My parents are visiting Taipei for the first time in a couple of weeks. They are both getting on (70-ish) but pretty mobile and keen to look around. Aside from 101 and a couple of night markets any slightly off centre suggestions on where to take them? They are reasonably adventurous (but food could be an issue) and a touch arty.
All advice gratefully received!
cheers
Huashan
Museum of Contemporary Art/Spot Film house
Yongkang St.
Longshan Temple
Maokong Gondola
Treasure Hill
Fort Santo Domingo/Former British Consular residence (Danshui)
Wulai/Beitou hotsprings
Wistaria Teahouse (wistariateahouse.com/main/mo … /index.php)
[quote=“Feiren”]Huashan
Museum of Contemporary Art/Spot Film house
Yongkang St.
Longshan Temple
Maokong Gondola
Treasure Hill
Fort Santo Domingo/Former British Consular residence (Danshui)
Wulai/Beitou hotsprings
Wistaria Teahouse (wistariateahouse.com/main/mo … /index.php)[/quote]
Other obvious choices are (if they don’t mind the crowds):
Yangmingshan (Yangming Park/Xiaoyoukeng/Qingtiangang)
Yeliu/Jinshan/Zhu Ming Museum
Shifen/Pingxi/Jingtong
Jiufen/Jinguashi/Shuinandong/Bitou Cape
Sanxia/Yingge … same day, no problem.
If they are here aorund 2/22 they can go to Pingxi sky lantern festival.
They can be lucky or unlucky weatherwise tho early/mid February, even rain through March.
That’s great, thanks very much.
Although will give the hot springs a miss - the thought of potentially seeing my folks in the altogether is not appealing!
National Palace Museum
Danshui, + the ferry to Bali if they like river travel + seafood.
[quote=“smileymiley”]That’s great, thanks very much.
Although will give the hot springs a miss - the thought of potentially seeing my folks in the altogether is not appealing![/quote]
There are public hotsprings where you still wear swim suites, I think.
I had a hell of a time when my family came because there were too many of them, they all have different interests and taboos, and they rarely travel. Also, the youngest visitor was 3 and the oldest 75, so just getting out of the hotel and to the MRT station 100 meters away was an adventure.
They found 101 mildly impressive, were not particularly taken in by the National Palace Museum, really liked a teahouse I brought them to at Maokong (緣繼緣, it’s just to the right of the gondola station and down the slope; google it). They find Longshan Temple visually very intersting but I could tell they were uncomfortable with strange heretical religious practices 
Also I know a little bit too much about it so they got bored.
Two historic mansions are really worth a visit, but since they’re kind of similar you can choose which one fits you best: Lin An Tai Historic House 林安泰古厝 in Xinsheng Park (a little over 1 km from Xingtian Temple Station, easy to reach by taxi), and the Lin Family Mansion and Garden 林家花園, also called 林本源園邸 (more authentic than Lin An Tai but less convenient; it’s a walk from Fuzhong Station in Banqiao). Interestingly, the two Lins had nothing to do with each other, just a neat coincidence! Ximending blew their minds (I think in a good way) with the sheer number of people and shops and neon lights.
Confucius Temple and Bao’an Temple 保安宮 next to it are both pretty interesting and have good histories. At least Confucius Temple and possibly many other sites have English volunteer guides, though you usually need to set up an appointment in advance and they often aren’t very good at getting to the point directly. You could perhaps just research the places yourself first and then be your parents’ guide.
The Grand Hotel by Yuanshan Station makes a nice place for a lunch or dinner and to enjoy views of the city from its terraces. Tamsui has some history too, including of course Fort Santo Domingo – but if they’ve travelled to places older than Taiwan it’s not very impressive. Keep in mind that older people may want to get out of such a crowded city a bit; I found my family spending lots of down time in Da’an Forest Park so they could get a little further from the buildings.
But probably what they want to see most, if they’re anything like my parents, is how you live your life. Just take them through every day stuff, like garbage trucks and the MRT and a NT$100-per-plate kuai chao place and hot pot and some of the unique coffee shops littered throughout the city. Of course it’s important to see the sights – just remember that getting a chance to sit down and spend time with you will also be among their priorities.
When my mother visited, I told her that there were tigers in the hills, but we mostly only hear them at night.
I also tried to convince both families that the other side’s wedding customs required nudity, but nobody would buy it.
Wouldn’t it be funny to listen to the radio news in Chinese, then announce to your parents in a panicked voice that war has broken out, and foreigners are being slaughtered in the streets? Or maybe that aliens have landed…?