Taipei
Taroko Gorge
Taiwan · Multi-city itinerary
Taiwan itinerary — May 2027
By Tripsapien Research · Updated May 20, 2026
May 2027 is a shoulder-season time for the Taiwan trip (Taipei & Taroko Gorge). Daytime highs sit around 29°C / 84°F in Taipei. Plan around 5–7 days using Taipei as your base for the day trips. Tripsapien checks every place on your list against your exact dates — hours, closures and booking pressure at each stop.
The route
About 5–7 days · 1 city
Taiwan from Taipei: the capital of night markets, the Taipei 101 tower and the National Palace Museum, with the marble cliffs of Taroko Gorge and the mountain-ringed Sun Moon Lake reachable by high-speed rail and a connecting ride. A compact island of city and wild scenery.
Taipei
Taipei in May
Temperature
85°F / 73°F
29.4°C / 22.6°C
Precipitation
13d
9.6in · 245mm
Daylight
13.2h
May turns hot and wet before the main summer heat, so build night markets and MRT-linked museums around rain breaks.
May turns hot and wet before the main summer heat, so build night markets and MRT-linked museums around rain breaks.
City overview
Taipei sits in a mountain-ringed basin where the Tamsui and Keelung rivers, MRT lines, and surrounding hot-spring hills shape daily travel. Xinyi, Wanhua, Daan, Shilin, Beitou, and Wenshan each give a different version of the city: tower skyline, old temples, student food streets, museums, baths, and tea mountains.
Food & drink
Taipei is built for grazing: beef noodle soup, oyster omelet, oyster vermicelli, fried chicken fillet, stinky tofu, xiaolongbao, and aiyu jelly all belong on a first trip. Shilin, Ningxia, and Raohe night markets cover snacks, Yongkang Street is a beef-noodle and shaved-ice anchor, Din Tai Fung began on Xinyi Road, and prices stay lower than Tokyo, Seoul, or Hong Kong unless you choose hotel dining or Michelin tasting rooms.
Top sights
Ranked for May suitability using weather, setting, ratings, and review volume.
- 1Bao'an Temple
- 2National Palace Museum
- 3Longshan Temple
- 4Beitou Hot Springs
- 5Taipei 101
- 6Elephant Mountain (Xiangshan)
- 7Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall
- 8National Revolutionary Martyrs' Shrine
- 9Maokong Gondola & Taipei Zoo
- 10Shilin, Ningxia & Raohe night markets
1Bao'an Temple
4.7★ · 4,560indoorOpen dailyDalongdong Bao'an Temple sits north of the old core and is often paired with the Confucius Temple. Its restored woodwork and festival calendar make it less rushed than Longshan.
2National Palace Museum
4.6★ · 60,955indoorClosed MonThe Shilin museum holds imperial Chinese collections spanning roughly 5,000 years, with only a small share displayed at one time. It is the city's highest-value indoor stop on rainy days.
Wikipedia
3Longshan Temple
4.5★ · 48,972indoorOpen dailyWanhua's Longshan Temple is the best first stop for old Taipei temple life, incense, carved roof detail, and the surrounding herb and night-market lanes. Combine it with Ximending on the same MRT line.
Show 7 more sights
- 4Beitou Hot Springs
- 5Taipei 101
- 6Elephant Mountain (Xiangshan)
- 7Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall
- 8National Revolutionary Martyrs' Shrine
- 9Maokong Gondola & Taipei Zoo
- 10Shilin, Ningxia & Raohe night markets
Neighborhoods
1Xinyi
Xinyi is the skyline district: Taipei 101, department stores, city hall, clubs, and Elephant Mountain access. It is clean, vertical, and pricier than the older west side.
2Wanhua & Ximending
Wanhua is Taipei's old core around Longshan Temple, while Ximending adds youth fashion, cinemas, street snacks, and pedestrian neon. The contrast is the point: temple incense and pop retail sit minutes apart.
3Zhongzheng
Zhongzheng is the political and academic centre, with Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, government buildings, Taipei Main Station, and access to Gongguan and National Taiwan University areas.
4Daan, Yongkang & Shida
Daan is the food-and-cafe base for many visitors, with Yongkang Street, Shida student lanes, Daan Forest Park, and small tea houses. It is central without Xinyi's mall feel.
5Shilin & Tianmu
Shilin puts the National Palace Museum, Shilin Night Market, and riverside access on the northern map. Tianmu adds international schools, quieter residential streets, and easy taxi hops toward Yangmingshan.
6Beitou & Wenshan
Beitou is Taipei's hot-spring edge, while Wenshan is the tea-and-zoo side with Maokong Gondola. Both are MRT-reachable half-day districts rather than quick downtown detours.
Getting around
Taipei MRT trains run roughly 06:00-midnight, with EasyCard fares usually NT20-65 and a 20% discount on many rides; the same card works on buses, YouBike, and convenience-store payments. Taoyuan Airport MRT Express reaches Taipei Main Station in about 38 minutes for around NT150-160, while Maokong Gondola and river/MRT combinations handle the mountain and Tamsui edges.
Don't-miss stops along the way
Taroko Gorge
A marble-walled canyon on the east coast, cut by the Liwu River — Taiwan's headline natural sight, reached via Hualien.
Sun Moon Lake
The island's largest lake, ringed by mountains and temples in the central highlands — a calm counterpoint to Taipei.
Best time to do the Taiwan trip
In May, the Taiwan trip runs daytime highs near 29°C / 84°F, with nights down to about 23°C / 73°F. It is one of the wetter months, with up to 13 rainy days. May is a shoulder-season time to travel.
The most comfortable months across Taipei & Taroko Gorge are February, November and January, based on average daytime temperatures and rainfall at every stop. May 2027 is a quieter shoulder season to go.
Check this route against your dates
Tripsapien starts with the sights on this page or places you paste, then checks hours, closures, booking pressure and neighborhoods for your exact May dates — across every city on the Taiwan trip.
Plan this Taiwan tripCommon questions about the Taiwan trip
- When is the best time to do the Taiwan trip?
- The most comfortable months in Taipei are February, November and January, based on average daytime temperatures and rainfall. May is a shoulder-season time — see the weather below for the exact picture in May 2027.
- How many days do you need for the Taiwan trip?
- A comfortable Taiwan trip runs about 5–7 days — roughly 5 nights in Taipei with day trips to the featured sights. Add a day if you want a slower pace or extra day trips.
- What's the route for the Taiwan trip?
- The classic order is Taipei & Taroko Gorge. Taroko Gorge and Sun Moon Lake are the standout side-trips along the way. The city below has its own May weather, events and top-sights list, plus the featured day-trips above.
- Will the sights be open during my May Taiwan trip?
- Opening days and hours vary by weekday, season and public holiday. Paste your Taiwan list into Tripsapien and it checks every place in Taipei against your exact dates, flagging closures and what needs booking ahead before you go.