Six days lets you treat Taipei as the starting point of a longer loop instead of the whole itinerary. The first half stays in the capital and its coastline; the second half rides the High Speed Rail south to Sun Moon Lake and Tainan before the line loops you back to Taoyuan for departure. Only have 5 days for the north coast and Sun Moon Lake without Tainan, use our 5-day Taipei + Taiwan itinerary ; want the deep in-city version of days 1-2 instead, see the 6-day Taipei itinerary .

Five days is the sweet spot for treating Taipei as a base rather than the whole trip. You get three full days in the city and on the north coast, then two more riding the High Speed Rail south to Taichung and Sun Moon Lake before looping back for your flight. Only have three days for the city-plus-day-trip version, see our 3-day Taipei + Taiwan itinerary ; want Tainan added on too, use the 6-day version .

Three days is enough to see Taipei properly and still get one day out of the city, if you plan the money and the clock instead of winging it. This version uses Taipei as a base for one north-coast day trip; if you’d rather spend all three days in the city itself with no day trip, see our 3-day Taipei itinerary instead, or add two more days and a High Speed Rail leg with our 5-day Taipei + Taiwan itinerary .

A week in Taipei means you don’t have to rush anything, temples and museums early, hot springs and a bike ride mid-week, and three more in-city days most guidebooks never mention. EasyCard on day one, non-negotiable. Want the north coast and Sun Moon Lake instead of the back half of this route, see our Taipei + Taiwan 6-day itinerary ; only have six days here, use the 6-day version .

Six days covers Taipei properly, temples, the skyline, hot springs, a riverside bike ride, and two more in-city days most guidebooks skip entirely, all on one EasyCard. Get your card the day you land. Want the north coast instead, our Taipei + Taiwan 6-day itinerary swaps the last two days for Jiufen and Sun Moon Lake; only have five, use the 5-day version . Book these before you go: Ximending, Da’an, or Zhongshan stays on Agoda National Palace Museum tickets or a guided visit Maokong Gondola and tea-house tastings Where to stay: Ximending for budget energy, Da’an for quiet streets near National Taiwan University, or Zhongshan for a central mid-range base close to Songshan Airport.

Five days lets you cover the city core properly, hot springs, tea plantations, a riverside bike ride, and a design-district day most visitors skip, all without leaving the MRT network. EasyCard first, always. Only need four days, use the 4-day version ; want the north-coast day trip instead of an extra in-city day, see our Taipei + Taiwan 5-day itinerary . Book these before you go: Ximending, Da’an, or Zhongshan stays on Agoda National Palace Museum tickets or a guided visit Maokong Gondola and tea-house tastings if you want the crystal-cabin queue sorted in advance Base: Ximending (cheap, lively), Da’an (quieter, near National Taiwan University), or Zhongshan (central, mid-range, close to Songshan Airport).

Four days gets you the whole Taipei city core, temples, the skyline, hot springs, and a riverside ride out to Tamsui, without leaving the metro network once. Buy an EasyCard on arrival. Prefer a mountain day trip instead of the bike ride? Our Taipei + Taiwan 3-day itinerary swaps one in; want a fifth in-city day, see the 5-day version . Book these before you go: Ximending, Zhongshan, or Da’an stays on Agoda National Palace Museum tickets or a guided visit Everything else, temples, the observatory, YouBike, is walk-up or app-based, no advance booking needed Base yourself in: Ximending for cheap eats and nightlife, Zhongshan for a central mid-range option near Songshan Airport, or Da’an for quieter streets and better cafes.

Three days is the sweet spot for the city core without rushing: temples and museum on day one, skyline and shopping on day two, hot springs and tea on day three. Get an EasyCard before you do anything else. Only got two days? Use our 2-day version ; got a fourth, see the 4-day itinerary . Book these before you go: Ximending, Da’an, or Zhongshan stays on Agoda , all three bases below sit on the MRT Maokong Gondola and tea-house tastings if you’d rather not figure out the crystal-cabin queue yourself Everything else on this route (temples, the observatory, the night markets) is walk-up, no advance ticket needed Where to base yourself: Ximending for budget and nightlife, Da’an if you want quieter streets near National Taiwan University, or Zhongshan for a mid-range middle ground close to Songshan Airport.

Forty-eight hours is enough to hit the old town, the skyline, and two night markets if you don’t waste time figuring out transit as you go. Buy an EasyCard at the airport or your first MRT station before anything else. Got a third day to spare? See our 3-day and 4-day versions of this same route. Book these before you go: Ximending and Wanhua stays on Agoda , the areas both days below are built around National Palace Museum tickets or a guided visit if you’d rather skip the ticket-counter line Nothing else here needs advance booking.

Taipei is one of the cheapest capital cities in Asia to do properly. One EasyCard covers the metro, buses, bike share, and half the taxis. The best sights, temples, a mountain hike, an old-town’s worth of alleys, cost nothing. And the one expensive add-on every guidebook talks up, Taipei 101’s outdoor Skyline 460 deck, is skippable without regret. Here’s what a day actually costs, where to sleep for less, and 11 cheap or free things worth your time.