Our Taiwan adventure started landing at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport at 2am on 13th December. To be honest, this was meant as a side‑trip from our time in the Philippines as I visited my family in the Philippines after 5 years
, but it quickly became one of the highlights of our whole Southeast Asia journey.

From Taoyuan Airport to Ximen Station 🚌

After clearing immigration, we grabbed a bus from Taoyuan Airport to Ximen MRT Station, which dropped us right in the heart of Wanhua District, Taipei. The ride took about an hour and cost next to nothing, making it the easiest and most budget‑friendly way to get from the airport straight to our Airbnb in Kunming Street.

• Taiwan Taoyuan Airport → Ximen MRT Station (bus/train options)
• Taoyuan Airport to Ximen bus info

A chill, dreamy first walk around Wanhua and Ximen Rainbow Walk🌈

Since we touched down in the middle of the night, Day 1 was mostly about chilling and soaking in Taipei’s vibe rather than ticking off big attractions.

We kicked things off with a slow stroll through Ximending, one of the trendiest and most lively districts in Taipei and part of Wanhua District. Passing through the rainbow crosswalks near Ximending.
I finally got my chance to post in the famous rainbow walk (Rainbow Six) right outside Ximen MRT Exit 6, which has become one of Taipei’s most loved Instagram spots

👉 For readers who want to explore Ximending:
Ximending, Wanhua – Tripadvisor
Ximending night market guide
Rainbow crossings in Taipei – Wikipedia

Daytime stops: Chiang Kai‑Shek Memorial Hall & Shilin 🏛️🏯

We took the MRT to Chiang Kai‑Shek Memorial Hall, a massive, grand monument that’s perfect for photos and people‑watching.

From there, we headed to Shilin District, where we wandered around Linxi areas.

Nighttime magic: Taipei 101 & Dinner at Wanhua Night Market near our apartment 🍜

We went and explore a bit of Taipei 101 tower.
 Walking around the base of Taipei 101 under the night sky, with the tower lit up and the city buzzing around us, felt like stepping into a futuristic anime scene.

Then we went back to Wanhua Night Market area, which is basically a cluster of covered streets and lanes filled with food stalls, tiny shops, and local life.

From skewers and snacks to warming bowls of soup, the market was buzzing, the food was cheap, and because it was so close to where we were staying, we could just roam around freely and keep coming back for more bites.