Heitage Center, Treasure Hill and Taipei 101 | Taipei Solo Travel 2017
Thursday, March 2, 2017
Since I was going to have a late night with my then-colleagues (now-friends) and I had already seen most of Taipei, I slept in a little before deciding to have a slow day in photogenic spots of Taipei — mainly Heritage and Culture Education Center of Taipei City and Treasure Hill at Taipei Artist Village.
Address
No.101, Guangzhou St., Wanhua Dist., Taipei City 108, Taiwan
Nearest MRT
Longshan Temple Station, exit 3
Opening Hours
9am to 5pm daily
Closed on Monday
Price
Free
Saw a few tour groups and students on learning journeys while I was there — rightfully so too, since it was a heritage museum after all. If you're interested in learning about Taipei / Taiwan's history, and how it became the country it is today, do drop by Heritage and Culture Education Center of Taipei City.
My friends were horrified to learn that I never had a bowl of Taiwanese Braised Pork Rice even though I was in Taipei for three weeks previously so I swore that I'd give it a try this travel. Did a hasty google search ("Best must try Lu Rou Fan in Taipei") and I got Jin Feng Braised Pork Rice so off I went.
Address
No. 10, Section 1, Roosevelt Rd, 中正區台北市 Taiwan 100
Nearest MRT
Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall Station, Exit 2
Opening Hours
8am to 1am daily
Price
SGD $3 to 5
Verdict: Meh. I don't know if there was anything wrong with my taste buds but I didn't have any particularly memorable meal in Taipei. I mean, it has to be my taste buds that's weird if the entire Internet is raving about Jin Feng Braised Pork Rice — supposedly the best in Taipei — and I only found it average at best, right?
Sure, the pork melted slightly in my mouth but it wasn't particularly fragrant and I found the pork serving way too little for the amount of rice given. Jin Feng Braised Pork Rice was nice, but not memorable to keep me craving for it in Singapore.
A quick Google search shows just how many people love Jin Feng Braised Pork Rice, so you can expect the queues to be long, the shop to be hectic and you'll definitely feel pressured to eat quickly. Since I was alone, I shared the table with another two patrons — one of whom was a lovely lady who watched out for me, got me napkins and chopsticks, and we had a short chat when she found out i wasn't Taiwanese.
Also had a guy asked for my number through one of the waitresses at Jin Feng Braised Pork Rice. What even.
Next stop: Tian Jin Scallion Pancakes, also because my friends were horrified by the fact that i never had Scallion Pancakes in Taipei. Also found via Googling "Best Must Try Scallion Pancakes Taipei".
Address
No. 1, Lane 6, Yongkang Street, Da’an District, Taipei City, Taiwan 106
Nearest MRT
Dongmen station, Exit 5
Price
SGD $1 to $2.50
I struggled with egg or ham and cheese but eventually went for the former when I heard many people in the queue before me ordering the egg version. NO REGRETS! This was hands-down the best snack I had in Taiwan. Piping hot scallion pancake — crunchy on the outside, soft and chewy as you munch on the parts filled with egg. I still dream about my scallion pancake back home in Singapore T_T
Headed to Taipei Artist Village, one of the most insta-worthy spots in Taipei. Nestled on the outskirts of Gongguan Station, Taipei Artist Village is, as the name suggests, where artists display their works for locals and tourists admire.
Address
Treasure Hill Artist Village No. 2, Alley 14, Ln. 230 Dingzhou Rd. Sec. 3, Taipei TPE 100 Taiwan (R.O.C.)
Nearest MRT
Gongguan Station, Exit 1
It's a ten to fifteen minute walk away from the MRT Station. Follow the signs onto a highway and walk in to a forested area and you'll find Taipei Artist Village.
Opening Hours
11am to 10pm daily
Closed on Monday
Price
Free
Rushed to Taipei 101 because I wanted to catch Taipei's cityscape at sunset but no such luck for me and Taipei's sunsets. It was getting dark by the time I got there (barely 5pm!) and rather hazy from the drizzle earlier on. At least I got to the top of Taipei 101 before it got completely dark because I managed to skip the queue with Taipei 101 tickets from KKday.
Dropped by Wufenpu just for the fun of it because #tourist. I knew I wouldn't get anything there, and I didn't shop much at Wufenpu the previous time I was there either — I felt that everything sold in Wufenpu could be found on Taobao, at a cheaper price. My friends, who are based in Taiwan, sworn off Wufenpu too.
Had some time to spare before meeting my friends so I took a walk along Raohao Night Market — located approximately five minutes away from my office when I was on my Taiwan work trip. Didn't get to walk the full streets of Raohao Night Market that time so I did this time round, although it started raining heavily shortly after.
Met my friends at night and they brought me to a bar in Xinyi District. Wasn't particularly memorable, and it was on the slightly pricier end so I didn't note down the bar's name but Xinyi District is littered with bars anyway.
Useful Links
Taiwan Portable Wifi Rental | Taiwan 4G SIM Card
MORE OF TAIPEI
Taipei Accommodation | Taoyuan International Airport to Taipei City
TAIPEI DAY1
Songshan Cultural Park | Ximending | Tamsui Old Street and Shilin Night Market
Heritage and Culture Education Center and Taipei Artist Village
Being a muddle-head who's terrible with directions, I stumbled upon a wet market in Taipei and got to experience local life a little while watching Taiwanese purchase ingredients for their meals.
 |
| Love how there's a 7-11 at every corner in Taiwan |
 |
| Thought the bright modern colours of 7-11 against the traditional red bricked building was interesting |
 |
| Heritage and Culture Education Center of Taipei City |
Address
No.101, Guangzhou St., Wanhua Dist., Taipei City 108, Taiwan
Nearest MRT
Longshan Temple Station, exit 3
Opening Hours
9am to 5pm daily
Closed on Monday
Price
Free
 |
| My colleagues were amused by how I can take fake candid shots even while travelling solo |
Saw a few tour groups and students on learning journeys while I was there — rightfully so too, since it was a heritage museum after all. If you're interested in learning about Taipei / Taiwan's history, and how it became the country it is today, do drop by Heritage and Culture Education Center of Taipei City.
My friends were horrified to learn that I never had a bowl of Taiwanese Braised Pork Rice even though I was in Taipei for three weeks previously so I swore that I'd give it a try this travel. Did a hasty google search ("Best must try Lu Rou Fan in Taipei") and I got Jin Feng Braised Pork Rice so off I went.
 |
| Jin Feng Lu Rou Fan (Braised Pork Rice) |
Address
No. 10, Section 1, Roosevelt Rd, 中正區台北市 Taiwan 100
Nearest MRT
Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall Station, Exit 2
Opening Hours
8am to 1am daily
Price
SGD $3 to 5
 |
| Famed Jin Feng Braised Pork Rice in Taipei |
Verdict: Meh. I don't know if there was anything wrong with my taste buds but I didn't have any particularly memorable meal in Taipei. I mean, it has to be my taste buds that's weird if the entire Internet is raving about Jin Feng Braised Pork Rice — supposedly the best in Taipei — and I only found it average at best, right?
Sure, the pork melted slightly in my mouth but it wasn't particularly fragrant and I found the pork serving way too little for the amount of rice given. Jin Feng Braised Pork Rice was nice, but not memorable to keep me craving for it in Singapore.
A quick Google search shows just how many people love Jin Feng Braised Pork Rice, so you can expect the queues to be long, the shop to be hectic and you'll definitely feel pressured to eat quickly. Since I was alone, I shared the table with another two patrons — one of whom was a lovely lady who watched out for me, got me napkins and chopsticks, and we had a short chat when she found out i wasn't Taiwanese.
Also had a guy asked for my number through one of the waitresses at Jin Feng Braised Pork Rice. What even.
 |
| Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall Station |
Next stop: Tian Jin Scallion Pancakes, also because my friends were horrified by the fact that i never had Scallion Pancakes in Taipei. Also found via Googling "Best Must Try Scallion Pancakes Taipei".
 |
| Tian Jin Scallion Pancakes |
Address
No. 1, Lane 6, Yongkang Street, Da’an District, Taipei City, Taiwan 106
Nearest MRT
Dongmen station, Exit 5
Price
SGD $1 to $2.50
 |
| Many Scallion Pancakes flavours like plain, egg, turkey, cheese etc. |
I struggled with egg or ham and cheese but eventually went for the former when I heard many people in the queue before me ordering the egg version. NO REGRETS! This was hands-down the best snack I had in Taiwan. Piping hot scallion pancake — crunchy on the outside, soft and chewy as you munch on the parts filled with egg. I still dream about my scallion pancake back home in Singapore T_T
Headed to Taipei Artist Village, one of the most insta-worthy spots in Taipei. Nestled on the outskirts of Gongguan Station, Taipei Artist Village is, as the name suggests, where artists display their works for locals and tourists admire.
 |
| Treasure Hill at Taipei Artist Village |
Address
Treasure Hill Artist Village No. 2, Alley 14, Ln. 230 Dingzhou Rd. Sec. 3, Taipei TPE 100 Taiwan (R.O.C.)
Nearest MRT
Gongguan Station, Exit 1
It's a ten to fifteen minute walk away from the MRT Station. Follow the signs onto a highway and walk in to a forested area and you'll find Taipei Artist Village.
Opening Hours
11am to 10pm daily
Closed on Monday
Price
Free
 |
| Featuring the $9 sandals I got from Shilin Night Market the night before |
 |
| Met a photography enthusiast there and he took some photos for me. |
Rushed to Taipei 101 because I wanted to catch Taipei's cityscape at sunset but no such luck for me and Taipei's sunsets. It was getting dark by the time I got there (barely 5pm!) and rather hazy from the drizzle earlier on. At least I got to the top of Taipei 101 before it got completely dark because I managed to skip the queue with Taipei 101 tickets from KKday.
Dropped by Wufenpu just for the fun of it because #tourist. I knew I wouldn't get anything there, and I didn't shop much at Wufenpu the previous time I was there either — I felt that everything sold in Wufenpu could be found on Taobao, at a cheaper price. My friends, who are based in Taiwan, sworn off Wufenpu too.
Had some time to spare before meeting my friends so I took a walk along Raohao Night Market — located approximately five minutes away from my office when I was on my Taiwan work trip. Didn't get to walk the full streets of Raohao Night Market that time so I did this time round, although it started raining heavily shortly after.
 |
| Nothing stops my sweet tooth though |
Met my friends at night and they brought me to a bar in Xinyi District. Wasn't particularly memorable, and it was on the slightly pricier end so I didn't note down the bar's name but Xinyi District is littered with bars anyway.
 |
| Forever thankful to them for taking care of me whenever I'm in Taiwan |
Had a short drinking session, a quick supper then the guys sent me back to my hotel. I threw everything into my luggage the moment I reached my hotel, rushed to check out and ran all the way to Taipei Main Station so I won't miss my flight to Osaka.
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Taiwan Portable Wifi Rental | Taiwan 4G SIM Card
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Taipei Accommodation | Taoyuan International Airport to Taipei City
TAIPEI DAY1
Songshan Cultural Park | Ximending | Tamsui Old Street and Shilin Night Market
TAIPEI DAY 2
Heritage and Culture Education Center and Taipei Artist Village