Budget DIY Taipei: A Four-Day First-Timer City Escape

Use Ximending as the arrival neighborhood and lunch base; it is also where the accommodation is located.

Order the xiaolongbao, ancestral braised pork rice, lemon-lime drink and peach soda for the source-faithful first meal.

Use Leo Hotel as the lodging base near Ximending; the reported booking price was Php3,018.36.

Pass Taipei City Hall on the way toward Taipei 101 and use the area as a straightforward urban photo stop.

Visit Taipei 101, where the source travelers stopped for drinks rather than a full meal because ramen was planned afterward.

Expect a substantial queue for Ichiran; the reported wait was about two hours, beginning in daylight and ending after dark. Complete the order form while waiting.

Start the activity day with a simple McDonald's breakfast near the hotel; the reported order was two burgers and one coffee, eaten upstairs.

Join the bus tour's first stop at Yehliu Geopark and budget for the reported admission fee of Php419 for two people.

Keep Jiufen in the same guided day-trip block as Yehliu and Shifen; the source identifies it as one of the tour destinations.

Include Shifen as the final named destination in the Yehliu-Jiufen-Shifen bus excursion, with the tour guide included in the reported price.

Ride the Maokong Gondola using the EasyCard; the reported booking cost was Php873.50 for two people, and the cable car had relatively few passengers during the visit.

Get off at Taipei Zoo after the gondola. The reported admission was Php345.30 for two people; allow extra EasyCard balance for the zoo shuttle train.

Finish with Carrefour for souvenirs, specifically sugar-free milk tea, two noodle packs and Starbucks coffee. The reported combined transportation, food and souvenir spending was Php10,000.