Map view
National Palace Museum
Best time to visit: Oct-Dec
Cost: $
- Museum in Taipei that has a permanent collection of nearly 700,000 pieces of Chinese artifacts and artworks, many of which were moved from the Palace Museum in the Forbidden City in Beijing, as well as five other institutions throughout mainland China during the ROC retreat
- The museum's collection encompasses items spanning 8,000 years of Chinese history from the neolithic age to the modern period
- The National Palace Museum shares its roots with the Palace Museum of Beijing, whose extensive collection of artwork and artifacts were built upon the imperial collections of the Ming and Qing dynasties
Taipei 101
Best time to visit: Oct-Dec
Cost: $
- Skyscraper in Taipei, officially classified as the world's tallest from its opening in 2004 until the 2009 completion of the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, UAE
- Taipei 101 is the tallest building in Taiwan
- The elevators of Taipei 101 that transport passengers from the 5th to the 89th floor in 37 seconds set speed records
- Taipei 101's postmodernist architectural style evokes traditional Asian aesthetics in a modern structure employing industrial materials
Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall
Best time to visit: Oct-Dec
Cost: $
- National monument and landmark erected in memory of Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek, former President of the Republic of China
- The design, by architect Yang Cho-cheng, was chosen in a competition
- Yang's design incorporated many elements of traditional Chinese architecture to mirror that of the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum in Nanjing in mainland China
- The hall officially opened on April 5, 1980, the fifth anniversary of the leader's death
Shakadang Trail, Taroko National Park
Walk difficulty: Easy
Best time to visit: Oct-Dec
Cost: $
- One of the nine national parks in Taiwan, and was named after the Taroko Gorge, the landmark gorge of the park carved by the Liwu River
- Taiwan was created through the collision of the Philippine and the Eurasian plates
- This movement occurred some four million years ago and is responsible for the formation of the Central Mountain Range that runs through much of Taiwan
- Even today the shift in tectonic plates continues and this area continues to rise a few millimeters every year
Sun Moon Lake Trail
Walk difficulty: Easy
Best time to visit: Oct-Dec
Cost: $
- Lake in Yuchi Township, and the largest body of water in Taiwan
- The area around the lake is home to the Thao tribe, one of aboriginal tribes of Taiwan
- Sun Moon Lake surrounds a tiny island called Lalu
- The east side of the lake resembles a sun while the west side resembles a moon, hence the name
Bangka Lungshan Temple
Best time to visit: Oct-Dec
Cost: $
- Bangka Lungshan Temple is a Chinese folk religious temple in Wanhua District, Taipei
- The temple was built in Taipei in 1738 by settlers from Fujian during Qing rule in honor of Guanyin
- It served as a place of worship and a gathering place for the Chinese settlers
- In addition to its Buddhist elements, it includes halls and altars to Chinese deities such as Mazu and Guan Yu
Shilin Night Market
Best time to visit: Oct-Dec
Cost: $
- Night market in Shilin District, Taipei, often considered to be the largest and most famous night market in Taiwan
- In addition to the food court, side streets and alleys are lined with storefronts and roadside stands
- Cinemas, video arcades, and karaoke bars are also prevalent in the area
Lengshuikeng to Qixing Mountain, Yangmingshan
Walk difficulty: Easy
Best time to visit: Oct-Dec
Cost: $
- Yangmingshan National Park is one of the nine national parks in Taiwan, located in both Taipei and New Taipei City
- The national park is known for its cherry blossoms, hot springs, sulfur deposits, fumaroles, venomous snakes, and hiking trails, including Taiwan's tallest dormant volcano, Qixing (Seven Star) Mountain
Sheding Nature Trail, Kenting National Park
Walk difficulty: Easy
Best time to visit: Oct-Dec
Cost: $
- Nature park within Kenting National Park, that used to be the settlement area of the Paiwan people
- It features rock formations formed from ancient coral reefs and has many limestone caves, and hosts 329 species of plants and animals
- The park also features several hiking trails and viewing platforms