Alishan Forest Recreation Area
Western Taiwan
Visiting Alishan may almost feel like a cliche, but do not lose heart. There may be equally beautiful and less-visited places in Taiwan, but Alishan, with…
Must-see attractions in Western Taiwan
Western Taiwan
This holy structure was renovated in 1936, a high period in Taiwan's temple arts. The woodcarvings are particularly fine in the front hall, and the high…
National Museum of Natural Science
Taichung
A fantastic place for kids and botany fans, this massive museum has over 50 exhibit areas covering space, the environment, rainforests, gems and minerals,…
National Palace Museum Southern Branch
Chiayi
Fans of historical art and antiques will have a field day here: there is exquisite Buddhist art from Asia's oldest civilisations, excellent displays on…
Nantou County
Dedicated to the Earth God, the carnivalesque Zinan Temple celebrates entrepreneurship and is perpetually busy, as is the marketplace that has grown…
Taichung
Beautiful wetlands teeming with life rendered surreal by the sight of wind turbines on the horizon. It is especially photogenic at sunset and makes for a…
Western Taiwan
In the southern foothills of Baguashan is this bizarre temple and haunted house where parents used to take their children to scare them into obedience. It…
Nantou County
An operating tea farm that's also a showcase for the reinstatement of tea shrubs to Sun Moon Lake. The speciality here is Assam black tea, introduced by…
Chiayi
Ming Yuan was a pharmacy; now it's a shrine to Taiwan's indigenous flora. Owner Mr Tsai has managed to cram every corner of the tiny shop with unusual…
Chiayi
This is the spiritual centre of Chiayi and is dedicated to the City God. First constructed in 1715, many of the best parts of the temple hail from a 1941…
Western Taiwan
Located 2km south of Changhua Train Station, this remarkable temple is one of the stops on the Mazu Pilgrimage. The distinctive character of the complex…
Nantou County
Don’t miss this superb museum adjacent to the main Chung Tai Chan Temple; it is a fabulous showcase of Buddhist artefacts dated as early as AD 386.
National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts
Taichung
Taiwan's top fine-art museum features the works of both established and upcoming Taiwanese artists, as well as famous foreign creators such as Japanese …
Nantou County
It's not hard to see why a 1986 rockslide that killed 28 visitors closed Taichi Gorge to the public for over two decades. The precipitously high, narrow…
Nantou County
Huisun Forest Reserve, home to Taiwan's largest old-growth forest, not only offers lovely, negative-ion-filled hiking trails; it's a one-stop site for…
Western Taiwan
The Baguashan slopes were for centuries a military observation zone. The area affords views over the whole city and far out to sea. It’s a pleasant place…
Taichung
Built by a devout Taichung family in the 1920s, Pi-Lu Buddhist Monastery looks more like a mansion than a monastery, with its red-bricked facade, Doric…
Nantou County
From the entrance doors with their giant guardians to the 18 lohan reliefs, only top-quality materials and artists, both Taiwanese and foreign, were used…
Aowanda National Forest Recreation Area
Nantou County
Located along the scenic Hwy 14 near Wushe, this national park is famous for its maples. The park ranges in altitude from 1100m to 2600m, making it a cool…
Nantou County
The forest-resort area known as Shanlinxi Forest Recreation Area (literally, Sun Link Sea FRA) has waterfalls, cherry blossoms in spring, and maple in…
Taichung
Highly Instagrammable semiderelict building with large areas covered by awesome graffiti. In the abandoned spaces of this former shopping mall, you may be…
Chiayi
This temple was founded in 1694 when a monk brought a Mazu statue to the area. Like its neighbour, Fengtian Temple, Chaotian was at one time or another…
Xiangshan Visitor Information Centre
Nantou County
This visitor centre offers splendid views of Sun Moon Lake from atop a sleek modern structure that fits neatly in with the surroundings. Wood and concrete…
Western Taiwan
The heavy roller mills, boiling vats and centrifuges you see in this large and photogenic refinery once produced the largest volume of sugar per day in…
Chiayi
This temple, founded in 1622, claims to be the first Mazu temple on mainland Taiwan. The original temple is said to have collapsed, been rebuilt,…
Chiayi
Beigang Old St is the long strip of Zhongshan Rd in front of Chaotian Temple. It's been a hub of commercial activity since the Qing dynasty, its…
Taichung
A historical landmark, this beautiful 20-hectare park was designed by the Japanese in the early 1900s. The elegant Japanese pavilion was a later addition …
Nantou County
The area by Shueishe Pier is a great place to kick back or go for a leisurely stroll. Lakeside walking paths extend from Shueishe village (often referred…
Western Taiwan
Lukang's old commercial hub, Yaolin and Butou Sts, is now a protected heritage zone. The narrow, century-old lanes are worth checking out for their red…
Chiayi
An old timber house is the lovely setting for this museum that throws light on the history and preservation of Taiwan's old tiles. The gorgeous patterns…
Nantou County
Cingjing Farm is Cingjing's number-one attraction for Asian families, and Evergreen Grasslands is its highlight. This is Taiwan's Heidi country, with…
Nantou County
Wuchang Temple became famous after the 1999 earthquake collapsed its lower floors, leaving the roof to stand in ruin. It now lies photogenically crumpled…
Taichung
An attractive example of the old building-turned-artsy-marketplace formula, the handful of old civil-servant dormitories known as Audit Village are now…
Western Taiwan
This 1726 beauty ranks as one of the oldest Confucian temples in Taiwan and as a first-class historical relic. Inside the ancestral hall, there's an…
Western Taiwan
The handsome building of this museum was designed by a Japanese architect (who also designed the Presidential Office Building in Taipei) and built in 1919…
Nantou County
The seven-minute, 1.9km ride offers an unparalleled bird's-eye view of the lake as you rise into the nearby hills. The gondola terminates at the Formosan…
Nantou County
Serene and charming, Xuanzang Temple keeps a tiny piece of the skull of Monk Xuanzang or Tripitaka (AD 600–664), who is fictionalised in the novel Journey…
Bashianshan Forest Recreation Area
Nantou County
This forest reserve offers a range of trails for easy hikes lasting two to six hours. The reserve is also a prime site for spotting endemic bird and…
Western Taiwan
At the top of Baguashan is a large black Buddha statue sitting on a golden lotus. You can go inside the 22m-tall structure which has five floors featuring…
Western Taiwan
This beautifully restored Fujian-style house, founded in the Qing dynasty, is the last remaining imperial scholar's home in Lukang. The Dins were…
