Most "Top 10 Taipei" lists are clones of each other, written by people who never lived here. This is the actual short list our drivers send to friends arriving for the first time — the version where we'd rather you have one quiet morning than three rushed afternoons.
多數「Top 10 台北」清單都長得一樣，作者其實也沒在這裡住過。下面是我們司機真正會推薦給第一次來的朋友的短清單——我們寧願你度過一個安靜的早上，而不是擠三個倉促的下午。
01 · Climb Elephant Mountain at 16:30 — not 17:30
01 · 象山——16:30 上去，不是 17:30
The view of Taipei 101 is the photograph everyone wants. The trick: be on the rocks at 16:30 with the city still in sun, then watch the lights come on at 18:00. By 17:30 there are 200 people fighting for the same spot.
台北 101 那張照片誰都想拍。訣竅：16:30 就站到岩石平台，城市還在陽光下，等 18:00 燈一盞盞亮。等到 17:30 才上去，現場會有 200 個人擠同一個位置。
02 · Yongkang Street, but only for breakfast
02 · 永康街——但只在早餐時段去
Din Tai Fung's original branch is here, but go in the morning before the queue. Pair it with a bowl of soy milk soup at Yong He Dou Jiang two blocks east — the way locals start the day.
鼎泰豐創始店在這條街，但要早上去、避開排隊。再走兩個街口往東到永和豆漿喝碗鹹豆漿——這是在地人開啟一天的方式。
03 · Tea ceremony at Wisteria Tea House
03 · 紫藤廬——好好喝一場茶
A 1920s Japanese-era house that became the meeting place of Taiwan's post-war intellectuals. Reservations required, English menu available, and the only place we send people who genuinely care about tea.
1920 年代日治時期的老房子，戰後成為台灣知識分子聚會地。要訂位、有英文菜單，是我們唯一會推薦給真正懂茶客人的地方。
04 · Beitou hot springs, public room
04 · 北投溫泉的大眾池
You don't need to book the Volando. The Millennium Hot Spring (千禧湯) is a public outdoor pool for NT$40, fed by the same sulphur source. Bring a towel, a swimsuit, and a sense of humour.
不用住亞太溫泉會館。千禧湯是戶外大眾池，門票 NT$40，水源是同一條硫磺溪。記得帶毛巾、泳衣，跟一點幽默感。
05 · Raohe night market, not Shilin
05 · 夜市選饒河，不是士林
Shilin is the famous one. Raohe is the better one — half the size, twice the food density, and the temple gate at one end gives you the photograph that the locals actually keep.
士林是名氣大的，饒河是真的好的——大小只有一半、食物密度兩倍，街尾的廟門是在地人會收藏的那張照片。
06 · A weekend morning at Maokong
06 · 貓空——挑個週末早上
The gondola from Taipei Zoo climbs into the tea-growing hills above the city. Spend an unhurried morning at a tea farm, lunch above the clouds, and you're back downtown by 14:00.
從動物園搭纜車上山，慢慢爬進城市上方的茶山。在茶莊待一個悠閒的早上，雲端午餐，14:00 前可以回到市中心。
07 · Bookstores open at midnight
07 · 半夜還開的書店
Eslite Dunnan was the original 24-hour bookstore. The Songshan branch is now the better one — design books, a wine bar, and the most peaceful 02:00 in the city.
誠品敦南是 24 小時書店的元祖（已搬遷），現在松菸店更值得去——設計書區、紅酒吧、整個城市最安靜的凌晨兩點。
08 · A bowl of beef noodle in Linyi Street
08 · 臨沂街那碗牛肉麵
Liu Shandong (劉山東) — three tables, one chef, the same recipe for sixty years. The famous chains are fine. This is the thing.
劉山東牛肉麵——三張桌、一位老闆、六十年同一道配方。連鎖店那些都還行，這家才是真貨。
09 · Da'an Forest Park at dusk
09 · 大安森林公園——傍晚的時候
The closest thing Taipei has to Central Park. Locals jog the perimeter, kids run wild on the playground slides, weekend pickup basketball on the courts, and the cherry trees flower briefly in February. Skip the temple route — sit on a bench.
台北最接近紐約中央公園的地方。在地人沿外圍跑步、小朋友在遊樂設施／溜滑梯放電、週末球場有人打籃球，二月櫻花短暫盛開。寺廟那條路線跳過，找張長椅坐下就好。
10 · A private day to Jiufen
10 · 包一天車去九份
Yes, it's the cliché. Yes, it's also the photograph you'll keep. Done well — late afternoon, lanterns, tea — it is the single most cinematic place near Taipei. We have a full guide on how to do it.
沒錯就是老梗，但這也確實會是你最會留下的那張照片。傍晚到、燈籠亮起、茶樓喝茶——做對了的話，這是台北附近最有電影感的一個地方。完整玩法另開一篇詳述。
The honest one
老實話
If you only have two days in Taipei, pick four of the ten above and actually do them. Don't try to do all ten. The defining sin of a Taipei first trip is over-scheduling — and the city, more than most, rewards travellers who slow down.
如果你只有兩天在台北，從上面挑四件做透就好。不要全部都跑。第一次來台北最常犯的錯就是排太滿——而台北這座城市，比多數地方更獎勵願意慢下來的旅人。
For the longer or further day trips — Jiufen, Yilan, Beitou as a private half-day — almost everyone we know books a private driver. Not for luxury. For the simple fact that the public transport math doesn't work, and a charter for the day costs less than four taxis.
跑遠一點或全天出城——九份、宜蘭、北投半日——我們認識的人幾乎都選包車。不是為了豪華，純粹是大眾運輸的時間算盤湊不上，包車一天還比叫四趟計程車便宜。