Visiting Taipei in the month of May didn’t go quite like I expect. I thought for sure it was going to be steamy hot (and rainy), but it ended up being a little bit of everything.
I packed an umbrella and light clothes for a tropical climate. I never ended up using the umbrella. The thin clothing wasn’t enough to keep me warm in the early mornings and late evenings. And why the hell didn’t I bring sunscreen?
What you can expect when visiting Taipei in the month of May
The last time I visited Taipei was in February 2017 during the Chinese / Lunar New Year. It was a completely different experience from my most recent trip in May of 2024. This time I learned:
Temperature swings can be fairly significant
Remember: Taiwan isn’t exactly South Asia, but it’s not North Asia either. It gets downright chilly in the winter, and straight up tropical in the summertime.
It’s going to be fairly warm during the daytime in the month of May. Humid too. It can still get fairly chilly in the evenings that time of year.
My recommendation: pack mostly summer clothes, with a heavy shirt or two mixed in so that you’re ready for anything.
Crowds in all the tourist spots will be fairly light
The first time I visited the Taipei 101 Observatory back in 2017 (during the New Year holiday), I had to wait an hour and a half in line.
On my most recent visit (in early May), there was no waiting. I simply walked up to the ticket counter, made my purchase, and hopped directly on the next elevator to the top.
I also saw a significant fewer number of Western tourists on the streets compared to last time.
It’ll be super easy to get a nice hotel room
I was shocked at how easy it was to get into a nice hotel room right in the middle of the city. And it wasn’t all that expensive either!
I made my hotel reservations approximately 2 months before departure. Nearly every room type at every hotel that I looked at was available.
Construction. Everywhere.
I’m totally guessing about this, but my assumption is that the spring and the fall is when they do most construction in Taipei. It’s not as hot as the summer months, and much warmer than the winter months.
I lost count of the number of times that I nearly killed myself tripping over rebar or falling into an open trench. Long story short: pay attention!