10 Best Shopping Streets in Taipei

Looking for new consumer electronics in Taipei? Guanghua Digital Plaza, located in the Zhongzheng District of Taipei, is a major shopping mall where locals go to purchase their latest gadgets. Guanghua Digital Plaza was originally a market for second-hand books, but gradually evolved into an electronics market. It has become the most important distribution center for electronics in Taipei, where visitors can find all kinds of electronic components, computer products and audiovisual equipment.

Guanghua Digital Plaza has been extensively redeveloped and has a brand-new shopping mall with numerous electronics retailers selling a wide range of brands. Due to intense competition, you will find the same product being sold at different prices in different stores. Make sure to shop around to get your favorite goods at the best prices.

Jiangguo Flower Market is a rare urban oasis in the busy city of Taipei, located right under the overpass of Jianguo South Road. It is a parking lot on weekdays and is cleared to make way for the market at weekends. There are stalls selling flowers and potted plants covering an area stretching between Renai Road and Xinyi Road. Many horticultural experts and florists come here to sell flowers and potted plants.

The whole market is a sea of green and vivid color, giving urbanites the illusion of being among nature. Many of the sellers here are horticultural experts. Customers can ask them for planting tips when buying some lush green plants to take home. The Taipei weekend Jade Market, between Renai Road and Jinan Road, is a shopping paradise for lovers of jade and jewels.

Ximending is where the Taipei youth source their coolest and latest products from small but hip brand shops. Ximending became a well-known entertainment and business area during Japanese rule and has many movie theaters and entertainment venues. Ximending now has a pedestrian zone, where you'll find many fashionable clothing stores, movie theaters, restaurants and hotels.

Huge crowds of young people gather here every weekend, lending the area a youthful vibrancy. If fashion is your passion, whether Japanese, Korean or American, you'll find it all in Ximending. The best way to experience Ximending is by strolling down the alleys to discover trendy items as well as fashionable and easy-to-match apparel.

Gongguan District is adjacent to National Taiwan University and has many shops that cater to students, selling a range of literary and artistic items at reasonable prices. Gongguan District lies at the intersections of Roosevelt Road, Tingjhou Road, and Hsin Sheng South Road. Nearby are numerous bookstores, affordable shopping malls, student-friendly restaurants, movie theaters, and opticians. It's simply a shopping paradise geared towards students.

Gongguan District has a large number of stores selling sporting goods ranging from training shoes to functional sportswear. You can find official outlets of well-known sports brands along Hsin Sheng South Road, which also sell out-of-season sporting goods at attractive discount prices.

Xinyi District was redeveloped from the 44th Arsenal after many years of urban renewal planning to become a prosperous shopping district in Taipei. It's now scattered with major department stores and boutiques. If you prefer shopping at department stores, visiting Xinyi District when traveling in Taipei is a must.

There are brands from Taiwan and all over the world, ranging from beauty-care products and European-style accessories to personalized cultural and creative items. You can walk through all the department stores here through connecting aerial bridges, including Breeze Xin Yi, Breeze Nan Shan, Eslite Xinyi Store, Taipei 101, and Shin Kong Mitsukoshi Department Store.

Camera Street near Taipei Station offers a range of both professional and common photographic equipment at affordable prices. You can compare prices and shop for compatible gear here. Camera Street is located around Bo'ai Road and Hankou Street and is filled with a variety of camera shops. It's still the first choice for many Taipei locals for sourcing their new cameras even at a time when online shopping prevails.

This is because many of the camera shop owners are professional photographers familiar with the specifications, technologies, and latest trends in photographic equipment. You can learn a lot about photography from them while shopping on Camera Street. Since there are many shops here, always compare prices across several shops before settling on the one that appeals to you most.

Zhongxiao Dunhua, called "East District" by Taipei locals, is at the intersection of Zhongxiao East and Dunhua South roads. It's a shopping paradise that's set among nearby streets and alleys. The 2 roads are the main traffic arteries in Taipei, which turned the area into a busy shopping street that's now lined with large department stores and crowded with visitors. After the opening of Taipei Mass Rapid Transit, Zhongxiao Dunhua has become even more accessible, with not only shopping malls at street level but also a booming growth of underground shopping malls.

Zhongxiao Dunhua includes the Zhongxiao store, Fuxing store, and Dunhua store of Pacific SOGO Department Store, which is an important shopping landmark in Taipei. Besides large department stores, you'll also find flagship stores of famous brands, individual street fashion stores and boutiques, as well as affordable chain stores featuring international brands.

Don't miss Tianmu Market Place when traveling in Taipei, especially if you're fond of local flea markets. Tianmu Market Place is located in the open space at the intersection of Zhongshan North Road Section 7 and Tianmu West/East Road in Shilin District of Taipei.

Open from Friday to Sunday evening, Tianmu Market Place includes creative markets and second-hand flea markets, ideal for visitors looking for affordable pre-loved apparel. Tianmu Market Place attracts many Taipei locals who set up stalls for their used fashion items. You can bargain hard with them score affordable prices. You can also chat with them and learn more about their unique goods.

Wu Feng Pu is the main wholesale center of ready-to-wear clothes in Taipei, located next to Songshan Station in Songshan District. It has developed into a shopping district with items coming from Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Thailand, and Mainland China and which are sold at low prices, often attracting wholesale buyers.

The stores in Wu Feng Pu are spread along many small streets and alleys and are packed with fashionable clothing items. It is the first choice when shopping for inexpensive clothing items in Taipei. Bargaining is a must.

Shilin Night Market in Shilin District of Taipei is the most popular night market in the city. Packed with clothing stores, the night market lights up at night and booms with the shouting of sellers. It attracts both visitors and locals. The clothing stores in Shilin Night Market focus on youth fashion, the latest in street trends, as well as sporting goods.

You can buy here a full outfit from hats to shoes, including the latest Japanese and Korean apparel, items imported from Europe and America, and easy-to-match training shoes. You can choose trendy wear that is regularly imported from South Korea and Japan, without worrying that you may wear the same outfit as others because the import volume isn't large.