There are a million articles about things to do in Taipei (here’s mine), but what about after the sun goes down?
Taipei City never fully sleeps. With its bustling night markets, bumbin’ night clubs, late-night hangout spots, and 24-hour restaurants, there are plenty of things to do in Taipei in the evening and even middle of the night.
Whether you are a night owl, have a late-night case of the munchies, or want to find evening activities which don’t involve drinking, I can guarantee you’ll find some good suggestions below.
These ideas come from my 10+ years of living in Taipei and exploring the city at night. Use to the table of contents to jump whichever section appeals most to you!
Dining and Drinking
Perhaps the most popular way among locals to spend an evening with friends is with food, drinks, and more food.
Night Markets
Night Markets are Taipei’s most obvious thing to do at night – the city is famous for them, after all. Skip dinner and snack till you drop. The choices are nearly endless, including many Michelin-rated food stalls.
All the major night markets in Taipei, like Raohe, Shilin, Ningxia, and Tonghua, are open and bustling every night of the year.
The same thing goes for the more off-the-beaten-track ones, where you’ll see fewer tourists, like Nanjichang, Gongguan, Huaxi, Shida, and Jingmei.
Most night markets get going around 5 PM, so 5-7 is a great time to go. The big ones become uncomfortably crowded from around 7 to 10 PM, then become more manageable again from 10 PM till closing time around midnight.
24-hour restaurants
If you prefer to sit while you feast, there are countless restaurants to choose from in Taipei. For many locals, the perfect evening is spent with friends over hot pot or DIY BBQ. These establishments usually come with a 90 or 120-minute time limit.
Regular restaurants tend to close around 9 or 10 PM, but that won’t stop you from finding good eats in the middle of the night.
In this article, I’ve compiled over a dozen of the best 24-hour restaurants in Taipei, from dim sum and beef noodles to ramen and late-night Taiwanese breakfast.
Join a Pub Crawl
If you’re looking to make some new friends over drinks, the best option in Taipei is to join a pub crawl.
TourMeAway, which offers some free walking tours in Taipei, also runs three weekly bar and pub crawls. The weekday one is in glamorous Xinyi district around Taipei 101, while the two weekend ones are their classic pub crawl in the city center.
Use my discount code Nick15 to get 15% of the pub crawl when you book direct. It’s also available here on Klook.
Sing at a KTV (Karaoke) Bar
One of the most popular nighttime activities among locals is going to a KTV bar. Patrons get their own private room and karaoke machine, with a full menu of snacks and drinks available.
Some of the biggest KTV chains in Taipei are Holiday KTV (好樂迪) and PartyWorld (錢櫃), but English song selection is not the greatest. Keep working on your Mandarin Chinese before you go!
For the absolute best selection of English (and Japanese, Korean) songs, I recommend EST, a small KTV place specializing at foreign language songs.
Craft Beer Bars
Craft beer lovers (myself included) are spoiled for good beer choices in Taipei. Whether you’re looking for true-to-style classic beers or interesting uses of local ingredients, Taipei has it all.
A few standouts for me are Jim & Dad’s Taipei, which use Yilan-sourced ingredients and Taiwanese teas in their beers, Taihu’s gyoza bar, and 23 Public, but there are several other great ones!
To plot your suds sampling, use the handy map I’ve created in my guide to the best breweries and craft beer bars in Taipei.
Speakeasy Cocktail Bars
Cocktail lovers will be be equally impressed with Taipei’s array of temptations.
Some of the coolest cocktail experiences are the city’s range of “hidden” speakeasy-style bars, such as Alchemy, Ounce, and Hanko 60.
Another standout is Antique Bar 1900, a turn-of-the-century style absinthe and whiskey bar. Find out how to find these and more in my guide to the best cocktail bars in the city.
Night Clubs & Live Music
Taipei obviously has a lot of choices when it comes to bars, night clubs, and live music.
For big night clubs, try ATT4Fun building near Taipei 101 (Myst, Wave, AI Night Club) or Omni on Zhongxiao East Road.
For expat-oriented pubs, there’s On Tap and Brass Monkey. If underground music is your thing, then check the upcoming events at Revolver, Triangle, Pipe, Legacy, and The Wall. For live jazz, it’s all about Sappho.
Last but not least, for folk/nostalgic Taiwanese live music, head to Music Corner.
Cool Hangout Spots
Below are some cool places to hang out in the evening, whether you want to drink or not. There’s no cover charge for any of them, but you’ll need to buy something if you want to sit at a table.
These are spots my friends and I go back to again and again.
Red House LGBTQ+ Patios in Ximending
No matter what you identify as, everyone can agree that the LGBTQ+ bar district (my friends and I call it the “Ximen patios”) next to Red House Theater in Ximending has the best collection of outdoor bar patios in the city.
Over a dozen bars there have large outdoor patios. Many of the bars offer all-you-can-drink deals (beware: the booze used for these deals is not the highest quality).
Try Café Dalida for occasional drag performances. There are also a few LGBTQ+ shops in the area. At the opposite (northern) end of Ximending, Commander D is a full-on gay kink bar, with bondage nights, dark room, etc.
The Red House patios are unsurprisingly at their busiest around Pride Parade (usually the Saturday closest to Halloween.
Ximending itself is also great to visit in the evening, until things close around 10 PM. There you can find all kinds of cool shops, cafes, restaurants, and street performers.
Here are more fun things to do in Ximending and what to eat there.
Dadaocheng Wharf Container Market
One of the coolest new evening hangouts to pop up in recent years is Dadaocheng Wharf Container Market (大稻埕碼頭貨櫃市集), also called Pier 5, in Dadaocheng neighborhood.
This is the perfect spot to enjoy a cold drink from one of the container ship bars while watching the sun set over the Tamsui River.
In the adjacent Dadaocheng Pier Plaza, there are some murals and public artworks. You can also connect to the riverside cycling paths from here.
In summer, this is a venue for the Taipei Summer Festival, which culminates with a huge fireworks display around Qixi festival (Chinese Valentine’s Day), usually in August.
Gongguan Waterfront Plaza
A similar but more underground drinking venue lies hidden under an overpass beside the Xindian River.
This one is a little lesser known and attracts more of a foreign and alternative crowd, in part because it’s right next to Pipe Live Music, an underground music venue, as well as several nearby universities.
Get some food in your stomach first at Gongguan Night Market near Gongguan MRT station, then walk past Taipei Water Park to find the plaza. There are a handful of bars with hanging lights.
With the shelter of the overpass, this is a good way to be outside even on a rainy evening.
Treasure Hill Artists Village
Treasure Hill is a former military dependents’ village, where KMT soldiers from the Chinese Civil War were settled.
In modern times, it was transformed into a living artists’ village, where artists from around the world take up residency and do artwork.
The public is free to enter and explore the village until 10 PM (closed Mondays). You can expect to find a variety of public artworks, often displayed inside little rooms or houses which you are free to enter on your own.
There are a few little cafes where you can buy drinks, but overall, this more of a place to explore rather than drink, like the previous entries.
In May, the village usually has a Light Festival, so you can expect more artworks using lights. The classic view of the village is from the riverside paths at the bottom, which will also get you to Gongguan Waterfront Plaza (see previous entry) not far away.
Maji Square (Maji2)
Maji Square near Yuanshan MRT station and Expo Dome is yet another cool hangout spot in Taipei.
In the daytime, the covered walkway and plaza has multiple restaurants focusing on international food (British oysters, Mexican, Argentinian, etc), some interesting shops, and tables for hanging out (free to use).
For families with young kids, there are powered children’s cars which can be rented.
At night, the strip becomes more of a party spot. Underground night clubs like Triangle and 23 Music Room host a range of DJs, bands, and themed events, while Crafted has the best beer selection.
You can even just grab a cheap beer from Maji Food & Deli and enjoy it at one of the many tables with your friends.
On weekends, the Expo Farmer’s Market takes place just outside, and there are often free musical performances at the end of the covered area in the evening.
Culture & Famous Landmarks
You don’t have to drink to have a good time at night in Taipei. Here are some non-booze-oriented activities and attractions you can enjoy in the evening or late at night.
Opera Performance at TaipeiEye
One of the best cultural experiences to be had in the evening in Taipei is TaipeiEye. This is the city’s premier traditional Chinese/Taiwanese opera house.
Rotating performances at TaipeiEye usually start at 8 PM last about an hour. You can expect stunning outfits, acrobatics, martial arts, some laughs, and elements of various styles of Chinese opera.
Before and after the show, you have a chance to meet and take photos with some of the performers, hear traditional musical instruments, and other cultural displays in the lobby.
I highly recommend this experience for any visitor to Taipei! Here’s the performance schedule and you can book your tickets here.
Taipei 101 Observatory
The Taipei 101 Observatory is open every day until 9 PM. My favorite time to go is actually about an hour before sunset, so I can see the city in the light, watch the sunset, and then see all the city lights come on at night.
Viewing Taipei from above at night is a totally different experience than in the daytime. The observatory is usually quieter at that time, too.
Book your Taipei 101 tickets here on Klook or on KKday. Also see my Taipei 101 visitor’s guide and read about how I stood on top of Taipei 101.
If you prefer free city views at night, then skip to the “Get Physical” section below or see my guide to the best views of Taipei 101.
CKS Memorial Hall
One of Taipei’s most recognizable landmarks, Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, looks very cool when lit up at night.
While the building itself closes at 6 PM, Liberty Square in front of it never does, and makes for a decent and usually very quiet hangout spot at night. The twin, classical-Chinese National Theater and National Concert Hall also look very cool on either side.
On rare occasion, on low-wind evenings after heavy rain, photographers manage to capture iconic photos of the above buildings reflecting on pools of water in the square at night.
Other Famous Landmarks at Night
Many of Taipei’s main landmarks look cool at night. Try Longshan Temple before it closes at 9:30 PM for a totally different vibe than in the daytime.
The Old City gates like North Gate (Beimen), South Gate (Lizhenmen), or Little South Gate (Chongxi or Xiaonanmen), and East Gate (Jingfumen) all look very cool when lit up at night. Most are at the center of traffic circles – photographers can capture blurred car lights going around them.
The new Taipei Performing Arts Center, next to Shilin Night Market, is yet another looker at night. Locals say that its shape reminds them of a local dish called 皮蛋豆腐, or century egg cut in half and served atop a block of soft tofu.
Last but not least, Taipei 101 always looks glorious, no matter where you view it from.
Maokong Gondola
The Maokong Gondola runs for a few hours after sunset (till 9 PM). Taking a ride from Taipei Zoo up to the tea growing region is a totally different experience in the dark.
As you ascend the forested hills, the views of Taipei 101 and the city lights only get better and better. You can also look forward to fewer crowds and lines in the evening.
At the top, you’ll find that several traditional teahouses and restaurants there stay open as late as 9 or even 10 PM. Elsewhere Café is open till 2 AM, while Yao Yue Teahouse is even open 24 hours!
If you miss the last gondola down, buses from Maokong to Taipei Zoo run until just before midnight. Otherwise, you’ll need to order an Uber or wait for the first bus of the day around 6 AM.
Get Physical
If you prefer to move rather than binge eating, drinking, or sitting around at night, again you’ll have many options in Taipei.
Climb Elephant Mountain
Taipei’s most famous hike, Elephant Mountain, is perfectly safe to hike at night. The paths and staircases up to the famous viewpoint are even lit up at night.
Once you reach the lookout point, you’ll enjoy an epic view of the city at night. I would even say it’s romantic, if you don’t mind getting a little sweaty.
Use my Elephant Mountain guide to find the way, and keep in mind that the MRT stops running around midnight.
There is a slightly higher chance of seeing snakes in the forest at night, some of which are venomous. Don’t let this stop you, but just be mindful of it.
A Different City View from Fuzhoushan
If you’ve already done Elephant Mountain, or you prefer to try a less touristy trail, then go for Fuzhoushan Park (福州山公園) instead.
From the easy-to-climb peak of Fuzhoushan, you can enjoy an equally epic view of Taipei 101 and the surrounding cityscape, but from a totally different perspective than Elephant Mountain.
From Linguang MRT, walk to the trailhead here. Follow the signs for Fuzhoushan Park, which will get you to the lookout platform here. You can get from MRT to lookout point in less than half an hour, with only about 10 minutes of uphill climbing. You might want a flashlight for this one.
For serious nighttime hikers, you can find even more options with city and Taipei 101 views in my Taipei hikes guide.
Hop on a YouBike
YouBikes are available round the clock, and it’s common to see people riding them late at night. Many riverside paths and city trails are also lit up at night.
Start by reading my YouBike guide to find out how to rent these public shared bikes, with or without a local SIM card for signing up.
As always, just be extra careful when riding at night. Some sidewalks have unexpected bumps or curbs.
Find more info in my guide to cycling in Taipei.
Choose a Neighborhood and Explore
Taipei is extremely suitable for urban exploration, especially since it is so safe. There is no area which I would be hesitant to explore, even alone and late at night. Solo female travelers in Taiwan consistently report the same thing.
Some areas which can be interesting to explore at night include:
- Dihua Street (admire the heritage architecture at night)
- Taipei 101 area (big malls, modern architecture, skyscraper views)
- Zhongzheng (Taipei Main Station area, 228 Park, CKS Memorial Hall, several old city gates)
- Wanhua (Ximending, Longshan Temple and the somewhat seedy area around it, other old temples)
- Da’an (Da’an Park, religious buildings and old Japanese houses around Qingtian Street, dining and bars on Yongkang street and Rongjin Gorgeous Time)
- Zhongxiao East Road (lots of shops and restaurants open late, good for people watching)
Take a Hot Spring Bath in Beitou
Nothing beats take a hot spring bath at the end of a long day. It’s a special feeling to soak in an outdoor spring after the sun has gone down.
Beitou Public Hot Spring, the cheapest one, is open till 10 PM. Make sure to check their opening times carefully, as they close every couple hours for cleaning. Spring City Resort (cheaper if you book on Klook!), the only other co-ed (with bathing suits) hot spring in Beitou, is also open till 10.
Many hotels in Beitou offer private rooms with hot springs around the clock. Intended for couples, these can be rented for 60 to 120 minutes.
The best way to find one is to just walk from hotel to hotel and inquire. The front desk will have photos and prices of the different room options. See my Beitou guide for more information.
Shopping
If retail therapy sounds like a better way to spend the evening, then this section is for you.
Hit the Department Stores
Most major department stores in Taipei are open until 9:30 or 10 p.m.
Heads up that department stores in Taiwan tend to house higher end and luxury brands, so they aren’t suitable for budget shoppers.
There’s a large, interconnected cluster of department stores around Taipei 101, including Taipei 101 Shopping Center, Breeze Nan Shan, Att4Fun, and Shinkong Mitsukoshi.
Elsewhere, search for Breeze, Sogo, or Q Square Mall. Many department stores have excellent food courts, usually found at B1.
Shopping at Street Level
Budget and mid-range shoppers will find better options in smaller boutiques on the street. Most shops are also open until around 10 PM.
Some of the best areas to go for clothing shopping are Zhongxiao East Road (between Zhongxiao Fuxing and Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall MRT) and the small lanes just north of it, Shida Night Market area, Gongguan Night Market area, and Yongkang Street.
For the cheapest clothing, head to Wufenpu Shopping District. Zhongshan Metro Mall and the various shopping streets below Taipei Main Station also have lots of cheaper items, traditional qipaos, and souvenirs.
For otaku (nerd) products, Taipei City Mall (Y Mall, below Taipei Main Station) or Wan Nian building in Ximending are the places to go. For electronics, head to Syntrend and Guanghua Digital Plaza.
Weekend Craft Market in Ximending
As if Red House in Ximending wasn’t already cool enough (see the “Red House LGBTQ+ Patios” section above)”, you can also find the excellent Red House Creative Market there every weekend.
The market takes place in the plaza on the north and front side of Red House (the LGBT bars are on its south side). Stepping out from Ximen MRT exit 1 or 6, you can’t miss all the white market tents.
In the market, you can find all kinds of cute, quirky, and creative products, from cell phone cases and plant pots to T-shirts and jewelry (also read my guide to buying souvenirs in Taiwan).
The market is open from 1:30 to 10 PM on Saturdays and 1:30 to 9:30 on Sundays. It may also be open on holiday Mondays.
Also make sure to actually step inside Red House, which has more cute shops and is open on weekdays, too.
Other Quirky Activities
Here’s are a few more Taipei nighttime suggestions which didn’t fit in the other categories above. Find even more ideas in my guide to off-the-beaten-path things to do in Taipei.
Try Your Luck at the Claw Machines
If you spend any amount of time in Taipei, you’ll soon start to notice all the claw machine shops. There are SO MANY of them.
You’ll see them in night markets but also just on random streets. You can win anything from plushies to cell phone cases to sex toys.
I honestly don’t understand how people can spend much time (and money) on these. My kids are always drawn to them, but every time we try, we never win. Still, some locals like to hang out in these shops at night. Most of them remain open around the clock.
Go Prawn Fishing
Another bizarre but popular local activity in Taipei is prawn fishing. These indoor establishments have a human-made pool stocked with huge prawns.
You can sit with your friends, bring in some snacks or booze, and fish for as many as you want. At the end, the staff will even season and barbecue them for you to eat on the spot.
One spot I recommend is Quan Jia Le Shrimp Fishing Farm (全佳樂釣蝦場), which is near Xingtian Temple MRT and open until 3 AM. The price is TWD 350 per person per hour.
Another is Spring City Shrimp Fishing Restaurant (春城釣蝦美食廣場), which is open until 4 AM, but is a ways from the nearest MRT, Shilin.
TourMeAway offers a shrimping tour. Use my code Nick15 to get 15% off.
Convenience Store Hopping
For a cheaper alternative to the pub crawl, you can do your own convenience store crawl. Map it out, or just wander and stop each time you find one (you’ll be stopping a lot). My friends and I always do this!
Convenience stores in Taiwan of course stock all kinds of booze, including beer, cocktails in a can, wine, hard liquor, and non-alcoholic drinks. If you want to make DIY cocktails, you can even buy ice and plastic cups.
Some even have small indoor or outdoor seating areas – just don’t linger and bother others if you are in a noisy group.
7-Eleven and FamilyMart are the two obvious ones, but don’t overlook the smaller chains like HiLife, which sometimes has the best beers.
Watch for Fireflies in Da’an Park
It’s possible to see fireflies in Da’an Park in the evening. The best season is spring and early summer and the best time is from sundown to around 8 or 9 PM on non-rainy days.
There’s a dedicated firefly conservation area around here and you may also be able to see them around the pond. When I lasted visited (2024), the conservation area was roped off for maintenance and I couldn’t enter it, but I was still able to spot some from the side (see pic above).
For a better firefly experience in Taiwan, head to Fenqihu in Alishan region.
Airplane Spotting at Airplane Alley
It’s a fun experience to stand at Airplane Alley (飛機巷) and experience airplanes flying right over your head before they land at Taipei’s city center Songshan Airport.
And yes, you can still do this at night! Incoming flights go until around midnight, and there are other arriving planes besides commercial ones listed in the link, such as military planes.
Be prepared for a blast of wind when planes take off. Once we were watching in light rain and the wind broke one of our umbrellas!
There are no convenience stores nearby, so if you want to bring some drinks for your airplane viewing, make sure to stock up before you get there.