Taipei has gone from an ugly duckling of Asia to one of the region’s most dynamic, comfortable and liveable cities. Most important to the intrepid traveller, Taipei is also fun. If you take some time to explore, i think you’ll agree that Taipei is a city that’s managed to strike a fine balance between business and beauty, and between chaos and convenience. The Taipei of today is a confident city of about 2.5 million inhabitants, and is characterized by its friendly people and safe streets. While it is not usually high on the list of tourist destinations, it is a fascinating place to visit and live. Furthermore, despite its size, Taipei does not have any rough areas that are considered unsafe, even at night - which in itself is attractive. The downtown area is culturally divided into East and West. The West side, with its narrow streets and road side vendors, is considered the bastion of old Taipei life, whereas East Taipei, with its classy malls, chic boutiques, and stylish restaurants and cafes, reminiscent of those found in Hong Kong, Paris or New York represents the city’s metamorphosis into a modern and international city.

Highlights

Taipei 101
Officially known as the Taipei International Financial Center, this 101-floor, 508-meter high skyscraper is the second tallest skyscraper in the world. It also boasts the world’s fastest elevators, which will zip visitors up to the 89th-floor observation deck in a mere 37 seconds. The tower is rich in symbolism; it was designed to resemble bamboo rising from the earth, a plant recognized in Asian cultures for its fast growth and flexibility, both of which are ideal characteristics for a financial building.

Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall
The building is constructed in the memory of Dr. Sun Yat-sen who is the founding father of the Republic of China. The construction of the Memorial commenced in 1965 in conjunction with the 100th anniversary of Sun Yat-sen’s birth. It was opened in May 16, 1972, with the majestic architecture and placid landscape covering an area of some 115,500 sq. meters. The park named Zhongshan Park marks the front yard of the Hall. On the inside, there is a 19-foot bronze statue of Dr. Sun Yat-sen, watched over the day by motionless military honor guards, along with a library of 400 seats storing over 1.4 millions books.

Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall
Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall is the symbol of both Taipei and the Republic of China. It is here that the nation’s flag is raised every morning, and the huge court yard in front of the memorial serves as a place for both national celebrations as well as a platform to voice one’s disapproval of the government. The memorial consists of a large bronze statue of Chiang Kai-shek, watched over by two motionless honor guards who are replaced every hour in a rifle twirling ceremony. The memorial has its own MRT station on the Xindian line. The grounds of the memorial are also a favorite place for locals to gather and practice martial arts, though you’ll have to be there early if you want to see this. Most people begin their work-out at around sunrise, and will have left for the office before 8AM.

Longshan Temple
This temple is where countless generations of Taipei citizens have come to pray and seek guidance at times of trouble. As the temple is dedicated to Guanyin (the Buddhist representation of compassion) it is officially defined as Buddhist, but there is a great amount of folk religion mixed into the fabric of the beliefs at this temple. However, if you want to feel the real heartbeat of Taipei, one that is far removed from the skyscrapers and shopping malls of East Taipei, this is the place to come. The temple is located at 211 Guangzhou Road (near junction with Guilin Road) and is open daily from 5AM to 10PM. The nearest MRT station is ‘Longshan Temple’ on the Ban-Nan Line.

Red Theater
The Red Theater just sits directly outside the southwest exit of MRT Ximen station, near the Ximending shopping area. It was Taiwan’s first modern market as well as a theater in Japanese rule before, now there is an exhibition hall and a small playhouse.

Yangmingshan National Park
There are dozens of hiking trails in the park. How fortunate Taipei is to have this national park at its doorstep, complete with majestic mountains, hot springs, tall grasses, forests of bamboo and broad-leaf trees and some handsome lodgings and restaurants. An excellent escape from the city for hikers, bikers, hot-spring lovers, twitters, or just about anyone getting away from it all. There are dozens of hiking trails in the park. A major attraction of Yangmingshan is the hot-spring baths. The park is filled with kēng (sulphur steam vents), the largest being Xiaoyoukeng in the northwestern part of the park. To the east, Lengshuikeng has hot-spring baths open to the public for free.

Beitou
Beneath the soil of Taiwan bubbles a veritable cauldron of sulphurous water, and though most hot-spring resorts are well away from major urban areas, Taipei’s Beitou is a notable and welcome exception. It’s here that locals and travellers alike come for a quick soak in sulphurous waters. The hot springs in this district have been a lure for tourism as far back as the Japanese era. I took a dip in the hot spring pool here after my climb at Yanmingshan and believe me, you won’t regret. The most popular hot spring pit is Hell Valley.

Shilin Night Market
Considered by many to be the king of Taipei’s night markets, the sprawling Shilin Night Market is a nightly carnival of snacking and shopping. Teeming with stalls selling delectable edibles far beyond our ability to describe, the latest in trendy clothing from shoes to hats (and everything in-between), games of skill and chance and much, much more. If you have only one night to spend in Taipei, spend it here. To get there, take the MRT Danshui Line to Jiantan Station.

Ximending
Ximending is the trendy shopping area just west of downtown. It’s popular with local students. If it’s pink, plastic, and imported from Japan, you can probably find it on sale in a store here. This is also where i lived during my stay in Taipei. This should be one of the best places to stay in Taiwan without a doubt. To get to Ximending, take the MRT Blue (Bannan) Line and get off at Ximen Station.

Food
Taipei probably has one of the highest densities of restaurants in the world. Almost every street and alley offers some kind of eatery. Of course, Chinese food (from all provinces) is well represented and the most popular place to hunt for food is the Shilin Night Market. Vendor food is nearly always safe to eat and offers a cheap way to sample delicious Chinese ‘home cooking’. Use common sense though if you have a sensitive stomach!

Jiufen
Jiufen, is a small town in north Taiwan. Jiufen was a prosperous gold mining town, but when the mining was discontinued, the town went into sharp decline. However, the quaint streets, tea houses and stunning views of the Pacific Ocean saved it from becoming yet another anonymous mining ghost town, and it is now a popular tourist destination, especially with Taipeites eager to relive scenes of the past. Jiufen has provided the setting for several period movies. For example, its downtown was used as a model in the anime movie - Spirited Away by Hayao Miyazaki.

Danshui
Danshui is a smaller city to the north of Taipei that was the center of shipping and commerce in northern Taiwan in the 19th century. The city is still popular with visitors from Taipei and boasts many historical attractions, and is a popular location for viewing the sunset. This place is a favourite with local couples and romantics, and is also a popular site for shooting Taiwanese drama serials including the popular movie - ‘Secret’ by Jay Chou

Getting Around
Subway (MRT)
Taipei City has a very clean, efficient and safe Mass Rapid Transit system known most commonly as the MRT. In addition to single journey tickets, the Taipei MRT also sells value-added cards/smartcards called EasyCard. One great advantage of using the EasyCard is that there is a 20% discount on all MRT rides and it can be used for other transportations including buses and ferries. The EasyCard can be recharged at convenience stores and subway stations.

Bus
Taipei City has a very efficient bus service and because all buses display information (destination and the names of stops) in English, the system is very accessible to non-Chinese speaking visitors. Payment can be made by cash or EasyCard for each section that the bus passes through.

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