Top 10 Things to Do in Taipei

Taipei National Palace Museum can never be missed and is a must thing to do in Taipei, Taiwan. When you get into the pseudo-classic palace-style museum, you will see the rare Chinese relics from all dynasties, including the prehistoric oracle bone inscriptions, bronzes in the Shang (17th century BC - 1046 BC) and Zhou (1046 - 256 BC) Dynasties, unusual authentic works of painting and calligraphy, porcelains, jade wares, enamel wares, rare books, ancient coins, and Manchu, Mongolian and Tibetan documents. These invaluable treasures will definitely make you marvel at ancient Chinese civilization, especially the Meat-Shaped Stone, Jadeite Cabbage, and Duke Mao Tripod – the top three pieces there.

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Just as the name implies, Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall is in memory of Chiang Kai-shek, the highest leader of Taiwan from 1950 to 1975. It’s one of the top things to do in Taipei, for the unique hall has a dome looking like Altar of Prayer for Good Harvests in Temple of Heaven in Beijing, but a pyramid-like body. The items about the man insides tell you the measures he took to develop Taiwan, as well as the history of modern Taiwan. The giant sitting statue of Chiang Kai-shek and the majestic archway are also appealing points there.

Hanging out at Shilin Night Market must be counted into best things to do in Taipei. It’s the best known night market in Taipei; it’s so bustling that you would meet a number of people who glut themselves with delicious foods on the alleys; you may get infected easily with the relaxing atmosphere, to experience the distinctive night market culture in Taiwan. There are snacks and desserts from all over Taiwan. Oyster omelette, the Shilin sausages, fried squids, tapioca balls, bun in bun, etc. are must eat that you can hardly find a similar one in other places, which is just the reason make Shilin Night Market famous.

Although Elephant Mountain is a small hill that is merely 183 meters (600 feet) high, it’s listed as one of the sought-after things to do in Taipei, because it’s a superb site to get relaxed close to Taipei downtown, to overlook the city, especially the night views and Taipei 101 closely. Following the trend, you can hike to the top and see the dazzling night sight at a fine angle, while the Taipei 101 stands at distance. To see the wonderful sunrise and sunset, Elephant Mountain is also the best place in Taipei, too.

Taipei 101, aka Taipei Financial Center once, is the landmark in Taipei as a skyscraper. You will see the building as long as you get to Taipei, for it’s very eye-catching, standing out all buildings in the surroundings. It is the highest building in Taipei, with 101 floors on ground. Taking the high-speed elevators, you could reach the indoor observatory very fast on the 89th floor (1,253 feet) and appreciate the cityscapes through glass windows. Then climbing to the 91st floor, you can have a better view on the outdoor viewing platform, where you can see the spire of Taipei 101 as well. If you go to Taipei on the Eve of New Year Day, the firework show is astonishingly beautiful.

Shopping is indispensable in Taipei to do activities and the best place to go is right Zhongxiao Road – the most booming place in the city. It’s like a “Fifth Avenue” in Taipei with crowds of department stores, such as Breeze Center and SOGO. These department stores count more than a half of all in Taipei. There are also many independent shops and snack bars. At night, many shopping stands peddle their goods or foods on streets, and young people gather at bars. For you, it’s a prefect site to do shopping as well as to enjoy your nightlife.

Traveling to Taipei, how could you not take Maokong Gondola? It’s a unique transport system in Maokong Area in Taipei, allowing you to look down to the attractions including Taipei Zoo, Maokong Tea Plantation, the forests and trails there, as well as Taipei downtown. It’s also very interesting for parent-child tours, as the coaches are decorated with cartoon stickers. Taking the new coaches with transparent floors would be a thriving practice that makes you feel standing in air. Besides, all the coaches run with good breathability so that it’s comfortable with breezes when you take it even in summer. How amazing it is!

Mt. Yangming is one of the most noted and popular attractions with many things to do in Taipei. Climbing to Xiaoyoukeng, you will see the streams gushing out of the ground; at Qingtiangang, it’s totally a different scenery with the green meadow and cattle. Mt. Yangming is always covered by flowers throughout the year, like the cherry blossoms during January to March, alocasia in March and April, azaleas from March until October, red maples in October and miscanthus in November. Moreover, Mt. Yangming is a hot spring resort especially popular in autumn and winter, and The Top – a sightseeing restaurant on the mountain provides you an incredible night views of Taipei downtown below.

With the combined architectural style of traditional Chinese and western, Shilin Official Residence was a garden of Japanese colonial governors in the modern history, and later it became the official residence of Chiang Kai-shek. Nowadays, it’s a secluded park in Taipei that is popular to visit. Stepping into the old residence, you could see some potted plants in the greenhouse and the rose garden at the outer zone, and the old-timey villa. At the inner zone, there is a Chinese garden and western garden with multiple pools. Different from the gardens in the mainland of China, Shilin Official Residence is in a quite tropical style with the tropical plants.

At the estuary of Tamsui River, the Fisherman’s Wharf is a newly formed attraction that is romantic and draws people especially lovers to visit. There is a floating wharf, over 300 meters (328 yards) long plank walkway, and European architecture on coast, making you feel travelling through the space to Europe. Nevertheless, the sunset there is the most beautiful scenery, which is also regarded as a must thing to do in Taipei. The evening sunlight shines on the sea, and the water turns to be golden from blue color. The rainbow-like cross-sea bridge with colorful lights is brilliant at night, too. After tour, there are also many places to enjoy local snacks and food there, especially at night.