Taipei Shopping: Free Basic Guide

Right outside Ximen MRT Station, this shopping district is fun day and night. Recommend visiting at both times to see the different phases It's like a mini Shibuya, Hongdae, and Shinjuku in one! Uniquely Taiwanese and globally trendy, Ximending is a zietgeist experience, showing you the best of now and the past in one district with stores that are representing best of Asia. Only in Taiwan 🥰🇹🇼 Full of tourists and locals alike, recommend visiting on weekdays to avoid crowds. 🐦 Take your time to explore the hidden places and alleys. From ground level to upper floors, there is so much to see. 💰 Bring cash as local vendor prices are negotiable 🍓 Candied fruit and tomato vendors 🧋Popular tea chains 🐔 Da Ji - big fried chicken cutlets, try will salted plum powder 🥣 Popular Ay-Chung Flour Rice Noodle Soup 💅 Cute nail design shops 💄Popular Korean makeup shops 👝🖊 ChiuTa Stationary shop near station "ㅈ" 🍩 Mister Donut inside station at basement level for mochi "pon-de-ring" in more flavors than Japan has to offer 🍵 Look closely and you may find some existing cafe style dine-in bubble tea shops. Look for large mugs of fruit/milk teas. Remaining shops are around the movie theater area.

Taipei 101 is the most famous building in Taiwan. The entire area surrounding this mall is a shopping paradise. Taipei is a global city and a gateway to all of the best in Asia. Like many hotter countries, the malls can be a refuge from the heat and also some of the best shopping and restaurants. This mall houses a fabulous food court, luxury shops, a TWG tea, and the largest Din Tai Fung location. Since the mall is inside Taipei 101, you can marvel in the splendor of the beautiful architecture of the building as well as take advantage of some of the rooftop restaurants, bars, nightlife, museum, and viewing tower.

Breeze is one of the many malls in the walkable Xinyi shopping district. Here you will find a Taiwanese style mall, where the stores are mostly stalls, some local and some famous brands. Check the floor guide upon entering to see all of the wonderful shops and restaurants that are within the building.

Mitsokushi is a famous Japanese department store mall. The mall is confusingly divided into 4 labeled buildings, but it is totally worth it. The layout is a mix of Japanese and Taiwanese style shopping; with a mix of department store vignettes, restaurants, food stalls, actual stores, luxury brand shops, and a food court. One building houses the famous Chun Sui Tang and another basement houses a still undiscovered Din Tai Fung location. So the seating wait times are shorter here, because not many people know about it yet.

ATT 4 Fun is the youngest and trendiest of all of the malls, so you will find more restaurants and cafes here that are trending in Asia. Currently, it has been infused with the KPOP trend and many Korean restaurants. There are also now food trucks outside with some of the trendiest street foods from Japan, Taiwan, and Korea.

This Eslite is one of my favorite locations in all of Taiwan because of the beautiful location. Eslite, known as “Champing” in Taiwan, is a strictly Taiwanese chain of bookstores that has turned into a shopping destination when visiting the country. Eslite stores have an artistic, academic, semi-underground, and hipster feel to them that is different from any other malls you will find in Asia. It is really something that you have to see for yourself. The restaurants, clothing, housewares, and shopping inside an Eslite mall are truly inspiring and will make you fall in love with Taiwan all over again.

🖼 Creative art park repurposed from a historical building complex. 🎨 Filled with cafes, galleries, nature, and shopping. 👩‍🎨 Check their online schedule for events and art classes.

Wufenpu used to be known as a direct to customer shopping location, but now it is more of the last garment district in Taipei. The clothing is for the junior/teen market and is either produced locally or in surrounding countries and directly imported. Merchandise is typically folded tightly and stacked by size in tall roll-top bags. There are also some of what each shop/manufacturer has to offer handing around each stall. It is winding streets of these clothing, shoes, and accessories shops. You can buy in cash, but typically it is for store owners to come here from all over the world and buy merchandise to either hand carry or ship back to boutiques worldwide. Surrounding the area are some food stalls, and restaurants, it is also within only a few blocks from Songshan MRT station and Raohe Night Market. I like visiting this unique neighborhood because it is the last of the garment districts in Taipei, and you can see boutique owners/buyers from Brazil, US, Japan, Europe, Middle East, and Australia here buying clothing for their shops in person.

There are a few Global Mall locations in Taiwan. This location is in the father neighborhood of Banqiao, which can take 30-45 minutes by train. People like coming here because it is more of a western style mall with separated shops instead of department stores inside. I recommend coming here only if you are in area or have been in Taipei for a while and want to see a new neighborhood.

There is nothing like a hair washing and massage service while in Taipei. Sure, you can wash your own hair at home, but you will not leave with that blow-dry and salon style “new you” feeling. While shopping take a break and relax with hair washing and styling. Showlin has many locations within Taipei and are VERY inexpensive. Recommend the wash and hair massage service.

Q Square Mall is my favorite mall in Taipei for many reasons. It is also a great waypoint to anchor a day of exploring or meeting up with friends. 1. Quiet: Even thought the mall connects to Taipei Main Station, it is still mostly local traffic. So, on weekdays, it is quiet and a great place to relax and explore. 2. Convenient: This mall is very convenient, as it connects to Taipei Main Station, as well as many other sights within walking distance. 3. Food: My favorite Taiwanese Beef Noodle soup is Duan Chun Zhen stall in the food court here (order the wide noodle set). Q Square also has many of the most popular restaurant chains as either stalls or at street level. 4. Night Markets: If you are looking for the best foodie night market in Taipei, that would be Ningxia Night Market, within walking distance NW of this mall. Head on over anytime after 5pm to see even smaller night markets and temples on the way to Ningxia. 5. After Dark: Also, on NW of Q Square Mall a few blocks is an electric neon sign district of shops that is amazing to see at night.

Taipei Main Station is a central hub to everything in Taipei, from; malls, MRT, Airport Express, to the most valuable and secret part 💎 --- the basement. BASEMENT SHOPPING: 😯 Taipei Main Station basement floors are filled with otaku dreams, like the Nakano Broadway/Akihabara of Taiwan. Anime merch, arcades, gachapon, purikura, video games, ghibli merch, electronics, and more! 🐦 On the weekends, there are even local & independent vendors selling new and used anime merch at tables for a great deal. 🥘 Also, on the weekends you will see a large amount of people from SE Asia enjoying Indonesian and Filipino food stalls.

Chifeng Street is a large area between "Zhongshan Station" and "Shuanglian Station" of the Taipei MRT. It is currently one of the favorite places for young people in Taipei to shop. Many of the shops are local and vintage, spotted with hip coffee houses. 🐦 Definitely a must see on a nice day. Be prepared for crowds on weekends at peak hours. 📝 In recent years, there has been a wave of cultural and creative art, and many coffee shops and specialty shops have settled here, making the scenery of Chifeng Street full of retro and modern interlacing. In addition, because of the convenient transportation and proximity to Taipei Main Station, many people like to shop and drink afternoon tea here. 🤓 The Chifeng Street commercial district is formed by many interconnected alleys. It used to be the famous Blacksmith Street, but now walking on Chifeng Street, there are still many shops selling hardware and auto parts.

YongKang is one of my favorite old neighborhood shopping districts. Surrounding, YongKang park are many local shops and famous restaurants. Due to the neighborhood size restrictions, you will only see cute, local shops here. Artisan treasure shops with local Taiwan handcrafts are sold here, as well as touristy and non-touristy souvenir, local clothing, stationary, and accessory shops. Some of the most famous knife cut and thin Beef Noodle shops are in this neighborhood. The streets are narrow and there are quite a few tourists, so be careful of cars when walking along the main streets. Teahouses are some of the best places to stop here, take advantage of the locally grown and harvested green and locals teas. Famous Mango Shaved Ice shops. They can get crowded, but are famous for a reason. The tropical landscape architecture of Yongkang is also a site to see. Beautiful banyan trees and climbing vines wrap the buildings to create a blend of nature and urban vibes. A few blocks SW is Rongjin Gorgeous Time, a small area of Japanese style buildings that are beautiful to see.

Known on English maps as "Ronjin Gorgeous Time" is a Japanese historial style village and park in the heart of Taipei. This area is known for shopping, cafes, and relaxing. The location is truly a beautiful site to see, as the street-facing entrance is covered in rouge flowers. Totally walkable to Yongkang shopping district, just one block north.

Dihua Old Street is where people go to buy souvenirs and old-fashioned herbal and dried food items. It is great to visit here at least once as a tourist, and if you are looking for more traditional items. Make sure to walk the Main Street and stop in the square. However, when you are done with that, make sure to walk the side alleys as they house some of the most fascinating local clothing designer shops and art cafes that you will see in Taiwan. In the middle of Dihua Street, you will find a large older building that houses Yongle Fabric Market, which is a haven for clothing designers and home sewing enthusiasts. There are multi-level floors of jaw dropping lay amazing fabric stalls, notions, and trim shops. Everyone is super friendly inside this fabric labyrinth.

Directly connected to Dihua Old Street is Yongle Fabric Market, Taipei’s fabric district. Ground floor is some famous local food stalls that service all of the local workers for breakfast and lunch. 2nd level and upward are open to the public as Taipei’s largest and only fabric market. Where you can buy fabric directly from the mills or in the many stalls. Even if you are not a clothing designer or into home sewing, it is still a sight to be seen.

Historical buildings that have become a vibrant, local art community. Filled with galleries, cafes, and shopping. Free entry.

💚 Amazingly beautiful local jade vendors and stalls. Selling decently priced handcrafted jewelry and decor. Inspiring to see all of the creations. 🪭 Free to enter 💸 Bring cash 🎍Filled with both locals and tourists looking for a good deal on jewelry. 🕰 This Jade Market has limited hours and days, check here or Google for current times. 🌸 Flower market is right across the street.

ChaJie 茶街 is the last remaining teahouse on Tea Street in Taipei. This entire area is a shopping heaven of small, independent clothing and accessories shops. Stop in for a snack, tea, and rest ans witnesses a piece of bubble tea history.