Skip to main content
Hamburger Menu Close
Advertisement

Experiences

Heading to Taipei? Here are some places to check out

An itinerary highlighting the burgeoning art scene, craft experiences, award-winning restaurants and design destinations of Taipei.

Heading to Taipei? Here are some places to check out

Taipei Performing Arts Center is a must-visit if you plan the visit the famous Shilin Night Market. (Photo: Shephotoerd Co Photography)

New: You can now listen to articles.

This audio is generated by an AI tool.

What do you think of when one mentions Taipei? More than a decade ago, tourist websites would mainly highlight attractions like the Taipei National Palace Museum, the city’s famous night markets and, of course, the pagoda-like Taipei 101 skyscraper that held the record for world's tallest building until Dubai’s Burj Khalifa pushed ahead in 2010.

Sure, these destinations open the eyes of visitors to the city’s juxtaposition of cultural history and modernity, but Taipei also has many other facets worth checking out – cue the beautiful cafes, world-class art destinations and international hotel brands arriving this year designed by top-name architects (Capella, Four Seasons, Park Hyatt and Andaz are some properties to note in your 2025 travel plans to Taipei).   

WORLD-CLASS CUISINE

A city’s gastronomy scene is a good barometer for its cool quotient and risk-taking appetite. For a start, Taipei now has 157 Michelin-starred venues. Maverick Chef Andre Chiang may have shuttered Raw at the end of 2024 but in the past 10 years, his singular establishment has paved the way for culinary experimentation in this home city.

One inventive restaurant is Michelin-starred Mume. A main stay on Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants list in recent years, it is the first restaurant of Mume Hospitality Group founded by chef Richie Lin, an alumnus of Sydney’s Quay and Copenhagen’s Noma.

At Mume, the menu melds seasonal Taiwanese ingredients with Nordic touches and contemporary techniques. (Photo: Mume)

For Mume, he melds seasonal Taiwanese ingredients with Nordic touches and contemporary techniques. The restaurant’s interior mirrors this approach, through raw finishes and thoughtful accents. If you like Mume, also try out Inari Izakaya, the group’s latest offering in Xinyi District.    

Mume is located in Da’an – one of my favourite places in Taipei. Its intimately scaled buildings and streets make it a pleasant neighbourhood for discovering interesting shops, cafes and small art galleries. 

SPEND TIME IN DA'AAN

In Da’an, also check out mod-fusion izakaya Yamasan. Owner-chefs Ishan Wong and Liam Tsai were close friends since high school and worked their way up different kitchens across the world. Both have also been part of the Mume team. Dishes range from hearty chicken neck skewers with dill mayo dip to more complex concoctions like a dish of uni pate-a-choux, seared scallop, uni custard and salmon roe.

This is not your usual izakaya. It was conceived as a hybrid concept comprising a restaurant, bar and gallery. Insitu Design dressed the interiors in a sophisticated palette of carmine, earth and grey. Wang is an art collector and has decked the walls with his favourite pieces by artists such as David Shrigley and Lim Heng Swee.

The interior of Yamasan is dressed in a sophisticated palette of carmine, earth and grey. (Photo: Yamasan)
Dishes on the menu include hearty chicken neck skewers. (Photo: Yamasan)

During the day, I like to grab a post-breakfast or post-lunch perk-me-up at Hood Coffee. There are drinks like Gaoliang Berry Tea but my staples are coffee cocktails like whiskey cold brew. Also check out the seasonal drinks, such as plum wine coffee offered this autumn.

For shopping, do not miss Officine Universelle Buly 1803 at Dunhua South Road. Once inside, you will be transported to historic Europe, thanks to the intricately detailed interior inspired by antiquated French pharmacies. Trendsetting husband-and-wife pair, Ramdane Touhami and Victoire de Taillac, created the brand with 19th century cosmetician and perfumer Jean-Vincent Bully as muse.

The intricately detailed interior of Officine Universelle Buly 1803 is inspired by antiquated French pharmacies. (Photo: Officine Universelle Buly 1803)

Take your pick of Sicilian volcanic stone for removing calluses, Alabaster Sumi Hinoki (a heatless fragrance diffuser set that works by pouring perfume essence on a porous sedimentary stone, both encased in a precious porcelain receptacle) or lip balm in a leather-bound case where you can have your initials engraved.  

Etna is another option to check out in Da’an. Apart from drinks, the bar-cum-cigar lounge also offers a selection of pretty desserts and light food. But it is the interior decor that first got my attention. Parchment, lacquer, marmorino paint, burl wood and marble are composed by Taipei-based Ecru Studio to evoke a 1950s Milanese interior. 

The interior of bar-cum-cigar lounge Etna evokes a 1950s Milanese feel. (Photo: WGH Photo)

ART, CULTURE, CRAFT

The Museum of Contemporary Art Taipei (MOCA Taipei) and Taipei Fine Arts Museum (TFAM) are great places to start discovering the city’s art and design scene. The former is a cluster of heritage structures repurposed by Taiwan’s Fieldoffice Architects, while the latter is a gleaming, white construct by the revered late-Taiwanese architect Er-Pan Kao who was inspired by the Japanese Metabolist movement for TFAM’s architecture.  

Another destination for creative inspiration is Songshan Cultural and Creative Park (SCCP). Completed in 1937, the expansive compound was formerly the Songshan Tobacco Factory. For respite from the exhibits, take a walk in the compound’s lush courtyard. Designed in 1958, the garden fuses Chinese and Baroque styles with a three-tier fountain, pools and animal statues. 

The Baroque Garden is the central courtyard of the old tobacco factory. (Photo: Luo Jingmei)

One side of SCCP borders the book-themed Eslite Hotel, designed by renowned Japanese architect Tokyo Ito (his firm also designed the award-winning Gaia in Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University – the largest wooden building in Asia). It houses the Eslite Spectrum Songyan Store, which offers manifold craft sessions aside from books. There are glass blowing, woodworking, silversmithing, leather crafting, calligraphy and pottery classes to choose from. The sessions are also available for children so the whole family can be engaged.

On craft, the Suho Paper Memorial Museum is a nice, compact building to visit. It is named after Chen Su Ho – a Taiwanese paper industry pioneer and founder of Chang Chuen Cotton Paper Company. He had dreamed of a paper museum to highlight papermaking traditions but passed away before it was completed. Aside from learning about the technicalities and possibilities of papermaking craft, one can partake in a papermaking workshop at the rooftop.

The Suho Paper Memorial Museum offers classes on papermaking. (Photo: Luo Jingmei)

YINGGE FOR CERAMICS

For a craft-related day trip, I recommend visiting the Yingge Ceramics Museum in New Taipei City. It takes only 40 minutes away by car from the city centre, or within half hour by train from Taipei Main Station to Yingge Station. Yingge is Taiwan’s centre of pottery and ceramic making, and this museum offers a comprehensive knowledge of the history, techniques and materials of the craft.

The museum also showcases the works of inventive artisans. While there in December last year, the diverse, experimental works of the 2024 Taiwan Ceramics Biennale’s winners and selected participants impressed me. I also enjoyed Taiwanese pioneering ceramicist Leo Lee’s solo exhibition. From now until Feb 23, one can view the works of Taiwanese ceramicist Catherine Kao, who recreates the texture of leather with ceramics as a commentary on the unsustainable nature of the actual material.  

Yingge is Taiwan’s centre of pottery and ceramic making, and the museum offers a comprehensive knowledge of the history, techniques and materials of the craft. (Photo: Luo Jingmei)

Designed by Chien Architects & Associates, the museum building itself is a wonderful piece of sculpture with glass atriums, fair-faced concrete walls, and plentiful wood and mosaic details. At the museum’s backyard is Ceramics Park – a ceramic-themed, family-friendly garden that has models of prominent kiln constructions, interactive play facilities and a water fountain.

The fascinating exterior of the New Taipei City Art Centre is adorned with silver tubes of varying lengths. (Photo: Iwan Baan)

From here, take a 15-minute stroll to the New Taipei City Art Museum. Opened in 2023, it was designed by respected Taiwanese architect Kris Yao of Artech (KYA). The facade’s rod-like aluminium profiles abstract the reeds of the nearby river, while the public ground level, with sloping brick floors, large concrete blocks and water features, was inspired by the surrounding natural environment and the old streets of Yingge and another nearby old town, Sanxia.

RELAXING IN BEITOU

Poised at the foot of the scenic Yangmingshan (or Yangming Mountain), Beitou District offers a day trip of another kind. In half hour by car, one leaves behind the urban cacophony to immerse in nature and enjoy the vicinity’s "white sulphur" hot springs. It is also convenient to come here by train, with the Xinbeitou Train Station in the heart of Beitou’s attractions.

History lesson: While the locals were aware of the radium-rich hot springs, the hot spring culture only developed when the Japanese came in 1895. By the early 1900s, Beitou (or Hokuto, the Japanese name of the district) was a flourishing hot spring and entertainment destination for the Japanese and upper echelons of Taiwanese society. In fact, the Beitou Hot Spring Museum was originally the Beitou Hot Spring Public Bath pool, built in 1913 in the Euro-Japanese style.  

Radium Kagaya is the only overseas branch of the century-old Kagaya ryokan in Ishikawa Prefecture’s Wakura Onsen. (Photo: Radium Kagaya)
Tenshou Restaurant serves Japanese cuisine with select seasonal fresh ingredients from Japan and Taiwan. (Photo: Radium Kagaya)

If you have more time, stay a night at Radium Kagaya, the area’s most high-end hotel. It was opened by revered 118-year-old onsen ryokan, Kagaya, in Japan’s Ishikawa Prefecture. If you only have a few hours and do not wish to jostle with the crowds at the public hot springs, book a session in one of the hotel’s private onsen rooms.

A post-onsen lunch or dinner at the hotel’s Tenshou Restaurant is highly recommended for the view of Beitou Hot Spring Park across the road. Nestling amidst the lush landscaping are the Beitou Hot Spring Museum and Beitou Library. Designed by Bio-Architecture Formosana, the latter is a delicate timber structure. When it opened in 2006, it was Taiwan’s first project to receive the Green Building certification and the city’s first green library.

STREET FOOD AND SHOWS

If you plan to roam the famous Shilin Night Market, look into the events listing at Taipei Performing Arts Center to experience the building designed by world-famous OMA (Office of Metropolitan Architecture). Helmed by Pritzker Prize laureate Rem Koolhaas, the Dutch architecture firm is responsible for iconic projects like Beijing’s CCTV Building and Fondazione Prada in Milan.  

The Taipei Peforming Arts Center is located at the Shilin Night Market, marked by its vibrant street culture. (Photo: Chris Stowers)

The striking Taipei Performing Arts Center, completed in 2022 in collaboration with Taiwanese architecture firm KYA (Kris Yao I ARTECH), reads as a mash-up of several geometric shapes. The building has an unusual design – two out of its three theatres can be combined to create a Super Theatre, opening up new performance possibilities. It is also a well-designed community building, with an open ground level for the public to enjoy.

WHERE TO STAY

KIMPTON DA'AN

Kimpton Da’an is arguably the most design-savvy hotel in the city – at least for now. It was designed by Shanghai-based Neri&Hu Research and Design Office that is also responsible for the upcoming Andaz Taipei located in the new Sky Taipei tower neighbouring Taipei 101.

(Photo: Pedro Pegenaute)

For Kimpton Da’an, Neri&Hu transformed a former apartment block into a chic boutique hotel. The interior showcases the creative application of simple white tiles and metalwork, which are elements found in Taipei’s alleyways. Extensive millwork in the guestrooms artfully defines the interior architecture.

On the 12th storey, I had an enjoyable meal at The Tavernist, led by British culinary director James Sharman who mentored under Noma’s founder, Chef Rene Redzepi. A memorable dish was the pork belly and tenderloin on a sugarcane grill, matched with a pineapple sauce and inspired by Kenyan cooking. The dapper space, with arched doorways, coloured tiles evoking bamboo and globe lights strung on the ceiling like a giant pearl necklace, completes the dining experience.   

HUMBLE HOUSE TAIPEI

(Photo: Humble House Taipei)

The 253-key Humble House Taipei, which is part of the Curio Collection by Hilton, sits right at the heart of the city’s luxury shopping area, Xinyi District, surrounded by luxury and lifestyle brands.

The architecture by KYA employs triangular bay windows for expanded views, while the sophisticated and comfortable guestrooms, designed by Hirsch Bedner Associates (HBA), are cocoons from the city’s bustle. Art is a key part of the concept, with over 600 original works spread across the hotel. 

Source: CNA/st
Advertisement

RECOMMENDED

Advertisement