15 things to know before going to Taipei

14.10.2023 - 14:59 / lonelyplanet.com

Taiwanese culture is an intriguing tangle of traditional Chinese customs and Japanese sensibilities, permeated with island-wide free 4G and an insatiable commercial drive.

The epitome of all things Taiwan is its capital Taipei, a city so safe that you’d be wise to worry more about the weather than your wallet. While you may leave your laptop unattended in a cafe and expect it to be there when you return, the same may not be said of your umbrella.

Read on for a crash course in more of the capital’s quirks (example: wearing flip-flops in a rainstorm really is the wisest choice). Here’s all you need to know about health, safety and etiquette before your trip to Taipei.

Luckily for non-native speakers, the communication style of the Taiwanese is very straightforward. The word “please” is a rarity when buying things, swapped instead for a polite bow and a thank-you after receiving your order.

If you can manage a simple “hello” (pīnyīn: nǐ hǎo) and “thank you” (xièxie), along with your order of bubble tea (yī bēi nǎi chá), you might even receive a compliment on your impeccable Chinese from kindly vendors.

Often, Taiwanese locals will be more than happy to practice their high-school English skills with you. Still, making the effort to converse in Mandarin is a great way to level the playing field.

When it rains in Taipei, it pours. And in summer it rains a lot. Each year, the city is blessed with 98in (2500mm) of rainfall, seeing the highest precipitation in the hottest months from June to September – also known as monsoon or “plum rain” season.

To save your best sneakers from saturation, wear flip-flops on rainy days (avoiding tiled surfaces) and include a raincoat and umbrella on your packing list. The rain usually won’t turn up until late afternoon, so it’s also a good idea to start your day quite early (between 6am and 8am), when the weather is cooler and the sky brighter.

Beyond the Michelin-acclaimed Din Tai Fung and the slightly too touristy Shilin Night Market, Taipei has a mouthwatering food scene. Discover what’s new, popular and off the beaten track through the city’s network of local bloggers (we love Hungry in Taipei and Taipei Foodie) and on social media.

One nice shortcut for finding good local spots is to search on Instagram for the area you want (eg Ximen; 西門) followed by the phrase “beautiful food” (美食). This will present all the recently hashtagged gems for your drooling perusal.

The mother of all convenience stores in Taiwan, 7-Eleven sells all the familiar snacks, food and drinks you get in the West – with such added Asian lunch additions as onigiri and tea-stained eggs.

But more than that, 7-Eleven is also the place to go for buying (and topping up) your MRT EasyCard, printing documents, sending