Anyone every visited Taipei Taiwan?

[Siamsky]

Meant to visit a friend there for a while now, might spent a month or more there, what is your opinion of the place? 

 

(Spelling mistake in title) "ever"

Edited July 30, 2014 by Siamsky

[craigt3365]

I've wanted to visit, but just haven't had the opportunity yet.  Sounds like there are some interesting places to see around the country.

[dddave]

I spent a day and a night there because of a cancelled connecting flight.  Cosmopolitan city, more expensive than Bangkok but not as bad as Singapore or HK.  

Great night markets that run 24/7 with some very good food.  I checked out a couple of You Tube Taipei videos and they were really helpful in finding some special places to find good and inexpensive food and shopping.

 

I can't speak to hotel prices because the airline provided the room.  Taxis not as cheap as Bangkok but not bad and I never felt scammed.  I had my hotel clerk write my destinations in Chinese on a slip of paper and that made getting around easier. I found a fair amount of English speakers at restaurants and shops.

Taiwan has some nice natural sights and interesting indigenous cultures but I think a month would be maybe a bit too long.

[worgeordie]

I used to visit there quiet regularly ,for business, long time ago,

every sign was in Chinese,i suppose it has changed a lot since

then,maybe not for the better ?.

 

If you have a friend there and he can speak Chinese,they have

some great restaurants,not the flash kinds catering to tourists

but places the locals go to.,there is also the National museum,

full of artwork brought from China when Chiang Kai -shek was

forced out by the Communists,also some nice places to visit 

in the center of the island,Sun Moon lake or mountain if i remember

correctly, also Sub Tropical in the South with nice beaches. 

 

Regards Worgeordie

[thairookie]

The food is very starchy and drinks contain plenty of artificial coloring agents.

 

Don't miss the hot spring at Beitou and romantic sunset at Danshui River.  Both destinations can be reached via MRT.

[Denim]

Nice place ......much nicer than Thailand. A relatively undiscovered corner of Asia with not many tourists. A little bit pricey which puts some people off but if you are careful its manageable . Girls were very friendly and I was snapped up very quickly by a nice girl who took me to live at her apartment and showered me with gifts. Never had that in Thailand. Had to leave though as she was hearing wedding bells and I was hearing alarm bells.

 

Some nice countryside if you can get out of the city and some nice beaches down south. Climate is good....not too hot or cold. Beer is ok and food bland but safe.

[LawrenceChee]

Within the city if you are not a mall fan, head to the museums where the Taiwanese b**** ( if you are a Chinese communist) stole all the artwork and jewelry pieces from the forbidden palace when they fled the country in defeat

That's a Wally nice museum for the museum buffs and the Taiwan 101 while no longer the tallest building in the world has some commanding views and the internal structure which is exposed and explained has some neat facts for the engineering buffs

Other than that the karaoke bars with cuties Taiwanese girls and the night market food is really the best attractions

Best for a 4-5 day jaunt ...if you are willing to head inland then proceed to the sun moon lake which has stunning views especially during the cold season in a hotel wrapped in the warmth of your hot tub


Sent from my iPod touch using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

[eppic]

LOVE the place, definitely one of my favorites.

 

By far the friendliest location of the various Chinese-dominated societies -- the commies were never in control, so more traditional Chinese culture has remained, and that's a great thing. Very warm, friendly people -- taxi driver on our last trip took it upon himself to give us some free Chinese lessons and wouldn't let us get out of the cab until we got the pronunciation right 

 

Tourists and foreigners are actually appreciated, not merely tolerated. Despite this, you won't see a lot of foreigners.

 

Great night markets and charming little shops with a lot of character ( I would avoid the tourist trap markets like Shilin tho). Women generally like the shopping in Taipei.

 

It will definitely be on our short list for permanent consideration if we decide our experiment in Thailand (after many years in Singapore) is a no-go.

 

Downsides: generally dreary, gray weather. Western-quality condos are hard to find, but in general housing costs not bad for rental (buying is STUPID expensive by any standard).  Hotels are pretty expensive, so not a cheap tourist destination. 

 

The city itself is not pretty--it's a bit drab like most of Tokyo or Seoul, but the neighborhoods are wonderful.  It's really a bit like combining Japanese and Chinese culture, taking good bits from both.

 

Highly recommended for a visit, but pick a time when the weather is good (avoid typhoon season).

 

Again, definitely the most charming among of the Chinese-dominated locations (HK, Singapore, PRC).

 

Edited August 1, 2014 by eppic

[nikita67]

not yet it should be good place to travel.