To experience the local culture during your trip to Taiwan, you must visit the bustling markets with nightlife. Strolling around the night markets in Taiwan is not only a place to buy and sell, but also a place for entertainment, dining, and gathering with a bustling and crowded atmosphere.
Night markets are a cultural feature of Taiwan and an attractive tourist destination that easily captivates visitors with the fragrant aroma of food, cheap shopping locations, and a variety of goods. Each night market has a different style and color, giving visitors many interesting experiences.
And if you travel to Taiwan, don't miss the opportunity to explore the night markets below!
1. Raohe Night Market
Raohe Night Market has a wide variety of clothing, shoes, handbags, electronics, technology, and daily necessities. This is also a place where you can easily find souvenirs for relatives or friends when traveling in Taiwan. In particular, the market has a wide variety of souvenirs made from bamboo, wood, or embroidered handkerchiefs. Gifts related to Buddhism are also a prominent product of Taiwan that many tourists are interested in.
Raohe Night Market in Taipei is a famous cheap shopping place. You will find everything from fashion items such as clothes, bags, shoes, jewelry to electronics, household appliances, or Taiwanese souvenirs...
Raohe is ranked in the top 2 most famous night markets in Taipei. When coming to Raohe, you definitely cannot miss the meat-filled dumplings baked in a clay oven, pork rib soup, grilled squid, Nhieu Ha black pepper buns...
Raohe is also popular for its many surrounding attractions such as the Ci You Temple, which worships the sea goddess, the oldest temple with the most beautiful architecture in Taipei, which is even more magnificent at night. Behind the temple is the Rainbow Bridge, which has a very poetic riverside seating area.
2. Shilin
When it comes to famous night markets in Taiwan, Shilin Night Market must be mentioned. This is not only the most famous night market for locals, but also a popular destination for foreign tourists.
Shilin Night Market is considered the largest and most famous night market in Taipei, Taiwan. After more than 100 years, Shilin is now a Taipei tourist destination that attracts a large number of foreign visitors.
Shilin is famous for its wide range of traditional Taiwanese dishes such as sausages wrapped in sticky rice, oyster omelets, fried chicken fillets and bubble milk tea, as well as trendy clothing. Most of the shops are located inside the building, but you can also find many shops and stalls lining the streets.
Shilin Market operates until 4-5am, so if you have time, you can spend a few hours exploring this large market. This night market attracts many young Taiwanese people as well as locals, especially on weekends.
3. Shida
This is a Taiwanese night market with a strong student atmosphere because it is located right next to Taiwan Normal University. Coming to Shida Night Market, you will find cheap fashion items, delicious and hot street food with a strong Taiwanese flavor.
Shida Night Market is famous for Luwei. With more than 100 dishes made from tofu, tongue, pig heart, rice, vegetables... All the ingredients are displayed in front of the shop for customers to freely choose what they like. The decisive factor of the flavor of the dish is the broth and sauce. Each shop will have its own recipe for making broth, no two shops are the same.
Luwei food stalls – a mix of vegetables and ready-to-eat food. Most of the ingredients and food are fresh, and the on-site preparation process further stimulates the taste buds of diners.
4. FengJia
When mentioning Taichung, it is impossible not to mention FengJia Night Market (also known as FengJia Night Market). This is considered one of the most famous and must-visit night markets in Taiwan in general and Taichung in particular. If Shilin is only the largest night market in Taipei, FengJia is the largest and most famous night market in Taiwan and is highly appreciated for its Taiwanese snacks.
Grilled abalone is sought after by many tourists at FengJia Night Market.
The market opens every day of the week, from 4pm to midnight, always bustling with people, filled with delicious flavors from talented chefs from all over Taiwan with dishes such as: octopus meat tied into a ball shape, sausages rolled in rice, crepes, oyster fried chicken, sweet taro ball soup, grilled abalone... Especially, don't miss the stinky tofu and spicy duck head.
5. Ximending
Ximending impresses Taiwanese tourists with its blend of Japanese, Chinese and Western styles in architectural designs. The goods here are full of variety and rich in color. The bustling crowd of shoppers turns Ximending into a vibrant and bustling picture. Visitors can enjoy famous dishes made from duck meat such as Ya Rou Bian, steamed duck, roast duck... In addition, there are Taiwanese-style rice noodles and Lautianlu stew.
Ximending impresses Taiwanese tourists with its blend of Japanese, Chinese and Western styles in its architectural designs.
Besides, the fashion at Ximending Night Market is very diverse in designs and rich in types. From Japanese, Korean, Chinese to European styles, you can find them all in Ximending. Fashionistas should definitely not miss this market to shop for quality clothes and unique accessories at super cheap prices.
Things to note when going to night markets in Taiwan:
First, you should not visit the night markets during the peak time of 7-10 pm because this is when there are a lot of people passing by and it is cramped. However, this is also the time when all the shops are open, so if you do not mind the crowds, you can still enjoy the bustling atmosphere here.
Most of the time, when you go to the night market, there will be a very distinctive and quite strong smell, which is the smell of stinky tofu. This smell will not be faint, but sometimes it will come straight up to your nose. If you can't stand this smell, remember to bring a mask with you.
Next, do not bargain, especially with food and drinks. Usually, the stalls have specific prices, just choose the item and pay. If tourists buy clothes or buy small gifts as souvenirs in large quantities, they can tell the shop owner for a friendly price.
Finally, wear simple, convenient and comfortable clothes (like shorts, jeans, t-shirts, sneakers) to walk around the night market with the most comfortable mindset.
