Taipei

The soaring, bamboo-shaped tower that defined the skyline — once the world's tallest, still dazzling, with one of the fastest lifts on earth whisking you to an observation deck and a giant golden damper that steadies it against typhoons. Go up for the view, or admire it from Elephant Mountain; the food hall and mall at its base are a destination in themselves.

The vast white monument at the civic heart of Taipei — a grand blue-roofed hall reached across a huge plaza flanked by the National Theatre and Concert Hall, with a ceremonial changing of the guard on the hour. Impressive, free and a fine spot to watch the city at leisure; the gardens and gateway are especially lovely in the evening light.

One of the greatest collections of Chinese art in the world — nearly a million imperial treasures spirited from Beijing's Forbidden City, from jade and bronzes to the famous 'meat-shaped stone' and jadeite cabbage. So vast only a fraction shows at once; a genuinely world-class half-day, up in the northern hills and easily reached by bus from the metro.

The biggest and most famous of Taipei's night markets — a maze of stalls dishing out the island's greatest hits: giant fried chicken cutlets, stinky tofu, oyster omelettes, bubble tea and shaved-ice mountains, amid games and cheap fashion. Loud, packed and delicious; come hungry and graze. Night markets are the soul of Taiwan, and this is the classic.

Taipei's most famous export to the food world — the delicate soup dumplings (xiao long bao) of Din Tai Fung, folded with eighteen perfect pleats and bursting with hot broth, born on Yongkang Street. Watch the chefs through the glass, then eat them steaming with ginger and vinegar. Touristy, yes, and utterly worth it; the taste of Taipei.

Taipei's oldest and most atmospheric temple, in the old Wanhua district — a smoky, ornate riot of carved dragons, red lanterns and gilt, thronged with worshippers tossing divination blocks and offering incense to a crowd of Buddhist and Taoist gods. Free, mesmerising and alive; go in the evening chanting hour, and explore the herbal and snake-street lanes around it.

The short, steep hike everyone does for the postcard shot — twenty sweaty minutes up stone steps from the Xinyi metro to a series of viewpoints staring straight at Taipei 101 and the whole city. Magic at sunset and blue hour, when the tower lights up; bring water, go early or late to beat the heat and the crowds on the famous rock platforms.

A whole hot-spring valley at the end of a metro line — steaming sulphur streams, a milky thermal creek, historic Japanese-era bathhouses and public and private pools to soak away a day's walking. A wonderfully relaxing, easy half-day, with a striking green library and the eerie Thermal Valley to explore; the Japanese legacy of Taipei at its most enjoyable.

Taipei's Times Square — a neon pedestrian warren of street fashion, buskers, cinemas, quirky cafés and endless snack stalls, heaving with young Taipei day and night. The place to feel the city's pop-culture pulse, hunt street food and people-watch; the red-brick Ximen theatre anchors it, and the LGBTQ+ scene and tattoo studios give it real character.

The most historic street in Taipei — a long parade of beautiful old merchant shophouses selling dried seafood, herbs, tea and fabric, now dotted with stylish cafés, design shops and tea rooms. Loveliest around Lunar New Year, when it becomes the city's great festival market; a wander here is a step into old Taipei, with the riverside temples close by.

A cable car that glides up over forested hills to Maokong, the tea-growing terraces on Taipei's southern edge — a string of hillside tea houses where you brew local oolong for hours over city views. A serene, scenic half-day: ride the gondola (try a glass-floor 'crystal cabin'), visit the zoo or a temple below, and linger over a pot of mountain tea.

Taiwan gave the world bubble tea, and Taipei is its home — chewy tapioca pearls in sweet iced milk tea, now in a hundred variations from brown-sugar to fruit. Sip the original at a famous chain or a tiny local stand; it's cheap, ubiquitous and a genuine slice of the culture. Pair it with a night-market crawl for the full Taipei sugar rush.

The most atmospheric of Taipei's night markets — a single lantern-lit street bookended by a gorgeous temple, famous for its black-pepper buns baked in a tandoor at the entrance, plus every Taiwanese snack you could want. Smaller and more manageable than Shilin, with a great buzz; combine it with the rainbow-lit Rainbow Bridge over the river alongside.

A former winery turned buzzing arts-and-design complex — red-brick warehouses and factory sheds now full of galleries, indie shops, cafés, live-music venues and quirky pop-up exhibitions, with lawns for lounging. A relaxed, creative half-day showing off young, hip Taipei; there's usually something on, and the similar Songshan park nearby makes a good pair.

A grand hall honouring the founding father of modern China, set in a park that offers one of the best free views of Taipei 101 framed above its sweeping roof. Come on the hour for the precision changing of the honour guard, and at dusk to watch locals dance and fly kites on the plaza with the tower glowing behind. A calm, photogenic corner of Xinyi.