to go back to Manila.
Taipei is definitely a place where people can enjoy the day with gloomy weather, the food trip, their milk tea, and the night markets.
Disclaimer: The site and author are not affiliated, associated, authorized, sponsored by, or in any way officially connected with Cebu Pacific Air, Klook, Backpackers Hostel Ximen, and other mentioned companies or events unless otherwise stated. All images are original. This is served as a guide or reference only.