In 2004, Taipei 101 (formerly known as Taipei World Financial Centre) was declared the tallest building in the world. 101 floors high, it stands above the rest of the buildings in Taiwan’s capital, and, pollution depending, can be visible for miles.
Taipei 101 lost it’s ‘tallest building’ crown to the Burj Khalifa, Dubai in 2009, and as of 2023, Taipei 101 is ranked as the 11th tallest building on earth, but it’s still well worth a visit!
Several years ago, I visited Taipei on a budget (shock). I only had 2 days to explore the city and wanted to hit all the ‘MUST SEE’ places. After doing some research, I found that Taipei 101 made most Top 10 lists and in many cases was the #1 thing to see/do in Taipei.
Taipei has an efficient subway system that covers the main areas of the city. To get to Taipei 101, simply get off at the conveniently named ‘Taipei 101‘ stop – It’s that easy!
The building itself is immensely impressive and looks like a giant pagoda, you can’t miss it.
As you enter the building you’ll notice the bottom floors are mostly occupied by food courts, shops, and crowds of tourists. The real spectacle is on the 89th floor: the 360degree Observation Deck.
Initially I was put off by the admission price to go up to the top (12/11/2016 – NT$600), but, after learning that you are taken there in the worlds fastest elevator, I pulled out my wallet.
The view from the observation deck really is incredible. It gives you a panoramic view of the city and allows you to see so much you couldn’t from the ground.
In addition to the spectacular views, you can also look at and learn about an enormous pendulum (the tuned mass damper) that stops the building from swaying. It’s quite the sight!
I always love visiting some of the tallest buildings in different cities (e.g. Tokyo Skytree and the KL tower), the birds-eye view you get always leaves me temporarily speechless and can be appreciated at both day and night.
Admittedly, this is a short experience and quite expensive, but it is worth it.
 If you are in Taipei, don’t leave Taipei 101 off your list!
If you’re heading to Taiwan, you can’t go wrong with this travel guide –
tefltravelling 
Did u have coffee at Taipei 101 starbucks?
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Yes 🙂
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Is the rest of Taipei not worth seeing?
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Of course! I’ll cover it in a later post! 🙂
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I also love view from above and get on observation decks every time I can. I have not yet visite Taipei thus my favourite so far is the TV tower in Barcelona, Spain. I don’t know how talk it is but it’s place on the top of the tibidabo hill thus the view is very wide. I’ll put Taipei tower in my Bucket list and thanks for sharing
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Thanks for commenting. I’ll have to check out Barcelona.
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