Day 01: Taipei To Taichung, Bubble Tea, Flower Market And Gaomei Sunset

We landed in Taipei and went straight to Taichung by HSR. Taiwan honestly reminded me of Japan in Chinese version: HSR like Shinkansen, Ximending like Shibuya, and everything just felt familiar but easier because I could understand the signs.

Places we went:

• Fu Din Wang (closed for 7 days during CNY)
• Chun Shui Tang 春水堂
• Miyahara Ice Cream 宮原眼科
• Zhongshe Flower Market 中社观光花市
• Gaomei Wetland 高美湿地

Tip: take the train from the airport to the HSR station instead of the bus. When we went, the bus fare was around $30 while the HSR connection was around $25. The HSR also ran every few minutes, whereas the first bus only started at 8.15am. There was free WiFi on the train too, so if you want to save your Airbnb/WiFi pocket data, use the train WiFi first.

We stayed near Yi Zhong Night Market, which was a very convenient area for food and walking around at night. For this route, I would prioritise staying near food and transport because it makes the night-market days and early starts much easier.

I originally planned Fu Din Wang for breakfast, but it was closed for 7 days during CNY. So, first CNY lesson already: always have Plan B. We ended up at Chun Shui Tang, the original bubble tea shop, and luckily the food was not bad.

After that, we went to Miyahara Ice Cream 宮原眼科. The place is grand and very Instagrammable, but the ice cream was just so-so to me.

Then we went to Zhongshe Flower Market 中社观光花市. We took Uber there instead of train, and we were quite lucky to meet a nice driver.

In the end, he drove us around for the rest of the day because it is not always easy to get Uber back from more ulu places. This is why for Taichung outskirts, private driver can be worth considering even if Uber looks cheaper at first.

Gaomei was beautiful because you can literally watch the sun disappear in front of you, but the jam was crazy because everyone also wanted sunset. If you are planning this day, leave more buffer.

Day 02: Taichung Market, Cingjing Farm, Old England And Sun Moon Lake

This was the day I booked a driver because Uber-ing around the whole route would have been expensive and troublesome.

Breakfast at Taichung Second Public Market was one of the better food stops. The chee cheong fun was not bad, and we also managed to try good red tea and braised pork rice even though many shops were closed for CNY.

Cingjing Farm was honestly overrated to me. If you like taking photos with sheep, then okay. But beyond that, there was not much to do except avoid stepping on sheep poo.

Old England was more for photo-taking. We were too full to try the high tea, and our driver kept warning us that CNY jams may affect the rest of the route.

Sun Moon Lake was nice, but I regretted skipping one of the ferry stops because people said there was a must-try "ah ma" pastry there. Also, do not blindly buy the round-trip ferry ticket. There are different operators, and ours had the longest queue back because they oversold. We ended up paying another operator with zero queue. My mistake, your gain.

We ended the day at Feng Jia Night Market, which was a good first Taiwan night market experience.

Day 03: Back To Taipei, Closed Food Stops And Ximending Convenience

We wanted to try Hong Rui Zhen Sandwich before leaving Taichung, but it was closed too. Again, CNY.

One important taxi tip from our driver: during CNY, the surcharge may already be included in the meter starting fare. For example, if the normal fare is around $85, the meter may already start at around $135 because the surcharge is controlled and recorded inside the meter. So if a driver asks for another extra $50 cash on top, check properly before paying. If they forgot to key it into the meter, that is not automatically your problem.

Back in Taipei, we stayed right in Ximending, and the location was superb. Everything was walkable, and we could drop shopping bags at the hotel before going out again. For Taipei, location can really change how tiring the trip feels.

This became our rest/shopping day after two packed days. Dinner was at Xin Mala Hotpot, and we tried Ah Zhong Mian Xian for supper nearby.

Day 04: Jiufen, Shifen, Rain And Raohe Night Market

This was the day I regretted not arranging transport properly.

Jiufen and Shifen are doable by public transport, but the travelling time eats into your day. It also rained the whole day, so walking around was more troublesome than expected.

Golden Waterfall was nice enough, but Yin Yang Sea was disappointing when we went because we could not see much. Maybe because of the weather, but I would skip it if time is tight.

Shifen was still fun because of the sky lantern. Tip: all the lantern stalls are similar, so walk further down the railway if you want fewer people in your photos. We were too excited and chose the first few stalls, so we were right in the crowd.

At night, we went to Raohe Night Market. Raohe is more food-focused and smaller than Shilin, so it is easy to finish in one round.

Day 05: Taipei Breakfast, Yangmingshan, Tamsui And Fisherman's Wharf

Places we went:

• Kao Si Yuan Tan Kao 烤司院碳烤
• Yangmingshan National Park 阳明山
• Tamsui Fisherman's Wharf 淡水渔人码头
• Lover's Bridge 情人桥
• Shilin Night Market 士林夜市
• Party World KTV 钱柜

Breakfast at Kao Si Yuan Tan Kao 烤司院碳烤 was one of my favourites because the sandwich was oozing with cheese. If you love cheese and ham like me, please try.

We went to Yangmingshan hoping to catch sakura. We managed to see a little, but really just a little. Unless you love hiking or flowers, I would not build the whole day around it.

Thankfully, we met a nice Uber driver who brought us to a beautiful dam before sending us onwards. Then we went to Tamsui Fisherman's Wharf and Lover's Bridge.

We wanted to rent bicycles but needed a local ID, so that plan failed. The local Ah Gei was not bad, and it reminded me of beancurd filled with tang hoon and soaked in a sweet sauce.

We took the ferry over to Lover's Bridge after that, but the wind was crazy. We ended up seeking shelter most of the time, so if you are going there, please do not assume it will be a slow romantic stroll by the sea.

At night, we went to Shilin Night Market and then Party World KTV. The Party World in Taiwan is really grand. It feels like an entire hotel building, and our KTV room even had its own toilet. Atas max.

Please book early if you want to try Party World KTV because the slots can be very full. We booked a few days before for this night's slot. Thankfully, our hotel location was within walking distance from one of the Party World outlets, so we could save on cab fare after singing.

Day 06: Seafood Market, Yong Kang Street, Shopping And Ningxia

This was more of a Taipei food/shopping day.

Places we went:

• Addiction Aquatic Development 上引水产
• Yong Kang Street 永康街
• Yong Kang Beef Noodles 永康牛肉麺館
• Wu Fen Pu 五分埔
• Ningxia Night Market 宁夏夜市
• Shilin Night Market 士林夜市

Addiction Aquatic Development 上引水产 is like Taiwan's version of Tsukiji Market in Japan, or a little like Sydney Fish Market. You can order fresh produce and eat it on the spot, and the sashimi was so good. I would recommend going if you have time to spare.

Oh, but please do not be silly like us. There are proper tables and chairs outside the fish market further down. We did not realise and stood there eating the entire time. Please walk a bit further before committing to your eating position LOL.

After that, we went shopping around Yong Kang Street 永康街 and Wu Fen Pu 五分埔. Yong Kang Street has cafes and local handmade souvenir shops, so it is nice if you like slower shopping and local items.

Wu Fen Pu is something like Bugis Street in Singapore. We still managed to get some good deals, although the fashion then was mainly winter wear because of the season. I think ladies may enjoy it more during spring/summer when the clothes are easier to buy for Singapore weather.

We tried the famous Yong Kang Beef Noodles 永康牛肉麺館 around a weird timing, around 3pm plus, so the queue was not very long. It was not bad, but personally I still feel there are better beef noodles out there.

Ningxia Night Market was honestly quite small to me. It felt like one row of stalls only, and a lot of the food choices could be found in other night markets too. We left after a short while.

Then we went back to Shilin Night Market because we saw people raving about the beef steaks there. Yes, we tried both Devils Beef Steak 牛魔王 and the local Da Tong Beef Steak 大统大牛排. Our verdict: both were so-so only. No kidding, we have eaten nicer beef steaks in Singapore. Quite disappointing because we were really stuffing ourselves just to try both.

Day 07: Braised Pork Rice, Memorial Hall, Elephant Mountain And Maokong

Places we went:

• Jin Feng Braised Pork Rice 金峰卤肉飯
• Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall 中正纪念堂
• Elephant Mountain 象山
• Maokong 猫空
• Chen San Ding Bubble Tea 陈三鼎
• Shi Da Night Market 师大夜市

This was our last full day in Taipei and also one of my favourite days of the trip.

We started with Jin Feng Braised Pork Rice 金峰卤肉飯, which was one of the food stops I was looking forward to. After that, Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall was easy to fit into the day.

Then we climbed Elephant Mountain. This one I slightly regretted in the moment because the stairs were crazy and my legs were aching, but the Taipei 101 view was worth it. Just do not underestimate the climb, especially if you are not in exercise mode.

After that, we took the gondola up to Maokong 猫空, where we had tea in the mountains. There are many tea houses there, and I remember walking around, googling, researching and being very indecisive before choosing one with a view that looked not bad. Food and tea were surprisingly good, but sorry, I really cannot remember the shop name.

We ended the day with Chen San Ding Bubble Tea 陈三鼎, Gongguan/nearby shopping and Shi Da Night Market 师大夜市. Shi Da is different from Shilin, so if you have spare time and still have shopping energy, you can try.

Day 08: Last Day And Final Thoughts

It happened to be Valentine's Day, 14 February, which is also our dating anniversary. So, we went to a steak place recommended by a friend, and yes, the steak was so much better than the "famous" ones we tried at Shilin. The price was also reasonable, so it made our last meal in Taiwan a very happy one.

Even better, it was located near our hotel. We did some last-minute shopping in Ximending after that, then went back to grab our luggage before heading to the airport.

If you are taking the train back to the airport, please factor in enough travelling time because you may need to change trains for the airport line. Do not cut it too close just because the train system looks straightforward.

By the last day, my main conclusion was very clear: Taiwan during CNY is possible, but you must plan differently.

If I were doing this again, I would keep Taichung private-hire days, reserve HSR seats early, keep food backups, and not over-romanticise famous stalls because they may be closed.