Taipei offers an abundance of attractions for visitors to enjoy. From beautiful temples to an expansive Ferris wheel, this city can keep visitors busy all day and night long!
The National Palace Museum resembles the Prado with a collection of ancient Chinese imperial art, while Xia Hai City God Temple offers over 600 statues representing folk deities for matchmaking purposes – drawing young singles seeking love to pray there for luck! Travel connections are widely available, including Kuala Lumpur to Taipei through Cathay Pacific flights.
National Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hall
Dr Sun Yat-Sen was a revered national icon who played an essential role in overthrowing Qing Dynasty and creating the Republic of China. Known as “Father of the Nation”, Dr. Sun is honored on Taiwan’s 100-dollar bills as a mark of respect to this influential leader; additionally, visitors can visit his National Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hall to gain more knowledge about Taiwanese history and culture.
At the entrance to the Memorial Hall lies a life-sized statue of Sun Yat-sen, and every hour there is a formal changing of guards in front of it – worth seeing! Within, visitors can learn more about Dr Sun through exhibits. His accomplishments and relationships with key adherents of his revolution are displayed on the first floor, his relationships with key revolutionaries on the second, while on the third, there is a gallery housing books on revolutionary movements such as Mao Zedong’s are explored further through exhibits on each level – worth seeing as part of Dr Sun’s biography!
Outside the hall is a large park where visitors can stroll and view traditional Chinese architecture, as well as many restaurants and shops nearby. Nearby Ximending provides plenty of shopping, dining and nightlife activities to keep visitors occupied day and night.
Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hall is an exquisite building featuring a magnificent assembly hall, gardens and exquisite historical walls. At its top resides royal blue glazed tiles based on its original patterns; throughout its history this structure has been renovated and restored multiple times, becoming one of the top tourist spots in Taipei.
The memorial consists of more than just its main hall; it also contains a library, lecture room and exhibition center. Chung-shan Park hosts this complex; there’s also an exhibition and performance area around Lake Cui (Chinese:; pinyin: Cui Hu) or Emerald Pond nearby.
At night, the memorial hall becomes even more striking when illuminated, offering stunning beauty while teaching visitors about Taiwanese history and culture.
Huashan 1914 Creative Park
Huashan 1914 Creative Park is one of Taipei’s more eccentric tourist spots, originally an abandoned brewery that has since been renovated and turned into an art space, complete with galleries, bookstores and restaurants – as well as events and street performances held regularly throughout weekends.
If the idea of museums but their stuffiness are turning you off, this place might just be what you need! Imagine what an ordinary museum would look like under the care of a skateboarding, social media savvy graffiti artist!
The park features two main sections, with a small area in front and larger park space at the back. The small section contains galleries and bookstores; in contrast, its larger park counterpart provides an ideal space for families to unwind; there are even cafes and restaurants such as Trio and Piccola Botega within this section of park space.
At the park, there are various events and activities taking place such as workshops, markets and concerts – many held on weekends while some take place throughout the week. Furthermore, it has long been a favorite spot of locals to relax with a book or catch up over coffee with their friends.
As part of your visit to this landmark, be sure to stop at the 89th floor observation deck, offering stunning views of the city skyline. Following that, visit the shopping mall below the tower for upscale stores and restaurants; for something extra unique visit Wooderful Life store which sells wooden toys and crafts.
National Taiwan Museum, one of Taiwan’s oldest museums, should also be on your itinerary. Comprising five departments – anthropology, earth sciences, zoology, botany and education – this exhibit showcases indigenous animals, plants and cultural artifacts of Taiwan. You can reach the museum via MRT line Red at Zhongshan Station Exit 1 via Red Line Red Exit 1.
Yehliu Geopark
Yehliu Geopark in Taipei is one of the best things to do for rock lovers, displaying an array of mesmerizing out-of-this-world formations which are sure to awe any visitor. Aeons of wind and sea have transformed this thin spit of land into an alien terrain over millennia. As one of Taipei’s premier attractions for those fascinated by geology, this geologic marvel should not be missed!
The 1.7 km cape offers many fascinating sites, but the most memorable are located close to its entrance. Take the trail up Lou Tou Feng (Fairy’s Shoe; Xian Nu) for breathtaking bird’s eye views of the landscape or climb Guitou Shan with its candles-shaped rocks mounds; later you may come upon Nu Wang Tou (Nuwang), an intriguing rock formation resembling Nefertiti’s bust!
Yehliu Ocean World (Ye Liu Hai Yang Shi Jie) offers an interactive experience. This oceanarium houses tanks housing fishes, corals and sea lions – perfect for all ages! Plus the show promises both entertainment and educational value!
Guests can also take pleasure in enjoying a buffet lunch and unlimited beverages while gazing upon the underwater sea life. You may even purchase photos as mementos!
Take the kids for an exciting day trip from Taipei; just keep in mind that during peak times it may become quite crowded!
Visit Yehliu Geopark with ease by taking advantage of their complimentary shuttle bus that runs to and from it. To avoid crowds, consider visiting this attraction early morning or sunset to avoid them all. Alternatively, consider joining a guided tour through this region; up close you can get to its alien-looking hoodoo stones while writing prayers onto paper sky lanterns before releasing them into the sky. In Jiufen you may have also experienced inspiration for Miyazaki’s Spirited Away film while visiting historic streets that could provide inspiration – plus there’s even decommissioned mining towns offering tantalizing street food options!
Shifen Waterfall
Shifen Waterfall in Pingxi District, Taiwan is widely considered the widest waterfall on the island and a favorite spot among both tourists and locals looking for spectacular cascading waterfall views. At twenty meters in height and forty in width, Shifen has even earned its own nickname of being known as “Niagara Falls of Taiwan”, due to its horseshoe shape that closely resembles that of Niagara Falls in North America.
Shifen Waterfall Park features numerous hiking trails and viewing platforms where visitors can appreciate its beauty from all different vantage points. There is even an area leading directly up to the falls so visitors can experience its force first-hand.
History lovers will definitely want to visit the 228 Memorial Museum while in Shifen. There are various methods of travel here; most popular among them is public transit – take the Pingxi Line train from Taipei Main Station and it should take you around an hour until you arrive in Shifen.
As soon as you arrive in Shifen, one of the best things you can do is explore its charming streets. Whether on your own or with a guide, you will encounter plenty of old buildings and tea houses for photo opps; additionally there are places where you can purchase sky lanterns that you can release once here.
Beitou Thermal Valley is another fun activity. Although you won’t be able to soak up its hot spring waters, this scenic location will still offer amazing photo-opportunities with stunning landscapes you will want to record for posterity.
Make sure to visit Bao’an Temple while in Taiwan; its colorful facade will quickly draw your attention. Just keep in mind that this is an active place of worship; always be respectful.