[Trip Review] Election Afterparty: Taipei Free Half-Day Tour, Shifen, and more

My trip to the United States, and Peru involved a short 17 hour stop in Taipei; you can revisit my trip planning thoughts here, and here.

After a short and unmemorable flight to Taipei, I was ready to make the most of the 17 hours I have in this vibrant city! The tourism administration offers a free half-day tour for connecting passengers with at least a 7 hour layover. You will need a valid visa or come from countries eligible for visa-exempt entry. Do take note that there are 18 seats for online pre-registration, and registration closes 5 days before the tour departs. Alternatively, you can just try your luck by walking-in, and I was lucky enough to be able to join the tour.

The Tour

Our first stop was Lungshan Temple (龙山寺); a temple built in honour of Guanyin. The temple was packed with devotees and tourists. I do not know if this temple is packed usually, but considering that it was a Saturday morning, the temple was absolutely packed.

Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall (中正纪念堂) was our next stop. The memorial hall is a national monument and was erected in memory of Chiang Kai-Shek, the founding president of the Republic of China. I was lucky enough to catch the changing of the guards.

The last stop of the free tour was at Yongkang Street (永康街); home to bustling restaurants and street food stalls. As a foodie, I had to sample the best that the street had to offer. I went with the crab roe xiaolongbao at Michelin Bib Gourmand-awarded 好公道金雞園, and ordered beef noodles at 永康牛肉麵. Please try the beef noodles, you won't regret it. The soup was beefy and rich, noodles well-cooked, and the beef deceptively tender. This was the best bowl of beef noodles I ever had.

Shifen (十分老街)

After the half-day tour ended, I made a request to stay in Taipei and did not board the bus back to the airport. I travelled to 十分, neighbour to the popular 九分. While I enjoyed the time spent here, I can't help but feel that 十分 is too touristy. Everyone that comes to 十分 are here for the same thing; to visit the waterfall, and to 放天灯. It was also way too crowded, so while the whole experience was enjoyable enough, it could have been much better.

Christmas Market

Banqiao (a district in Taipei, or New Taipei) organises an annual Christmas market, Christmas Land in New Taipei. There are street food stalls, Christmas decorations and lights, performances, and games as part of this market. The market is huge so I do recommend allocating at least two hours to immerse yourself and explore the market.

If you are hungry, and the food at the street food stalls are not to your liking, I highly recommend getting a bowl of noodles, and soup at Moon Moon Food (雙月食品社). You'll thank me for it!

Conclusion

If you happen to be in Taipei for a layover, do take advantage of the free half-day tour! I can't think of a better way to spend a layover in Taipei; the tour guide was amazing, and I enjoyed the tour very much.

Taipei is also famous for street food, so you should also visit the places I recommended. I'm sure you will enjoy the food as much as I did.

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