Exploring Taipei City
If you are a first-time visitor to Taipei, chances are you’ll be surprised by the breadth of experiences on offer in this city—ranging from astonishing warmth and hospitality of the locals to the surprising treasure of ancient structures, temples, museum, and lots of other attractions. Taipei, known for its gleaming skyscrapers and world-class infrastructure, is also one of the food capitals of the world. The city lies in the Taipei Basin in the northern part of Taiwan, and is home to over 2.5 million people.
Tourism has played an important part in economic growth of Taipei. The city boasts some of the most beautiful and architecturally rich Buddhist and Taoist temples of the country, all demonstrating influences of southern Chinese architectural styles. For party animals and fun-loving tourists, Taipei offers its world-class nightclubs, bars, pubs, cafés, restaurants, and shopping markets, all filled with energy and crowds—simply an experience to cherish for years to come.
2-28 Peace Park
2-28 Peace Park is one of the most famous landmarks of Taipei city. The park was originally known as Taipei Park, but the name was changed to 2-28 Peace Park in memory of thousands of people who lost their lives here on 28 February 1947 when government forces attacked the people who were demonstrating at this place. Today this park features beautifully crafted arched bridges, a memorial hall, an octagonal pavilion, and an open-air theatre.
National Museum of History
Established in 1955, the National Museum of History is known for its interesting collection of artifacts. Bronze artifacts exhibited in the museum were found during excavation work in Huixian, Henan, and other provinces. Tricolor pottery and green glazed wares are among the most interesting items to watch in this museum.
Longshan Temple
Longshan Temple is an architecturally rich temple dating back to early 18th century and located on Guangzhou Street. Immigrants from Fujian province constructed this temple. The best features of the temple are bronze dragon pillars in central and front halls, the wooden carvings and the inscriptions on the walls.
Huaxi Street Night Market
Huaxi Street Night Market or Snake Alley is the place where you can enjoy traditional Chinese delicacies and seafood. This food alley features several restaurants built in Chinese architectural style. This street is also a perfect spot to enjoy foot massaging at any of the several massage shops.
Water Park
Located at Shuiyuan Street in Gongguan district, this water park is the perfect place to enjoy fun-filled recreational water activities in Taipei. You can find here various theme-based sections. Flower garden with lots of water games is a favorite among the children.
The Museum of Drinking Water, housed in a historic pumping station, offers a glimpse into Taipei’s past. The station is near one of the city’s water sources, near the Xindian River off Siyuan Street. The Baroque-style structure was built in 1908, and some of the original equipment is still on display. The station was designated a national grade-three historic site, and it reopened in April 2000 as a museum. Aside from its educational value, the museum serves as a classical backdrop for many local TV commercials. It is also a popular location for bridal portraits.
Confucius Temple
Located on Dalong Street and dating back to 1875, the Confucius Temple was constructed as a replica of the Confucian temples of Chufu. Over the past 130 years, the temple has been damaged many times during war period, however, after each destruction, it was reconstructed by the locals. The best time to visit the temple is on 28th September every year when dance and music events are organized in the temple.
Taipei Fine Arts Museum
Fine Arts Museum, located on Zhongshan N Road, Sector-3, is a place where every art lover would like to go. The museum was established to promote the modern art in Taiwan. You can watch here an interesting and large collection of painting, earthenware, sculptures, and other artwork.
Taipei 101
Taipei 101 is a skyscraper in Taipei, Taiwan. It was the world’s tallest building for five years, from 2004 to 2009, until it was surpassed by the current tallest building, Burj Khalifa.
Measuring about 508 m in height, this building was once the tallest building of the world. Located on Shifu Road and designed by C.Y. Lee, Taipei 101 features 101 floors in total and serves as the Financial Center of the country. The wing section of this building has shopping markets, while the tower section houses all company offices.
The observatory on Taipei 101 is regarded as the best opportunity to enjoy Taipei’s night view, and it has become one of the city’s most popular tourist attractions. Taipei 101 is currently the only skyscraper in the world with rooftop concerts; many singers and bands have performed on the 91st floor’s open-air terrace.
National Palace Museum
Located on Zhishan Road, Sector 2 in Taipei Cit, the National Palace Museum with its vast collection of artifacts is among the top museums in the world and an ideal place for history buffs. Among the 700,000 artifacts that are on display here, the most interesting are those belonging to prehistoric China, including ceramic work, bronze items, painting and pottery items.
This vast collections contains treasures in painting, calligraphy, statuary, bronzes, lacquerware, ceramics, jade, and religious objects, and is home to the world’s largest and arguably finest collection of Chinese art. Some of the most popular items, such as the renowned Jadeite Cabbage, are always on display.
Taipei Sea World
Located on Jihe Road, the Taipei Sea World is perfect place to watch the marine life without a need to go deep inside the sea. The underwater tunnel in this museum gives you an opportunity to view nearly 80 varieties of sea life. Over a dozen thematic tanks in the museum exhibit nearly 2000 fishes, including shark, stingray and other colorful varieties.
Museum of World Religions
Located near Department Store in Yonghe area, this museum aims to promote peace and harmony in the world. The exhibits in the museum give the message of creating a society where all humans have respect and tolerance for other religions and cultures on earth.
The “Avatamsaka World” at the exhibit aims to create a sacred space in the celestial skies; the “Great Hall of World Religions” serves to showcase the spirit of every major religion; and the miniature religious buildings aim to recreate the facade and interior furnishings of famous religious buildings and use the latest mini camera technology to give visitors a close-up view. The “Hall of Life’s Journey” displays customs associated with the five stages of a person’s life. The “Wonderland of Love” children’s exhibition includes a premier children’s education hall devoted to life education.
Taipei Zoo
Spread in an area of 182 hectares in Wenshan district, this is the biggest zoo in Asia. The zoo came into existence in 1986 and has many enclosed as well as open-air sections exhibiting different species of animal and bird life. Flying fox, Koala, Asiatic bears and different species of reptiles and birds are among the top attractions of this zoo.
Apart from these tourist spots, other famous attractions that you should never miss on your tour to Taipei City include Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall, Chang Foundation Museum, Children’s Transportation Museum, Hsiahai City God Temple, Taipei Story House, Discovery Center of Taipei, and Martyr’s Shrine.
Accommodation Options in Taipei
Taipei offers a wide array of accommodation options ranging from luxury resorts and five star hotels to mid-range guesthouses, budget hotels, and inns. Most five-star hotels are located in the heart of the city, and offer best, world-class facilities to their visitors. Budget and mid-range options are easily available in the Old Town Center, Da’an & Shida, and Zhongshan areas.
Getting to Taipei
Taipei is located about 344 km from Kaohsiung City. CKS International Airport, about 50 km from Taipei, receives flights from all major European and Asian cities. The SongShan Airport serves as the domestic airport, lying just a few minutes drive away from downtown. One can also get to Taipei city using bus or taxi service that are available from all nearby counties. High-speed underground railway is another good option to reach Taipei from other part of the country.
Best Time to Visit
The period from September to November is the best time to visit Taipei. The dry, pleasant weather during these autumn months makes it best period for traveling. November to January is the winter period, while April and May are spring months. Many tourists also visit Taipei during action-packed Lantern Festival (January/February) to watch the spectacular view of thousands of paper lanterns floating in the sky during the nighttime.