My brother in law and his 9 year old daughter will come for a 10 day visit to Taiwan at the beginning of August. As we are still pretty new in Taipei I would like to ask all of you: What places in and close to Taipei would you show to visitors. We will certainly give them the tour to CKS Memorial, Lungshan Temple and 101. But what other nice places (markets, theaters, teahouses,…) are there?
Thanks a lot!
SAMC
The National Palace Museum is pretty nice, if you like that sort of thing.
Also a hike up YangMingShan, if they’re up to it and it’s not too hot.
This is my post from the “My vacation in Taiwan” thread.
[quote]When you’re in Taipei, head to Jinshan, Baishawan or Longmen beaches. You can stay in cabins at Jinshan and Longmen. From Longmen you can do the Caoling Historic trail which gives fantastic views of the coast and also grassy highlands. Or bike though the very scenic Taoyuan Valley and see terraced rice fields and water buffalo. You might even think about taking a boat to volcanic Turtle Island or just a cruise along the coast.
Take a train to Ruifang and then catch the Pingxi line to Shifen to view the Shifen Waterfall. Then head back to Ruifang and take a taxi to Juifen and Jingguashi for quaint hillside teahouses and a look at an old gold mining town.
Keelung (Jilong) had a number of interesting old forts and a cool cave, and the trip to Keelung (Jilong) island is worth taking. There’s also the famous night market if you want to sample local snack foods. Nearby Yehliu is fun for the bizarre rock formations.
Do you want to go to a teahouse in the mountains? I know a couple excellent ones in the southern part of Taipei.
Try to catch a show of Taipei Eye, revue theatre for traditional performing arts.
taipeieye.com/eng/
Of course don’t miss the National Palace Museum. I think there is an Egyptian exhibit at the History Museum now. There is also that body worlds show where real corpses are displayed.
Take your friend to the shop in Ximending (a neighborhood in Taipei) where they still make traditional Chinese slippers by hand. She’ll love them. Also in the same area is the old Red Theatre where they have traditional performaces every day.
For temples go to Longmen and Baoan.
Climb Kuanyinshan across the river from Danshui to see a perfect sunset from the platform atop the volcanoe.There is also a fun waterworld right there and an interesting aboriginal museum. [/quote]
Yes, the National Palace Museum ( npm.gov.tw/ ) is good. It’s pretty big and I recommend not trying to be ambititious and see everything, but instead look through the exhibition guide and choose some things you think you’d be more interested in. That way you don’t feel exhausted afterwards, and kids get more out of the visit as well.
There was a great thread on things to do and see around Taipei before. Perhaps you can search for that;
forumosa.com/taiwan/search.php
I just made the thread “Outdoor adventure around Taipei” a sticky thread so it’s up there at the top now. Lot’s of web links to English tourist info.
Definitely buy “Taipei Day Trips II” at Eslite.
Yingge and Sanyi, the pottery and wood carving capitals of Taiwan are fun. At Yingge your BIL daughter can try her hand at pottery and at Sanyi you can marvel at 3 metre high wood gods, and other cool statues. There’s also a 10km stretch of abandoned railway tracks that make for perfect country strolling (including a 1km tunnel you can walk through.
Pinglin is beautiful and the bike route takes you through tea fields and along a pristine steam. You can also swim and raft in the rivers there and watch the amazing flashing fish.
The International Children’s Festival in Ilan might be on around the time your family is coming. Also the new Centre for Traditional Arts in Ilan (Lodong really) is a good place to introduce people to Taiwanese culture.
Joesax, MapoSqid and especially Mucha Man, thank you very very much for all your great ideas! 
They will help me a lot to entertain my family when they are here. I will definately go and get that Taipei Day Trip book you mentioned Mucha Man. Thanks again!
SAMC
Your niece is only 9! For you and your brother the Museum might be fun, but for her it will be so boring. I’m 22 and I THINK ITS BORING!!! The garden is beautiful. But you will have to take her somewhere fun, maybe an amusement park or waterpark. I think there is one North of Taipei. 1 hour after Danshui MRT. I don’t know any details. Sorry. But please try to make it fun for her. There is also the Shilin Night Market, there is an Aquarium and the Taipei Zoo is large and fun. I hope i have given you some good ideas. 
A lot of it is closed for rennovation right now, so you don’t really have to worry about being too ambitious.
I strongly encourage going on one of the free guided tours (English tours daily at 10am and 3pm). It’ll be 1 hour and cover all the major items in the museum. Depending on the weather, you can then go to the park and feed the fish.
PS: “Foreigners” get in free right now. Bring your foreign passport to the Information Desk and they’ll give you a voucher to give to the ticket counter.
-Ba Shian waterpark is a bit far if you don’t have a car.
-Shihlin Night Market, the aquarium near it, Mu Zha Zoo, and Yinge Pottery are pretty nice.
-Damshui has the Fort but it’s apparently closed for rennovation right now. There are still other things to see/do there. http://www.cabtc.gov.tw/tsha/
-CKS Memorial to watch the changing of the guard (at 5 or 6pm, can’t remember)
I recently visited the Ocean park at Hualien and highly recommend it. I was pleasantly suprised that the park is world class – it’s as clean as Disney, really. They have rides an aquarium, shows, etc. And if you go don’t miss the nighttime show. They have an amazing troupe from Russia that dance and perform some acrobatics, they kept us mesmerized and for just $300NT, unbelievable. We also did the swim with the dolphins experience. It costs $2000NT/person but is well worth the ticket price. (You may have to arrange this in advance of your arrival).
The pleasent 2-28 park just next to NTU Hospital MRT station has a small museum devoted to Taiwanese history and culture. The Botanical Gardens, near Xiaonanmen MRT station, has a “National Museum of History,” which is what I’d consider a scaled down version of the National Palace Museum, since it has many of the same kinds of art and artifacts (but chipped or flawed in a few ways, hence, they weren’t pristine enough for the big museum). It’s interesting, but small enough not to be too boring for the 9-year-old. Both of these parks are not far from CKS Memorial Hall.
For daytime markets, you can find a big one in Tanshui that shuts down around 12 noon. Get to Tanshui MRT station and start walking north, veer right once you see Longshan Temple and you’ll spot long lanes full of produce, snacks, knick-knacks and everything.
Night Markets: Shilin, just outside Jiantan MRT station, and Gongguan, just near Gongguan MRT station are probably the best-known and easiest to find.
For a quick trip to some mountain scenery outside the city, if you have a car, you can drive south on No. 9 highway out of Taipei to the mountain area of Ping Lin where you can see a museum about the history and process of making Chinese tea, find some pretty walking trails and simple shopping streets. Nearby, on the way back north to Taipei is a little town called Shenkeng, with a famous old street devoted to stinky tofu stands and Taiwanese style restaurants. Also lots of souveniors, mostly Taiwanese style stuff.
That sounds interesting. Are you sure the works are authentic?
That sounds interesting. Are you sure the works are authentic?[/quote]
Is there a way for laypeople visiting the museum to tell? I’m no connoisseur of ancient Chinese artworks but nothing at the museum mentioned that they were reproduced. I only noticed that some things similar in style to what I saw at National Palace Museum were not in the best shape. I’ve only lived in Taiwan a couple years so am unaware if it’s common knowledge that a public museum would be displaying fakes. Is there some story behind this?
Hi Mucha!
In your post on here you say:
“When you’re in Taipei, head to Jinshan, Baishawan or Longmen beaches. You can stay in cabins at Jinshan and Longmen. From Longmen you can do the Caoling Historic trail which gives fantastic views of the coast and also grassy highlands. Or bike though the very scenic Taoyuan Valley and see terraced rice fields and water buffalo. You might even think about taking a boat to volcanic Turtle Island or just a cruise along the coast.”
Is the “Taoyuan Valley” you are talking about near Sinwu along the west coast in Taoyuan County. I am in Taoyuan and would love to go there (if it is the same place) Apparently at Sinwu there are bicycle and footpaths winding along the coast for about 4km. is this the same place?
What will be the best way to get to Sinwu on scooter from Taoyuan City?
And if it’s not the same place how do i get to the trail you mention?
Also what will be the best way to get to Longmen. I would really like to try the Caoling trail. Is that the 15km one?
Thanks
Train to Fulong. It’s about a KM North. Best bet is to visit the excellent visitor’s centre at Fulong first.
Brian
The Taoyuan Valley I am taking about is near Fulong.
Yes, the Caoling trail is the long trail between Fulong and Daxi. It’s about 7km if you hike as far as Dali or 16km if you go as far as Daxi.
As Brian said, visit the tourist centre in Fulong for up-to-date info.
As for the bike trail around Sinwu, I’ve heard of it, but have no idea how to get there. I suggest you start another thread on that topic. there are a number of people who live in taoyuan (including the well-travelled Michael J Botti) who should be able to help you.
By the way, the tourist office for Taoyan County is out near Cihu where Chiang Kai Shek is buried. It’s an excellent centre with loads of English material and the old people there are very knowledgeable and enthusiastic about their county. Usually there is someone (often a young guy doing his alternative military servise) who can speak English there.
if you want to do a long trail that is more rugged than the Caoling (parts of which are paved) head out toward Fuxing on the number 7. The Dongyenshan Forest Reserve is about 17km from Fuxing up a side road and there are some good trails there including a 16km one that joins the reserve with Manyuehyuan Forest Reserve.
Check out Taipei Day Trips II for more info (and lots of other hikes in the Taoyuan area) or the forest reserve website.
Thanks so much Mucha and Brian!
We have been on Highway 7, to Cihu and into the mountains beyond Dashi and it is real beautiful out there.
Do you know how long it takes to hike the long trail to Daxi? How early should we start? I would liket o go there on Tuesday or do you think it will be too busy on Moon Festival?
It’s pretty hard to give an estimate. The length of the trail is around 16km in total so depending on your speed, and how many breaks you take, anywhere from 5-8 hours. You can cut out the first 3km by taking a taxi to the old start of the trail a few kilometres from Fulong. Basically you head north on the highway from Fulong and then turn left at the gas station. Keep going a km or so until you see the sign for the Caoling trail. Turn left down a narrow road and follow it till you reach the obvious start of the trail.
I recommend this as the first few km of the trail that start right in Fulong follow a narrow road and people have complained that scooters sometimes travel up it. If you start where I just said you’ll follow a paved road for 100m or so then head left up stone stairs.
I wouldn’t worry about time. There are distance markers (in English) so when you get to the top of the ridge overlooking the Pacific you can gauge how much further you want or can go (all the way to Daxi or just down to Dali).
As for going on Moon Festival I can’t say. Isn’t there a typhoon coming? If so the weather won’t be good and few people will head out to the beach area. If you can get reserved train tickets I would go. The worst that will happen is the trail will be crowded.
You know this is not at all a rugged trail. Much of it is staired, and parts at the beginning and end are paved. Still, it does afford vast panaramic views, and great diversity of scenery. From forest, to grassland, to ocean. On a clear day Turtle Island really stands out. Enjoy.
[quote=“WorkingVaca”]The pleasent 2-28 park just next to NTU Hospital MRT station has a small museum devoted to Taiwanese history and culture. The Botanical Gardens, near Xiaonanmen MRT station, has a “National Museum of History,” which is what I’d consider a scaled down version of the National Palace Museum, since it has many of the same kinds of art and artifacts (but chipped or flawed in a few ways, hence, they weren’t pristine enough for the big museum). It’s interesting, but small enough not to be too boring for the 9-year-old. Both of these parks are not far from CKS Memorial Hall.
[/quote]
I highly recommend the botanical gardens for anyone who enjoys plants and might also be interested in understanding the scope of what the Japanese did here.
The National Museum of History’s collection comes from the Museum of History in Nanjing during the republican period. The scholars and curators associated with this collection succesfully resisted being merged with the National Palace Museum after coming to Taiwan. It has a very important collection of bronzes and other cool stuff but I can’t really recommend going there for this stuff. They do often have much more interesting shows of contemporary art.
Speaking of contemporary art, the Museum of Contemporary Art is a great place to spend an afternoon followed by a movie or a drink at Spot. Again, maybe better for residents.
I like to take visitors to the Musuem under the CKS Memorial commemorating CKS. Then go over to the 2-28 Musuem for a reality check. The contrasting styles of presentation as well as the very different content make a strong impression on people and help spark their interest in Taiwan’s more recent history. After all that serious stuff, go outside the park and get a bag of the best suanmeijhi around. Absolutely refreshing on a hot day. Oh, and don’t forget to have lunch at Jhongfuyuan a few door south. The Jinbing are outstanding especialy when stuffed with ganbian niurousi.
[quote]Feiren wrote:
After all that serious stuff, go outside the park and get a bag of the best suanmeijhi around. Absolutely refreshing on a hot day. Oh, and don’t forget to have lunch at Jhongfuyuan a few door south. The Jinbing are outstanding especialy when stuffed with ganbian niurousi.[/quote]
Speak English man.
[quote=“Feiren”]
I like to take visitors to the Musuem under the CKS Memorial commemorating CKS. Then go over to the 2-28 Musuem for a reality check. The contrasting styles of presentation as well as the very different content make a strong impression on people and help spark their interest in Taiwan’s more recent history. [/quote]
I tried to do this yesterday. The CKS bit was fine, and actually quite funny what with all the CKS is a saint stuff, and how nothing was ever his fault. I got to the 228 museum at about 2:15 and decided to sit in the small cinema to wait for the short film that was scheduled for 2:30. When it didn’t begin a Taiwanese visitor went to investigate and came back saying that it was broken. As there is no English info with the exhibits in the museum I asked for the english audio-tour which they advertise. They didn’t have any. No written guides or anything, so the museum was wasted on me. Quite annoying as I won’t be back in Taipei for a while I’m sure.