Some readers emailed me asking about where I went shopping in Taipei and whether there was clothes worth getting. To be honest, I didn’t really buy that much in Taipei on this trip however my sister bought tons so it really depends on what sort of clothes you are looking for. The season which you go is also crucial.
There are so many places and choices for shopping in Taipei. We did some shopping in Xi Men Ding but that was also because our hotel was in the heart of that area so it was the most convenient. If you are looking more for the boutiques and departmental stores, you can go to Xinyi Planning District to shop at Taipei 101 and other shopping malls in that area. Alternatively, you could go to the area around the intersection of Zhongxiao and Dunhua South roads where SOGO can be found.
If you are looking for cheap wholesale type clothings such as those you come across on blogshops and online Taiwan sellers, you should take a little trip down to Wu Fen Pu. Just that the Metro to Hou Shan Pi Station or a train to Songshan station.
You can get cheap trendy clothes at this Wu Fen Pu wholesaler market. The quality of the clothes are reasonable for the cheap price but the fashion can be a little young. I did manage to buy some lovely Korean imported clothes though price-wise they aren’t as cheap as the rest. The Korean clothes have much better quality in my opinion.
Generally the shops open after noon and will stay open till 11pm or midnight. Try to avoid Mondays because that’s the busiest day with huge wholesale transactions going on. Since they do wholesales, you can expect things to be cheaper and easier to bargain when you buy 3 pieces and above. So it is a good place to shop with girlfriends or other female family members.
Other than clothes, they have shoes, accessories and bags. The place is so huge we couldn’t really finishing looking at all the shops. You can also walk to the nearby Raohe Street Night Market for some yummy food after all that shopping.
I only brought my DSLR on this Taiwan trip so for most of the days that we went shopping I didn’t bring my camera out with me. I figured there wasn’t that much to take in and I didn’t want to carry extra weight when I’m planning to carry my new purchases!