EasyCard. Buy one at any MRT station machine or at a 7-Eleven, FamilyMart, Hi-Life or OK Mart for NT$100; the card fee is not refundable, the balance on it is. Top up at the same places. It is cheaper than single-journey tokens on the MRT, works on every bus with a discount when you transfer within an hour, and pays at Taipei 101, the gondola and any convenience store till.
YouBike. The YouBike 2.0 app’s main sign-up wants a Taiwan cell phone number. Without one, choose Single Rental and bind a credit card or Apple Pay; a NT$3,000 hold is taken and released on return. The rate is NT$10 per 30 minutes for the first four hours, and Taipei City refunds NT$10 on each ride, so a short hop is close to free. From 2026 you must tick the injury insurance to rent.
The MRT rules. Nothing is eaten, drunk or chewed past the yellow line at the gates, and water counts; the fine is NT$1,500 to NT$7,500 and it is enforced. Dark blue priority seats stay empty unless you need one. Stand on the right of the escalator, walk on the left.
Night markets. Stalls light up around 5 p.m. and run towards midnight; Shilin, Raohe and Ningxia are the big three. Go at 6 p.m. before the crush, eat savory first (pepper buns, oyster omelette, stinky tofu) and dessert last. Most stalls now take EasyCard or LINE Pay but not credit cards. Keep every receipt: the number on it enters a lottery drawn every two months.
7-Eleven. The stores are open 24 hours. The ibon kiosk sells train and concert tickets, the till pays utility bills and top-ups, and larger branches will hold a suitcase for a fee.
Taipei 101 and the museums. The observatory is NT$600 (NT$980 with the open-air 101st floor), 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily; book the slot that starts 45 minutes before sunset and you get both skylines. The National Palace Museum is NT$350, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., closed Monday except a handful of announced dates; under-18s go free. The Maokong gondola at the end of the brown line takes EasyCard, closes most Mondays for maintenance, and stops in strong wind or lightning.
Weather and money. Typhoon season runs July to October; when the city announces a work and school closure, the MRT runs but museums, stores and the gondola shut for the day. Cards work in department stores and chains, not at stalls or small restaurants.
Before you land. Load NT$500 onto the card at the airport. Put the Taipei 101 slot in Waystop with its date, and the museum’s closed day too: the hours check flags a Monday museum. Finish your water before the gates.