Must-see attractions in Kinmen

Blasted out of solid granite by soldiers in the 1960s, this V-shaped arc of sea tunnels was designed to protect boats from bombs during the war years…

Also known as Jiugong Tunnel (九宮坑道), this four-entrance network of wide sea tunnels was blasted out of the gneiss in the 1960s to provide bomb shelters…

Built in 1931, this is Kinmen's most famous 'western' building thanks to the 11m-tall gun tower in its yard, erected to ward off (or at least spot)…

For domestic tourists, this is one of Kinmen's top sights due to the pivotal nature of a battle fought here over 56 hours in October 1949. For outsiders,…

This three-storey tower, built in classical Chinese form, is an iconic local landmark that has often featured on Taiwanese stamps. Yet it only dates from…

With a fine setting in a bowl of green slopes, Shanhou is one of the island's prettiest old villages with dozens of classic tile-roofed Fujian homes,…

This stern, 9m statue of Koxinga (鄭成; Zheng Cheng) gazes towards China from a tiny islet connected to the rest of Kinmen by a pedestrian causeway, which…

Yongshi (Warriors') Fort is one of a pair of 1970s military bunkers in Huangtso. Descend through a 200m-long tunnel that now contains a museum about…

This vertical slab of concrete punched with 48 circular holes looks like a forgotten work of 1970s abstract sculpture set on a very low seaside 'cliff'…

All a-twitter with birdsong, Zhushan is Kinmen's traditional village core, chock-a-block with low-rise, tile-roofed homesteads built in archetypal Fujian…

By day it looks a little over-gentrified, but at night the junction of Juguang and Zhongxing roads is one of Kincheng's most atmospheric corners. The so…

Considered Kinmen's finest 'western-style' residence, this 1921 two-storey villa features stone arcade balconies from which you gaze down through parkland…

Kinmen's famous super-sharp knives are still fashioned from bomb casings at a display workshop at the back of this stylish Banglin boutique. Each shell…

This museum examines the rarely mentioned subject of officially-sanctioned prostitution to entertain military personnel. Euphemistically known as a …

The oldest surviving Qing government building in Taiwan, this three-courtyard structure doubles as a passably interesting museum explaining Kinmen's place…

Kinmen's only national-level heritage site, this 1812 carved arch across Juguang Rd was built from Fujian granite and bluestone by a Kinmen native who had…

This charming little street is lined with attractive shops behind brick-arched facades dating back to 1924.

Peaking at 253m, Taiwu is less a mountain than an attractive hill ridge that forms Kinmen's east–west backbone. Knobbly patches of beige rock show through…

Set in a beautifully peaceful garden of banyan trees, this engrossing bilingual museum documents the horrific 44-day bombardment in 1958 during which…

Claustrophobes beware: Kincheng has 2.6km of wartime tunnels and you can walk 1.2km of them, but they're not much wider or taller than a large man. What…