What is it?

Taipei is Taiwan's capital and cultural heart: a humming, hyper-convenient city of 2.6 million people cradled in a green basin ringed by volcanic peaks and hot springs. It's a place of glorious contrasts — the gleaming bamboo-shaped tower of Taipei 101 rising above lantern-lit alleys where grandmothers ladle beef noodle soup, and where a spotless metro whisks you from a 300-year-old temple thick with incense to a hipster café in a converted Japanese-era wooden house. The soundtrack is sizzling woks, scooter engines, temple bells and the endlessly polite chime of convenience store doors. Food is the city's true religion: xiaolongbao pleated eighteen times, flaky scallion pancakes, stinky tofu, pineapple cakes and bubble tea, which was invented here in Taiwan. Layered with indigenous, Chinese, Japanese and modern democratic identities, Taipei feels less like a checklist of sights and more like a city that quietly, generously seduces you.

Where is it?

Taipei sits at the northern tip of the island of Taiwan, roughly a two-hour flight from Hong Kong, Tokyo or Manila, with Taoyuan International Airport connected to the city by a 35-minute express train. Don't miss Shilin and Raohe night markets, the National Palace Museum's imperial treasures, Longshan Temple, the Beitou hot spring valley, Elephant Mountain at sunset and a day trip to the lantern-filled village of Jiufen or the old railway town of Shifen. Autumn (October–December) and spring (March–April) bring the kindest weather; summers are hot, humid and typhoon-prone, while winter is mild but drizzly.

What makes it worth it?

Travellers arrive expecting a stopover and leave plotting their return — Taipei has a way of doing that. Much of it comes down to the people: ask for directions and someone will walk you there, and a lost wallet has a genuine chance of finding its way back to you. There's the sensory thrill of eating your way through a night market until you can't move, the surreal calm of soaking in a sulphurous Beitou hot spring an hour after leaving a skyscraper, and the moment the city's lights spread beneath you from Elephant Mountain as Taipei 101 glows against the dusk. 'The friendliest city I've ever visited' and 'the best food I've eaten anywhere' are refrains you'll hear again and again from people who've been. Years later you'll remember the taste of a NT$60 bowl of beef noodles, the smell of incense at Longshan, and how effortlessly safe and easy it all felt.

How accessible is it?

Taipei is one of Asia's easiest cities to travel in — safe, spotless, English-signposted and served by a world-class metro where fares cost around NT$20–65 (under US$2). Citizens of the US, UK, EU, Australia, Canada, Japan and many other countries enjoy visa-free entry for 90 days, and an EasyCard covers metro, buses and convenience stores. Budget travellers can manage on US$40–60 a day including hostel beds and street food; mid-range visitors should plan US$100–180 a day for a good hotel, taxis and restaurants. Nothing requires fitness beyond walking, though the Elephant Mountain steps and Yangmingshan trails will get your heart rate up; three to five days is ideal for the city plus a day trip or two. Book accommodation ahead around Lunar New Year and the Pingxi Lantern Festival, when the city fills up fast.