Alright guys, so if you've been watching our channel for the last few weeks you've probably
noticed that we've filmed a lot in Taipei (臺北市).
So we thought for today's video we would share some tips.
Yep.
And some costs.
Because a lot of people asked how expensive is Taipei?
Or how much money did we spend and do you have any tips.
So today it is going to be more of a practical video with a lot of information.
Yeah, exactly and the cool thing is you guys suggested we do this and we're really excited
to do it.
We listened.
Also, we have a lot of information to share so we had to make notes on the computer.
You're probably going to catch us staring down but it is just because otherwise it is
a lot of prices to remember.
Yeah, we don't want to miss out on stuff.
So let's get started.
First up we're going to talk about transportation from the airport in to Taipei (臺北市).
So we have a few different options.
Yeah, so we're looking down at the screen so the first option is taking the Express
Airport Bus.
And that is what we did.
We ended up doing that and it is probably the cheapest and maybe one of the most convenient
ways to get around.
Yeah.
So I'm looking here and the price range is between 120 and 150 New Taiwan Dollars which
means it runs for about four to five US bucks.
Yeah.
So basically when you exit in the arrivals gate just go to the information desk and ask
them about the bus and they'll point you in the right direction.
And then once you get to the right stand you just need to let them know where in the city
you are going and they'll tell you what stop you need to get off at and they will charge
you accordingly.
Yeah, it is awesome.
Super easy.
You don't even have to know which bus number you're going on.
They have that figured out for you.
Next option.
Alright so moving on there is the high speed rail station located at the airport and the
cool thing I'm looking here is that we didn't do this so I have to look at my notes here
so it takes 25 minutes to get from the airport to the main train station.
Which is pretty amazing.
That is a really fast ride.
Yeah.
And the train station in Taipei is a really central location so that might be your best
bet.
Then you would have to transfer either to the subway or the bus.
Yeah.
Because I mean your hotel may not be next to the main train station.
Right.
So it might involve multiple types of transportation.
I'm seeing that the price here is a 165 New Taiwan Dollars which is under $6 US bucks.
So again not bad.
Pretty cheap.
It would be a really efficient way to get in to the city and probably quite fun.
I always like, we like taking trains.
Actually Sam.
Next up.
Alright, okay so we're moving up in price.
This is the Airport Shuttle.
Um, I guess this is probably a little bit more comfortable.
It says door to door service to all hotels in Taipei City.
So yeah, that is pretty fancy but you are going to be paying more.
I'm noticing the price is 350 New Taiwan Dollars which puts you at over $11 US dollars per
person.
So yeah, that is a big bump up in price.
And a real big bump up in price is the next option.
The taxi.
And that is going to cost you from anywhere from 900 to 1200 New Taiwan Dollars.
So you are looking at the 30 to 40 US dollar price range.
And that is if you're staying in the city centre.
Yeah, honestly I would probably go for first option.
Yep.
Because the bus was very comfortable, easy to find, they dropped us off where we needed
to go.
So yeah.
Super affordable too.
Super affordable and yeah I've done that I've been to Taipei (臺北市) twice.
You've been once.
And I've done that service twice.
Great service.
Okay that is transportation and next let's move on to accommodations.
What type of accommodations are you going to stay in in Taipei?
So let's start with the cheapest.
Hostels.
And that is always the hostel.
Always hostels.
Almost anywhere in the world is a hostel.
And looking at my notes here you can stay at a hostel for anywhere between 400 to 600
New Taiwan Dollars and so that's between 12 to 20 US bucks.
And that makes sense because when I went in 2010 I stayed at one of the cheapest hostels
and it was 10 US dollars so like six or seven years later the cheapest one is about 12 bucks.
Yeah, that sounds about right.
You'll probably get a bed in a dorm so you may be sharing the space with a few different
travelers.
Yep.
But if you're traveling solo that can be a really fun way to meet people.
So it is an option.
Yeah.
Next option is between 2 to 3 star hotels and at that price you're looking at between
$40 to $100 US dollars.
What we went for this time was actually an AirBNB rental and we often use AirBnB when
we travel.
So we got what would you call it?
Like a studio?
Yeah, it was kind of like a studio apartment.
It had more features than a typical hotel.
Like we had our own washer.
We had a tiny kitchen.
Yeah.
We had actually everything else was the same as a hotel except for those two things.
Yeah.
We had a little kitchen and a little washer and a place to hang up our clothes.
Which is really nice.
It meant that we could do our own laundry.
Because we were staying there for over a week so yeah we did laundry every other day and
that meant we had nice clean clothes.
We had a kitchen we were prepared our breakfasts so that was pretty nice.
Yeah.
And we did that.
We bought some local fruit.
We did stuff like that.
So this type of place when you have your own kitchen it allows you to save a little bit
of money because it is one less meal that you have to spend at a restaurant.
And you know what?
The Air BNB rental was actually slightly cheaper than staying in a hotel room and we had more
space.
Yes.
Sounds pretty cool.
So price wise.
So yeah pricewise it was like we paid I think it was about 50 bucks a night and 40 to 60
dollars gets you that type of place in Taipei.
Oh and our Airbnb was like right outside the metro station.
Yes.
Literally.
Like you had the exit and then our building was right next door so it was amazing for
transportation.
So the cool thing about Taipei (臺北市) is that it has one of the most amazing metro
systems we've ever used.
And our biggest tip is not so much where you're going to stay.
There is not a particular neighborhood we'd recommend but do get a place that is within
walking distance of a metro.
Because that is going to allow you to get anywhere in the city super efficiently.
Alright so, moving that ties in nicely to what we're doing because we're going to talk
about transportation.
Alright.
And the only thing that we recommend doing for transportation in Taipei is to the take
the Taipei Metro also known as the MRT.
Yep.
And you got an EasyCard for that.
Right.
EasyCard is awesome.
I'm looking over here just to confirm the price.
Yeah, the Easy Card is a 100 New Taiwan Dollars which is just over 3 US bucks.
Amazing card to have.
Not only can you use it to get around on the metro but you can also use it for museums,
yeah for a few attractions around the city.
The zoo.
The Maokong Gondola.
So taking the cable car and also you can also use it to rent the public bikes too.
Yeah, so it is like multifunctional.
Multipurpose.
It is one of the most versatile transportation cards you can ever pick up.
Like it is just awesome.
Oh and the other cool thing and this is really important is you save 20% on your fares.
So fares start at 20 New Taiwan Dollars which is like what 60 or 70 US cents.
And you get your 20% discount and that brings it down to you're starting off at like 50
cents which is 16 NTD.
And Sam loves discounts.
Yeah.
That is why he got the card.
So yeah it is going to save you money thought especially if you're there for a few days.
And there is an option here I'm just looking down here you can get a one day pass.
And we didn't do this obviously because we stayed for a while but if you pay a 200 Taiwanese
Dollars which is under 7 US bucks that gives you unlimited rides on the MRT but it does.
I'm looking here at the notes.
It does not include the Maokong Gondola.
Womp womp.
So yeah.
But anyways I can't stress enough how cool this MRT is.
It is so clean, so efficient, on time.
Gets you anywhere in the city within minutes.
It has a fun little jingle.
Yeah.
We loved it.
We took it go everywhere.
If we couldn't walk there we where we taking the MRT.
So you've probably already watched our city guide of things to do in Taipei but we wanted
to highlight a few activities that are free.
If you're not looking to spend any money whatsoever.
Right.
So number 1 if you don't want to go up Taipei 101 but you want cool views of the city you
can actually climb the Elephant Hill and we show that in our video.
It involves a whole lot of stairs.
Yeah.
You're probably going to be sweaty but you can get pretty high up and then you just get
these amazing landscape views of Taipei.
I'd do that in the morning or late afternoon.
Yes.
Because you will be hot and sweaty if you do it midday.
Haha.
The humidity in Taipei is off the charts.
Okay, the second thing and this is something we did a lot of is you've got to check out
the night markets and eat the street food in Taipei (臺北市).
Yes.
It is legendary.
There are so many to choose from.
We went to some of the more famous ones.
Shilin, Ningxia and Raohe.
Yeah those are the three we went to.
There is more.
There is more within the city centre.
There is also more that you can visit like on a daytrip.
Yeah, so those markets.
I mean markets are free to visit so it is just a matter of how much you end up spending
on food there.
So again if you're on a budget it is a really great place to go for your meals.
We are going to number 3.
That is the Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall.
One of the most like iconic famous places to visit in the city.
Um, it is just is definitely worth a visit.
Yeah, it is free.
You can go there to watch the changing of the guard.
Yep.
It does get quite crowded and I would also recommend going either early in the morning
or late in the afternoon because when the sun is shining down on like that white marble
or whatever it is like it kind of burns.
It is so hot like you really feel the heat shining back in your face.
You get baked.
It is a really intense.
You get baked.
So yeah early in the day is best.
Another free attraction you can visit are the Beitou Hot Springs.
And you do have to pay if you want to go in to some of the private springs.
It is just a small fee to go in so yourself.
But if you just want to enjoy the springs and like look at them.
Take pictures.
That is also free.
Yeah an important thing to note about that is that is kind of on the outskirts of the
city.
That is not in the city centre.
So that takes a little.
It is a little bit longer to get to.
But it is one of the.
It is definitely wired from downtown.
And the last one is probably one of the most famous temples in all of Taipei (臺北市).
It is the Longshan Temple.
Longshan.
So yeah check that place out.
So those are the five things that we recommend.
For free!
For free.
And so the next section that we have are the must do things in the city.
Things that you're going to have to pay for.
Yeah, you will pay for these but do not miss them.
And number one is Taipei 101.
Of course.
One of the coolest buildings we've ever seen anywhere.
Like not just the outside design of it is awesome but it is also just an amazing building
to go in to.
There is it is really nice.
Really new and modern.
So in terms of the price of visiting it is only 600 New Taiwan Dollars which is under
$20 US bucks at the current moment.
So a little bit pricy but I mean it is the most iconic site in all of Taipei so I think
it is worth paying for it.
Next is the Gondola ride.
That was fun.
I think that was probably our favorite activity right?
On a personal level.
Yeah.
It is just gorgeous to go on this gondola ride.
You are out in nature and yeah you just get like when you arrive it is so cool you can
get a really cool view of like the city way off in the distance.
And it is also a great place to have a Taiwanese tea.
Yeah, so you're up in the hills and they have a lot of different teahouses you can visit
so if you want something close to nature to just have a very chill and relaxed day you
can go have tea and enjoy the views, walk around so it is pretty cool.
And that costs.
It is a 120 New Taiwan Dollars which is the equivalent of $4 US dollars to get there.
Yeah.
Each way.
And as we mentioned before you can use your EasyCard.
So if you have enough credit it is an awesome way to do it.
We're moving on to must eat foods.
What do you have to eat in Taiwan (中華民國).
Let's see.
Oh my gosh so we're going back to night markets.
And my gosh there is just an endless supply of things to try.
You have everything from these exotic like stinky tofu.
Ew.
To like tame stuff like there is a lot of really good desserts.
Ice cream there is different types of chicken.
There is different types of fish.
If you guys really want to see all of the different options of foods to eat you have
to check out our three different street food markets that we hit.
Anyways price point for these street food snacks.
Yeah, so you can pay anywhere between 20 to 150 New Taiwan Dollars and that is range is
from under 1 US dollar all the way up to 5 US bucks.
And the only time we paid that much was for like expensive more expensive meat and fish
items.
Most things slotted in between the 30 and 90 price point which is between $1 to $3 US
bucks.
So man, you could if you have a budget of ten US dollars per person.
You can eat well.
You can very well and you will be stuffed by the time you leave.
Okay, so that is a must.
The next one is Din Tai Fung.
If you're going all the way to Taipei (臺北市) you need to try Xiaolongbao.
These special pork soup dumplings.
They are amazing.
And they are really affordable for a restaurant with so much hype.
It is a Michelin Star restaurant.
Michelin Star.
And this it is safe to say this was our favorite restaurant in Taipei.
We went back again and again and again.
I think we went back three or four times.
Many times.
Five times.
Something like that.
And we found that like if you're spending between $7 to $12 US dollars per person you're
going to be eating really well.
So again really quite affordable and the only thing is we had to line up.
Yes.
The lines are really long so go early or go outside of meal times.
Like go in the middle of the afternoon and then maybe you can get in really quick.
Right.
So this is the fun part.
We are going to talk about the things we liked about Taipei (臺北市).
And then disliked.
Dun dun dun.
Yeah, we're going to every guide we do we are going to talk about the things we liked
and disliked.
Loved and hated.
Let's start with the positives.
Alright, so number one.
And this is the third time we're talking about this.
But the night markets and street food in Taipei are legendary.
Like Taipei I would say I would call it the foodie capital of Asia.
Yeah.
Like I don't think the only other city I've been to where they are that passionate about
food is Lima in Peru.
And that is not in Asia.
Haha.
So I mean you have night markets that are running every single day.
You have an endless supply of food to try.
It is all really affordable.
And we also saw that people are willing to line up for food.
Yeah.
It is crazy.
People will stand in line to eat at this one particular restaurant because they specialize
in something and it is amazing.
Even for street food too.
So I mean that is a really good way to find out where you should be eating when you go
to these night markets.
If there is a line that means it is good.
Another thing we really enjoyed about Taipei (臺北市) was proximity to nature.
So it didn't take very long to ride the MRT out of the city and just find yourself like
in a nature reserve where you can see wildlife and birds or like to be out in the hot springs.
Yeah or the Maokong Gondola.
Or the gondola.
Yeah or even the day we went out to Tamshui and we went biking along the waterfront.
That was so much fun.
So yeah, you're never too far from the city centre.
And you're never too far from nature.
Sorry that is what I meant to say.
You are never too far.
You can escape the city center really easily.
Yes.
Okay next one is ah yeah I want to talk about the awesome metro system.
The MRT.
One of the best we've ever used anywhere in the world.
Just fantastic, efficient, cheap, clean.
Clean.
Takes you all over the city.
There is lots of lines so you can transfer easily.
Just an awesome way to get around Taipei.
Ooh another really important one we met lots of friendly locals.
Like seriously any time we looked a little lost or disoriented people actually approached
us and asked us oh where do you need to go.
Do you need any help and that is very rare.
I find that in big cities people are always in a rush or like they're focussed on themselves
and they don't really stop to help tourists.
But in Taipei (臺北市) we had a lot of people helping us out and we also had random
people approach us just to practice English and have a little chat.
Yeah and it wasn't creepy or anything like that.
They were just like really nice pleasant people.
So that was cool.
Yeah, I felt welcome.
Yeah, that was definitely a highlight of visiting Taipei (臺北市.
Okay and the last point that we really liked about Taipei is that yes it is a really big
city but it is spread out enough that it doesn't feel as claustrophobic.
It doesn't feel as crowded as like a Hong Kong or Seoul or some of these other cities.
So it has that it just has a feeling like you have a bit more open space.
Yeah.
And I love that.
Personal space is nice.
So now we're going to talk about things we didn't necessarily like about Taipei (臺北市).
And honestly we had to sit down and like kind of wrack our brains because there weren't
a whole lot of things we disliked.
No, it was a really fun trip overall.
Yeah.
Like we really loved visiting.
So the thing we'll start off with is whether we were supposed to be visiting what was considered
in the dry season.
Dry season.
And we experienced a lot of rain.
And even when it wasn't raining it was really humid.
So we kind of had to bring an umbrella everywhere and there would be days where it would be
like rain and then a little pocket of sunshine and then a lot of rain again and so like we
had to be prepared for rain all the time.
Yeah.
And you may have seen some blue skies in the video.
I think we had one day of blue skies and we were literally oh my gosh it is a sunny day
we have to film now.
Yeah and we were like running around trying to film in good weather because honestly it
was quite wet while we were there.
So another thing we kind of disliked about the city and this is true of most big cities
we visit is around rush hour in the metro it can get quite crowded.
Oh yeah.
But yeah aside from that man no complaints.
We had a really good time.
So if you're thinking of visiting Taipei (臺北市) as well we hope this video was kind of handy.
Kind of useful.
If you have any other questions about the city feel free to pop those in the comments
section below and we'll try to answer those if we can.
Yep.
If not if you guys know the answer feel free to you know chime in and help fellow travellers
out.
Yeah, please share your tips because we've only been there for a week so anyone who lives
there would know a lot more than we do.
So yeah signing off and definitely recommend going to Taipei (臺北市).
Bye.
Bye for now.