Shop Until You Drop in the Xinyi Shopping District

Perfect For

Shopping
Restaurants
Bars and Clubs
Walking

Overview

If you want to spend the whole day shopping, by far the best area to visit is the Xinyi shopping district next to Taipei 101.

The Xinyi Shopping District has the highest density of shopping malls in the world, now with no less than 14 malls.

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Map
Malls
Food & Drink
Entertainment
Opening Hours

Additionally, there’s no shortage of restaurants, bars and clubs in the district. It is however one of the most expensive places to shop and dine in Taipei, although there are still bargains to be had.

I have been here dozens of times, and I still get lost. It can be quite daunting if you don’t know your way around, which is why I decided to write this guide.

You can choose your starting point from either the south, at the Taipei 101 MRT station (red line) or the north, at the City Hall MRT station (blue line).

There are walkways above or below ground connecting the entire 1km area, and most of it is pedestrianised.

The best time to visit the Xinyi Shopping District is during a weekend evening, as it’s a lot more vibrant and there are loads of street performers. Also, the district looks beautiful when it is lit up.

Bellavita Mall

Map

Xinyi Shopping Malls

The shopping malls located in the Xinyi shopping district are (from South to North):

Mall	Floors	Food Hall	Features	Shops	Location
Taipei 101 **	6	B1	Din Tai Fung VAT Refund Desk	High-end Mid-range	here
Breeze Nanshi **	12	B1 & B2	Outdoor Terrace VR Ride Sky restaurants on 46F – 48F	Original Shops	here
ATT for Fun *	10	2F	Cinema VR Nightclubs	Youth	here
NEO 19	5	–	Nightclubs Cigar Bar	Sports	here
Shin Kong A9	11	–	Tax Refund Desk on B1	High-end	here
Shin Kong A11 *	8	B2	Tesla Legacy Max	Mixture	here
Shin Kong A13	9	–	Din Tai Fung Nice dining area on 3F	Mixture	here
Breeze Songgao	6	–	NBA Store	Sports Fashion	here
Shin Kong A8	9	B2	Slide Kids area on roof	Mixture Kids	here
Bellavita *	5	B2	Lux mall	Designer	here
Shin Kong A4	8	B2	Din Tai Fung	Mixture	here
Eslite **	8	B2	Bookstore	Books Music Gifts	here
Breeze Xinyi	8	–	Sky restaurants on 45F – 47F	Homewear Mixture	here
Uni-UStyle	6	B2	Outdoor Area on 2F Starbucks flagship store	Mixture	here

* Recommended; ** Essential

Click here to find out more about the Essential malls

Some malls also have Tax Refund Desks which can be used to claim 5% back on purchases over NT$2,000.

Probably the only store not located inside a mall is Apple‘s new ultra-modern flagship store.

Apple Store Xinyi — Click to read about Apple’s Store

Click here for my full guide on the Ximending Shopping District

Food & Drink

Most of the malls have their own food courts (see table above), and there are restaurants, cafes and bars found inside the malls – a few with outdoor seating.

Food Courts are a good choice if you’re not sure what to eat or if you’re on a budget. You’ll mainly find Asian food in these, but they’re cheap and usually a good standard.

The Taipei 101, Eslite and Shin Kong A11 food malls are my personal favourites, although the Bellavita mall also has some great places (albeit slightly more expensive).

The most recent mall to open in December 2019, the Shin Kong A13 also has a nice dining area on 3F.

If you want to try some Taiwanese food, then I would recommend going to Din Tai Fung, the world renowned restaurant chain.

There are now three located in this area – one in the basement of the Taipei 101 mall, and the other 2 located inside the Shin Kong Mitsukoshi A4 & A13 malls. These branches are usually less busy than the 101 branch.

If you’re here early and looking for some breakfast/brunch, look no further than The Diner – one of the best breakfast spots in Taipei, located within the ATT For Fun mall.

If you’re in need of something to cool you down, then Ice Monster serves traditional Taiwanese shaved ice desserts.

Click an image to read about each

Many restaurant chains can be found here, including Jamie’s Italian, Miacucina, Gordon Biersch, TGI Fridays and Texas Roadhouse.

Click an image to take you to that post

A large cluster of restaurants can be found near the ATT for Fun mall, some with outdoor seating including Lobster Foods, which also serves a great pint of Guinness.

If you want to try an authentic English afternoon tea, look no further than Smith & Hsu, found on the 6th floor of the northern-most Breeze mall.

Smith and Hsu — Click here to read about Smith & Hsu

Or if you prefer a nice refreshing Taiwanese ale outside, then Landmark Taihu a great option, otherwise Tap Bistro Zhangmen offers fantastic views of Taipei 101 from a rooftop.

Click image to read about both

Frank is a club that has a great rooftop bar. This can be found on 10F of ATT for Fun, although it has a dress code and does get very busy at weekends.

Entertainment

If you’ve not visited it, then the Taipei 101 Observation Deck has spectacular views. If possible, try to time your visit an hour before sunset.

If you’re travelling with kids, then the ATT for Fun mall is the best place to take them. Found within is Vie Show, is one of the best cinemas in Taipei. Most of the shops here are also aimed at kids and teenagers, plus there’s VR+ room found on the first floor towards the east and an arcade near the food hall on 2F.

There’s another virtual reality ride of sorts found in the southern Breeze Centre. i-Ride Taipei is a fantastic 5D experience that takes you on a journey over Taiwan or the USA.

There are also a few street performers and artists situated around Xinyi Shopping District, and if you’re visiting over the weekend there are many markets and other promotional events.

In the centre of the district is the Xiangti Avenue Plaza. There will often be a stage erected here over the weekend, where they’ll be live musical performances or even events like B-Boy competitions.

The Xinyi Shopping District is a great place to shop and dine, with plenty of things to keep most people happy, it’s also one of the best areas to visit while it’s raining as you can explore most of the area without exposing yourself to the elements.

Since there are so many shopping malls, it never feels overcrowded like areas such as Ximending, although you may need to queue for popular restaurants.