One of Taipei’s most iconic buildings located in Ximending, the Red House is a beautiful old building that has served many purposes over the years since it opened in 1908.
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From awesome artisan crafts to pop-up shops and cute cafes, there are many things to do at the Red House.
Whilst shopping heaven in the daytime, Red House reinvents itself at night with an array of LBGTQ+ bars opening in the courtyard.
From crafts to clothing, bars to brownies, here is our ultimate guide to Red House Taipei.
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How to get to Red House
Located in Ximen, the nearest MRT station to Red House is Ximen MRT – exit 1. Take the blue line (Bannan) to get here.
From Taipei Main Station to Red House / Ximending MRT, it is only a 2 minute journey on the Metro.
Alternatively, take the bus to Ximen Market Station and walk – bus number 18, 1503, 221, 232, 235, 257, 513, 621. 635, 637, 640, 663, 783, 799 and 835.
Also check Google Maps or the official Go! Taipei Metro app to see which is the quickest and best route for you.
Taiwanderers Tip
Grab a Taiwan EasyCard as a convenient way to use buses and public transport in Taipei and across Taiwan). They can be easily topped up at stations and convenience stores.
Read more about how to use a Taiwan EasyCard, including how to top up >
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The history of Red House in Taipei
Erected in 1908 by Japanese architect Kondo Juro, the Red House was the first purpose-built market building in Taiwan built by the Government.
The Red House has a distinctive design entrance in an octagonal shape (‘Bagua’), as a sign of welcoming guests from all over the world.
Over the years, the Red House has been everything from a cinema (1960s), theatre (1940s and 50s), tea shop and ‘storytelling saloon’ as well as the original market.
In the late 1990s, the Red House Movie Theater closed down and much of the building burned down in 2000.
After much painstaking restoration work, the Red House was reborn in 2007 and now welcomes hundreds of thousands of visitors a year.
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Red House opening hours in Taipei
Ximending’s Red House is open from 11am to 8pm Tuesday to Thursday, 11am to 9pm on Friday and Sunday and 11am to 10pm on Saturday.
Please note Red House is closed on Mondays (as are many of Taipei’s museums and attractions). Opening times are correct as of summer 2024.
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The Red House today
Taipei’s Red House today is now best known for two floors of shopping, full of craft stalls, independent design shops plus cute and quirky gifts like the wooden toys of Wooderful Life (which has branches across Taiwan including a ‘museum’ at nearby Huashan 1914 Creative Park).
As you enter the octagonal entrance, there is also a rather useful Taipei Tourist Information center with a few leaflets and maps, plus some free toilets (always handy in Ximending, where toilet facilities are limited).
Note: that as of our last visit to the Red House in Ximending in early 2024, there were no signs of any theatre performances and the upper level is now pop-up shops.
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Shopping
Obviously you are spoilt for choice with places to go shopping in Taipei for cute and unique gifts – there are lots of such shops in trendy Taipei neighbourhoods like Yongkang or Zhongshan.
The stalls at the Red House change every few months to keep it fresh and the second floor seems to have smaller independent craft stores, artist galleries plus random selfie galleries.
Some of the shops at Red House on our last 2024 visit included:
Wooderful Life – Wooden toys and music box (including some Disney collaborations)
Mori Shu – cute souvenirs and Kawaii style fashions
Taiwanize – Bright fashions and youth fashions; kind of like Superdry, Taiwan style
Memory In – Taiwan inspired gifts and stationery
There were also a couple of food and drink stalls trying to sell us Taiwanese tea and the like.
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Ximen Red Brick House outdoor market
On our most recent trip to Taipei in spring 2024, we discovered an outdoor Red House Market that seemed to open on a Monday afternoon, when the Red House itself is closed.
We can’t find anything about it online (and there were no signs up) so it might be pop-up – so you never know what you find at the Red House.
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Red House LBGTQ+ bars / Taipei’s gay scene
In the evenings, as the Red House shuts its shops, the action switches to behind the Red House to some of Ximending’s best bars and nightlife, plus Taipei’s LBGTQ+ hot-spot.
Around the back of the Red House, you’ll find around a dozen pubs, clubs and bars plus another couple more hidden away on the upper level.
The Red House bars and clubs in Ximending are renowned as Taipei’s main gay area and LBGTQ+ friendly neighborhood.
All of the bars around Red House have very late opening hours, (very) Happy Hour drinks prices plus themed outdoor terraces and tropical gardens with neon signs.
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Some of the most popular LGBTQ+ Red House bars in this part of Ximending include The Secret Garden, Paradise and Café Dalida, and The Secret Garden (all open until 2am). Whilst sleepy in the daytime, this part of Red House comes alive at night.
The Red House Taipei LGBTQ+ bar scene in Ximending is fun and safe to explore in the evenings. Taiwan is one of the most progressive Asian countries, same-sex marriage between citizens became legal in Taiwan on 24 May 2019, the first country in Asia to do so.
To celebrate this, at the main intersection near to the Red House, one of Ximending’s most colourful spots is the Rainbow Six Crossing (by the No.6 exit of Ximen MRT Station).
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Our final thing to do – Mr Brownie
Are these the best chocolate brownies in Taipei? Just across from the main Red House entrance, there is a tiny cafe and dessert shop called Mr Brownie.
They bake loads of delicious brownie flavours like mojito brownies or matcha brownies plus often have mystery brownies – just take all our money now!
Prices at Mr Brownie by Red House cost from 45 NTD to 60 NTD per brownie (around £1.50) as of 2024 so very good value.
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Red Brick House address
No. 10號, Chengdu Road, Wanhua District, Taipei City, Taiwan 108
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