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Northern Taiwan

Lonely Planet's Best in Travel 2025

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Keelung Miaokou night market

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Overview

For many travelers, heading outside Taipei into the north gives them their first taste of how big this little island is. It's not just that there are mountains reaching up to 13,000 ft (3886m). It's that those mountains – and their valleys and meadows – seem near endless, and that around every corner is a rustic hot-spring village, forest reserve or indigenous hamlet.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

  • Lin Family Mansion & Garden

    Northern Taiwan

    The family mansion of Lin Ying-yin boasts wood and stone carvings, traditional architectural motifs representing luck and fortune, and a beautiful…

  • Gold Ecological Park

    Northern Taiwan

    Jinguashi's big draw is this Japanese-era mining-complex-turned-tourist-park, where hillside paths connect 1930s offices, workshops and dormitories, and…

  • City God Temple

    Northern Taiwan

    First built in 1748, and masterfully restored in 1924, this Hsinchu landmark has the highest rank of all the city god temples in Taiwan, and is a splendid…

  • Quanhua Temple

    Northern Taiwan

    The only Taoist temple on the mountain, Quanhua Temple (c 1897) is dedicated to the Jade Emperor. The elaborate main hall is built into a recess in the…

  • Turtle Island

    Northern Taiwan

    This captivating volcanic islet, 10km off the coast of Yilan, is less than 3km long yet rises up to 398m. Once supporting a population of 750 people, the…

  • Tzushr Temple

    Northern Taiwan

    The centre of religious life in Sansia, the Tzushr Temple honours Qingshui Tsu-Sze, a Song-dynasty general worshipped by the people of Anxi, Fujian, for…

  • Manyueyuan Forest Recreation Area

    Northern Taiwan

    Once you get past the paved waterfall trails in this scenic park 20km southeast of Sansia, you reach natural hikes that climb for hours through sweet…

  • Wuling Farm

    Northern Taiwan

    Wuling Farm, also known as Wuling Forest Recreation Area (武陵國家森林遊樂區), is a relaxing mountain retreat popular with Taiwanese families who come for the…

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