Budget · 3-hour walk · Taipei
Longshan to Chiang Kai-shek in three hours
The oldest temple in the city, the preserved Qing street behind it, the teenage district and the memorial square.
Taipei's oldest quarter and its largest civic space are four MRT stops apart and the metro is clean, cheap and signed in English throughout. This walk starts in the 1738 temple district and ends in a plaza built in 1980, which covers most of the city's history in three hours.
The route, stop by stop
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Longshan Temple
Founded 1738, bombed in 1945, rebuilt. Still a working temple with a constant crowd of worshippers rather than visitors.
30 min here Walk here → -
Bopiliao Historic Block
A preserved block of Qing and Japanese-era shophouses, restored and free to walk through.
20 min here Walk here → -
Huaxi Street Night Market
The old Snake Alley, roofed and much tamer than its reputation. Opens late afternoon.
25 min here Walk here → -
Ximending
Taipei's pedestrianised youth district, modelled on Shibuya and just as loud.
35 min here Walk here → -
Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall
Arrive by metro from the previous stop
Eighty-nine steps for the age he died. The hourly guard change is the set piece; the plaza is a protest site as often as not.
35 min here Walk here →
More in Taipei
Every walking route in Taipei, or the full Taipei guide for where to stay and what a day costs.