Things to Do Alone in Taipei (Plan Around Monday)

Taipei is easy to do alone if you plan it by the day of the week. A tea-hill gondola, the National Taiwan Museum and the Taipei Fine Arts Museum are all closed on Mondays, while the outdoor grounds of two former factories stay open around the clock and night markets run every evening. Match each day to the right kind of place and the rest is just walking.

Checked 2026-11-01 against official sites.

Monday: the quiet day on the calendar

Check the weekday before you pick a destination. The Maokong Gondola is closed on Mondays for maintenance, except national holidays and (as the operator words it) the first and third Mondays from October to March. The National Taiwan Museum is closed on Mondays and open Tuesday to Sunday, and the Taipei Fine Arts Museum is closed on Mondays too. Sources are on each venue below. The sensible Monday plan is outdoors: the two factory parks in the next section, or the night markets after dark.

Old factories, new rooms

Two Taipei parks turn industrial buildings into places to browse, sit and wander, and both have outdoor areas you can enter at any hour.

Songshan Cultural and Creative Park (Xinyi). Built in 1937 as the Songshan Tobacco Factory, it was listed as a municipal historic site in 2001 and opened as a park on 15 November 2011. The outdoor space is open from 00:00 to 23:59 and the interior spaces from 9:00 to 18:00. From the MRT Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hall Station, take Exit 5, walk north 100 metres and turn right onto Songyan Avenue, about 7 minutes. The park address is 133 Guangfu South Road (Songshan Cultural and Creative Park).
Huashan 1914 Creative Park (Zhongzheng). The park calls itself a flagship hub for creative industries. Its outdoor areas are open 24 hours, while other hours depend on event and store announcements; the service desk runs 09:30 to 21:00. It is about 3 minutes' walk from Exit 1 of MRT Zhongxiao Xinsheng Station (Blue and Orange lines), at No. 1, Section 1, Bade Road (Huashan 1914, About, Getting here).

Both are good for a first solo wander because browsing needs no plan and nobody expects you to talk. For more on starting small, see what to do alone in a new city.

Up to the tea hills on the Maokong Gondola

The Maokong Gondola runs from Taipei Zoo Station via Zhinan Temple Station to Maokong Station. Hours are 9:00 to 21:00 on weekdays and 9:00 to 22:00 on holidays. Operations can change with weather and events (Maokong Gondola: hours).

Maokong Circular Tea Trail. From Maokong Station turn left, follow Lane 38 of Section 3, Zhinan Road toward Tianen Temple, and you reach the Tea Promotion Center in about 15 minutes. The Taipei City Government's engineering office linked several tracks to make the tea-themed circular trail (Maokong Gondola: Maokong Station).
Zhinan Temple. At No. 115 Wanshou Road, honouring Master Lu Dungbin, with Confucian, Taoist and Buddhist elements; the gondola site calls it one of the most revered temples in Taiwan (Maokong Gondola: Zhinan Temple).
Taipei Zoo. At the gondola's first station, listed as open 09:00 to 17:00 with ticket sales until 16:00 (gondola site page from January 2024, so confirm) (Maokong Gondola: Taipei Zoo).

Yangmingshan by bus

In August 2026, Taipei's Parks and Street Lights Office suggested taking public transport to Yangmingshan for an easy mountain day. At Qianshan Park, next to the bus terminal, a stream runs under Shamao Bridge into Yangmingshan Lake, where long andesite benches face the water and Penglai Island. From there a trail joins a pedestrian-vehicle separated path in Yangmingshan Park, and further on is Xiaoyin Tan Waterfall with a pavilion. The Office warns that rocks around the waterfall and stream are damp and slippery year-round, so stay on the trail or in the pavilions, keep a safe distance from the stream and watch your step (Parks and Street Lights Office).

Museums with set days

National Taiwan Museum (Zhongzheng). The Main Building is open Tuesday to Sunday, 9:30 am to 5 pm, with the ticket booth closing at 4:30 pm. It is closed on Mondays and on the eve and first day of the Lunar New Year, and open on national and consecutive holidays. A regular ticket is listed at NT$30, valid also for the Natural History Branch. The Nanmen Branch park is open daily 6 am to 10 pm, while its exhibition hall follows the Tuesday to Sunday hours (Main Building, Natural History Branch, Nanmen Branch).
Taipei Fine Arts Museum (Zhongshan). The museum's Chinese-language page lists Monday closed, Tuesday to Friday and Sunday 09:30 to 17:30, and Saturday 09:30 to 20:30, at 181 Zhongshan North Road, Section 3. On Saturday evenings everything is open except the Wang Da-hong Architecture Theater. Backpacks and bags over 40 x 30 x 20 cm go to the lobby storage service (Taipei Fine Arts Museum).

After dark: night markets and a view

Shilin Night Market (Shilin). The Taiwan Tourism Administration lists it daily 17:00 to 24:00 and calls it one of the largest in Taipei, centred on Yangming Theater and Cixian Temple. Shilin Market dates to 1899. Foods named on the page include a large pancake enfolding a small pancake, hot pot on stone and Shilin sausage. MRT Jiantan Station is 171 metres away (Taiwan Tourism Administration: Shilin).
Raohe Street Tourist Night Market (Songshan). A 600-metre street set up by the city in 1987, the second tourist night market in Taipei, with a decorated archway at the entrance and Songshan Railway Station nearby. One street in one direction is an easy first night market alone (Taiwan Tourism Administration: Raohe).
Taipei 101 Observatory (Xinyi). On the 89th floor, 382 metres up, listed open 10:00 to 21:00 (Taipei 101 lists the same hours on weekdays and weekends). Check ticket details on the site first (Taipei 101).

Getting around alone

The EasyCard is a stored-value card listed by its operator as usable on the MRT, buses, Taiwan Railway, Taiwan High Speed Rail, taxis, ferries and public bicycles, and there is a mobile version (EasyCard: scope of use). Fares and card options change, so check the EasyCard site before you buy.

First solo outings

Easy: Walk the outdoor grounds of Songshan or Huashan 1914 on a Monday.
Medium: Saturday at the Taipei Fine Arts Museum, staying until 20:30, then Raohe's 600 metres of market.
Bold: Take the Maokong Gondola from Zoo Station on a weekday, walk the Circular Tea Trail, and ride back down before the 21:00 close.

Solo Era for iPhone

Practise noticing the place

Solo Era has a solitude mission at level 1: "Do a listening walk with a notebook." The Yangmingshan stream and lakeside paths are a natural setting for the idea. Free to download. A subscription is required to start missions. Prices and any free trial are shown in the app and depend on the offer and eligibility.

More cities are in the cities hub. For other Asian cities, see Seoul, Tokyo and Singapore, and for trip planning read first solo trip tips.

Details change; check the venue before you go.

FAQ

Is the Maokong Gondola open on Mondays?

Usually not. The operator says it is closed on Mondays for maintenance except national holidays and the first and third Mondays from October to March. It also closes on Lunar New Year's Eve, and hours can change for weather or events.

Is Shilin Night Market open every night?

The Taiwan Tourism Administration lists Shilin as open daily from 17:00 to 24:00.

Is Songshan Cultural and Creative Park open at night?

The outdoor space is listed as open from 00:00 to 23:59, while the interior spaces are open 9:00 to 18:00.

Which museum stays open late in Taipei?

The Taipei Fine Arts Museum is listed open until 20:30 on Saturdays. On other open days it closes at 17:30.

Can I get to Yangmingshan without a car?

Yes. Taipei's Parks and Street Lights Office recommends going by public transport and notes that Qianshan Park sits next to the bus terminal.

Sources (checked 2026-11-01)