Where to Stay in Taipei: 7 Areas by MRT Line

Where should you stay in Taipei?

Stay near Taipei Main Station for the Airport MRT and fast links everywhere, Zhongshan for a central, walkable mix of cafés and night markets, or Da’an for quieter streets and Yongkang Street’s food. Ximending suits late nights on a budget, Xinyi suits shoppers and Taipei 101, and Beitou suits a hot-spring night.

Taipei is an MRT city. Six colour-coded lines cover the centre: the brown Wenhu (BR), red Tamsui-Xinyi (R), green Songshan-Xindian (G), orange Zhonghe-Xinlu (O), blue Bannan (BL) and yellow Circular (Y) lines, according to Taipei Metro’s route map. The simplest rule is to stay within a short walk of a station on the red or blue line, which cross at Taipei Main Station.

The areas below are compared on what matters night to night: which lines you can walk to, how lively the streets are after dark, and how easily you can reach Taoyuan or Songshan airport. Price feel is relative, not a quote.

Shortlist properties on our Taipei hotels page and read the Taipei destination guide for budgets and food.

How do Taipei’s best areas compare?

Taipei Main Station wins on airport links, Zhongshan on all-round convenience, Da’an on food and calm, and Ximending on late nights and value. Xinyi suits malls and business trips, Songshan suits Songshan Airport and Raohe night market, and Beitou suits hot springs. All seven sit on the MRT, so none leaves you stranded.

Station codes in the table come from Taipei Metro; a station with two codes is an interchange. Night-market hours and district descriptions come from the city’s official Taipei Travel pages, linked in the sections below.

Whichever area you choose, check the walking distance from the hotel’s door to the station exit rather than the station name in the listing; large interchanges such as Taipei Main Station have many exits.

Is Taipei Main Station the best base for a short trip?

For many short trips, yes. It is where the red and blue MRT lines meet and where the Airport MRT to Taoyuan starts, and its A1 station offers in-town check-in for several airlines on the day you fly. The trade-off is character: this is a transport hub first, with fewer evening streets than Zhongshan or Ximending.

Taoyuan Metro’s express trains from A1 Taipei Main Station stop only at A3, A8 and the two airport terminals, A12 and A13, and the published timetable shows express or extended-express departures every 15 minutes or so from early morning (Taoyuan Metro timetable). Commuter trains stop at every station and take longer.

In-town check-in at A1 runs 06:00–21:30 on the B1 level, for same-day flights from Taoyuan, and closes three hours before departure. China Airlines, Mandarin Airlines, EVA Air, Uni Air, Cathay Pacific and Starlux offer it (Taoyuan Metro in-town check-in), so you can drop bags in the morning and spend the last day bag-free.

Who should stay in Ximending?

Ximending suits travellers who want late nights, street food and shopping outside the door; Taipei Travel calls it the mecca for youth culture. It is on the green and blue lines at Ximen, one stop from Taipei Main Station on the blue line. Light sleepers should ask for a high floor or look one district east.

According to Taipei Travel, Ximending, centred on Zhonghua Road in Wanhua District, draws young crowds for shopping, cosplay and street dance, and pop stars often hold promotional events there at weekends. That energy is the point, and also the reason to check where your room faces.

Longshan Temple station (BL10) is one stop west on the blue line, which makes the older streets of Wanhua an easy morning walk. For airport days, Ximen is one stop from the Airport MRT at Taipei Main Station.

Why do many first-timers choose Zhongshan?

Because it is central without being a transport hub. Zhongshan station is on the red and green lines, Ningxia Road night market is a short walk away, and the old Dihua Street trading quarter is within reach of Daqiaotou on the orange line. It suits travellers who like walking between cafés, markets and historic streets.

Ningxia Road night market opens 17:00–23:30 and is reached from Shuanglian, Zhongshan, Daqiaotou, Minquan West Road and Beimen stations; Taipei Travel describes it as a nostalgic market known for friendly service. It is one of the easiest night markets to walk back from.

Dihua Street sits in Dadaocheng, an early commercial and trading centre dating to the late Qing period, with shops selling tea, Chinese herbs and fabric (Taipei Travel). In the days before Lunar New Year, 4–10 February in 2027, it becomes the city’s New Year market and is packed, so book early for those dates.

Is Da’an a good base for food lovers?

Yes. Da’an wraps around Yongkang Street, which Taipei Travel calls the origin of Taipei’s alley culture and a byword for good food, and around Daan Park. Dongmen links the red and orange lines and Zhongxiao Fuxing the blue and brown lines, so most of the network is one change away.

The Yongkang Street area, reached from Dongmen or Daan Park stations, is known for dumpling houses, vegetarian restaurants and teahouses along Yongkang, Qingtian and Longquan streets, and its listed hours run 10:30–21:30.

Da’an is also the easiest base for Songshan Airport: from Zhongxiao Fuxing (BR10), the brown line runs three stops north to Songshan Airport (BR13). The trade-off is Taoyuan, which needs a change to reach the Airport MRT at Taipei Main Station.

When do Xinyi or Songshan make more sense?

Choose Xinyi for Taipei 101, malls and business trips, and Songshan or Nanjing for flights from Songshan Airport and Raohe night market. Both sit on the city’s east side, a longer ride from the Airport MRT at Taipei Main Station. Avoid Xinyi on New Year’s Eve unless you want to be in the crowd.

Taipei Travel calls the Xinyi Shopping District the Manhattan of Taipei, with upscale malls, a large bookshop, cinemas and international restaurants, served by Taipei 101/World Trade Center, Xiangshan and Taipei City Hall stations. For the 2025–26 New Year’s Eve, Taipei Metro advised avoiding congestion at Taipei City Hall and Taipei 101 stations and ran a 42-hour continuous service (Taipei Metro).

Raohe Street night market opens 17:00–00:00 every day beside Songshan (G19) and Houshanpi (BL20) stations. Songshan Airport has its own brown-line station (BR13), which makes the Nanjing and Songshan area practical if you are flying from that airport.

Is it worth staying in Beitou?

For one or two nights of a longer trip, yes, if hot springs are the point. Xinbeitou sits on a short branch of the red line, and Taipei Travel suggests October to February as the best months for the area. For a short first visit, the long ride to the east side makes it a poor main base.

Taipei Travel describes the Xinbeitou hot-spring area as a route linking the Beitou Museum, Beitou Library, Hot Spring Park and other sites, with opening hours that vary by spa. Nearby Thermal Valley opens 09:00–17:00 and closes on Mondays, so do not plan a Monday stay around it.

Pair the area with the right season using the best time to visit Taipei: a summer soak with highs near 35°C is far less appealing than a winter one.

How do you reach your base from the airports, and is Taipei safe?

From Taoyuan, take the Airport MRT express to Taipei Main Station (A1) and change to the city MRT; from Songshan, the brown line stops at the terminal. Complete Taiwan’s online arrival card within three days before landing. The FCDO describes crime rates as extremely low, so the bigger risks are typhoons and earthquakes.

The FCDO says UK passport holders can visit Taiwan without a visa for up to 90 days and must submit the Taiwan Arrival Card online within three days before arrival. Other passports have different rules, so check yours before booking.

On safety, the FCDO notes extremely low crime but warns that scooters weave between lanes and that drivers may not stop for pedestrians at crossings, and gives the typhoon season as May to November. Choose a hotel close to its station to keep walks short in heavy rain.

Which Taipei area should you book?

For a first trip of three to five nights, book Zhongshan or the Taipei Main Station area; for a food-led repeat visit, Da’an; for nights out on a budget, Ximending. Choose Xinyi only if Taipei 101 or business is the point, and add Beitou as a final night rather than a main base.

Build the days with the Taipei 3-day itinerary or the Taipei 7-day itinerary, and check the best time to visit Taipei before you book non-refundable rates in typhoon season.

Compare booking sites in Booking.com vs Agoda vs Hotels.com and sort mobile data with eSIM vs pocket Wi-Fi vs roaming so you can check MRT exits on arrival.