The City of Taipei

The Taiwanese Tourism Bureau – at least the German one – is very helpful by sending you information about Taiwan. The Government in Taipei wants to get visitors to travel to Taiwan. It is a very safe place, so you need not worry about criminality (beside pickpockets). I get several information by the Taiwanese Tourism Bureau and the office in Germany.

To travel in Taipei, one could best use the Metro and buses. In the MRT offices one could buy a single day ticket or choose a value card, which has a discount of 20% and is rechargeable. Also it could be given back at the information desk in every station and one gets paid back the remaining value; several information about the MRT and the point of interest near every single MRT Station are available in the MRT Station. The MRT is very clean and a good way to travel in Taipei, announcements are made in English, but especially in the rush-hour it could be very crowed. The staff is helpful, although they do not always speak English very well, but with th help of the English Information Sheet, which is available at nearly all stations, I always get the information I asked for.

Mitsukoshi Tower

To get a first impression, one could start with a visit at Mitsukoshi Tower opposite the main station. It is the second highest building in Taipei and up to the finishing of “101” the highest building one could visit as tourist. The advantage of the Mitsukoshi Tower is its location opposite the main station and the crossing of the two main MRT lines.

Provincial Museum

The Provincial Museum in the Hsin Yuan Park (Park of the 28^th February) was closed because it is undergoing renovation but should be open now. The nearby park is worth a visit during the day, as it is a green place in the city. I looked after some new cameras in the photographers alley right next to the Mitsukoshi Tower, but they are not much cheaper than in Germany and as one gets only a Taiwanese Guaranty it not really a bargain to buy them in Taipei.

CKS Memorial Hall

The CKS Memorial Hall again (again a nice changing of the Guard), and a very interesting exhibition about Dr. Sun Yat Sen and Chian Kai Shek. I learned something new about their life and their politics and if you are interested in Asian Politics and History a “must see”.

Dr. Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall

At Dr. Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall were several exhibitions I visited, but most enjoyable is the Changing of the Guard at every full hour. A very interesting process of military discipline; it takes a long time (app. 20 minutes).

Taipei 101

Passingthe Hyatt Hotel one could reach Taipei 101. It is the highest building in the world for the next years, before in Dubai a higher skyscraper will be open in 2008. Taipei 101 is 508 m high and has an observation deck in 438 m (101 floor), which will be opened in first quarter 2005 to public. A second observation deck will be on the 86 floor and a restaurant on the 85 floor, the opening has not yet announced but is scheduled for the first quarter 2005.

The Shopping Mall at Taipei 101 is worth a visit, it is big and very impressive with open galleries and many flag ship stores. The Espresso at Lavazza in “101” is very tasty though expensive, but it seems to be en vogue to drink anEspresso there. The food stalls in the basement offer a great variety of food (American, European, Chinese, Japanese, etc.). The nearby New York Mall is accessible form 101 by a covered walk way where the two building of Shin Kong Mitsukoshi Department Stores are located. The prices of the items (especially the American and European labels are not cheaper the in Europe with the exception of sport items if fabricated in Taiwan.

Taipei Fine Arts Museum

The Taipei Fine Arts Museum (closed on Monday) offers some quite interesting view to Taiwanese Contemporary Art and is in my eyes worth a visit. Very interesting for my point of view, the fact, that some Taiwanese artist paint in the traditional Chinese Way, other paint in the European or international way. Also, there some interesting art installations and some artworks are – let’s say - strange.

Baoan Temple

In the neighbourhood of the Museum is the Confucius Temple and the Baoan Temple which is very nice and on the UNESCO Listn and worth a visit, if you are lucky, there are English Speaking Taiwanese People who explain you some things, an info sheet is also available.

National Palace Museum

The National Palace Museum could not be reached by MRT directly and one has to take a bus, but this is not really a problem, as there are some information at the MRT station Shilin which bus to take. Unfortunately the museum is undergoing a renovation, starting at the 1 April 2004 for the next two years. So only a few rooms are opened. But, if you stay in Taipei, it is still worth a visit. The homepage has also information in English and German Language.

Shida Road Night Market

The Shida Road Night Market near the university is also a nice place in the evening, there are some restaurants and pubs and at the night market you can get some local handwork as souvenirs.

Huaxi Street Tourist Night Market (Snake Alley)

Huaxi Street Tourist Night Market, also known as Snake Alley is easy to reach by MRT. The streets and the neighbourhood are crowed by people, mostly Taiwanese People, but also some foreign tourist. Very interesting the snake presentations and I spend two hours in this area. As usual for such visits, I only have a small amount of money and no credit card with me, as I do not want to spend more time to look after my money than to look at the stall. One should be aware of pickpockets in the area.

If you are only in Taipei, but want to see something outside Taipei, you should visit Wulai Scenic area with its hot springs and its famous Falls.

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