Top 3 Places in Taipei That You Shouldn’t Miss
Most visits to Taiwan begin in Taipei. It is a friendly city that is easy to travel in, has delicious food everywhere, and lots of unmissable attractions.
If you are up for learning more about Taiwan’s history, this list is for you.
For the second time this year, still upon the invitation of Clark International Airport (CRK), I visited Taiwan.
CRK offers one of the most convenient ways to visit Taiwan. It provides daily flights to Taiwan and easy connectivity. For Metro Manila guests like me, point-to-point buses are available from Trinoma Mall in Quezon City and Ninoy Aquino International Airport from Genesis Transport. Travel time is approximately two hours.
From check-in to boarding, everything was a breeze. Add to that, we were granted access to the Plaza Premium Lounge. We were blown away by Taiwan even before we reached our destination. Starlux Airline had premium amenities, a wide variety of in-flight entertainment, and delicious meals. All this for a competitive price with a budget airline’s fares.
We were in Taiwan for 3 days and 3 nights and spent one day getting to know Taiwan through some of Taipei’s most popular attractions. Our itinerary was curated by our friends from Dar Chiu Travel Service.
Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall
Taiwan, like many other countries, has an unfortunate past. Its complicated history is commemorated through two important structures, one of which is the Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall.
Many come to witness the Changing of the Guard, which takes place every hour.
The Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall is a monument erected in honor of Generalissimo Chiang Kai-Shek, the former president of the Republic of China. Even though it is a memorial to a former military leader, it is actually one of Taiwan’s most visited destinations.
This hall lies in the center of Taipei’s Liberty Square, where the National Concert Hall and the National Theatre are also located. The square itself serves as an important place for public gatherings.
Construction of the hall began in 1976, a year after Chiang Kai-Shek passed away. It is made of a white-marble memorial hall topped with a blue-tiled roof. Two sets of staircases with 89 steps representing his age at the time of his death lead to the main hall, where a large statue of Chiang Kai-shek is located, and the guard mounting ceremonies take place.
On its first floor are exhibits telling Chiang Kai-Shek’s family life. They display his uniforms, medals, and even some of his cars.
National Revolutionary Martyrs’ Shrine
The National Revolutionary Martyrs’ Shrine is another site filled to the brim with stories.
Built in 1969 on verdant slopes and overseeing the Keelung River with design inspirations from Beijing’s Forbidden City, this shrine is an homage to martyrs’ brave spirits.
The Martyr Complex covers an area of some 52,000 square meters. The building includes the gateway, wing rooms, bell tower, drum tower, shrine portal, civilian-martyrs shrine, military martyr shrine, and sanctuary.
The structure houses the spirit tablets of about 390,000 persons killed during the wars against the Japanese Imperial Army and the Communist People’s Liberation Army.
The shrine also honors civilians, like a teacher who died trying to save children in the 1992 Taoyuan County tour bus fire, police officers and firefighters who died in the line of duty, healthcare workers on duty during the Hoping Hospital lockdown resulting from the 2003 SARS outbreak, and a postman who died delivering mail in the aftermath of Typhoon Nora.
Anyone who sacrifices their life for the victory of the Republic of China during the war, for fulfilling their duty during the war, or for certain specific hazardous missions and earns the President’s commendation qualifies for being respected as a martyr.
The hourly Changing of the Guard also happens here.
National Palace Museum
Taipei’s National Palace Museum presents an extraordinary collection of treasures that have miraculously escaped destruction. Many of these were moved from the Palace Museum in the Forbidden City in China and five other institutions throughout China during the Republic of China’s retreat.
It counts nearly 700,000 pieces of Chinese artifacts and artworks, probably the world’s largest collection of ancient Chinese artifacts.
Half a day is not enough to view the entire collection. The building was modeled after a Chinese imperial palace.
The museum’s collection encompasses items spanning 8,000 years of Chinese culture, from the Neolithic Age to the modern period. It displays calligraphy, paintings, books, documents, jades, and porcelains.
Its most prized exhibit, though, is the Jadeite Cabbage, a treasure carved from jade, which unfortunately was not on display when we visited the museum. Luckily, the other important part of its collection, the meat-shaped stone, a piece of jasper carved into the shape of pork, was on display.
What Else to Do in Taipei?
If there’s one thing you absolutely cannot leave Taipei without doing, it’s hitting the night markets. We ended our day in two of its most popular spots for foodies — Shilin, Taipei’s most famous night market, and Ximending, the city’s hottest spot.
These two are home to Taipei’s most iconic eateries and shops. Some must-try delicacies include Taiwanese fried chicken chops, stinky tofu, oyster omelette, stewed meat rice, and pork rib noodles.
One also cannot really say they have been to Taipei without going to Taipei 101, or at least seeing it from afar.
Taipei 101 is Taiwan’s most iconic site. At some point, it was the world’s tallest skyscraper and held the record for the world’s fastest elevator. It only takes 39 seconds to go from the fifth to the 89th floor. It is also the largest engineering project ever in the history of the Taiwanese construction business.
On the 89th floor of the building is an observation deck where one can enjoy a bird’s-eye view of the entire city of Taipei.
These three — Shilin, Ximending, and Taipei 101, with lunch at Din Tai Fung — were also parts of our 1-day city tour of Taipei.
Taipei Travel and Tour Packages
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