This is a great place to get your bearings on the city and its history. Maps and models show Taipei's evolution from a walled, gated city in 1882 to the bustling metropolis it is today. Even so, it could do with a bit of an update on the new skyscraper cityline. There are exhibits, many interactive, on geography, topography, commerce, famous residents and natural resources. Use the western entrance to access the museum.
Discovery Center of Taipei
Xinyi
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
4.41 MILES
Home to the world's largest and arguably finest collection of Chinese art, this vast hoard covers treasures in painting, calligraphy, statuary, bronzes,…
4.01 MILES
Founded in 1738 by Han immigrants from Fujian, this temple has served as a municipal, guild and self-defence centre, as well as a house of worship. These…
3.6 MILES
This former 'Centre Street' has long been known for its Chinese medicine shops, fabric market and lively Lunar New Year sundry market. It has attracted…
0.25 MILES
Towering above the city like the gigantic bamboo stalk it was designed to resemble, Taipei 101 is impossible to miss. At 508m, Taipei 101 held the title…
3.95 MILES
This former detention centre, court and jail was where political prisoners were incarcerated and tried during the White Terror period (1947–87). The…
2.65 MILES
This grandiose monument to authoritarian leader Chiang Kai-shek is a popular attraction and rightly so. It is a sobering feeling to stand in the massive…
2.22 MILES
Borrowing from western urban-regeneration models, this early-20th-century wine factory has been restored as Taipei's most retro-chic venue. Remodelled…
3.91 MILES
Recipient of a Unesco Asia-Pacific Heritage Award for both its restoration and its revival of temple rites and festivities, Bao'an Temple (also called…
Nearby Xinyi attractions
0.25 MILES
This squat Lego-like building, in pink stone, stands next to the much more impressive Taipei 101 and is the capital's main venue for international trade…
0.25 MILES
Towering above the city like the gigantic bamboo stalk it was designed to resemble, Taipei 101 is impossible to miss. At 508m, Taipei 101 held the title…
3. National Dr Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall
0.29 MILES
The hall and its surrounding gardens occupy an entire city block. The latter are well used by picnickers, kite flyers, breakdancers and the early morning…
0.34 MILES
A magical art installation based on Taiwan's celebrated author of illustrated books, Jimmy Liao's When the Moon Forgot. You can clamber inside and pose…
0.43 MILES
When the Nationalist army decamped to Taiwan in 1949, one million soldiers (and in time their families) had to be rehoused. Thus arose military-dependents…
6. Songshan Cultural & Creative Park
0.45 MILES
Set in a former tobacco factory (or more accurately an industrial village) from the 1930s, this lovely park is part lush gardens, part frog-filled lake,…
0.48 MILES
Housed in one wing of an atmospheric former tobacco factory, this exhibition space showcases modern designs by local and international artists.
0.66 MILES
This huge former repair factory for the country's trains is being transformed into a heritage museum. While all visitors can enter and peek from the main…