Taipei is the capital city of Taiwan, and it is the best place to visit if you are interested in the authentic culture of this country. In Taipei, you can explore picturesque landscapes, taste Taiwanese food, take a bike tour, and meet locals that will give you an accurate picture of everyday Taiwanese life. Here is a list of some places to visit in Taipei:
1. Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall
Chiang Kai-Sheck Memorial Hall is a magnificent monument erected in honor of authoritarian leader Chian Kai-shek. Its blue-roofed hall signifies that the memorial represents neoclassical styles, supported by CKS as a rebuttal to the devastation of authentic classical culture in China during the Cultural Revolution. The massive courtyard surrounds the monument. The hall closes at 6 pm, while the yard is free to visit from 5 am to midnight.
Interestingly, to enter the hall, you will need to pass 89 steps that signify the age of an authoritarian leader. Having crossed this hurdle, you will discover the spacious hall, which is also an artifact museum where you can detect two Cadillacs and different documents from the daily life of Chiang.
One of the most famous sights among visitors is the hourly changing of the honor guard. In addition, the flag-raising and lowering ceremonies at dawn and sunset are both done with tradition and are well-liked by local tourists.
Next to Chiang’s, visitors may attend diverse and marvelous exhibitions for which you will need to buy tickets. For example, past collections have featured Andy Warhol artworks, British Museum artifacts, and Studio Ghibli sketches from Japan (of Spirited Away fame).
Due to the long way to democracy, in 2007, it was decided to rename the square in front of the hall “Liberty Square” and remove the sculpture of the Chiang. However, the statue still needs to be extracted basically because of the current political and social situation in Taiwan.
2. Street Food Tours in Taipei
Taiwan is well-known for its diverse street food ranging from savory and sweet to drinks. Everyone could find something delicious according to their taste. Street food tours in Taipei are not only about food but also about meetings with locals and discovering Taipei’s authentic culture as a first-hand experience. Moreover, it is also an opportunity to learn about local sights, for example, the Mazu Temple, Chiang Kei Shek Statue, or remnants of the Taipei Prison Wall.
You and your group will taste various tasty and famous dishes from Taiwan. Each host is passionate about their city, culture, and food, so you will find the best places to receive the most authentic and delicious dishes. Are you a vegetarian? No problem; food tours are also created for those who do not eat meat or have some allergies to particular ingredients.
3. Cycling Tours in Taipei
If you are an active person, you may order an 8-hour cycling tour within Taipei. It is an excellent opportunity to observe the city as locals do it. The tour usually begins in downtown Taipei. Within this timeframe, your guide will show you over 20 attractions in the city. An 8-hour cycling tour may sound exhausting, but if you are an active person, that is an excellent opportunity to discover the city, taste local food, and meet locals.
4. Thousand Island Lake and Pinglin Tea Plantation
Thousand Island Lake and Pinglin Tea Plantation is a place of the most well-known drink in the world-bubble tea. However, if you love tea and are eager to discover Taiwanese culture, Plinglin Tea Plantation and Thousand Island Lake will immerse you in the tea culture of Taiwan. At the same time, guides will tell you about the development of Taiwanese tea.
Wenshan Baozhong tea is located in New Taipei City’s Pinglin District. Here, you may explore the world of Taiwanese tea in the tea museum and enjoy the flavorful tea in a tea store.
Apart from that, during this tour, you will visit Thousand Island Lake and Bagua Tea Plantation and enjoy green landscapes and a fantastic lake. So take some time off from your busy schedule to relax. Take a half-day trip from Taipei to Pinglin and Thousand Island Lake.
5. Elephant Mountain
Elephant Mountain is a long, roughly 600-step path that ascends to a number of platforms and viewpoint places where you may enjoy magnificent views of Taipei 101 and Taiwan. Despite being steep, the trail up the mountain is short—it might just take 15 minutes at most. It goes by the name Xiangshan as well, and being an urban route, it is filled with shacks, electricity lines, and vegetable plots. The view of Taipei 101 soaring over the city skyline is magnificent, especially when it is framed by the forest that covers Elephant Mountain. It is, without a doubt, one of Taiwan’s best locations for Instagram.
In this varied network of paths, you can travel to several peaks. The ideal place to witness the sunset; thousands of people come to this peak every evening to experience the magnificent vista.
