Taipei has long been a popular destination for Singaporean tourists looking to shop till they drop. With it’s endless array of shopping options to satisfy even the most hardcore shopping addict, it is easy to see why Singaporeans love visiting Taiwan. But don’t simply stick to the traditional shopping malls, there are other much more interesting options!
Night Markets
With Taiwan being famous for it’s large selection of night markets filled with mouth watering street foods and trendy clothes, the only logical thing to do visit them at least once on a trip there.
Shilin Night Market
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The most popular of the lot, Shilin is also one of Taipei’s biggest night markets. Located in the Shilin district, the alleys of Shilin are filled with delicious food and cheap clothing and accessory shops.
If you’re looking to get your hands on cheap yet trendy apparel in the maze of Shilin’s streets, head to the section of the market with more clothing stores, by the red MRT line, alight at Jiantian Station.
Shida Night Market
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Located near the National Taiwan Normal University, Shida night market is not the biggest but it is arguably the most trendy of the night markets. With the market being frequented by young college students, you’re sure to find the most fashionable clothes there. The small streets off the main market hide the indie cafes and designer boutiques, which are mostly run by budding young entrepreneurs.
Shida Night Market is located along Shida Road. To get there, head to the exit 3 of the Taipower Building Station on the green MRT line.
Ximending
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Considered to be the Harajuku of Taipei, Ximending houses stores which sell the latest in Korean and Japanese fashion trends. Frequented by youngsters, entertainment venues like arcades and movie theatres are also aplenty at Ximending.
During the weekends, there are even art markets that showcase handmade crafts by local artists available at the famous Red House along Ximending.
Besides being a shopping mecca, Ximending also houses many interesting themed cafes, bars and restaurants such as the famous Modern Toilet restaurant!
To get to Ximending, drop off at Ximen station on the Green MRT line and head to exit C.
Drugstores
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This might come as a surprise, but drugstores are very easy to find in Taipei. There is almost always a Watsons or Cosmed store within the vicinity of every MRT station. Besides being easy to find, they also exclusively carry local brands such as Opal and Oguma.
One of the largest Watson stores in Taipei is located in the trendy Ximending district. It consists of three stories of makeup, skin and haircare products and what’s more is that it’s open 24 hours! With opening hours like that, there’s no need to worry about running out of conditioner ever!
To get to Watsons at Ximending, head out to exit 6 at the Ximen station on the Green/Blue MRT line.
Eslite Mall
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Easily Taipei’s largest bookstore, the Eslite bookstore in Taipei’s Xinyi district covers over eight stories. Out of the eight floors, three are entirely dedicated to books. With that, Eslite offers a large range of over a million titles of books across different languages, from Chinese to English and even Japanese!
Unlike many bookstores, Eslite encourages the browsing of books with designated reading areas available in store. Patrons can be seen all over the store, lost in the world of their books.
Besides books, the Eslite store offers much more such as cafes and food courts that are sure to satisfy any hunger pangs. The areas of the store not dedicated to books also offer lifestyle products and crafts.
The Eslite at Xinyi district is located a stone’s throw away from Taipei City Hall MRT on the blue line.
If you’re planning to visit Taipei soon, we hope you enjoyed our guide to some of the alternative shopping places in Singapore. Shop with ShopBack to get cash rebates on your flights, hotels and accommodation today!
This is a guest post contributed by Ms Charlene Koh, author of GoingPlaces.sg.
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