Taipei Pub Crawls
Taipei's nightlife runs on two tracks. Ximending is the shopping district that keeps going after dark: street food, outdoor bars, the cinema complex, and a dense concentration of cheap drinks at venues aimed at students and tourists. It's accessible, not particularly interesting, and exactly the right place to start a night. Xinyi, east of the city centre, is the upmarket alternative: the W Hotel rooftop, ATT 4 Fun's bar floors, and the cluster of clubs around Taipei 101. Between them, the Da'an and Zhongzheng districts have wine bars and cocktail places that are neither cheap nor trying to be Xinyi.
All Pub Crawls in Taipei
The Taipei Nightlife Scene
Taipei's nightlife runs on two tracks. Ximending is the shopping district that keeps going after dark: street food, outdoor bars, the cinema complex, and a dense concentration of cheap drinks at venues aimed at students and tourists. It's accessible, not particularly interesting, and exactly the right place to start a night. Xinyi, east of the city centre, is the upmarket alternative: the W Hotel rooftop, ATT 4 Fun's bar floors, and the cluster of clubs around Taipei 101. Between them, the Da'an and Zhongzheng districts have wine bars and cocktail places that are neither cheap nor trying to be Xinyi.
What You'll Pay
Beer at a Ximending bar: NT$150–250. Cocktails in Xinyi: NT$300–500. Club entry at Taipei's main clubs (Omni, Triangle) is NT$400–600 and sometimes includes a drink. Convenience store beer is NT$50–80 and drinking outside is not illegal, which is relevant to how Ximending crowds actually function on weekend nights. A Xinyi evening with two cocktails and club entry is NT$1,000–1,500 per person.
Best Nights
Xinyi clubs run Friday and Saturday; Thursday brings a reduced crowd and sometimes cheaper entry. Ximending is worth doing on a Friday before 11pm then moving east. Da'an's cocktail bars are best on Thursday and Friday when the Taipei creative scene is out — the same people who Instagram the cocktails and actually know the bartenders. Avoid Sunday in most districts; Monday–Wednesday is genuinely quiet.
Practical
Taipei MRT runs until midnight. Add thirty minutes on Friday and Saturday on the main Tamsui–Xinyi line. After midnight, Uber and local taxis work well; Ximending to Xinyi is fifteen minutes and NT$150–200 by taxi. The iPass or EasyCard (same card, different name) covers MRT, buses, and U-bike (the city's bike-share). Card payments are accepted at most Xinyi venues; Ximending bars prefer cash. No strict dress codes citywide, though Omni and the higher-end Xinyi clubs operate smart casual.