Taipei

thumb|400px|An evening in Taipei from Elephant Mountain in 2017. In 1884, Liu Mingchuan, the Qing dynasty governor of Taiwan, moved the prefectural capital to Taipei.

As officials arrived and government buildings were constructed, the city began to transform from a quiet market town. When Taiwan became a province in 1887, Taipei was named its capital and continued to hold that status.

thumb|280px|Taoyuan Airport arrival hall * | url= | email= | address= | lat=25.0798 | long=121.2338 | directions= | phone= | tollfree= | fax= | hours= | price= | wikipedia=Taoyuan International Airport | image=CKS airport-oliv.jpg | wikidata=Q44856 | content=The primary international airport of Taipei. The airport is about 30 km from the city and freeway buses ply the route, picking up and dropping off passengers at most of the five-star hotels.

They also stop at the Taipei Main Station and the smaller Songshan Airport. There are bus services connecting the airport to nearby cities and Taichung in central Taiwan.

thumb|300px|Taipei MRT Taipei City has a very clean, efficient and safe Mass Rapid Transit system known most commonly as the MRT, but also called Metro Taipei ( ). Fares are between NT$20 and NT$65 for one-way trips around town.

It has been widely lauded as one of the most reliable and efficient systems in the world, and is often cited as a gold standard to which Metro systems around the world should aspire to. Stations are clearly identified in English as well as Chinese.

Taipei is one of the safest cities you will ever visit, and violent crime is extremely rare. Most people, including female travellers, will not encounter any problems roaming the streets alone at night.

However, while not as rampant as in major European cities, pickpockets operate in crowded areas, so you should be vigilant of your belongings, particularly in night markets. Homeless people tend to congregate near Taipei Main Station.