The best things to do on a Taipei layover, from stinky tofu and tea to ships and shopping

The international airport serving Taipei is expanding to go toe-to-toe with some of Asia’s most favoured transit hubs.

While Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport is already a popular stopover point for people travelling between North America and Southeast Asia, it does not boast the wealth of shops or cafes seen at terminals in Hong Kong or Kuala Lumpur. Taoyuan also sits 40 minutes from the city of Taipei. Still, a wily layover-traveller can see a bit of Taiwan. Here’s how:

Three hours: tour the airport

This gap between flights leaves too little time to leave the airport. Even taking the new airport metro into the surrounding Taoyuan city would be cutting it too close if you consider the time it takes to clear immigration and security for a connecting flight. Lines at the airport vary from a trickle to a crowd that snakes down halls and around pillars.

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Instead, try spending these hours in the airport itself for a mini Taiwan tour. Convenience stores in both terminals give a taste of real life in Taiwan, where citizens use mini marts to get food, drinks, stationery supplies and health care goods. Try a stiff Americano or tea latte along with Taiwan’s adaptation of Japan’s bento box.

A flight leaving from Terminal 2 lets you tour Taiwan just before take-off. Some gates are decorated with tourist highlights such as a replica of the train that runs through the mountainous region of Alishan. A hut used by indigenous Austronesians graces the waiting area of another gate, while Hello Kitty theme rooms charm children in the airport’s check-in hall and near the C gates.

While in Terminal 2, look for a store that stays open until 11pm, selling hand-woven objects, wine bottle covers and clothing in the fashion of Taiwan’s indigenous people.