Cheap and Delicious! 3-Day, 2-Night Taiwan Travel Plan
📅 Itinerary
Day 1: Arrive at Taoyuan Airport Terminal 1 → Take a bus to the city → Lunch at Zhu Ji Da Qiao Tou You Fan → Enjoy Taiwan-exclusive drinks at Starbucks (Bao'an Store), a beautiful baroque-style building → Shop for souvenirs at Carrefour Chongqing Store → Buy Taiwanese Castella cake (cheese flavor recommended) at Shuanglian Freshly Baked Cake → Explore shops around Zhongshan Station, which feels like Korea with trendy stores and lively crowds late into the night! Fun spots include PAZZO Nanxi Store and Irisgarden Zhongshan Store. The alleys here are filled with cute shops, making it enjoyable to wander around → Have mango shaved ice at Zhuang Ji Fruits Juice Snowflake Ice; it's large enough for 2-3 people to share.
Day 2: Breakfast with soup dumplings at Tang Bao Hung (Chengde Branch) → Take a train and bus to Shifen Old Street to release lanterns → Return to the city and buy egg tarts and cheese tarts at COMEME Kang Mi (Jingzhan Branch); their crispy tarts are truly delicious! → Lunch at Bei Men Shrimp Rice & Soup, a local favorite with long lines → Search for Taiwanese cosmetics at POYA → Stroll around Yongkang Street → Explore Linjiang Night Market; wanted to try the sweet potato balls featured on SEVENTEEN's Hoshi's Instagram, but the line was too long 😭 → End the day with savory soy milk at Yong He Soya Milk.
Day 3: Start with Taiwanese rice balls at Qingdao Rice Ball for breakfast → Walk to Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall to watch the guard-changing ceremony at 9 AM → Shop for unique items at Huashan 1914 Creative Park → Lunch at Goodbeitao with truffle soup dumplings and custard buns → Buy Taiwan-exclusive snacks at MUJI SOGO Branch → Early dinner at Shuang Yue Food Society, a Bib Gourmand restaurant, and try their Ai Hen Jiao Zhi Mian, a dry sesame dan dan noodle with a hint of Sichuan pepper—absolutely delicious! Definitely a must-try! → Tried to find a foot massage place but couldn't due to full bookings or cash-only policies 😭 Should've booked on the first day → Take a bus to Taoyuan Airport.
🏨 Accommodation
Rido Hotel Taipei
No. 11, Section 3, Xinyi Road, Da’an District, Taipei City, Taiwan 106
Booked via trip.com for 5,900 yen! The semi-double bed was spacious, and the bathtub was large with a jet bath, perfect for relaxing after walking around. Bought bath salts from a nearby drugstore and enjoyed soaking in the tub! Conveniently located near Yongkang Street, bus stops, and train stations.
🍴 Recommended Food Spots
1️⃣ Shuang Yue Food Society
A Bib Gourmand restaurant with multiple branches, so visit the one closest to your itinerary. Must-try: Ai Hen Jiao Zhi Mian, priced around 400 yen, offering high quality and amazing taste! Their truffle noodles also look tempting for next time. Credit cards accepted, and Japanese menus are available.
2️⃣ Qingdao Rice Ball
No. 13, Qingdao W Rd, Zhongzheng District, Taipei City, Taiwan 100
Open from 6:30 AM to 11:00 AM, perfect for breakfast. Tried the purple rice with assorted meat floss—it was truly delicious! Priced around 280 yen. Pointing at the menu worked fine even without speaking Chinese. Cash only.
3️⃣ COMEME Kang Mi (Jingzhan Branch)
103 Taiwan Taipei City, Datong District, Section 1, Chengde Rd, No. 1 B2
Located in the basement of the Q Square shopping mall. Recommended: egg tarts and baked cheese tarts. The pastry is crispy and delicious! The baked cheese tart is great chilled too. Credit cards accepted, priced around 300 yen each.
4️⃣ Zhuang Ji Fruits Juice Snowflake Ice
No. 1, Lane 30, Jinzhou St, Zhongshan District, Taipei City, Taiwan 10491
Recommended: mango shaved ice. The mango was incredibly fresh and tasty, likely due to being in season. The portion is large, so sharing with 2-3 people is ideal. I was alone and couldn't finish the ice 😭. Cash only, priced around 1,000 yen.
5️⃣ Shuanglian Freshly Baked Cake
No. 169-1, Minsheng W Rd, Datong District, Taipei City, Taiwan 103
Soft and fluffy Taiwanese Castella cake available in small sizes (though still quite large). Recommended: cheese flavor, priced around 280 yen for a small size. Cash only.
📌 Useful Tips
The EasyCard is a transportation card similar to Suica, usable for trains, buses, and even payments at convenience stores and some cafes. It's very handy to have! You can recharge it at ticket machines or convenience stores with cash. At convenience stores, simply hand over the card and say "recharge" along with the money, and they'll do it for you!