Taipei 101

臺北101

A 508-meter skyscraper with a bamboo-segment design that was once the world's tallest building. Its 89th-floor observatory and 660-tonne wind damper are Taipei's most representative landmarks.

Taipei 101 stands in Xinyi District, 508 meters tall. When it was completed in 2004, it was the world's tallest building. Its exterior is built from eight stacked bamboo segments, symbolizing steady progress and rising higher, and each segment is decorated with ancient coins and ruyi-shaped ornaments. It is a symbol of the city. The observation decks are on the 89th floor (indoors) and the 91st floor (outdoors, open depending on the weather). Ride one of the world's fastest elevators, which reaches the top in 37 seconds, for a 360-degree view of the Taipei Basin, the Four Beast Mountains and the Danshui River. On the 88th floor, you can get close to the golden tuned mass damper, which is 5.5 meters in diameter and weighs 660 tonnes. The Skyline 460 outdoor walkway on the 101st floor, opened in 2019, requires a separate ticket. Observatory admission is about NT$600, and booking online lets you skip the queue. Floors 1 to 5 are the Taipei 101 shopping mall. The basement food court and the Din Tai Fung branch at 101 are busy all year round.

Tips: going up around 5 p.m. lets you see daytime, sunset and night views in one visit. If you don't want to go up, Elephant Mountain Trail is the best spot to photograph 101. Getting there: take Exit 4 from Taipei 101/World Trade Center Station on the Danshui-Xinyi MRT Line, or walk 10 minutes from City Hall Station on the Bannan Line. Note that during New Year's Eve fireworks, roads around the building are closed and crowds are huge, so arrive in the afternoon. On rainy days or when the clouds are low, the view from the observatory is limited, so check the official website for the weather first.

Taipei 101

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