If you go to Taipei, one of the places you have to visit is Taipei 101, which was formerly known as the Taipei World Financial Center. This building at the height of 508 metre, was once held as the World’s tallest until the completion of Burj Khalifa in Dubai in 2009.
Part of our relaxed “free and easy” trip was to do sightseeing and Taipei 101 is one of my top places to visit. I often see it featured in Taiwanese drama shows so I’ve always wanted to see it for myself and check it out at night time!
It is very convenient to get to the place. As we stayed around Daan Metro, it was only two stops away. Simply take the Metro to Taipei 101/World Trade Centre station using the red line. When you exit from the station, it will bring you to Basement 1 which is next to Din Tai Fung restaurant. The ticket sales are on the 5th floor. You will see there are a few counters but they are not for individual sales. Just head towards the lift and go to the 5th floor to purchase your tickets. It costs NT$500 per person which is around £12.50. It is open from 9 am to 10 pm. When we got there, there were a lot of Chinese tour groups around, which is inevitable. They came and went quickly which gave us some time to take photos and video.
Their pressure-controlled lifts are very fast at 1010m per minute. It takes just 40 seconds to get from ground level to the 89th-floor observation deck. I didn’t even have time to think about it or enjoy the beautiful starlit ceiling inside the lift!
The whole place is very spacious and the windows are heavily tinted! Outside temperature was so hot but it didn’t feel hot from inside. The weather was a little hazy that day but we did manage to take a couple of good photos!
In the middle of the building between the 88th and 89th floor, there is a massive gold-coloured iron wind damper that keeps the tower stable through typhoons and earthquakes. It looks amazing!
After viewing the damper, we went up two floors to the 91st floor to check out their outdoor decking. This floor is only open on some occasions, weather permitting.
To exit the place, we had to go down to the 88th floor which will pass through their shop. There are a lot of expensive art deco to buy which was not really our cup of tea. Then we had to queue to take the lift to the basement. It took us 15 minutes to queue to get down as there were many groups of tourists! Overall it is a great experience to check out Taipei from their tallest building and of course enjoying their super lift ride!
In the basement, there is a food court plus Michelin star restaurant Din Tai Fung and others shops. If you would like to try out their famous xiaolongbao from Din Tai Fung restaurant, it is always best to go early or get your queuing ticket! It might take you an hour to be seated! Inside this mall, there are also a lot of posh shops in the first five floors.
You could easily spend hours in this massive place and if you were there at night, you could also walk to Linjiang Street and Tonghua night market for a quick bite! These two night markets are quite small and in the same area. There are a lot of their local dishes to try. In my later post, I will share with you a list of the night markets we visited and a visit to their Cat Village!
Do check out my earlier posts on:
How to travel smart for first timer
Watch my highlights of Taipei here:
