If you’re in Taipei City and like shopping at a deep discount, then Wufengpu (or Wufenpu) should be on your itinerary.
Wufengpu is a neighborhood located in the Xinyi District that boasts endless streets and alleys packed with more than 1000 small shops selling inexpensive street fashions. It’s approximately 5-10 walk away from MRT Houshanpi Station and Roche Night Market.
I can’t recommend Wufengpu enough for bargain shoppers. I wish I had more time to peruse the neighborhood, but we decided to go there on our last day in Taipei, so we were under a time crunch.
So, how much time should one allot for Wufenpu? That all depends on how much you enjoy shopping and scanning racks to find bargains. I love shopping at outlets and sales, so the approximately 1.5 hours that I had wasn’t enough to take my time. I could have easily spent another hour or so navigating the fashion alleyways. And that’s just for the men’s stores that were outnumbered by women’s stores 4-1.
The fashion neighborhood can be overwhelming, but for those that are patient, you can walk out with some crazy finds. Wufenpu serves up wholesale prices that individual consumers can take advantage of. Even in my limited time there, I found multiple items that I couldn’t believe how much I was paying for them.
Most items are priced at 500 TWD ($16) or less, but most stores have even more deeply discounted items on racks at the front of the store; this is where I found a t-shirt and a couple sweaters for 100 TWD EACH ($3.50). It’s not unusual to find items priced this low.
And unlike Hong Kong, where the amount you pay always correlates with the quality of the clothing, I would say that the pieces I found in Wufengpu were of decent quality. Outside of a jacket, the clothing’s material didn’t feel cheap and the construction solid.
Bargain hunters: if your schedule allows, do your shopping in Wufenpu early in your trip, preferably before visiting any of the malls or night markets. For someone that likes shopping and loves a good bargain, Wufenpu is one of the best shopping experiences I’ve had.
