TaipeiRoyal InnThreading signals through quiet alleys in the morning light
The Taipei Metro Operations Control Center (OCC) is the nerve center for the city’s rapid transit system. Operating around the clock, it continuously monitors train movements throughout the year. In the morning, dedicated personnel will guide visitors into this restricted core area, offering a firsthand look at key operations such as train dispatching, signal switching, power management, and emergency response.
The OCC’s semi-circular layout features a central command console surrounded by radially arranged workstations, each dedicated to a specific metro line. Inside the spacious, quiet room, each person remains intently focused on the screens before them, monitoring every movement beneath the city. The guided tour allows visitors to understand how the metro system relies on technical specialization and real-time collaboration to maintain the safety of millions of commuters.
Visitors can head to Chifeng Street for a stroll after the guided tour. This area, once known for its auto parts businesses, now features a new streetscape with old houses that have been repurposed to serve new roles. From the coffee aroma wafting in the alleyway to the local gazetteers and cultural exhibits found in nearby bookstores, every brick tells a story of how residents and creators have responded to the transformation of the neighborhood.
From underground dispatching to alleyway craftsmanship, the city gradually awakens in the morning light.
Stay, and see how the city begins its day
Dawn inside the room, streets awakening outside —
the journey starts here.
Threading signals through quiet alleys in the morning light
Enter the secret world of the Taipei MRT Operations Control Center, guiding the city’s daily flow
A dedicated guide will take visitors into the Taipei Metro OCC for a firsthand look at train dispatch and real-time monitoring — offering a glimpse into the nonstop rhythm of the city’s underground operations. Afterward, they can take a stroll along Chifeng Street, where vintage buildings now house bookstores, curated boutiques, and thoughtfully renovated spaces. From underground dispatching to alleyway craftsmanship, visitors can appreciate the dual facets of Taipei at dawn.
-
Guided Tour of the Taipei Metro OCC
Visit the OCC — typically off-limits to the public — for an exclusive look into how metro trains are dispatched, managed, and how emergency situations are handled.
-
Chifeng Street Walk with a Local Guide
Walk through Chifeng Street’s alleys and heritage homes with a local community leader, who will share insights into the neighborhood’s transformation and daily life.
-
Explore Curated Shops in the Alleyways
Discover independent bookstores and vintage boutiques along Chifeng Street, where modern creativity finds new life within historic architecture.
-
Exclusive Royal Experience
Local guides lead the way — limited tours to step into the city’s awakening moments.
- One-night accommodation for two, with breakfast｜Curated guided tours｜Fixed departure date
- Visit the Taipei Metro OCC – By reservation only. Step inside the hidden control hub of the city’s underground transportation network.
- Discover Chifeng Street – Join a guided walk with a local community leader to explore thoughtfully restored heritage homes and experience the culture woven into the neighborhood’s alleys.
-
Royal Explorer Accommodation Package
Choose the right day, and let the journey unfold from here.
- One-night stay for two guests with breakfast｜Flexible departure date
- Includes two complimentary 24-hour Taipei Metro Passes — explore the city with no limits.
- Just a 5–10-minute walk to the nearest MRT station, seamlessly connecting your urban journey.
The first words of awakening are spoken by them
We walk the awakening route of the plan and witness the city’s true opening scene.
Behind the Scenes at Taipei Metro OCC
The Taipei Metro Operations Control Center (OCC) is the nerve center of the city’s rapid transit system — operating 24/7 to monitor train activity across the network.
In this exclusive morning visit, authorized personnel will guide you into this typically restricted area, offering a firsthand look at the real-time operations behind train dispatching, signal switching, and emergency response.
Local Guide｜Chen Jing-Yun , Village Chief of Guangneng, Chifeng Street
As creative industries move in, old houses are restored, and the population shifts, the neighborhood has grown increasingly vibrant. Yet beneath this liveliness lie quiet uncertainties — and the risk of cultural and social disconnect.
Chen Jing-Yun, a professional photographer and local village chief, has chosen to shape the neighborhood’s future through active community engagement.
She has not only initiated urban renewal proposals, but also organized neighborhood events, launched local publications, and built a tightly connected community network — all to strengthen the bonds between residents.
She believes that true impact goes beyond visible signs — it’s about creating a place where people can build lasting roots and meaningful connections. For her, this street is not just a photogenic backdrop for visitors, but a genuine living environment where everyday life can thrive.
Step by step, you encounter the awakening landscapes
As you walk through the morning, these places emerge naturally — a dialogue extended by the city.
-
Chifeng Street
From Blacksmith Alley to Creative Enclave
Nestled between Zhongshan and Shuanglian, Chifeng Street was once known as “Blacksmith Street” — a hub for metalwork and hardware parts. In its early days, the area thrived on industrial demand from the nearby Dadaocheng Wharf and the bustling Nanxi commercial district.
After the war, as the harbor silted up and trade waned, Chifeng Street gradually shifted from blacksmithing to the auto parts business. The alleyway houses were rebuilt into mixed-use apartments — storefronts on the ground floor, homes above — a layout that soon became typical across Taipei.
In recent years, creative studios, curated boutiques, and cultural shops have quietly moved in, breathing new life into the old buildings. Chifeng Street has not been transformed by large-scale redevelopment, but has grown organically — following the grain of its original structure. It remains one of the rare alley neighborhoods in Taipei that still holds onto its industrial past, architectural character, and the lived-in texture of everyday life.Accessible via MRT Zhongshan Station, Exit 4
-
Zhongshan Linear Park
A quiet green seam between the layers of the city
As the morning light gently casts across the linear park, it touches the still-closed storefronts beneath the arcades. This quiet green corridor was once part of the old Tamsui Line railway. Below, the underground book street rests beneath a canopy of trees, scattered benches, and soft footsteps overhead. The city seems to wake layer by layer — one quiet story at a time.
As you walk along, you’ll pass still-closed design shops — their façades, windowsills, and even small stickers quietly reflect the city’s character. In the morning calm, the street invites you to slow down and observe how the city unfolds, gently and unhurriedly.MRT Zhongshan Station, Exit 4
-
Kimotsi Bookstore
Side Portraits of an Island, Between the Shelves
Named Kimotsi, after a plains indigenous village during the Dutch colonial era, this bookstore is a quiet yet rich space devoted to the history and culture of Taiwan. From the wooden storefront to the shelves, seating, and bar, the interior exudes a calm elegance — inviting visitors to slow down and explore.
Kimotsi offers a carefully curated selection of titles: ancient texts, local gazetteers, maps, photography books, and contemporary writings — each tracing a subtle contour of the island’s story.
Beyond books, the store also serves hand-brewed coffee, desserts, and alcohol. Occasional talks and exhibitions turn this space into more than a bookstore — it becomes a gathering point for reading, conversation, and quiet moments of pause.1F, No. 5, Lane 41, Chifeng Street, Datong District, Taipei
-
EWF Vintage
Let time flow — and clothes live on
EWF stands for Everything Will Flow, a song by Suede that inspired the owner. It’s not about chasing nostalgia, but about honoring the passing of time — like a garment that may no longer be new, but should never be forgotten too soon.
Here you’ll find vintage pieces from Europe and Japan, each chosen for its cut, fabric, and quiet detail. Before reaching the racks, every item is carefully cleaned, pressed, and cared for — a quiet ritual of renewal, letting clothing return to daily life to be worn, felt, and lived in again.No. 3, Lane 49, Chifeng Street, Datong District, Taipei
-
Espace Rouge
Traces of Lead Type and Paper
Once home to Zhiwen Bookbinding, founded in 1956, Espace Rouge still holds the tools of its past: lead type plates, thread-sewing machines, and a manual hot stamping press. The bookbinding process that once repeated day after day now quietly lingers — its rhythm replaced by stillness, its tools turned into silent witnesses of time.
Transformed from an old house, the space now hosts exhibitions, curated objects, and talks. Through texture, light, and shadow, the curator hopes to preserve the warmth of paper and the craftsmanship of print — inviting visitors to rediscover how art flows alongside everyday life.No. 24, Lane 49, Chifeng Street, Datong District, Taipei
These scenes reveal how the morning city unfolds
From the moment light falls, the streets slowly awaken —
it is the moment of encountering the city’s awakening.
Choose a path, and set out from the city’s morning
These routes seek neither novelty nor distance —
only to bring you closer to the city’s true beginning.
