Guides · Cycling in Taiwan
First Meal at Songshan Airport｜Raohe Night Market Is Not Walkable
Songshan Airport is close to central Taipei. Raohe Night Market is about three kilometres away, too far to walk, and out of the question with a bike box and luggage. The market as a whole does not open until 17:00, so anyone landing at midday needs another plan for a first meal. This guide lays out the times, the distance and the Google ratings of the stalls, including famous ones that only score in the threes. Data checked on Google Maps, 8 August 2026.
From Songshan Airport to Raohe Night Market
Songshan Airport and Raohe Night Market are about three kilometres apart, roughly ten minutes by metro or taxi. With a bike box and bags, those three kilometres are not a walk.
By metro, take the Wenhu Line from Songshan Airport station and change to the Songshan Line for Songshan station. Leave by Exit 5 and walk about fifty metres towards Cih-You Temple to reach the market entrance. By train, take Taiwan Railway to Songshan station, leave by the north exit and turn right.
With a bike box the transfer is awkward, and carrying a bicycle on the Taipei Metro is subject to specific rules, so check them before you travel. A support vehicle can take rider, bike and luggage to the door in one trip, with no juggling three large items at an interchange.
The market opens at 17:00, so what if you land at noon?
Raohe Night Market runs along Raohe Street between Bade Road Section 4 and Fuyuan Street in Songshan District, about six hundred metres end to end, open daily from 17:00 to 23:00. Walking the length takes around an hour and a half; with queueing and eating, allow two to three hours.
If you land at midday or in the afternoon, the market will not be open for a first meal, but Dongfahao will. It opens at 08:30 and trades through to midnight, one of the few long-standing shops here not bound by night-market hours.
If you land in the evening, avoid the peak. On a Saturday Dongfahao runs at 92% at 18:00, 100% at 19:00 and 94% at 21:00, and Fuzhou Shizu Pepper Buns hits 93% at 18:00 and 100% at 19:00. Around seven is the fullest. Fresh off a flight and hauling luggage, you are better off going after 20:30.
Two long-standing stalls and their Google ratings
Every stall in this guide has long-established or Bib Gourmand status but a Google rating below 4.0, and the scores are listed as they are.
Ratings for famous Taiwanese night-market stalls mostly sit between 3.5 and 4.0, and tourist reviews often mention queue times and prices. A low score does not mean the food is bad, but you should know what you are queueing for.
- Dongfahao oily rice and thin noodles (No. 143, Raohe St). Open 08:30-00:00, seven days a week, under NT$200 per person. Google rating 3.5 from 3,528 reviews. A century-old shop selling only oily rice, thin noodle soup and pork thick soup. It is open from half past eight in the morning until midnight, one of the few all-day options here.
- Fuzhou Shizu Pepper Buns (Raohe St). Open 15:30-23:30, seven days a week, under NT$200 per person. Google rating 3.7 from 2,666 reviews. A Michelin Bib Gourmand listing and the stall most often named as a must-queue, where waiting thirty minutes or more at weekends is common.
- Chen Dong Herbal Pork Ribs is another Bib Gourmand stall, but two attempts to retrieve its hours and rating returned nothing, so it is not recommended here. Confirm for yourself before you go.
What a support vehicle can arrange at Songshan
A bike box, a suitcase and a person going three kilometres with a metro interchange makes for a tiring stretch.
After landing, the support vehicle takes rider, bike and luggage in one go to the accommodation or near the market, so there is no transfer and no carrying. On the way back it can take the bags first, so you walk the market empty-handed and get in afterwards. Assembling or boxing a bike needs flat space and time, which is easier next to a vehicle than in a terminal or a metro station.
Restaurant and night-market stops are not a fixed part of the service, but you can ask for them while planning.
Vegetarian, halal and other dietary limits
Raohe is a meat-led night market, so travellers with dietary restrictions should go in expecting that.
For vegetarians, there are some vegetable and dessert stalls in the market, but both Dongfahao and Fuzhou Shizu are meat-based. Taipei has plenty of vegetarian restaurants, so leave the market to your companions and find a vegetarian place separately.
For halal food, no stall in Raohe holds halal certification. Both the pepper buns and the oily rice contain pork, and fryers are often shared. Travellers who need halal food should find a certified restaurant elsewhere in Taipei rather than build the market into the plan.
On allergens, shared woks and shared oil are common at night-market stalls, so cross-contamination is hard to avoid. If your allergy is severe, treat it as high risk.
FAQ
Can I walk from Songshan Airport to Raohe Night Market?
No. They are about three kilometres apart, so take the metro or a taxi, roughly ten minutes. With a bike box and luggage, walking is out of the question.
What time does Raohe Night Market open?
The market runs daily from 17:00 to 23:00. It is about six hundred metres long; walking it takes around an hour and a half, and with queueing and eating you should allow two to three hours.
I land at midday, so what is open nearby?
Dongfahao opens at 08:30 and trades until midnight, one of the few options here not tied to night-market hours. Most other stalls only start opening after 15:30.
Why are the recommended stalls rated only in the threes?
Every stall here has century-old or Bib Gourmand status but is rated below 4.0 on Google. Ratings for famous Taiwanese night-market stalls mostly fall between 3.5 and 4.0, and tourist reviews often mention queue times and prices. We show the scores as found and let you judge.
When is it least busy?
Avoid around seven in the evening. On a Saturday, Dongfahao is 100% busy at 19:00 and 94% at 21:00, and Fuzhou Shizu hits 100% at 19:00. Fresh off a flight with luggage, go after 20:30.
Sources
Rules and road conditions change, so always check the official announcements before you travel.
Related guides
- Getting from Taoyuan Airport to the Ten-Day Traverse Start Line in Kaohsiung
- Flying a Bike from Korea to Taiwan, Baggage Rules and What It Actually Costs
- Bring Your Bike to Taiwan｜Airline Baggage Rules
Elsewhere in the ecosystem
- siokiu · Group RidesTaiwanese for "let's go together", where local riders post routes and gather for weekend rides
Need a support vehicle?
Tell us your plan and we will suggest an option based on group size, bike count, and days.