Welcome to Taiwan! A place once referred to as Formosa, which means beautiful island, by Portuguese sailors in the 16th century upon their discovery of the island.

We definitely have much more to offer than high tech manufacturing processes — beautiful nature aside, Taiwanese culture is vibrant as a result of diversified cultural legacies contributed by different waves of migrants throughout the centuries. Taiwan offers countless possibilities for every visitor, especially for busy HBS students like you - exciting night life, cultural museums, delicious bubble tea, convenience stores  you name it! I present a classic 2-day itinerary in Taipei:

DAY 1: NATIONAL PALACE MUSEUM & SHILIN NIGHT MARKET

National Palace Museum is ranked one of top 4 museums in the world (together with British Museum, Musee du Luvre, and Metropolitan Museum in NYC). Rankings are subjective, but to me this museum is a must see.

English auditorial guide is available for rent, and it seems that on weekends they have free English guided tours as well at both 10am and 3pm. You may find the sign-up page for English guided tours here.

Night market is one of the quintessential experience in Taiwan. Shilin night market is one of the largest and the most visited. This night market is famous for big silly street food, especially for fried chicken chop and pork sausage:

Other night market options you may find below:

  1. Jingmei night market: Jingmei night market is especially famous for pan fried meat bun.
  2. Raohe street night market: Raohe street night market is especially famous for pepper pork bun and herbal rib stew.
  3. Ningxia night market: Ningxia night market is especially famous for red been pastry.
  4. Shida night market: Shida night market is especially famous for braised dishes.

As you may discover, even though you could get pretty much the same variety of foods everywhere, each night market still has its own signature dishes.

You may also refer to following more must-try food list: 10 Must Eat Taiwanese Street Foods in Taipei.

Another recommendation of mine is Chun Shui Tang, the inventor of bubble tea.

DAY 2: CITY TOUR & YANG-MING-SHAN NIGHT VIEW

A couple places you may consider:

  1. Elephant mountain day hiking + Taipei 101 (used to be the tallest building in the world till 2008).
  2. Yangmingshan national park
  3. Historical sites / buildings:

For city night view, dining on Yangmingshan is a delight!

Another popular site for Taipei night view would be Maokong, which is also famous for tea tasting.

OTHER OPTIONAL ACTIVITIES

  • As a volcanic island, Taiwan boasts as one of the kingdom of hot springs.
  • If you get tired, get a foot massage after the day activities.

Enjoy your stay and explore the warm local Taiwanese hospitality!