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As it is by far the tallest building in the entire city, and the tallest building in the world when it was built in 2004, you can't miss Taipei 101 (台北101). Going to the Observation Deck at the top is something just about all tourists should do for a view over Taipei. It opens at 9 AM and tickets are sold until 9:15 PM.

LEED platinum certified and designed to resemble a green shoot of growing bamboo in eight sections for financial prosperity — eight (八) is a lucky number in Chinese culture — Taipei 101 towers over the Xinyi (信義區) Financial District.

Stroll the Skywalk

This portion of Xinyi also hosts the majority of the city's high-end shopping malls from Taipei 101 Mall itself to other malls — including Breeze Xinyi and Breeze Songgao, Shin Kong Mitsukoshi Xinyi Place, Neo19, and Bellavita, among others — all of which are connected to each other via a convenient series of elevated walkways dubbed the "Skywalk." This Skywalk, in turn, connects to both the red metro line — via Taipei 101/World Trade Center Station — and the blue metro line — via City Hall Station.

Beneath the Skywalk, this portion of Xinyi additionally provides a ground-level, tree-lined walking area that mostly is separated from vehicle traffic and referred to as Chianti Avenue Plaza (香堤大道廣場). No doubt many Western city planners would lament that the scale of the area is too big and that the development is inorganic, but the architect C.Y. Lee and developer Harace Lin really should be praised for creating a pleasant, walkable environment with excellent transit connectivity in a modern portion of the city that often otherwise can be less than pleasant for walking.

The Skywalk area is a particularly convenient place to work, shop, eat, and drink, particularly for laowai (老外) who do not speak Mandarin, as English proficiency is quite high in this district. For a non-Mandarin speaker, there is a great deal of easy to buy food (and booze) in this district from relatively inexpensive mall food courts to a branch of the internationally famous Din Tai Fung (鼎泰豐) Xiaolongbao (小籠包) Taiwanese soup dumplings restaurant in Taipei 101 Mall. Go for breakfast at 10 AM during the week to avoid a potentially multi-hour line. You also can advance purchase a Din Tai Fung restaurant voucher for two or more people to save time. This voucher provides a set taster menu and is a convenient way to sample what Din Tai Fung has to offer.

Climb the Elephant

You can't actually scale the outside of Taipei 101. Well, unless you're crazy, but for a beautiful sunset overlooking Taipei 101, the best option is to climb the nearby Xiangshan (象山), which means Elephant Mountain. It's just one metro station away from Taipei 101.

We've mapped out our favorite walk from the metro through the attractive Zhongqiang Park (中強公園) to the entrance of the Xiangshan Hiking Trail (象山登山步道). The trail has stairs, so it's not a difficult climb, but it is a 30-minute or so hike with steep portions throughout. Also note that there are few, if any, lights along most of the trail; so bring a flashlight — or make sure that your mobile is adequately charged — should you be hiking down the mountain after dark.

How to Get Here: Take the Red Line (Line 2, Tamsui-Xinyi Line) to Taipei 101/World Trade Center Station (台北101/世貿). Exit 4 goes directly into Taipei 101. If you're instead coming from City Hall Station (市政府), Exit 3 ties most directly into the Skywalk that leads to Taipei 101 on foot. To subsequently go to Elephant Mountain, take the Red Line one station to Xiangshan (象山). Use Exit 2 and walk through Zhongqiang Park (中強公園).

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