Of course you really shouldn’t miss visiting Taipei 101 if you’re in Taiwan. It’s iconic to the city and part of the experience of visiting this country. Plus, the MRT will conveniently drop you off right in front of it!! (find out what other fun things you can do and see off the Red Line here)
Now the $600NT ticket is little more spendy then most of the Taipei sites. But it’s not really expensive for what you get, its just that we get spoiled here in Taipei where museums and historic monuments frequently cost $5 or less. Anyways, just pay for it. After all, only does it let you go way up to an insanely high look out, you also get to ride a crazy fast elevator to get there!
Oh but PRO TIP: the Guinness World Record breaking high-speed elevator actually starts on the
5th floor, which is also where you buy your tickets. There are enough signs and helpful people that you, like us, would eventually figure that out. But it will save you a brief moment of confusion if you know that in advance!
Also just FYI you don’t get go up to the very tip top. But do you get to go up as far as the 91st story where there is an outdoor lookout deck. And really, at that point its SOOO tall I don’t know if I’d even notice the extra 10 stories.
The Coral Gem Museum/Ritzy Souvenier shop
On the way back down you go through an interesting half museum/half store? Honestly, I’m not quite sure what it is. Like a museum, it had lot of informational display and signs that explain the history of coral gemstone carvings and jewelry. And I just cant imagine that all of it was for sale. But there was a lot for sale. I had never heard of or seen coral gemstones before and the pieces were breathtaking!
But I also had mixed feeling about its sale. I really appreciated both the natural beauty of 
the huge coral pieces preserved in their natural form and the art & history of the elaborate, intricate carvings. But on the other hand I was uncertain about the idea of harvesting coral today. Signs there are clearly bent on making you appreciate and feel good about buying coral gemstone products. But afterwards when I read about it on my own, I found very mixed opinions on this topic. So for my part, I was glad I didn’t buy a necklace or earrings. But I did love seeing the historic pieces preserved and celebrated. So I was delighted with the museum aspect! It was a really nice surprise way to top off the tour!
*Oh I was checking guide to Taipei online to make sure I’d remembered everything correctly and discovered this crazy bit of trivia! There is an annual race that ends at Taipei 101. But no, not at the bottom of Taipei 101, It ends at the top of 101!! Runners climb 2,046 stairs to cross the finish line at the 91st floor observatory. I might collapse just thinking about it.