Taipei Travel Guide

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City Introduction

Taipei is the capital of Taiwan, which offers magnificent scenery, traditional Chinese architecture, exciting museums and a fascinating modern society. Everthing is located in the capital or close to on the island of Taiwan, which is nice in size to take a little look around and see more than just the big cities. 

Taipei is home to a lot of famous sights and buildings. Taiwan was the place where Chiang Kai-Shek created capitalist China after the communist revolution in mainland China, and you can visit and see the grand mausoleum for the first state leader in Taipei. Another famous place is the skyscraper Taipei 101, which was built as the tallest highrise building is the world upon completion in 2003.

The magnificent National Palace Museum is another must see when in Taipei. The museum exhibits one of the world’s finest collections of historical Chinese artifacts and works of art. It was established when the palace museum collection was split in two priori to the time of the Chinese communist revolution. Other museums, temples and much more are worth seeing as well.

There are many places for a sightseeing out of Taipei as well. Beautiful coastlines, interesting cities, national parks and much more await in the vicinity of the capital, and you can make it to the second largest city, Kaohsiung, on a day trip as well.

Top Attractions

Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall, Taipei

  • Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall/Guoli Zhongzheng Jiniantang/國立 中正 紀念堂: When Taiwan’s founding father, Chiang Kai-Shek, died in 1975, a committee was set up to bulit a memorial to him. The result was an impressive memorial hall, mausoleum and memorial park.
  • National Palace Museum/Guoli Gugong Bowuyuan/國立 故宮 博物院: The National Palace Museum has one of the world’s finest collections of historical Chinese artifacts and works of art. The many exhibited items are part of the collection that was split in two in the 1930s.

Taipei 101

  • Taipei 101/臺北 101: With its 101 floors and 448 meters/1,470 feet, the Taipei 101 was the world’s tallest building, excluding antennas and TV towers, when completed in 2003. It opened in 2004 in a unique design in many ways.
  • Paoan Temple/Paoan Kung/保安 宮: The elegant Paoan Temple was founded in honor of Baosheng Dadi, the god of medicine. The temple was built by newcomers from Tongan in Fujian Province on mainland China. The first temple buildings were completed in 1755.

Other Attractions

Taipei Dong Men East Gate

  • Taipei East Gate/Taipei Dong Men/台北 东门: There were several city gates in Taipei’s now demolished city walls. Today you can see the gates around the city center. Most of the five gates are built in the beautiful Chinese style which can be seen on the old gate to the east, Dong Men.
  • Longshan Temple/Longshan Si/龍 山寺: Taipei’s Longshan Temple was founded by Han Chinese who came from Fujian on mainland China. It was built in 1738, and it served as a temple for Chinese settlers. Over time, the temple has been repeatedly destroyed but rebuilt time and time again.

Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hall, Taipei

  • Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hall/Guoli Guofu Jinianguan/紀念館 國父: The mighty memorial hall of Sun Yat-Sen, the founder of the Chinese Republic, was completed in 1976. Originally, the memorial was intended to portray Sun Yat-Sen’s thoughts only.

Taipei Bei Men North Gate

  • Taipei North Gate/Taipei Bei Men/台北 北 門: In 1879, the provincial magistrate ordered the construction of city walls around Taipei. Initially, the construction was abandoned, but a few years later, in 1884, a nearly five-kilometer-/three-mile-long wall was completed, including five city gates.

National Museum of History, Taipei

  • National Museum of History/Guoli Lishi Bowuguan/國立 歷史博物館: This museum exhibits artifacts from large parts of China as well as from Taiwan. The museum was established in 1956-1957 in the beautiful museum building which is see worthy in itself.

Day Trips

Tamsui, Taiwan

  • Tamsui/淡水: Tamsui is a 19th-century major port city on Taiwan’s north coast. Today, it is a popular destination for Taipei citizens with it sights like the seaside promenade. The are interesting heritage buildings as well, you can i.e. see the old Spanish Fort of San Domingo.
  • Shihmen/石門: Shihmen is located at Taiwan’s northernmost point, Cape Fuguei/富貴 角. The entire coastline is very beautiful with its bays and rugged cliffs, and Shihmen is one of the most attractive places in the area. At the northern tip you can go for a nice walk and see the lighthouse Fuguijiao.

Keelung, Taiwan

  • Keelung/基隆: Keelung is one of Taiwan’s largest port cities. It was home to Japanese pirates around 1600, and later the city was conquered by several colonial powers in succession, starting with the Spaniards. Today you can see several old forts, temples and beautiful parks in the city.

Fulung, Taiwan

  • Fulung/福隆: Taiwan’s longest beach is located at Fulung on Taiwan’s northeastern coastline. A long and beautiful sandy beach await you as a visitor at Yenliao.
  • Sansia/三峽: The city of Sansia is a nice old town, in some districts it is a clear contrast to Taipei. In the narrow streets like Minquan Street, it is like stepping back in time with low houses, a lovely atmosphere, shops restaurants and more.

Shopping

  • Asiaworld , 50 Jungshiau W. Road
  • Breeze Center , 39 Fusing S Road
  • Dayeh Takashimaya , 55 Chungcheng Road, www.dayeh-takashimaya.com.tw
  • Living Mall , 138 Bade Road
  • Pacific Sogo Department Store , 45 Jungshiau E. Road
  • Shio Kong Mitsukoshi , 12 Nanjing W. Road, www.skm.com.tw
  • Taipei 101 Mall , 45 Shifu Road
  • Taipei New World , Chung Hsiao W. Road, www.taipeinewworld.com
  • The Mall , 203 Duenhua S. Road
  • Shopping streets: Dihua Street, Jhongsiao E. Road section 4, Sinyi Road section 5, Jhongshan N Road, Bade Road section 1

With Kids

  • Flight Museum: Chung Cheng Flight Museum / Chung Cheng Hangkong Bowukuan / 中正 航空 博物館, Chiang Kai-Shek Airport, Taoyuan Hsien
  • Zoo: Taipei Zoo / 台北市 立 動物園, 30-2 Hsin Kuang Road, www.zoo.gov.tw
  • Miniature park: Window on China / 小人 國 主題 樂園, 60-2 Herngangshia, Kaoyuan, Longtan, Taoyuan, 50 km/31 mi SW, www.woc.com.tw

Practical Links

City History

It was in the Yuan Dynasty that the Chinese from the mainland began to visit Taiwan Island. However, it went until the Ming Dynasty before a larger number of Chinese permanently settled. 

In the 1600s, European colonial and trade powers began to become more prominent in the Southeast Asian region. First the Dutch arrived in Taiwan and then the Spaniards. It lasted until 1661, when the imperial Zheng Chenggong took control of the island and expelled the foreigners. Zheng’s rule lasted until 1683, when the armies of the Qing Dynasty became subordinate to Taiwan, and then the island was ruled directly from Beijing.

Around the beginning of the 18th century, immigrants from primarily Fujian Province applied to the emperor for permission to establish themselves more permanently and structured in the Taipei area. The city of Mengjia became, because of its convenient location, by the most important waterways, the most important commercial city. The area developed quietly throughout the century.

In the 1850s, during the Qing Emperor Xianfeng, progress in Taiwan took off seriously. Trade at sea increased sharply and more and more newcomers arrived. After just over 20 years, it was appropriate to establish an actual organizational and political unit in the area. In 1875, the imperial court established the province of Taipei based on Fort Dajiarui in the present Zhongzheng neighborhood.

Just a few years later, in 1882-1884, Taipei was constructed with a rectangular shape behind the city walls. There were five entrance gates to the city. Already in 1885, the main roads to the surrounding towns were constructed.

In 1895, Taiwan became part of Japan and the local Japanese government merged several cities in the Taipei area into one administrative area. In 1897 and in 1901, large-scale city plans were initiated in Taipei city itself. The urban plans, the demolition of the city walls and the new political structure (a large municipal amalgamation in 1920) became the basis for today’s metropolis. The trend was strong. In 1920, 170,000 lived here, while an ambitious urban plan in 1932 increased the number to 600,000 within a few years.

In 1949, the Koumintang Party established its government in Taipei, and a large number of construction projects were initiated. The city would now house all the administrative facilities that had previously been located on mainland China. Countless homes were also built for the rapidly increasing number of inhabitants in the following decades. Around 1970, 1.5 million people lived here, in 1990 more than 2.5 million people lived.

Taiwan’s huge commitment to developing industry and commerce created a major economic boom from the 1950s, and Taipei was the government city center of much of the development. There are amazing museums, several subway lines, some of the world’s tallest skyscrapers, as well as beautiful and impressive memorials for the ancestors of Sun Yat-Sen and Chiang Kai-Shek.

Geolocation

In short

Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial, Taipei, Taiwan

Overview of Taipei

Taipei is the capital of Taiwan, which offers magnificent scenery, traditional Chinese architecture, exciting museums and a fascinating modern society. Everthing is located in the capital or close to on the island of Taiwan, which is nice in size to take a little look around and see more than just the big cities. 

 

Taipei is home to a lot of famous sights and buildings. Taiwan was the place where Chiang Kai-Shek created capitalist China after the communist revolution in mainland China, and you can visit and see the grand mausoleum for the first state leader on the island. Another famous place is the skyscraper Taipei 101, which was built as the tallest highrise building is the world upon completion in 2003.

 

About the upcoming Taipei travel guide

  • Contents: Tours in the city + tours in the surrounding area
  • Published: Released soon
  • Author: Stig Albeck
  • Publisher: Vamados.com
  • Language: English

 

About the travel guide

The Taipei travel guide gives you an overview of the sights and activities of the Taiwanese city. Read about top sights and other sights, and get a tour guide with tour suggestions and detailed descriptions of all the city’s most important churches, monuments, mansions, museums, etc.

 

Taipei is waiting for you, and at vamados.com you can also find cheap flights and great deals on hotels for your trip. You just select your travel dates and then you get flight and accommodation suggestions in and around the city.

 

Read more about Taipei and Taiwan

 

Buy the travel guide

Click the “Add to Cart” button to purchase the travel guide. After that you will come to the payment, where you enter the purchase and payment information. Upon payment of the travel guide, you will immediately receive a receipt with a link to download your purchase. You can download the travel guide immediately or use the download link in the email later.

 

Use the travel guide

When you buy the travel guide to Taipei you get the book online so you can have it on your phone, tablet or computer – and of course you can choose to print it. Use the maps and tour suggestions and you will have a good and content-rich journey.

Chiang Kai-Shek • Taipei 101 • Palace Museum • Temples • Great Nature

Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial, Taipei, Taiwan

Overview of Taipei

Taipei is the capital of Taiwan, which offers magnificent scenery, traditional Chinese architecture, exciting museums and a fascinating modern society. Everthing is located in the capital or close to on the island of Taiwan, which is nice in size to take a little look around and see more than just the big cities. 

 

Taipei is home to a lot of famous sights and buildings. Taiwan was the place where Chiang Kai-Shek created capitalist China after the communist revolution in mainland China, and you can visit and see the grand mausoleum for the first state leader on the island. Another famous place is the skyscraper Taipei 101, which was built as the tallest highrise building is the world upon completion in 2003.

 

About the upcoming Taipei travel guide

  • Contents: Tours in the city + tours in the surrounding area
  • Published: Released soon
  • Author: Stig Albeck
  • Publisher: Vamados.com
  • Language: English

 

About the travel guide

The Taipei travel guide gives you an overview of the sights and activities of the Taiwanese city. Read about top sights and other sights, and get a tour guide with tour suggestions and detailed descriptions of all the city’s most important churches, monuments, mansions, museums, etc.

 

Taipei is waiting for you, and at vamados.com you can also find cheap flights and great deals on hotels for your trip. You just select your travel dates and then you get flight and accommodation suggestions in and around the city.

 

Read more about Taipei and Taiwan

 

Buy the travel guide

Click the “Add to Cart” button to purchase the travel guide. After that you will come to the payment, where you enter the purchase and payment information. Upon payment of the travel guide, you will immediately receive a receipt with a link to download your purchase. You can download the travel guide immediately or use the download link in the email later.

 

Use the travel guide

When you buy the travel guide to Taipei you get the book online so you can have it on your phone, tablet or computer – and of course you can choose to print it. Use the maps and tour suggestions and you will have a good and content-rich journey.

Other Attractions

Taipei Dong Men East Gate

  • Taipei East Gate/Taipei Dong Men/台北 东门: There were several city gates in Taipei’s now demolished city walls. Today you can see the gates around the city center. Most of the five gates are built in the beautiful Chinese style which can be seen on the old gate to the east, Dong Men.
  • Longshan Temple/Longshan Si/龍 山寺: Taipei’s Longshan Temple was founded by Han Chinese who came from Fujian on mainland China. It was built in 1738, and it served as a temple for Chinese settlers. Over time, the temple has been repeatedly destroyed but rebuilt time and time again.

Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hall, Taipei

  • Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hall/Guoli Guofu Jinianguan/紀念館 國父: The mighty memorial hall of Sun Yat-Sen, the founder of the Chinese Republic, was completed in 1976. Originally, the memorial was intended to portray Sun Yat-Sen’s thoughts only.

Taipei Bei Men North Gate

  • Taipei North Gate/Taipei Bei Men/台北 北 門: In 1879, the provincial magistrate ordered the construction of city walls around Taipei. Initially, the construction was abandoned, but a few years later, in 1884, a nearly five-kilometer-/three-mile-long wall was completed, including five city gates.

National Museum of History, Taipei

  • National Museum of History/Guoli Lishi Bowuguan/國立 歷史博物館: This museum exhibits artifacts from large parts of China as well as from Taiwan. The museum was established in 1956-1957 in the beautiful museum building which is see worthy in itself.

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