People might often associate a visit to Taiwan with the whole ‘made in Taiwan’ lines from the 1990s, but the island-nation has rapidly grown and developed into a beautiful tourist-friendly hub that has some of the best shopping in the world. 

Just a direct eight-hour flight from Dubai to Taipei, Taiwan is easy to get to, affordable, and a magical adventure for those willing to make the journey. 

Here are 10 reasons you should definitely put this place on your travel bucket-list. 

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1. The Shillin night market

One of the best places to visit in Taipei, the Shillin night market has all the ‘made in China’ stuff that’s a fraction of the price of the UAE. It is also home to some unbelievably delicious street food.  

2. The hot springs

Taiwan is home to a range of natural hot springs. You can visit a resort with private hot springs or hit up some of the public ones like Beitou. They’re beautiful! 

3. The epic nature walks

Thanks to extensive parks and natural reserves, Taiwan has a multitude of mountainous lush terrain with all kinds of hiking and nature trails from pleasant paved walks, all the way up to challenging treks. 

4. The tea and coffee plantations 

The mountainous regions of Taiwan make for ideal tea plantations, so you can go tea picking, and learn all about how it’s made. If coffee is more your brew, there are also some wonderful coffee plantations too. 

5. Ali Shan 

People travel from all around to visit Ali Shan at sunrise. You’ll be crammed on a steam train, and shuttled up the mountains at 4am, to get a glimpse of this breathtaking view. 

Which is all worth it when you see the sun rise over the mountain tops. 

There are also some brilliant historical tours of the parks around to learn about the country’s heritage and native flora. 

6. The 101 

Okay so we may be high-rise snobs here in Dubai, but the 101 is Taiwan’s tallest tower, and in its day was the tallest in the world. It’s now home to the world’s fastest elevator – shooting you at rapid speeds up 99 floors. 

And the views when you get to the top are out of this world.

Here’s the view from the top 

7. Din Tai Fung

It has become a huge favourite in Dubai’s Mall of the Emirates, but it’s always worth visiting the original, which is located within the 101, so you’ll be in the area anyway! 

8. Actually, all the food

Taiwan’s cuisine is impressive and diverse. The street food is well worth a try (maybe not the duck heads though…) and the traditional pineapple cake is out of this world. 

9. Ten Drums 

See the traditional drumming styles of Taiwan in a jaw-dropping performance at the Ten Drum Creative Park. The show is followed by lessons where you can have a go of this ancient ritual in a class. 

10. National Palace Museum

Walk among beautiful relics, from throughout the ages. There are more than 700,000 pieces of ancient artifacts from Chinese emperors. 

You can learn about the history of Taiwan – it’s change from Japanese ruling to Chinese and all about its people. 

And the National Palace Museum has an excellent restaurant to grab some food at too. 

One piece on display is the unusual and iconic, Jadeite Cabbage. 

Flights to Taipei take eight hours from Dubai.