Taipei Travel

Overall an enjoyable experience. Do be cautious if you are travelling with younger kids or the elderly as there are numerous steep ascends, and tourists tend to be pushy.

A great diversity of food, merchandise, restaurants, and a few temples. Watch for artisan shops and locally produced food and merchandise.

Had a full and satisfying meal.. Main lunch with dessert. Shopping until both hands are full with souvenirs and snacks to bring back.

Too crowded, walking almost shoulder to shoulder with the crowds, can barely enjoy the old stret charm. Schedule on weekdays when you can enjoy in a slower less frantic pace. The food shops are a nice attraction to the slow walk and try their products.

The Jiufen old street also called Chuifen is one long covered lane, which begins just to the right of the 7-Eleven on the main road. Spending a few hours here browsing the snack and craft shops is a lot of fun. The famous stair-street, Shuqi St, which features an old theatre and teahouses used as sets in the movie City of Sadness, is also a street to visit. One of the most popular activities on the street is snacking which taro balls, fish balls, herbal and molasses cake). There are also lots of other snacks and craft shops which is really something to spend a lot of time. One can reach here from Taipei by train and bus combination from Taipei Main Railway station but it can be tedious and takes a lot of time. We hence decided to hire a car for the day to visit Jiufen and Shifen.