Daytime Dihua Street belongs to dry goods and tourists. When the shutters drop around six, the other crowd arrives — Dadaocheng runs Taipei's best night for walking.
Act one: wharf sunset
Start at Dadaocheng Wharf: the sun drops over the Tamsui River behind the container market. Beer in hand at the embankment — the city's best-value opening scene.
Act two: the lit shophouses
Walk back into Dihua Street after dark — crowds gone, baroque facades lit, medicine-shop scent still in the air. Twenty free minutes of the district at its best.
Act three: sit down in an old house
On the Datong bar list, Nanjing W. Rd leads: Mikkeller Taipei pours Danish craft inside the old town, WOWFFIZI and First One run bistro menus in heritage rooms — cocktails NT$300s, craft NT$200s. GALERIE handles a proper dinner.
Closing
Walk to MRT Beimen or Daqiaotou; a late massage waits on the Datong list. Cab or MRT after drinks — this old town is for walking, not driving. Full picture at the Datong guide.