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  • Things to do

Taipei knows what it is doing. Okay, that initiates all sorts of conversations about the relative sentience of cities, but stick with us; this is a capital city that has embraced all of its influences and created something spectacular, a city that has thrown itself into the future while remaining defiantly proud of where it came from. The best things to do in Taipei cover all this and much more, from observatories exploring the skies to the ruggedly beautiful national parks on the ground, via memorials, museums and a lantern-lit town that will take your breath away. Taipei is magnificent.

  • Things to do

What’s the deal with Zhongshan? The swirl of lanes caught in the crosshatch of main streets ringing Zhongshan MRT is Taipei’s most fascinating district. It’s a wonderful mish-mash of handsome brick buildings, mammoth shopping malls and secret alleyways stuffed with cafés, vintage clothing stores, corner temples and funky restaurants. On one side of the road, you have luxury branded shops and five star hotels, while on the other street hawkers peddle egg cakes and cheap summer dresses. You can switch tempo just by turning a corner: the back lanes are always green and mellow, flush with flowers in window boxes, while the high streets throng with shoppers. Zhongshan is also half-Japanese, for this is where you’ll find the highest concentration and the absolute tastiest Japanese food, whisky and cocktail bars in Taipei, and cutting-edge fashion in a string of shopping complexes. There’s history too in a smattering of heritage structures preserved and reworked into a dance studio, an art gallery, a cinema and a string of bite-sized bistros. RECOMMENDED: Full guide to the 50 coolest neighbourhoods in the world If you only do one thing… Breathe in the seductive scents of cypress and fir at the Lin Tien Barrel Store, which has been handcrafting wooden pails, giant bathtubs, steamer baskets, rolling pins, ladles and cooking chopsticks since 1928. Mr Lin’s family business is a slice of real living history. Get cultured Light installation at Museum of Contemporary Art Taipei. Photograph