If you want to escape the big city that is Taipei and see something else for a change, if that is the ocean, trees or some lanterns and a big night market, there are plenty of options for a one day trip either around Taipei or a little further from Taipei.
Nangang Shan Hiking Trail An obvious choice for a short half to one day trip is taking one of the many hiking trails connected to elephant mountain. A nice one is the Nangang Shan hiking tail. If you’re staying in Gongguan you can take the MRT to Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center and a bus towards Academia Sinica. From there the trail is easily accessible on foot. The entrance of the trail is located here and is the very typical taiwanese well paved path with a lot of stairs. There are a couple of very nice viewpoints on the way as well as places of worth ship. One of the highlights is the 九五 peak with a very nice view onto Taipei city. Following the many trails, a map is located here, you can either visit some other temples or just head straight to the probably crowded elephant mountain to take some pictures with Taipei 101 and take the MRT from Xiangshan Station back home.
Zhongyongshan Trail and suspension bridge Another very nice and more of a full day hiking trip in close vicinity of the city is a result of multiple hiking trails close to Dahu park. After leaving the MRT at Dahu Park Station just cross the street and follow the road to Dagouxi Waterfront Park. From there you can hike all the way up to Fengbishan Yuanjue Temple, be aware of snakes!, where you can listen to the religious chants of monks all day long while overviewing the city of Taipei. From there it is easy to get to the suspension bridge and the Bishanyan temple where you can get some snacks at the shop or if you’re lucky even some food, like stinky tofu, downstairs right after the big parking lot. From there on depending on your fitness and time on your hand you can either circle back or take the long route further up the mountain alle the way to the point where the hiking trail merges with the street again, here. And then the next trail to the view point at Lunjianting. If you time it right you can end up here viewing the sunset over Taipei. After a full day of hiking you can take the brown MRT line back home.
Jiufen & Keelung A very popular day trip is the one going to Jiufen, the little town which is supposed to be the inspiration of the movie Spirited Away, although I have to confess I can’t really see it. Getting there is rather easy with one little difficulty, finding the right bus stop. There are many ways to get to Jiufen, we chose to take the MRT to Songshan Station and take a bus from there. The right bus station is located in the half circle here. Just watch out for the buss arriving which says Jiufen on the display outside. From there on just lay back and enjoy the amazing view outside until you arrive at Jiufen old street. If the weather is nice you can opt to go a couple of stops further and visit the golden waterfalls and waterfront before going to the crowded old street of Juifen. If you’re done exploring the street food stalls and had your time in a tee house and still feel hungry you can take the bus from Jiufen to Keelung and visit the well known Keelung night market. Busses to Taipei leave just in front of the central station of Keelung.
Fulong Beach If the weather is nice and hot and if you want to go to the beach Fulong beach is a nice way to leave Taipei city for a day and enjoy some quiet time a the ocean. Getting there is rather easy just take the train from Taipei Main station and enjoy the rather long ride. After arriving in Fulong you leave the train station and walk to the beach which can be a little difficult to find at first. The surprise is that you have to pay to get to the beach, if you’re not willing to do so you can also walk a couple of blocks up or down the street and enter the beach from there. The next surprise is that you’re only allowed to enter the water in a designated area which is marked with ropes. If you’re entering the water at a different place be prepared to get yelled at in Chinese by the lifeguards. Dressing rooms, showers and toilets are located at the premises. Almost everywhere in Fulong you can get those Lunch boxes which are perfect for a day at the beach.
Yangmingshan National Park Take the MRT to Jiantan Station and take the bus R5 just outside of the metro station. Once you arrive in the parking lot of yangmingshan you can get the last meal before hiking up the mountain (you might need every food you can get). Getting up the mountain is pretty straight forward just follow one of the many ways up but be prepared it can be a very strenuous hike especially in humid conditions. Unfortunately we had many clouds covering the view at the top, better make sure before hiking up how the visibility is going to be otherwise all the hiking was for nothing. You can hike back taking a different trail via the Visitor Center to get some drinks, ice cream or little snacks to eat. Busses transporting you through the park to the entrance, where you can switch to busses going to Taipei, also leave here.
Travel but different 
