Eastern Taiwan & Taroko National Park
If you turn east off Hwy 9 at Km254.8, a photogenically die-straight lane fires itself towards a serrated green ridge, crossing through a regenerated…
Must-see attractions in Taiwan
Ximending & Wanhua
This small park is the site of a former Japanese temple, which was built at the end of the 19th century for the country's military, and which offered…
Kinmen
Qionglin (also written Cyonglin or Chiunglin) has 800 years of history, is famous for having more shrines than any other village on Kinmen and retains…
Tainan
Artists, performers and cafe operators have moved into this village with giant banyans, shabby walls and vibrant art. Take a stroll along the tree-lined…
Tainan
For generations, women have come to this temple to ask Lady Linshui to protect their children. This is demanding work and the goddess employs 36…
Eastern Taiwan & Taroko National Park
Though you can't reach the top of this 33m-high lighthouse, you can climb its base for appealing views across the airport runway and across the beach and…
Matsu
Beside the 7-Eleven shop in Banli is a very short row of four restored Qing dynasty stone-and-timber mansions. One of them is open to visitors as an…
Penghu Islands
This self-contained 'village' was once the living quarters of military families. The partly derelict area is now being valiantly reworked into a small…
Kinmen
This small, hexagonal monolith was originally built in 1387 for the Ming emperor Hungwu as a place to honour the stars and celestial deities. It is…
Tainan
Dainty Wufei Temple was built in honour of the concubines of the Prince of Ningjing, Zhu Shugui, the last contender for the Ming throne. When Koxinga's…
Pingtung County
This historical site is a collective tomb of 54 sailors from Ryuku (today’s Okinawa), killed by indigenous Paiwan in 1871. The incident, which occurred at…
Matsu
Worth a five-minute stop en route to the Peace Memorial Park, this village looks unpromising when you pass on the main street, but if you delve into the…
Nantou County
The winery's history is tied to the monopoly system established by the Japanese (and continued by the KMT) on core industries such as alcohol, tobacco and…
Tainan
Hidden inside a market named after itself, Shuixian Temple (literally 'Water Fairy Temple') is a far cry from the days when it was not only a place of…
Western Taiwan
An ecological park that's celebrated more for its success at revival than its beauty. It's inside Shanmei village (山美村), a Tsou settlement. Tanayiku or…
Kaohsiung
At Lotus Pond, about 180m to the north of the Dragon & Tiger Pagodas are the fun and gaudy Spring & Autumn Pavilions. The two octagonal towers in green…
Kaohsiung
This gigantic statue at Lotus Pond is of a powerful Taoist deity whose name means God Almighty of the Mysterious Heavens. He is also known as Xuan Wu (玄武;…
Taichung
Not far from Taichung Park is this leafy complex with a quaint western-style building, a small lily pond and some lovely trees. The bureau was built in…
Tainan
This museum makes for a nice diversion. The 1st floor has English interpretation signs, and there are several movies to watch. The 2nd-floor display of…
Western Taiwan
Perched among tea fields, 1300m above sea level, this tourist-friendly showcase of Tsou culture that will give you a taste of tribal architecture, history…
Yangmingshan National Park
Built in 1965 to commemorate the centennial birthday of Sun Yat-sen, this hall is about a three-minute walk back down the road from the 7-Eleven by…
Kaohsiung
Not the place you want to be during an earthquake, this was the tallest building in Taiwan before Taipei 101. Its appearance was inspired by the Chinese…
Western Taiwan
The pond is situated in a semicircular plaza reachable via a flight of stairs to your left when you finish your ascent to the top of Baguashan. Above it…
Penghu Islands
A quick walk west along Zhongshan Rd from central Magong takes you to Shuncheng Gate, the only restored portal in the largely overgrown old city wall.
Western Taiwan
Enshrined here is a deified folk hero of the Ming dynasty – General Liu, known for his valour in fighting the Manchus. When a statue of the general was…
Ximending & Wanhua
Taipei's 5th gate, whose name means Little South Gate, dates back to when the capital was a walled city under the Qing dynasty. It now sits like a lonely…
Pingtung County
Located in the southwestern corner of the island, this attraction consists of a maze of lava rock formations threaded through by a walkway. It's dark and…
Songshan
This little temple is only worth the trip if you're planning to visit Wufenpu market next door, since almost every street in Taipei has a similar site of…
Kinmen
This small coastal fort has display boards and a looping video that give a sense of how young men were toughened into soldiers to endure life here during…
Penghu Islands
For fine views and nice walks, follow signs to Snakehead Hill (蛇頭山; Shétóu Shān) and discover some grassy terraces on which once stood a Dutch fort.
Kenting National Park
Just so you can say you've been to Taiwan's southernmost point, there's a stone marker showing exactly that. It's about 1.2km southeast of Eluanbi Park…
Taipei
This bridge, river boardwalk, mall of seafood restaurants, a fancy resort and snack stalls is only worth it for the ferry ride from Tamsui or, if it's a…
Chiayi
Wude Temple is one of Taiwan's earliest and largest temples dedicated to the God of Wealth (財神), the folk deity whose bearded image graces doors and red…
Southern Taiwan
The written word enjoyed such a sacred position in the world of the ancients that they built furnaces just for disposing of written paper. They're called …
Endemic Species Research Institute
Nantou County
The institute's open-to-public section has a natural history museum for plant and animal species endemic to Taiwan. Displays are educational and come with…
Taiwan's Southwest Coast
Five kilometres southwest of the Guanziling hot-spring area is this natural oddity, a small grotto where fire and water really do mix – natural gas from…
Pingtung County
A series of moderately interesting caves in the northwestern corner of Little Liuchiu Island, some with narrow paths winding through and around them up a …
Indigenous Peoples Cultural Park
Pingtung County
The park, set in forested mountains, displays true-to-life examples of traditional indigenous houses and communal structures. A museum near the entrance…
Taitung
This huge expanse of estuary, scrubland and woods includes a butterfly garden, a duck-watching hide on a small lake and great lengths of cycle path: it's…
Chiayi
The Chiayi Municipal Cultural Center comprises a concert hall, a library, the Chiayi Municipal Museum, and the Koji Ceramic Museum in its basement. It's…
