What to Do in Taipei with Kids

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. At no extra cost to you, we may receive a small commission if you book travel or make purchases using these links.

Taiwan, especially Taipei, is a great place for families who want to experience the best of two worlds: a bustling metropolitan city and a place with a rich complicated history filled with friendly people. Food options are abundant and delicious whether you’re in a 7-11, a night market, or the mall, and families will appreciate the easily-navigable public transportation and high speed rail system.

I spent the first nine years of my life in Taipei, where I was raised by my grandmother (affectionately called “Popo” 婆婆). I’ve made trips there multiple times since my family’s move to the United States. My elder daughter, Corinne, has now been to Taipei three times, most recently as a six-year-old, on my first overseas solo-parenting trip to visit extended family and Popo’s final resting place.

If you’re looking for what to do in Taipei and where to stay, check out our recommendations below!

Photos below credited to Hana M. unless otherwise noted.

Click to jump ahead to

Taipei's indigenous inhabitants include the Basay peoples. Tainan's indigenous inhabitants are the Siraya peoples.

Taipei Highlights

We love visiting Taipei for its:

Bustling city vibes
Night markets
Asian food galore
Historical temples and sites

DESTINATION: Taipei, Taiwan

RECOMMENDED LENGTH OF STAY: 2 weeks

RECOMMENDED TIME OF YEAR TO VISIT: As with most of Asia, the weather is most mild during peak season from November through January, but that also means expensive fares and more crowds.

Getting There

Direct flights from San Francisco (SFO) to Taipei (TPE) abound, and depending on the season, tickets range from $800 to $2,000! A direct flight takes about 13-14 hours.

Once at TPE, your family can drive to downtown Taipei in about 45 minutes without traffic. You can also opt to take the metro, which is about an 75-minute ride.

What to Pack

International trip essentials, including an e-sim
Airplane essentials
I brought a mother-daughter journal and we spent ~15 minutes daily writing in them together.
A lightweight umbrella

BASE COST

All estimates in USD

Airfare: $1,500-$2,000 basic airfare from SFO during peak season (~$800-$1,000 off-peak)
Accommodations: ~$70-$100/night/room for average hotels, less if using points like we did
Fare for Taipei Metro: $1-$2 for a single journey; $5 day pass
Fare for High Speed Rail: depends on departure/destination (can purchase from kiosks in 7-11)
Meals: $15-$30/person/day

Add-Ons:

Shopping and souvenirs

Raohe Night Market (饒河街觀光夜市)
—or really any night market!

Great for an evening full of food and claw machines
3-5 hours; Free+

We enjoyed great street food and endless claw machines at Raohe Night Market. You could visit any night market and find for Taiwanese specialties like stinky tofu, oyster omelet, shaved ice, and fried meat on a stick.

On our recent trip, my cousin made me try the Fuzhou Black Pepper Bun. It’s excellent if you love peppery pork in a bun! The line can be long but it moves quickly.

Songshan Ciyou Temple (松山慈祐宮)

Great for visiting a historical temple near Raohe Night Market
1 hour; free+

Located at the entrance of the Raohe Night Market is the Songshan Ciyou Temple. Pay for some incense and meander through this beautiful three-story temple. Follow the arrows to pray (“bai bai” in Chinese) in the right direction.

Hike Elephant Mountain

Great for a stair workout and gorgeous city views, whether by day or night
1-2 hours; free

This family-friendly uphill climb is a great stair-hike with gorgeous views of the city! About .7 miles out and back, portions of the trail of this elephant-looking mountain seem straight out of some faraway place, not one of the most bustling cities in Asia.

Take a Day-Trip to Beitou District

Great for hot springs, greenery, and getting out of the city center
4-8 hours; free+

We visited friends in Beitou, a place known for their hot springs. While Beitou is still a part of Taipei (~45 min by metro), it feels much more relaxing, green, and scenic.

We soaked our feet for free in Beitou Fuxing Park, walked around Beitou Park, and played at a number of different playgrounds. Check it out for a great day-trip or even half-day trip.

(Window) Shop at Poya

Great for cute gifts
1+ hour; free+

A little girl’s wildest dream come true, this chain store across Taiwan has endless aisles of hair accessories, cosmetics, and other cute things. Poya is great for picking up good-quality souvenirs.

Visit National Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hall

Great for learning Taiwan’s history and seeing the changing of the guards
1-2 hours; free

Dr. Sun Yat-Sen is considered the national founding father of Taiwan. Visit the memorial if you’d like to better understand his life and his influence on the history of Taiwan. You can watch the changing of the guards every hour, on the hour, between 9am-5pm.

We got to observe the changing of the guards on our most recent trip, which felt nostalgic to me because my father used to be one of those guards. However, Corinne didn’t care much for the ceremony. Instead, she had a great time at the gift store, where she purchased overpriced keychains of boba figurines.

Visit Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall

Great for learning Taiwan’s history and walking through the gardens
1-2 hours; free

Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall is one of Taipei’s striking monuments and the grounds can be enjoyed both in the day and at night. Dedicated to Chiang Kai-Shek, the political leader who succeeded Dr. Sun Yat-Sen, the complex features a museum, park, pond, and changing of the guard.

As a young child, I spent many weekends at this national monument with my family feeding fish in the pond and watching people fly kites. I had meant to take Corinne here on our most recent trip, but we ended up at the National Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hall instead.

Where to Eat in Taipei with Kids

The food in Taiwan is SO good. Below are our favorites from our recent trip:

大師兄銷魂麵舖-信義店(新光三越A11, B2), Spicy Noodle at Shin Kong Mitsukoshi Xinyi Place A11: This kiosk at the food court was an instant hit with Corinne—we came here three times over four days!
Raohe Night Market (饒河街觀光夜市) (or any night market!): Great for stinky tofu, oyster omelet, shaved ice, and fried meat on a stick.
Yong He Do Jiang (永和豆漿大王): Great for the quintessential Taiwanese breakfast: soy milk, XLB (xiao long bao, pork soup dumplings), shao bing you tiao (sesame flatbread with fried dough), egg wraps, and fan tuan (rice balls).
Din Tai Fung (鼎泰豐): Great for a pilgrimage to the origin place of XLBs (xiao long bao, pork soup dumplings), which have taken the world by storm.

Check out our full post on where to eat in Taipei with kids for more details!

Where to Stay in Taipei with Kids

Le Meridien

Great for Marriott Bonvoy Members
~$300/night

If you’re a Marriott Bonvoy Member like us, consider using your points to stay at Le Meridien in Taipei for its upscale accommodations and stellar breakfast. We stayed there five nights during our most recent trip to Taipei and had a blast.

Novotel Taipei Taoyuan International Airport

Great for its kid-friendly pools and location near Taipei International Airport
~$125/night

We spent our last night in Taiwan at the Novotel Taipei Taoyuan International Airport, which is two short metro stops away from the airport. The hotel has a playroom for young children, a gym, and three pools: a lap pool, a children’s pool, and a spa pool with massage features. You can see why it comes highly recommended.

Wishlist for Our Next Visit

Bring my second-born to my Popo’s final resting place.
Corinne is insistent that the next time we come to Taiwan with her dad, she wants Spicy Noodle to be his first meal.

Each time I visit Taiwan, I learn something new.

Through writing this blog, I learned that Taiwan was still under martial law when I was born in the 80’s.

I also learned that the government designated August 1 as Indigenous People’s Day in 2016, where the president issued an apology for the displacement and mistreatment of Indigenous peoples by the government and committed to pursuing justice through fair economic development, continuation of culture and education, and protection of Indigenous health and legal rights.

Indigenous history was largely erased from my history books growing up (both in Taiwan and the U.S.), and I look forward to educating myself and my girls through each return trip to my home.

We’re fortunate to have a Mandarin-immersion elementary school in our district, where Corinne is thriving, and that we have the resources to visit Taiwan every few years to be with family and fully immerse our children in Taiwan’s culture and history.

When I previewed this entry with Corinne, she beamed upon seeing the photo of herself at Songshan Ciyou Temple (松山慈祐宮). She revealed that she made a number of wishes that day as she prayed with incense sticks around the temple, and that one of her wishes was for me to be able to see my Popo again soon.

While my children may never feel as at home as I do there, I hope they will always feel a sense of belonging, and know that Taiwan—and Popo—belong to them, too.

Check us out on Pinterest!

Hana M.

see more posts by this author

Hana (she/her) grew up in Taiwan and San Jose, and now lives in Redwood City (unceded Ramaytush, Muwekma, and Ohlone land) with her husband and two highly energetic and curious young children. Things she always looks for while traveling: delicious noodles, local bookstores, tasty sweet treats, and outdoor water features.