Tainan
Both buildings of the Tainan Art Museum are now open – this one (Building 1), the former Tainan City Police Station raised in the Japanese era; and the…
Must-see attractions in Southern Taiwan
Southern Taiwan
This showpiece of a southern temple, complete with beautiful swallowtail roof, was constructed by Gu A-jhen and 12 other local worthies in 1918. If you…
Kaohsiung
A handsome modern fort with Qing dynasty foundations that used to guard the northern entrance to Kaohsiung Harbour. From the top of the barracks and the…
Kenting National Park
This well-protected expanse of scrubby hills and open grasslands is a favourite with picnickers, hiking families and ecotourists. A pathway runs through…
Tainan
A fabulous gallery inside an attractive 50-year-old building. The three-and-a-half floors of space hosts well-curated exhibitions of works – paintings,…
Taiwan's Southwest Coast
The unmissable Saint Cross Church, a Roman Catholic church designed by German architect Gottfried Boehm in the 1950s, is the highlight of a walk around…
National Science & Technology Museum
Kaohsiung
Features an hourly IMAX show and high-quality, hands-on science exhibits designed for children. The exhibit on the industrial history of Taiwan, one of…
Shuangliou Forest Recreation Area
Pingtung County
The park offers an easy day hike with two trails to some gorgeous waterfalls and wooded hills. The 1500-hectare park is a monsoon forest that was…
Kaohsiung
Set in a large park, this wonderful museum specialises in the works of Taiwanese artists, in particular, painters, sculptors, and installation and digital…
Pingtung County
Several kilometres of rock platform are distributed along the island's southeastern coast – erosion has sculpted it into fantastic formations that the…
Kaohsiung
After checking out the wondrous Neiwei Flea Market, hop over to this food bazaar nearby for a cheap-but-satisfying meal of grilled chicken, stuffed buns…
Kaohsiung
The scenic pond in the north of the city has been a popular destination since the Qing dynasty and is well known for the 20 or so temples dotting the…
Tainan
This old fort is a splendid place to roam around, or to enjoy an outdoor concert on weekends. However, only the foundation is the original. Chihkan has…
Story House of Naval Base Zuoying
Kaohsiung
In a compound next to Taiwan's largest naval base, this small museum pays tribute to Zuoying's strong military heritage. By means of relics, photos,…
Pingtung County
This historic battlefield site is worth the steep 45-minute ascent more for its excellent views than for its historical remains. These include a memorial…
Southern Taiwan
Duona village, lying in a river gorge, is home to the Rukai tribe. Though not many traditional houses remain, the village is worth visiting to see how the…
Black-Faced Spoonbill Reserve & Exhibition Hall
Tainan
The exhibition hall at the Black-Faced Spoonbill Reserve on Tainan's west coast explains the ecology of the Tseng Wen River (曾文溪) and the creatures that…
Southern Taiwan
This was the first street in Meinong, and some of the oldest family residences can still be found in the narrow back alleys.
Kaohsiung
Kids may enjoy this zoo on the northern border of Shoushan Park in Gushan District. While we think that the large mammals such as camels and ostriches…
British Consulate Residence at Takou
Kaohsiung
Built in 1865, this handsome red-brick consulate residence sits 70m above the mouth of Kaohsiung Harbour, a perfect location for watching giant container…
Southern Taiwan
Late spring and summer are the best time to visit the valley. Over 100 butterfly species can be found here, and the chances of having a dozen species…
Kaohsiung
Known locally as 'Ginza' (銀座), this crumbling arcade was Kaohsiung's first shopping mall when it opened in 1937, although the current structure harks back…
Southern Taiwan
The valley known for purple butterfly-watching is not one geographical location, but a number of sites around Maolin National Scenic Area. The best time…
Tainan
People come to this temple to communicate with the dead through spirit mediums. It's a fascinating place to catch a glimpse of Taiwanese folk culture. It…
Kaohsiung
Warehouse 2 is a pleasant glass-walled space with shops and restaurants at Pier-2 Art Center. It was built as an old sugar warehouse during the Japanese…
Military Dependants' Village Museum
Kaohsiung
Four houses of a military dependants' village have been restored and turned into a quaint museum. Besides exhibits on the KMT retreat from China and the…
Kaohsiung
Taiwan's first modern sugar factory (c 1901) is no longer in use, but you can still see the old mechanisms and the vats. There's also a village here that…
Tainan
A foreboding temple dedicated to the King of Medicine (sometimes erroneously translated as 'Drug Lord'), the first of its kind in Taiwan. It faces the…
Kaohsiung
Love River was once an open sewer and it has seen a remarkable transformation in recent years. The waters flow clean and the bankside promenades with…
Liu Chi-hsiang Former Residence
Tainan
The former residence of renowned Taiwanese painter Liu Chi-hsiang (1910–98) has been restored and turned into a museum on his life and works. Liu was…
Tainan
This shrine was built in the Qing dynasty, but its roots date back to a shrine commemorating Ming loyalist Koxinga (Zheng Chenggong) in the 1660s. The…
Kaohsiung
A music-themed viewing bridge atop a hill between the districts of Gangshan and Yanchao. The attractive 88m-long structure is suspended 40m high by cables…
Kaohsiung
This lovely museum is housed in what was the city-government building during Japanese times. The building of the museum was one of the important…
Tainan
Tainan families have been coming here for generations on the 1st and 15th of every lunar month to pray to the supreme Taoist entity, the Jade Emperor. The…
Kenting National Park
Kenting's best-known landmark – a still-functioning lighthouse built in the 1880s – is at Eluanbi Cape, the southernmost end of Taiwan's Central Mountain…
Taiwan's Southwest Coast
The brief but charming Jingliao Old Street has an old clock shop, wooden houses, vintage hair salons and a handsome pharmacy, all built in a rural style…
Tainan
Behind the Mazu Temple, the fort was a stronghold of Dutch power until its 1661 capture by Koxinga after a nine-month battle. Most of it has been…
Pingtung County
This no-frills cacao farm and ice-cream maker has a shop, cafe and orchard where you can sample ice cream made from the sweet pulp of the cacao fruit, or…
Tainan
There used to be 14 city gates in Tainan and a city wall spreading several kilometres. This old gate is the only one of the four remaining gates that…
Tainan
You pay by the hour at this unusual library-cafe stocked with magazines, comics and visual arts books. It's a great place to chill – there's free coffee,…
