As a kid, when I think about Taiwan, I often think about Meteor Garden. Cos who even missed the first Asianovela hit in the Philippines? But having to visit Taipei, Taiwan made me appreciate this country even more. Sharing our first-hand experience and 4 Days Taiwan Itinerary and guide ahead!
Arrival at Taoyuan Airport
- Wi-Fi Pickup – Upon arrival, we went to Unite Traveler Booth to pick up our WiFi device. We availed our 4G WiFi for Taiwan device in advance through Klook. It was fast and can connect up to 5 devices.
- Easy Card – You may purchase your Easy Card in Taoyuan Airport MRT service booth. This easy card is used for Taiwan’s public transit and most convenient stores.
- Currency exchange – If you haven’t done it yet, you may exchange money at any currency exchange booth at the Airport. Taiwan’s official currency is NTD (New Taiwan Dollar).
Taoyuan Airport to Taipei Main Station
We rode the Express Train from Taoyuan Airport to Taipei Main Station. It only took roughly 35 to 40 minutes to get to our destination.
- From Terminal 1: Take the escalator south of Food Court (B1) going to A12 – Airport Terminal 1 Station.
- From Terminal 2: Take the pathway at the side of Food Court (B2) going to to A13 – Airport Terminal 2 Station.
Alight at A1 – Taipei Main Station.
Where to Stay in Taipei
The best place to stay in Taipei is either near Taipei Main Station or Ximending. Taipei Main Station is a good location as it’s very accessible with all subways and buses you need to hop to when touring around Taipei. While Ximending is just a few kilometers away from Taipei Main Station, many tourists would still prefer to stay here as it’s stylish and night life is so much alive.
We initially wanted to stay around Taipei Main Station but since this was a last minute-booking and most of the hotels in Taipei Main Station were fully-booked, we ended up staying at Ximending instead.
Inn Cube Ximen
Our room was booked at Inn Cube Ximen – Ximending through Agoda. We paid PHP 5,986.46 for 4 nights which is a reasonable price for us. We got the Twin Room with Shared Bathroom. It has a bunk bed and basic amenities we needed for our whole stay. Overall, this is a decent place to stay in. It’s clean and quiet – just enough for a good sleep. We didn’t bother the shared bathroom cos in the morning, it was mostly just the two of us using it.
4 Days Taiwan Itinerary
Day 1 – Yangmingshan National Park and Shilin Night Market
Our first order of business upon setting foot to Ximending was ofcourse, find a place to eat! Ximending is a good place to spot numerous cafes, street foods, restaurants and, fun shops. Since we were staying in Ximending, we figured, we just roam around the area some other time as we have other plans for our first day in Taiwan.
Yangmingshan National Park
After our late lunch, we went straight to Yangmingshan National Park. It was breezy and drizzling. It was definitely not a good choice to wear shorts and tank top from up there. lol Good thing, the weather started clearing and we were able to enjoy the scenic view of Yangmingshan National Park. The place was so beautiful and was so peaceful. It was just a chill tour for the both of us, as we didn’t want to pour so much energy on our first day in Taiwan.
Shilin Night Market
Our first night was spent in Shilin Night Market. This place is said to be one of the busiest and the biggest night markets in Taiwan. Taiwan’s street foods were found everywhere! I would want to try them all but I can only consume a few.
| Time | Places/Activities |
| 10:00 AM | Arrival at Taoyuan International Airport |
| 11:00 AM | Wi-Fi Pickup at Unite Traveler Booth |
| 1:00 PM | Early Check-in at Inn Cube Ximen |
| 1:30 PM | Lunch at Ximending |
| 4:00 PM | Yangmingshan National Park |
| 6:30 PM | Dinner at Shilin Night Market |
| 8:30 PM | Back to Inn Cube Ximen |
Day 2 – DIY Taipei City Tour
While our first day in Taiwan was more of a relaxed tour, our second day was entirely the opposite. This day had our legs almost given up and energy drained. But was it worth it? yes it is!
Our day started with a quick breakfast at 711. I know, I know, it wasn’t the most touristy breakfast to do in Taipei, but that would suffice. We then headed to our first stop of the day, a visit to Longshan Temple.
Longshan Temple
Longshan Temple
We saw locals praying and doing religious rituals inside the temple. It has a classic and Taiwanese intricate architecture which made it one of the most photographed temples in Taipei. We didn’t stay too long as we didn’t want to bother their ceremony.
We then hopped into our next stop which is just a few minutes away from Longshan Temple.
Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall
Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall
This place, Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall commemorates the “National Father” of the Republic of China. You will have a nice view of Taipei 101 from here just like my photo above. This place is huge and is surrounded by Zongshan Park.
228 Peace Memorial Park
228 Peace Memorial Park
We were supposed to be visiting Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall next from what we initially planned. However, we got lost and our feel brought us at 228 Peace Memorial Park instead. This was an accidental addition to our itinerary. After research, I learned that this place is dedicated to the 10,000 to 30,000 victims who died in the February 28, 1947 incident. This park remains one of the oldest parks in Taiwan.
Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall
Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall
As intended, we visited Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall next. This place is a stunner. It was windy and we just sat there while regaining our energy from the almost non-stop walk we did since morning. The place is very touristy but no wonder cos, this is such a beautiful place to be missed!
Elephant Mountain
Even how dead tired we were at this point, we didn’t think twice to still hike up to Elephant Mountain to see this panoramic view of Taipei. Who wouldn’t fall in love with this? My camera couldn’t give any justice of how majestic this really is in person.
| Time | Places/Activities |
| 9:00 AM | Breakfast |
| 10:00 AM | Longshan Temple |
| 11:00 AM | Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall |
| 1:00 PM | Confucius Temple (Closed every Monday) |
| 2:30 PM | Lunch at Ximending |
| 3:30 PM | 228 Peace Memorial Park |
| 4:30 PM | Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall |
| 6:00 PM | Elephant Mountain |
| 8:30 PM | Chia Te Bakery at Songshan District (for pasalubong) |
| 9:30 PM | Dinner at Shilin Night Market |
| 11:00 PM | Back to Inn Cube Ximen |
Day 3 – National Palace Museum, Beitou and Tamsui
National Palace Museum
National Palace Museum
Some tourists would skip National Palace Museum because you may find the location out of the way comparing to other attractions to visit. However, if you are a fan of museums, this is still definitely worth your time. This is by the name itself, looks like a Palace from its facade. It houses ancient Chinese artwork and artifacts. We skipped going inside but if you are interested, the entrance costs NTD 250 per person.
Beitou Thermal Valley
Beitou Thermal Valley
After taking lunch, we headed to Beitou Thermal Valley. There are so much more to see in this place such as Beitou Public Library, Millenium Hot Spring, Beitou Hot Spring Museum, and the steaming Hell Valley. We didn’t have the chance to explore all these places but some recommend to try their Hot Spring. I would definitely will next time!
Tamsui Fisherman’s Wharf & Tamsui Lover’s Bridge
Tamsui Lover’s Bridge
We rode a ferry going to Tamsui Fisherman’s Wharf. It was drizzling and the waves were getting big. Tamsui Lover’s Bridge is already seen when we alight from the ferry. It was illuminating with transitioning colors.
Tamsui Old Street
Tamsui Old Street 
Street Foods
We were already quite starving at this point so we headed to Tamsui Old Street to explore any street food finds at this place. This is popular for its wide variety of shops, Taiwanese classic food stalls, restaurants and, cafes.
| Time | Places/Activities |
| 9:00 AM | Breakfast |
| 11:00 AM | National Palace Museum |
| 12:30 PM | Lunch |
| 2:30 PM | Beitou Thermal Valley |
| 5:30 PM | Tamsui Fisherman’s Wharf |
| 6:00 PM | Tamsui Lover’s Bridge |
| 6:30 PM | Tamsui Old Street |
| 9:00 PM | Dinner at Ximending Night Market |
| 10:00 PM | Back to Inn Cube Ximen |
Day 4 – Yehliu, Jiufen & Raohe Night Market
Our day 4 was spent mostly on bus rides! We initially planned to visit three destinations – Yehliu, Jiufen and, Shifen. But are you even doing DIY trip without getting lost? haha! We lost a couple of times while figuring out how to get from here and there. It was also raining non-stop the whole day which made it worse. As a result, we missed Shifen!
Yehliu Geopark
Because of its uniquely eroded rock formations, Yehliu Geopark is still one of the most popular tourist attractions to see in Taiwan. The entrance is NTD 80.
Jiufen Old Street
It was already 5:00 PM when we arrived at Jiufen Old Street. It was raining so heavy and it wasn’t the most comfortable weather to stroll around. I’ve seen so many great photos of this place from different blogs. Unfortunately, these are the only decent shots I had. Even with our raincoats on, our shoes and clothes were still wet. But like we normally do, we just enjoyed the place by trying out different foods this place had to offer. I’ll go back here, for sure.
Raohe Night Market
It’s time for dinner! Gladly, it stopped raining when we arrived at Raohe Night Market. This isn’t as big as Shilin Night Market but it’s still jam-packed with traditional street food stalls and retail shops which is still an ideal place for tourists like us! This was just the perfect place to end our whole 4 days Taiwan itinerary!
| Time | Places/Activities |
| 9:00 AM | Breakfast |
| 1:00 PM | Yehliu Geopark |
| 5:00 PM | Jiufen Old Street |
| 7:30 PM | Dinner at Raohe Night Market |
| 11:00 PM | Back to Inn Cube Ximen |
End of our 4 Days Taiwan Itinerary
That’s it! It’s time to say farewell to this beautiful country! We enjoyed our whole 4 days in Taiwan. It was a jam-packed trip and we visited so many places without breaking our banks. We only spent less than Php 15,000 each for everything including airfare, accommodation, foods, and pasalubong.
Watch: Here’s our Travel Taiwan Vlogs!
4 Days Taiwan Itinerary Travel Tips and Guide
- Wake up early for Yehliu, Jiufen and Shifen tour. If you want to successfully squeeze in visiting Yehliu, Jiufen and, Shifen in one day, then make sure to wake up very early and catch the early bus ride around 6:30 AM so you can reach Yehliu as early as 8:00 AM. Better yet, arrange a tour package in advance through Klook or through any of your trusted travel agencies.
- Prepare your translation app. While locals are very friendly and accommodating, many of them don’t speak or hardly understand English. So make sure you have your translation app handy in your mobile phone.
- Bring the right power adaptors. The power plugs and sockets used in Taiwan are of type A and type B.
- Reload your EasyCard. Your EasyCard will take you around Taiwan. It gives you discount on subways and it also allows you to buy in convenient stores like 7-11 and Family Mart.
- Money changers are limited. It’s still best to have your money changed from your home country or at the airport. Then change it one time big time as there is not much money changers available around the city.
- Wear comfortable footwear. Taiwan is a safe country and most of the tourist attractions are just near to each other. So expect you’ll do a lot of walking in the city.
For me, spending 4 days in Taiwan is enough to see places and try foods in this country. It’s not very tight as compared to a 3-day stay especially if you are travelling with a family consisting of kids or elders.
I hope this post has been helpful to anyone who plans to visit Taiwan soon!
I’d like to know your thoughts!
- Have you ever been to Taiwan? How was your experience? Any tips you want to share?
- Any Asian countries you’d like to visit soon? Or would want to recommend to our readers?
- What’s your favorite tourist attraction in Taiwan? See sample places from this post.
