Taipei 101 Tower is a super high skyscraper in Taiwan. It was the tallest green building in the world (2004 to 2010) until Burj Khalifa in Dubai took over. Currently, Taipei 101 stands out to be the eighth tallest building in the world and the fifth tallest in Asia.
The tower of Taipei 101 symbolizes a stalk of bamboo reaching out into the sky to connect heaven and earth. The tower rises in a succession of eight-storey modules in the form of a Chinese pagoda with each module having a mechanical floor at its apex to accommodate trash systems, air circulation apparatus, and water storage.
The roof and facade of the building accommodate a water recycling system that meets approximately 20 to 30% of the building’s water requirements. This makes the building to be remarked as a green building.
Taipei 101 is the super skyscraper of Taiwan. Photography by Jennifer Teo
Taipei 101: An Overview
| Location |
| Xinyi District, Taipei, Taiwan |
| Height |
| 1667 feet or 508 meters |
| Total Number of Floors |
| 101 and 5 basement levels |
| Visiting Hours |
| 9 am–10 pm daily.
Last entry is at 9:15 pm. |
How to Reach Taipei 101 from Zhongli district?
To reach Taipei 101 from Zhongli, start from the Zhongli station and take a train to Taipei Main Station. From Taipei Main Station, take an MRT at Tamsui-Xinyi Line (Red Line) to the Taipei 101/World Trade Center. After you reach, take exit 3.
Voila! There you reach your dream destination.
Before you enter the tower don’t miss out on clicking pictures with the beautiful LOVE sculpture. The entrance of the building hosts the visitors with an amazing ambience and many kinds of stuff on display to enthral your visit. The best of all is a self-playing piano.
The giant love sculpture at Taipei 101. Photography by Ghiyeon
Floor directory of Taipei 101
Although this sky-high tower has 101 floors, the visitors are allowed to visit till 91st floor. From Taipei 101 the visitors can enjoy the panoramic view of the city from an indoor deck at 89th and from an outdoor deck at 91st floor as well.
In addition to 101 floors, Taipei 101 also hosts 5 basement levels from 1F to 5F. Floor 1F to 5F has a variety of stores having a variety of fashion and watch brands, lifestyle boutiques, Taiwan Fashion brands and handicrafts, Skincare and world brand Flagship stores. There is an amazing Food court serving Taiwan cuisines you can drool upon. The visitors enter the observatory from 5F.
Taipei 101 showcases some of the world’s best global brands. Photography by Lynn Heap
Taipei 101: Important Floors for First Time Visitors
| 5F |
| Entrance to Observatory/ Ticket Counter |
| 89th Floor |
| Indoor Observatory |
| 91st Floor |
| Outdoor Observatory |
| 88th Floor |
| Exit |
| B1 |
| Food Court |
The view from each floor of Taipei 101 is just splendid. Photography by Liou Kuan
Ticket Counter and the High-speed Elevator
You have to buy the tickets for the observatory from 5F.
| General ticket price | Price for students having valid ID |
| NT$ 600 | NT$ 540 |
Children under 115 cm can visit free of cost.
After you buy the tickets, you will have to stand in a queue and wait for your turn to take the high-speed elevator to the observatory on the 89th floor travelling at 1,010 meters/min. It takes only 37 seconds to reach the 89th floor from the 5th floor.
The ticket counter. Photography by Ngoc Anh Nguyen
Inside Indoor Observatory at 89th Floor
The 89th floor gives you an alluring 360-degree panoramic view of the entire city. There are stores where you can buy various souvenirs from Taiwan. There you can enjoy various flavoured cookies and cakes.
There is a telescope placed in one of the corners of the floor from where you can enjoy the best part of your visit to Taiwan. You have to insert a coin of NT$ 10 and you can enjoy the cityscape using the telescope.
The splendid view from the 89th floor of Taipei 101. Photography by Nazgalang
Visiting the Outdoor Observatory at 91st Floor
After you finish exploring the inside observatory on the 89th floor you have to climb up the staircase to reach the outdoor observatory. Hurrah! There you go exploring the panoramic view of the enchanting city and enjoying some splendid moments at the top of the world. But watch out for the strong winds!
91st floor also hosts the visitors with a small theatre showcasing the story of the construction of Taipei 101 and displays the annual New Year’s fireworks as well. 91st floor is open for visitors only on days having favourable weather conditions.
Visitors exit the observatory in the high-speed elevator from the 88th floor.
Exploring the 88th Floor
After exploring the observatory, you will have to get down to the 88th floor using the staircase. The corridor is designed to exhibit the enchanting natural beauty of the country by offering an alluring 270-degree view of renowned picturesque locations in Taiwan. The floor has one more surprise to enthral you. Yes! It’s the super big Wind Damper. It’s a 5.5-meter diameter, 660-ton weight engineering prodigy suspended from the 92nd to the 87th floor of the tower. This pendulum sways to offset the movements in the building caused by the sturdy force of wind and assists the tower to stand upright.
They have designed a cartoon figure of the Damper in four versions: “Rich Gold”, “Cool Black”, “Smart Silver”, and “Lucky Red” which is sold in Taipei 101 gift shops as souvenirs. This figurine is now a popular local icon and you can click photos with all of them at Taipei 101.
You can also explore the Treasury Sky, a collection of unique and highly expensive jewel crafts and sculptures made of precious stones.
The best time to visit Taipei 101 observatories is during the late afternoon so that you can witness the day as well as the nighttime exotic scenic views from the tower. From 6:00 to 10:00 at night, Taipei 101 brightens up with glorious lights of seven colours in the spectrum. The bright yellow glow of light from the zenith of the tower features Taipei 101 as a candle safeguarding the epitomes of liberty and welcome.
The superwind damper. Photography by Bio Mion
Exploring the Food Court
After exploring the scenic beauty of the city, it’s obligatory to taste the cuisines as well. No worries!! Get into the High-speed elevator that will take you down to B1 where you can enjoy delicious delicacies you can drool upon. If you are fond of experiencing an authentic Taiwanese dinner, you better visit the renowned Din Tai Fung restaurant and order the most popular food xiaolongbao!
But I preferred having my lunch at Singa Chicken Rice restaurant. I ordered a plate of Boiled rice, fried chicken with soya sauce dipping and soup. To my great surprise, the food was really delicious and I personally recommend this restaurant. Well, you can enjoy delicious food at an amazing ambience at the Food Court of Taipei 101 and return with a content heart.
Enjoy lip-smacking snacks and dishes at the food court inside Taipei 101. Photography by Chandra Chakroborty
Plan a trip to Taiwan soon and visit Taipei 101 for a complete exotic experience.
Happy wayfaring 🙂
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Chandra Chakraborty is a freelance Web designer and a content developer. She is also an Educator on her own YouTube Channel “SC Erudition”. Born and brought up in the land of the Taj Mahal, she is an enthusiastic traveller, always keen to visit new places and come across different cultures and traditions. Being a foodie, she never misses a chance to enjoy authentic cuisines whenever she visits a new place.
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