What to see/do in Taipei?

[Topher]

I'll have a few days stopover on my way to Vancouver. Anyone been there? Any recommendations? Also, anyone know of a good inexpensive hotel in Taipei (I'll have my wife and two small kids as well). Most hotels are fairly expensive unless you go out of the city itself, and we'll have a fair bit of luggage to haul. I was thinking the CKS Airport hotel since it will be close by.

 

[Bluga]

I wouldn't recommend CKS Airport hotel since it's an hour away from Taipei!

What's your budget? Most hotels in Taipiei aren't expensive compared to the states.

check here

and here

I also recommend you to use the Metro, it's one of the best and cleaniest in the world.

Taxis are relatively cheap for moving around the city. Place to visit is the National palace museum. It is worth to go out of Taipei for a very scenic drive along the east cost.

 

[xospec1alk]

are you taking your cousin? teehee

sorry, first thing i thought about when i saw the title was luvya's thread about taking his cousin to romantic places in and around cali...

 

[ElFenix]

the night markets or whatever are supposed to be cool but you should go with a native.

 

[helloedchen]

i second the night markets, but definitely don't haul it by urself, grab a local with you.

 

[Topher]

Thanks Bluga,

That's the kind of info I need. Didn't realize it was that far away. We are moving permanently so I will have many large suitcases and two small children. I'm just thinking of convenience, unless another hotel will arrange transportation to/from CKS, then it could be a royal pain.

I was hoping to find a hotel for under $NT3000 or less. Don't need a 5 star hotel either. Prices are a fair bit more than what we've got here in Australia. Guess I've gotten used to prices down under. I know the wife would like to do some shopping for kids clothes etc. She's a real bargain hunter too. I need some shoes. Other than that, I'd love to look for the electronics and CDs/DVDs.

 

[ElFenix]

i'm guessing the night markets will have lots of CDs and DVDs and most not legal, but i've never been so don't take my word for it. the most i've seen of taipei is on final approach into CKS (god i swear we flew 300 feet off the ground for 5 minutes! you could see birds heading the other way just below you! awful! never ever ever will i fly china air again. never. not if i live a million years.)

 

[Topher]

I've heard the night markets are definitely seeing. Most likely will visit Shihlin and Snake Alley (don't know if the wife would like Snake Alley though). I don't know a soul in Taiwan, so taking a local is out of the question. I don't think I'll have enough time to get out of Taipei, it's really just a stopover, not a proper holiday. We've got a 9.5 hour flight from Sydney to Taipei, then another 10.5 hours from Taipei to Vancouver (then still more to Toronto after that), so with two small kids (3.5 and a 1 year old) I really didn't want to do the entire trip without a stop.

 

[McPhreak]

Originally posted by: Topher
Thanks Bluga,

That's the kind of info I need. Didn't realize it was that far away. We are moving permanently so I will have many large suitcases and two small children. I'm just thinking of convenience, unless another hotel will arrange transportation to/from CKS, then it could be a royal pain.

I was hoping to find a hotel for under $NT3000 or less. Don't need a 5 star hotel either. Prices are a fair bit more than what we've got here in Australia. Guess I've gotten used to prices down under. I know the wife would like to do some shopping for kids clothes etc. She's a real bargain hunter too. I need some shoes. Other than that, I'd love to look for the electronics and CDs/DVDs.

Huge 12 story mall called Sogo you can go to. They also have a Sogo in Tokyo and Hong Kong. Has plenty of electronics stuff to look at. If you're looking for the cheap illegal stuff, try the night markets like everyone else suggests (although Taiwan has really cracked down on curbing the amount of illegal stuff. You actually have to go out and look for it somewhat .)

 

[Topher]

ElFenix,

Uh, can you tell me more about China Airlines? That's who we will be flying with. Then again, I did fly AeroPeru a few times, and THAT was interesting.

What's the best way to take a family and a lot of luggage from CKS into Taipei?

 

[Topher]

Thanks guys. Not really looking for illegal CDs etc. (although I don't intend on asking if they are legal or not), just hoping I can pick up a few Taiwanese albums that are really tough to get in the English-speaking world. But the cheap electronics stuff is certainly on my agenda, and I'm hoping the wife lets me indulge a little.

 

[ElFenix]

if you can at all change those tickets to another airline i would. cathay pacific or evergreen or if american or united serves you... singapore is a great choice... china air doesn't have the best safety record over the last decade. i've flown on 4 of their planes with 4 of their pilots, the first was fine until that flying a few hundred feet off the ground for quite a while (probably doing what the tower told him, still wasn't nice). the second was perfect, the third i swear cut the engines at 25,000 feet and dead sticked it into hong kong and taipei, the fourth was fine into LA. you look at their airplanes and they don't look washed all the time...

 

[Bluga]

Originally posted by: Topher
ElFenix,

Uh, can you tell me more about China Airlines? That's who we will be flying with. Then again, I did fly AeroPeru a few times, and THAT was interesting.

What's the best way to take a family and a lot of luggage from CKS into Taipei?

There're bus services.

 

[Bluga]

Originally posted by: Topher
Thanks guys. Not really looking for illegal CDs etc. (although I don't intend on asking if they are legal or not), just hoping I can pick up a few Taiwanese albums that are really tough to get in the English-speaking world. But the cheap electronics stuff is certainly on my agenda, and I'm hoping the wife lets me indulge a little.

For electronics go to NOVA around Taipei Main station, there're quite a few.

For Taiwanese albums, you can also find them around Taipei main station, it's hard to find illegal stuff in Taipei these days (even noght market), i'm local and i couldn't even find it, lol.

 

[Topher]

Just booked tickets through Seoul. Looks like no visit to Taiwan for me. Getting a visa for my wife was looking like a real nightmare.

 

[fastz28]

Originally posted by: Topher
Just booked tickets through Seoul. Looks like no visit to Taiwan for me. Getting a visa for my wife was looking like a real nightmare.

Is she not an American citizen? Last time I went to Taiwan, I didn't need a visa.

edit: Looks like you guys are Australia citizen. According to here, you don't need visa either.

Currently, citizens of the following countries are allowed to enter Taiwan for 14 days without the need for a visa: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Britain, Canada, Costa Rica, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Holland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the USA.

 

[ElFenix]

seoul is probably better than taipei anyway... CKS is a weird airport...

 

[kh3443]

Taipei is awesome, I just came back from Taiwan two days ago. Too bad you're not visiting but its diffinitely a trip to visit. Since I have relatives there I was pretty much pampered by my grandparents. The chinese girls there are pretty cute.