Taipei’s a big city. I spent a long time studying the map and we’re very happy with where we wound up.

First off, there’s Taipei City and New Taipei City. You definitely want to stay in Taipei City – it’s where nearly all the sights are located and the metro serves it much better. After that, you’ve got lots of options. We stayed in the Zhongshan neighborhood, just south of Expo Park. We were well served by metro, we could walk to the park and the sights that were there, and we even had our own small night market. The neighborhood was upscale enough to be comfortable but still felt very authentic. It was the former Japanese financial district and so there were lots of great Japanese restaurants as well as a huge variety of other foods. If we were to come again, I think we’d try to be in the same area.

Down by the main train station is another option, although it has more of a big city feel. East and a little south of the train station is Wanhau, the heart of old Taipei, and so you’ll find a vibrant and lively atmosphere, though parts may look a little bit run-down and it can be busy. Taipei is very safe, though, so the factor in choosing to stay in Wanhau would be if you can deal with a bit of noise and hustle and a walk-up apartment versus a more modern building that’s quieter with better amenities.

A fun option would be near the Dongman metro station. There’s a huge, bustling marketplace there and you’re not far from the downtown sights. A little east of there is Da’an Park, which is lovely and green.

Out by Taipei 101, the Xinyi area, is sleek, modern and new. You’ll see Western restaurants and beautiful boulevards, but it seemed a bit sterile to us. It’s the business district and so it’s more expensive than other places.

One thing to remember is that Far Eastern apartments are very small, especially by American standards. Our entire 2 bedroom Taipei apartment could easily fit within our American eat-in kitchen back home. The kitchen had one burner, a microwave and a small, plug in convection oven. We were challenged in finding a place to put our suitcases while we were there. It’s a lesson in tiny living, and you’ll have to learn to deal with very little privacy if you have a guest. Coming back to the States, our home will feel extravagant!