Taipei travel guide by district
Incense curling through Longshan Temple, imperial treasures in Shilin, steam rising from Beitou’s valley and Taipei 101 lit up above Xinyi. Learn its twelve districts and fifteen landmarks, then ten short sections on the capital’s history and everyday life.
- Setting
- Taipei Basin · northern Taiwan
- Districts
- 12 districts within Taipei City
- Language
- Mandarin and Taiwanese Hokkien, alongside Hakka and Indigenous languages
- Currency
- New Taiwan dollar (TWD)
- Main airport
- Taoyuan International (TPE)
- Weather
- Hot, humid summers · mild, damp winters
Taipei’s twelve districts
Beitou
Hot springs bubble up in the valley of Xinbeitou, where a Japanese-era bathhouse is now a museum. The district climbs to the volcanic peaks and fumaroles of Yangmingshan National Park.
Find Zhongzheng’s government quarter and Wanhua’s riverside temples, then head north to Shilin and Beitou below the volcanoes. These are all twelve districts of Taipei City. Neighborhoods such as Dadaocheng and Ximending sit within larger districts, and the map stops at the city limits, where New Taipei begins.
A little Taipei before you go
Geography & first impressions
Rivers, volcanic hills, hot springs and a subtropical climate explain the shape and rhythm of Taipei.
Taipei fills much of the Taipei Basin in northern Taiwan, with hills on every side and the volcanic peaks of Yangmingshan to the north. The Keelung and Xindian rivers join the Tamsui River here, which carries their water out to the Taiwan Strait. New Taipei is a separate special municipality that almost completely surrounds Taipei. Places such as Tamsui, Jiufen, Banqiao and Yingge belong to New Taipei, so check an address before assuming it is in the capital. This guide’s district map covers Taipei City alone.
Taipei has a humid subtropical climate. Summers are hot and sticky, with afternoon thunderstorms and the chance of typhoons in late summer and fall, while winters are mild but often damp and gray. Carry water and an umbrella, and plan shaded or indoor breaks. The ball is a tuned mass damper, hung between the upper floors so it sways against the building’s motion. It reduces the movement people feel in typhoon winds and earthquakes, and visitors can see it from the observatory levels.
Commonly asked2 questions
- What landform holds most of Taipei?
- Taipei fills much of the Taipei Basin in northern Taiwan, with hills on every side and the volcanic peaks of Yangmingshan to the north. The Keelung and Xindian rivers join the Tamsui River here, which carries their water out to the Taiwan Strait.
- Is Taipei the same city as New Taipei?
- New Taipei is a separate special municipality that almost completely surrounds Taipei. Places such as Tamsui, Jiufen, Banqiao and Yingge belong to New Taipei, so check an address before assuming it is in the capital. This guide’s district map covers Taipei City alone.
The places you came to see
Taipei 101
The bamboo-shaped tower and its observatory, with the giant damper on view near the top. Book a clear day for the view, or come at dusk to watch the city lights come on.
Fifteen temples, museums, markets and mountain stops across the capital. Begin with the essential shortlist, then try the detours. The two sets are our choices for a first visit; plan each outing around nearby places and check current access before setting off.
Keep going one place deeper
When you have had your fill of Taipei, the languages you will hear on its streets have courses of their own, and the other cities have guides.
District boundaries: OpenStreetMap contributors. ODbL. All twelve district boundaries retrieved October 2026 and simplified together by Worldly for display. The map stops at the Taipei City limits, so New Taipei is not shown. This learning map is not a survey or a boundary authority. Boundary source and license. Guide references: Taipei Travel · official city tourism, Taiwan Tourism Administration, National Palace Museum, Yangmingshan National Park, Taipei Metro · network and rules, EasyCard · transport card information, Central Weather Administration, Guide sources, map transformations & photo credits. Check official attraction sites for current admission and access details. Photographs are from Wikimedia Commons and credited on each one.