How to Maximize a 3D2N Vacation in Taipei for Couples

Taipei is a city I visit more than two times a year, and I’m there with different groups of people each time. My motive changes depending on who I visit Taipei with. When I’m there with my girlfriends, it’s solely for a shopping spree. When I’m there with my family, there will be some child-friend activities involved. It’s another entirely different experience when I’m in Taipei with my significant other, which brings us to today’s topic – a 3D2N itinerary in Taipei for couples.

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Day 1

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Indulge in fresh seafood for brunch at the Addiction Aquatic Development, a modernized fish market in Taipei, featuring 10 different concepts. This large space houses a live aquamarine area where temperature controlled tanks contain live seafood from all over the world, providing consumers live fish processing and cooking services – freshness guaranteed! There is also an area with different eateries, specializing in serving fresh seafood prepared with different cooking methods. With the choicest ingredients such as fresh raw oysters, shrimps, and crabs, that are reasonably priced, my significant other and I enjoyed our seafood platter for 2 at $60SGD.

Addiction Aquatic Development
Address: No. 18, Alley 2, Lane 410, Minzu E Road, Zhongshan District, Taipei City, Taiwan 104
Opening Hours:
Sushi Bar 9.30am to 12midnight daily
Seafood Bar 10am to 12midnight daily
Supermarket 6am to 12midnight daily
Charcoal Grill 10.30am to 12midnight daiy
Hotpot 11am to 12midnight daily
Contact: 886-2-2508-1268
Website: http://www.addiction.com.tw/

After the satisfying meal, walk the calories away by shopping around the Xinyi district. You can head up to Taipei 101 for a view of the city, or try the Elephant Mountain Hike around late afternoon. This way, you get to see the city during daytime, catch the romantic sunset together with your loved one, and enjoy the night view.

Whether you’re celebrating an anniversary, any special occasion or simply want to pamper your other half, treat yourselves to a symphony of culinary delights at the W brand’s debutant Cantonese restaurant, YEN. Located on level 31 of W Taipei hotel, the restaurant is surrounded by long glass windows, allowing you to enjoy the view of Taipei’s cityscape. Furthermore, the elegant interior with bold colours give the restaurant a romantic vibe. The menu is extensive, featuring barbecue selections, nourishing soups, luxurious delicacies, heavenly seafood, and more. If you can’t decide, just go for one of the dinner set menus.

YEN
Address: Level 31, W Taipei, 10 Zhongxiao East Road, Section 5 Xinyi District, Taipei, Taiwan
Opening Hours: 11.30am to 2.30pm (lunch) and 6pm to 10pm (dinner) daily
Contact: 886-2-7703-8887
Website: http://www.yentaipei.com/en/

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Day 2

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Begin the day at Jiufen Old Street savouring local, traditional delights and sipping fragrant tea. This old street is worth a visit, but I, personally, am always turned off by the sheer number of tourists here. I wouldn’t recommend going on a weekend if you want some lovey-dovey peaceful time alone in the eateries and cafes. The maze of narrow lanes and alleyways are rich in history and culture, but it felt so uncomfortable jostling around with the crowd.

Jiufen Old Street
Address: Jishan Street, Ruifang District, New Taipei City, Taiwan 224

There are buses which bring you to Jiufen Old Street, but it’s very time-consuming. Fortunately for us, the driver we engaged, Eason, or affectionately known by his passengers as Cola, is very friendly and helpful, and offers reasonable rates. If you’re interested in getting a driver for convenience sake, you can look Eason up here.

After visiting Jiufen Old Street, Eason brought us to Shifen Old Street for the sky lantern experience, and to see Taiwan’s little Niagara Falls – the spectacular Shifen Waterfall. Penning down your hopes and dreams together with your loved one before releasing the sky lantern is a wonderful feeling. Since you are at Shifen Old Street, you can learn about the history of coal mining in Taiwan and try the traditional food that coal miners had in the past. One bowl of rice contained a huge chicken or pork chop, accompanied with fresh greens, a braised egg, bamboo shoots and black fungus – tasty and very filling.

Shifen Old Street
Address: Ping River (Pingsi) Township, New Taipei City 226, Taiwan (ROC)

Head to Raohe Street Night Market in the evening for a plethora of scrumptious street food and local favourites before ending the day. It isn’t hard to find this night market as it is located right beside the majestic Ciyou temple that illuminates so beautifully at night. Although this night market only spans 600 metres, it has many foods to offer, from pepper meat buns (福州世祖胡椒饼), 玉子烧 (omelette with toppings), pork ribs herbal stew (陈董药炖排骨) to spicy stinky tofu (下港名彭臭豆腐), just to name a few. Don’t forget to grab a cup of traditional wintermelon tea to quench your thirst!

Raohe Street Night Market
Address: Raohe Street and Sec. 4, Bade Road and Fuyuan Street, Taipei City
Opening Hours: 5pm to 12midnight daily

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Day 3

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I’m sharing a full day’s itinerary, but please feel free to adjust the itinerary according to the amount of time you have before you leave Taipei. Visit Wulai in the morning for the hot springs, the waterfall, and to learn a little about the aboriginal culture in Taiwan. You can conveniently cover most corners of Wulai on foot. It takes approximately 30 minutes to get from Wulai’s bus stop to the waterfall. You’ll pass through the open air market on Wulai Old Street before continuing to the falls via the “Lover’s Path”, which promises nice views of the river gorge below the falls.

After discovering Wu Lai on foot, feed your hungry bellies with tapioca ‘cakes’ on sticks, Taiwan sausages, hot spring eggs and the interesting century eggs drenched in a special secret recipe sauce. Before catching the bus back to Taipei, pamper your tired bodies with a soak in any of the hot springs.

Wulai (烏來)
Address: Wu Lai District, New Taipei City, Taiwan 233

Spend the afternoon shopping at either Ximending or Wufenpu before feasting on delectable street food at the Tong Hua Night Market. Among the mouthwatering dishes sold here, one can find 甜不辣 (Taiwanese Tempura), oyster omelette, beef noodles, barbequed sausages, fried chicken feet, braised duck tongue and just about anything else you may be hungering for.

Tong Hua Night Market
Address: Linjiang Street, Da-an District, Taipei 106
Opening Hours: 6pm to 2am daily

Guess I’ve got everything covered for an amazing couple trip to Taipei for now. If there’s anything I’ve missed out, please comment below and share with everyone.