Yingge has long been considered the heart of the Taiwanese ceramics industry. Located in the New Taipei City municipality, the district has produced top-quality porcelain for more than 220 years. Today, hundreds of vendors sell ceramic pieces on Jianshanpu Road, and the Yingge Ceramics Museum captures the area’s history.
One of Taiwan’s most unusual attractions, the Houtong Cat Village, located in the island’s northeast, is famously home to many stray cats. There are now more felines than humans in this former mining village, making it a popular (and adorable) day-trip destination for visitors from nearby Taipei and Keelung City.
One of the largest and most diverse theme parks in Taiwan, Leofoo Village Theme Park combines an amusement park and seasonal water park with an animal safari experience. With more than 60 rides, live entertainment, special events, and a variety of dining and shopping options, it offers a fun day out for the whole family.
A former illegal settlement and one of Taipei’s oldest historical neighborhoods, Treasure Hill got a major facelift in 2010, transforming it into a living artists’ village. Today the area contains performance spaces, galleries, and shops, all squeezed together along the narrow alleys and stairways of this hillside community.
Dedicated to the 20th-century Taiwanese sculptor Ju Ming, the Juming Museum is both a key cultural stop and a popular place for outdoor recreation. Located in the Jinshan District north of Taipei, the museum is home to a sprawling sculpture garden. Head inside to learn more about Ju Ming’s career and see works by affiliated artists.
Just a short train journey from the center of Taipei, Fulong Beach provides a tranquil escape from city life, one filled with white sands and clean waters. An addition to its great opportunities for surfers and sun-worshippers, the beach is home to a hiking trail that reveals spectacular views of Taiwan’s Pacific Coast.
A traditional district located in New Taipei City, Sanxia has been a busy trading center since the Qing dynasty. Today, it’s renowned for the red-brick buildings that line its Old Street, its many shops and street-food stalls, and its proximity to sights like the Qingshui Zushi temple and the Manyueyuan National Forest Recreation Area.
One of Taipei’s most distinctive destinations, the Miniatures Museum of Taiwan was founded in 1997, and is the first collection of its kind in Asia. Established by Lin Wen-jen and Lin Chin-mei—two impassioned collectors—it features dozens of miniature creations of phenomenal detail and complexity, and is aimed at both kids and adults.
Taiwan’s leading contemporary art museum, the Taipei Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA is housed in a colonial, red-brick building—and former elementary school and city hall—dating to the 1920s. Inside, the airy exhibition spaces showcase groundbreaking Taiwanese and international artists in a series of temporary exhibitions.
Explore exhibits related to the ocean, marine life, and marine science at the National Museum of Marine Science & Technology in Taiwan. Housed in a former power plant near Keelung, the museum focuses on the importance of oceans and sustainable development via exhibitions, films, and educational programs.
One of Taipei’s highlight green spaces, the Taipei Expo Park is so named because it hosted the 2010 Taipei International Flora Exhibition. Today, the large multi-use public park offers walking and biking trails, ornamental gardens, museums, a garden maze, and recreation areas. It even hosts the occasional flower festival still.
Located in the Zhongshan district of Taipei, the Miramar Entertainment Park is a landmark shopping mall known for the large ferris wheel on its roof. It’s also home to plenty of shops, restaurants, a popular food hall, one of the largest IMAX theaters in Asia, and other gaming and entertainment options.
Towering Taiwan cypresses stretch into the sky and thousands of indigenous wildflowers dot the hillsides of Taipingshan National Forest, one of Taiwan’s most beloved outdoor destinations. Wooded hiking trails lead to scenic overlooks with spectacular views of places like Renze Hot Springs, Forest Park, and Cuifeng Lake.
Guandu (Kuantu) Temple is dedicated to Mazu, the goddess of the sea and one of the most important deities in Taiwan. Built in 1661 into the side of a mountain along the banks of the Tamsui River, Guandu Temple is a grand, multistory complex that also offers great panoramic views over the Tamsui River.
Constructed in 1967, Xingtian Temple is dedicated to Guan Yu—a deified general and patron god of businesspeople—and is frequented daily by around 10,000 believers seeking spiritual guidance. The temple is known for its forward-thinking approach; for environmental reasons, it became the first to ban incense in Taiwan in 2014.
Right next to the National Palace Museum, the Shung Ye Museum of Formosan Aborigines is dedicated to the history and culture of Taiwan’s 16 Indigenous ethnic groups. The four-story museum showcases an array of historical and contemporary objects and artworks, including clothing, weapons, photographs, and more.
Established in 1908, the National Taiwan Museum is the oldest museum in Taiwan. Learn about Taiwan’s heritage, culture, and development through the museum’s expansive collections and exhibitions covering the geology, history, anthropology, culture, botany, and zoology of Taiwan and Southern China.
Established in 1896 during the Japanese colonial period, Taipei Botanical Garden display more than 2,000 species of plants throughout 17 garden districts on 20 acres (8.2 hectares). Paths take visitors past nine ponds and through two buildings—the Herbarium and Museum of Imperial Envoy Lodging—that are registered historic sites.
Taipei’s Jianguo Holiday Flower and Jade Market is a massive and popular market open only on weekends and public holidays. Stretching for nearly 0.62 miles (1 kilometer), hundreds of vendors and stalls offer an incredible array of plants and flowers at the flower market, and jade and other gemstones at the jade market.
Tung trees, characterized by clusters of white blossoms that emerge in late spring, were once widely cultivated by the Hakka ethnic group throughout Taiwan. The blossom has since become a cultural symbol of the Hakka and each spring, people from around the country come to see the trees in bloom along the Tucheng Tung Blossom Trail.
The Guangxing Paper Mill, the only manufacturer in Taiwan still producing handmade paper, is a family-friendly attraction that provides a hands-on cultural experience. Located in the heart of Puli, a town close to Sun Moon Lake, the mill offers tours and a chance to create paper souvenirs, such as hand fans and lanterns.
Located where the Keelung and Tamsui Rivers meet, Guandu Nature Park has become a favorite nature retreat for Taipei residents and visitors since its founding in 2001. Often referred to as Taipei’s backyard, the sprawling 141-acre (57-hectare park is home to wetland and marsh habitats, and is popular among birdwatchers.
See-Join Puppet Theater Restaurant continues the tradition of a type of hand-puppetry that originated in Fujian, China hundreds of years ago. The independent venue invites you to watch a performance or engage in hands-on puppetry demonstrations. Classic Taiwanese fare is also served.
One of Taipei’s unique small museums, the Suho Memorial Paper Museum was founded to commemorate the millennia-old Chinese tradition of papermaking. Located in a four-story building, the museum showcases historical artifacts and also hosts a working paper mill and hands-on papermaking workshops.
Learn about the history and culture of Taiwan through an entertaining evening filled with spectacular performances at TaipeiEYE, Taipei’s most popular stage show for visitors. Acts range from traditional Chinese and Taiwanese opera to folklore and puppet theater, combined with a thrilling mix of dance, acrobatics, and martial arts.
Dedicated to maritime history and innovations throughout the world, the Evergreen Maritime Museum is a popular destination for those with an interest in all things nautical. Spread across five floors in central Taipei’s Chang Yung-Fa Charity Foundation Building, the museum showcases model ships, paintings, interactive exhibits, and more.
