Top things to do in Taiwan

The vast metropolis of Taipei, Taiwan, is so incredibly easy to navigate. To get around, we recommend getting an Easy Card. You can pick one up at any Metro Taipei station and add as much money to it as you like. Once you have your Easy Card you can use it to ride any form of public transportation. This is excellent because the Metro is one of the finest we’ve ever experienced anywhere in the world.

Also, the Easy Card allows you to rent any of the YouBikes that are everywhere in the city. Ride them to see local temples, the amazing night markets, or even to the edge of town, where you can take the glass-bottomed gondola from the zoo up to the tea houses on Maokong Mountain.

We also highly recommend getting a Taiwanese knife massage. This practice involves massaging your body with blunted cleavers. The idea isn’t to cut off your shoulders but instead to promote the flow of positive energy through your body. Massage therapists achieve this goal by using the chi-conductive iron blades of the knives. It’s a great way to relax; despite how intimidating it sounds at first glance, we found it very therapeutic.

If you’ve only got one day on the ground in Taipea, we absolutely recommend the short-but-steep hike up Elephant Mountain to catch the sunset and the jaw-dropping view of the Taipei 101 building as it spears the night sky. Taiwan was ceaselessly beautiful for us, and the food alone would keep us coming back over and over again. Luckily, thanks to our Easy Cards, we got to bike most of those calories off.