It's my first time traveling out of the country. What better way to jump start this wanderlust than at the 'Heart of Asia', Taiwan!
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| Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall |
AIRFARE
Now first things first, AIRFARE! We were able to score really cheap tickets via Cebu Pacific Promo. We got a roundtrip airfare for two for P4,155 only! Yep, that's around 2,000 each! But we booked months in advance. Our trip was last November 2017 and we booked the flight in May.
VISA
We were lucky that our trip was right in time for the implementation of the visa-free entry. It's currently on a 9-month trial period which will end on July 2019. This is for Filipinos who intend to stay in Taiwan for 14 days or less.
Requirments for the visa-free entries are as follows:
- An ordinary/regular passport with remaining validity of at least six months from the date of entry;
- A return ticket or a ticket for the traveler's next destination and a visa for that destination if it is required;
- No criminal record in Taiwan;
- A proof of accommodation (hotel) booking or host/sponsor’s contact information or arrangements for tour, travel, visit, events and meeting etc.
FROM TAOYUAN AIRPORT TO TAIPEI
You have 3 options:
- By renting a car - Klook and KKday offer Airport transfers.
- By bus
- By MRT/train
Take note that the bus and train do not operate 24 hours so be sure to cross check with the time you arrive. For us, we arrived around 2am so we opted to rest at the airport and wait for the first train ride at 6am.
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| Welcome to Taiwan! |
WHERE TO STAY
There are tons of affordable choices on AirBnB depending on your preference. Just make sure to choose a place near an MRT station (preferably within the red, blue or green line) since you'll be riding it a lot.
The place we were able to snag was perfect! It's walking distance from Ximen Station. There's a 7-eleven and Family Mart right below our building and it's a stone's throw away from the best shopping place in Taipei, Ximending Market!
HOW TO GET AROUND
Getting around Taipei is really easy. The Taipei Metro is so convenient and easy to understand that I felt like a local while walking around and finding our way. Most attractions are near the train stations that's why we preferred the MRT compared to the bus. We downloaded this app, the Taipei Metro Route Map. It shows the number of minutes it takes to get from one station to another as well as how much it'll cost. It's really super convenient and useful!
Instead of getting the 72-hour Taipei Pass, we purchased the EASY CARD, it's a reloadable card that you can use on the MRT, buses and convenience stores like Family Mart and 7-eleven. We opted for the Easy Card since we felt that we won't be able to maximize the unli-pass since we availed an all-day tour package on KKday for our 2nd day.
PLACES TO VISIT
There are tons of places you can visit in Taipei alone. Get a glimpse of Taiwan's arts and culture at Chang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall, National Taiwan Museum, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall and Longshan Temple
There are tons of places you can visit in Taipei alone. Get a glimpse of Taiwan's arts and culture at Chang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall, National Taiwan Museum, Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall and Longshan Temple
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| Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall |
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| 228 Peace Park |
One of the main attractions you shouldn't miss is the Taipei 101. It was the tallest building in the world from 2004 to 2010. There's a 360 Observatory located at the 89th floor and an outdoor observatory on the 91st. Too bad it was quite windy the day we went there so the outdoor observatory was closed. TIP: Get your Observatory Ticket on Klook to avoid long lines and get a discount!
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We spent our second day visiting Yehliu Geopark, Shifen Old Street, Shifen Waterfalls and Jiufen Old Street. Since these places were quite far from the metro we opted to book a day tour via KKDay. It was so convenient and hassle-free.
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| KKDay Bus |
The tour guide was helpful, giving us advice on what local food to try and where it's best to try them. This tour definitely made going around Taipei easier.
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| Yehliu Geopark
At Shifen Old Street you may buy lanterns make your wishes fly. It's important to choose your lanterns wisely since each color represents something like love, happiness, career or family.
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| Shifen Old Street |
From Shifen, you may rent a motorcycle or walk to Shifen Waterfalls. In our case, the KKDay bus took us there.
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| Shifen Waterfalls |
Last stop in our KKday tour was the famous Jiufen Old Street.
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Other places we visited were Taipei Zoo and Maokong. We rode the Maokong Gondola going there, we rented out the crystal cabin for the special experience.
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You may also visit Beitou Hot Spring, Elephant Mountain, Tamsui Fisherman’s Wharf, Longshan Temple if you're staying for more than 3 days.
NIGHT MARKETS
Shilin Night Market
Being one of the largest night markets in Taipei. It's filled with rows of general merchandise in the ground floor and tons of restaurants in the basement.
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| Shilin Night Market |
Raohe Night Market
One word: FOOD! Raohe Night Market is known for all the delicious food you can try. From pork buns, to different seafood dishes, to the ever so famous stinky tofu and many more. Oh, can't forget to mention my favorite, the torched beef cubes!
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| Raohe Night Market |
Ximending Market
Shopping! Ximending is the best place to shop and buy all your pasalubongs. Everything is really affordable. At night, some vendors put up stalls along the streets and sell really cheap goodies! Really loved that our place was walking distance to Ximending Market cause we were able to do some last minute shopping!
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| Ximending Night Market |
Aside from the Night Markets, you can also buy meals at 7-Eleven and Family Mart and they are surprisingly really good!
| TAIWAN TRAVEL ITINERARY | ||
| Day | Time | Itinerary |
| DAY 0 | 7:00 PM | Depart to Airport |
| 8:00 PM | Arrive at Airport | |
| 11:40 PM | Departure Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 | |
| DAY 1 | 2:05 AM | Arrive at Taoyuan Airport |
| Sleep at Airport | ||
| 5:30 AM | Avail 4G Wifi (Klook) Airport | |
| 6:00 AM | Travel to Taipei via Bus | |
| 8:30 AM | Breakfast | |
| 10:00 AM | Check In at AirBnb | |
| 1:00 PM | Modern Toilet | |
| 2:30 PM | Taipei Museum and 228 Peace Park | |
| 3:30 PM | Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall | |
| 4:30 PM | Chang Kai Shek Memorial Hall | |
| 5:00 PM | National Museum | |
| 6:00 PM | Taipei 101/Taipei Mall | |
| 7:00 PM | Dinner | |
| 8:00 PM | Ximending Youth Shopping District | |
| DAY 2 | 7:00 AM | Breakfast at 7-Eleven |
| 8:40 PM | 7-Eleven East Gate 1 Taipei Main Station | |
| 9:00 AM | KKDay Tour Departure | |
| KKDay Tour | Yehliu Geopark | |
| Shifen Old Street | ||
| Shifen Waterfalls | ||
| Jiufen Old Street | ||
| 5:30 PM | Return to Taipei Main Station | |
| 6:30 PM | Raohe Street Night Market | |
| 9:30 PM | Ximending Youth Shopping District | |
| DAY 3 | 8:00 AM | Breakfast |
| 9:00 AM | Taipei Zoo | |
| 11:00 AM | Moakong Gondola | |
| 11:30 AM | Lunch | |
| 2:00 PM | Back to Taipei Zoo | |
| 3:00 PM | Shopping at Shinjuku | |
| 5:00 PM | Rest at AirBnb | |
| 6:00 PM | Dinner | |
| 7:00 PM | Shilin Night Market | |
| 9:00 PM | Ximending Youth Shopping District | |
| DAY 4 | 1:00 AM | Depart to Taoyuan Airport Terminal 1 |
| 4:00 AM | Taiwan Departure | |
| 6:25 AM | Arrival Manila Terminal 3 | |
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