Xinyi

Shimmering land of big business

Tipple of choice: Sip on cocktails and enjoy live jazz at Brown Sugar, or dance at the clubs and bars near Taipei 101.
Noteworthy for: Home to Taipei 101, this was once the tallest building in the world and is still home to the world's fastest elevators. Zip to the top for magnificent views of Taipei.

Xinyi district and to its east, Songshan district, are the newest and most modern parts of Taipei. Home to Taipei's City Hall, Xinyi has been constructed as the business centre for the island with the world's major banks and businesses renting out office space in the towering high rises and iconic Taipei 101.
Big business has also brought posh apartments occupied by the affluent, who frequent the magnificent malls, five-star hotels like the W and Le Meridien and notable nightlife venues like Brown Sugar. Xinyi's wide boulevards and fancy storefronts are reminiscent of other large Asian cities, such as Hong Kong and Singapore.

Head further east and the non-descript Songshan district is still undergoing a similar facelift. Of note is the SongShan International Airport and the arena, which hosts the city's major concerts and sporting events, but otherwise the area is not heavily trafficked by visitors.