Danshui and other Taiwan Things to Do Tips

Danshui (Tanshui) (Tamsui) (淡水) is one of my favorite cities in Taiwan. The city is northwest of Taipei and is accessible by MRT (Mass Rapid Transit). Danshui lies at the mouth of the Danshui River, on the shores of the Strait of Taiwan. The city has plenty to see, including historic sights and sunsets. Danshui is best known for its sunsets on the strait of Taiwan, which can be viewed at the Fisherman's Wharf. There is also Fort San Domingo, a historic site that has seen Dutch, Spanish, Chinese, and English occupation over 350 years. There is convenient public transportation in the city.

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Directions: Danshui MRT Stop, Danshui Line of the Taipei MRT

Considered by some to be one of the best history museums in the world, Taipei's National Palace Museum has a giant collection of ancient Chinese artifacts. The museum showcases 4,000 years of Chinese history with bronze, jade, porcelain, and other artifacts; the entire museum has over 600,000 artifacts, of which only 15,000 go on display at any time (exhibits are regularly rotated). From 2004-2006, the museum has been under major renovation, closing about half the exhibits.

Some of the most interesting parts of the museum are the jade cabbage, the painted figurine of a Tang dynasty lady, and a collection of chimes. Unfortunately, no photography is allowed within the museum. Admission is NT 100. For more information, see my National Palace Museum tips on my Taipei page.

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Directions: North of downtown Taipei, but still in Taipei Shih

508-meter tall Taipei 101 is currently (as of 2006) the tallest building in the world. The building, the first to reach half a kilometer in height, dominates the Taipei skyline. It has (of course) 101 floors, with observation decks on the 89th and 91st floors (NT 350 for the 89th floor; the world's fastest elevator gets you there). Taipei 101 is designed like a stalk of bamboo, with 8 sections of 8 floors. On the first five floors of Taipei 101 is a massive shopping mall. Views from the observatories are amazing. You can see the building from just about anywhere in Taipei.

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Directions: Near the Taipei City Hall, off Renai Rd, in Taipei

Taipei, a city with over 2 million people, is quickly becoming one of Asia's most vibrant cities. The city contains a wealth of sights. Most notable are the the Chiang Kai-shek and Sun Yat-sen Memorial Halls, dedicated to the man who united, fought, and saved the Republic of China and the man who founded it, respectively. There is also Xingongyuan (228 Memorial Peace Park), and Longshan Temple, a historic and beautiful temple that is dedicated to both Buddhist and Daoist deities. There is also plenty of good restaurants scattered throughout downtown Taipei. The Shin-Kong Life Tower is a prominent building in this part of Taipei, standing 245 meters tall as the 3rd tallest building on the island of Taiwan.

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Directions: Taipei

Sanyi is the wood-carving capital of Taiwan. It's streets are filled with shops and museums where you can find thousands of hand-carved wooden statues of Buddhas, Guang Gong, and other deities and animals. Nearby are two tourist sights generally less aimed at foreigners than at locals: Shenxing Train Station, and Longteng Broken Bridge. Shenxing Train Station was originally the highest major train staion above sea level in Taiwan, but the major rail route was been rerouted, so trains no longer pass through Shenxing. Not far away, Longteng Broken Bridge is a photogenic brick railroad bridge that collapsed in the 1930's and is now overgrown with vegetation.

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Directions: In southern Miaoli county, off Freeway Number One

Taichung is the third largest city on the island, and sits in the western coastal plain at the foot of the Zhongyang Mountain Range. Taichung is known for having some of Taiwan's best food and nightlife. The city also has many, many other sights to see. The city is famous for it's Taiwan Provincial Museum of Fine Arts, and the National Museum of Natural Science; the Natural Science Museum is particularly worth visiting, admission is NT 100. There are also many temples scattered around the city, including Confucius Temple and Wanchuen Temple. To the west of the city center is Donghai (East Sea) University, where you can visit the Luce Chapel, considered one of Taichung's most beautiful buildings.

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Directions: Two hours south from Taipei via train, or highway

Sun Moon Lake (Jih Yueh Tan) (日月潭) is one of Taiwan's most renowned scenic sights. The lake sits in the center of Nantou County, and is the largest in Taiwan. It's very turquoise, and there are many tourist sights ringing the lakeside, but the lake is somewhat overdeveloped. Still, it is very worth seeing, especially for its temples. There are two major temples by the lakeside, Wenwu Temple and Xuanzang Temple, and there is also the Tsin Pagoda, which Chiang Kai-shek built for his mother. There used to be many more activities at the lake, but because of the 1999 921 Earthquake, quite a few things have been changed. See my Jih-yueh Tan travel page for more details.

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Directions: Nantou County, southeast of Taichung

Puli (埔里) is one of Taiwan's most pleasant towns, and is located at the geographic center of the island. At about 500 meters above sea level, the town enjoys a somewhat cooler climate than the major cities on the western coastal plain; then add in the fact that Puli is just minutes away from the famous Sun Moon Lake, and Puli becomes a perfect place to base yourself. In Taiwan, Puli is known for its good scenery, clean water, clean(er) air, and wine, which makes it a rather desirable place to live; in fact, Puli was once marketed as a retirement residence for the Japanese (but this didn't work out, since the Japanese weren't willing to put up with the traffic here).

To the east of Puli is the Hehuanshan Rd, which leads from Puli into the mountains, passing Wushe (Renai) and Qingjing Farm before reaching the beautiful Hehuanshan. However, Puli has worthwhile places to see in the town itself, including the geographic center of Taiwan, and the Chung Tai Chan Monastery, one of the largest Buddhist monasteries in East Asia.

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Directions: Geographic center of Taiwan; accessible by road from Taichung

Hehuanshan (Hehuan Mountain) (合歡山), in Taroko National Park, has some of Taiwan's most alpine and spectacular scenery accessible by road. From Puli, the Hehuanshan Road climbs past rockslides and heavily forested mountains to Wushe (Renai), a town overlooking the unbelievably turquoise Wan-da Reservoir (Bihu) (Green Lake). From there, the road continues to Qingjing Farm, a favorite destination for the locals where sheep graze on a meadow facing 3000-meter peaks. The road continues past there, narrowing to a single lane and climbing to 3200 meters at Wuling, the highest road-accessible point in Taiwan.

The scenery at Hehuanshan is the best in Taiwan. From a trailhead just downhill of Wuling, a short trail leads to the 3416-meter (about 11,200-foot) summit of Hehuanshan, where views are expansive. The 360-degree panorama covers parts of the Xueshan Range and the Chilai Mountain Group. The summit sits above the timberline.

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Directions: East of Puli; accessible only by Hehuanshan Rd

Xitou Forest Recreation Area (Xitou Experimental Forest) (Hsi-tou) (Sitou) (溪頭) is a popular weekend escape for the residents of Taichung and Changhua. The forest is an experimental forest with trees planted and managed by NTU (Tai-da University). At an elevation of 1500 meters above sea level, the area around Xitou is much cooler than the cities in the western coastal plain. Numerous hikes lead through the forest to Xitou's famous sights like it's age old Sacred Tree (Shenmou), University Pond, and Bamboo Forest (Jhulin). What makes Xitou attract the crowds is its proximity to Taichung- only a 70-minute drive. Admission is NT 150 per person, plus NT 100 per car.

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Directions: In Nantou County, South of Jhushan and Lugu