Taipei

Taipei reveals itself through subtle pleasures: night markets, tea culture, mountain views, design, temples and a calm civic rhythm. Its sophistication feels human-scaled, warm and deeply connected to everyday life.

Taipei lies in a basin ringed by green mountains, with the Tamsui River along its western edge. Its oldest districts, Wanhua around Longshan Temple and the merchant streets of Dadaocheng, grew rich on tea and camphor, and their shophouses now hold tea merchants, Chinese medicine stores and small restaurants. In the north, the National Palace Museum keeps one of the great collections of Chinese imperial art.

To the east, Xinyi is the modern city, gathered around the tower of Taipei 101. Yet the mountains are never far: the volcanic slopes of Yangmingshan, the hot-spring valley of Beitou and the tea terraces of Maokong are all reached in well under an hour, often by metro or gondola. That closeness of city and landscape gives Taipei its unhurried, liveable character.

October to December is the most settled season, with warm days, low humidity and clear views from the hills. Spring, from March to April, is also pleasant, bringing azaleas and cherry blossom to Yangmingshan. The Lantern Festival at the first full moon of the lunar year fills the city with light, and sky lanterns rise over the old mining village of Pingxi.

May and June bring the plum rains; July to September is hot, humid and the season of typhoons, though the city copes calmly and the hot springs feel least necessary then. Winter, from January to February, is mild but often grey and damp — the best time to settle into a Beitou bath house or a long tea session in Maokong.

Mandarin Oriental, Taipei on Dunhua North Road is the city’s most polished address, and Regent Taipei in Zhongshan its long-established classic. In Xinyi, Grand Hyatt Taipei stands beside Taipei 101 and W Taipei brings a younger, design-led energy. The red-columned Grand Hotel on Yuanshan hill, built in the manner of a Chinese palace, remains the most memorable piece of architecture to sleep in.

LVXVRY books these through the Mandarin Oriental Fan Club, IHG Destined, Hyatt Privé and Marriott STARS & Luminous — at the official hotel rate, with the privileges each programme attaches to the stay. For the Grand Hotel, LVXVRY advises on and arranges the stay directly, including the choice of room facing the city or the hills.