Top 3 Must Visit Attractions in Taipei

Day 8

On Day 8, Topology Travel (真程旅行社) is back again to take us around Taipei, which is officially our last day of tour. As usual, we had our breakfast at the hotel first, before we hopped onto the coach to begin the tour.


Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall (中正紀念堂)

Our first stop of the day is the Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall (中正紀念堂), which is a national monument and considered as a must visit tourist attraction in Taipei. The memorial hall is completed in 1980 in memory of Chiang Kai-Shek (蔣介石), the former President of the Republic of China. We arrived at the main arch gate of the Liberty Square (自由廣場), which is a big public plaza where the memorial hall is located at the eastern end. We took a group photo here before walking towards the memorial hall, which we can feel the strong wind and chill when walking through the open square.

Arch Gate entrance of Liberty Square

Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall

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At both sides of the square, it is flanked by the National Concert Hall and the National Theater, which are constructed in traditional Chinese architectural style.

National Theater

Upon reaching the memorial hall, we walked up the stairs and entered the Bronze Statue Hall. Over here, we could see a giant bronze statue of Chiang Kai-Shek in seated posture, flanked by guards.

View of the Liberty Square from the memorial hall

Entrance to the Bronze Statue Hall

Bronze statue of Chiang Kai Shek

We waited for a while to witness the guards changing ceremony, which is popular among the tourists.

Guards Changing Ceremony_1

Guards Changing Ceremony_2

Emblem of the Kuomintang on the roof

After the ceremony, we proceeded to the lower level, where there are several exhibition halls that showcase Chiang Kai-Shek's personal life, his military career during Japanese Occupation Resistance and the Chinese Civil War period, and the time during his presidency of the Republic of China.

Panoramic model of the Liberty Square

After the exhibition visit, we exited the memorial hall and went back to our coach, as we depart for an early lunch.


Shin Yeh Restaurant (欣葉台菜)

We arrived at the Shin Yeh Restaurant located at Shuangcheng Street, which was already crowded with locals and other tour groups.

Shin Yeh Restaurant at Shuangcheng Street

The restaurant specialised on Taiwanese dishes, which the fried turnip omelete, braised pork (lurou) and braised squid with bamboo shoot and mushrooms in thick soup are the popular ones. We basically ordered their specialties and other vegetable dishes.

Turnip Omelete (Source: Photo from blog.xuite)

National Palace Museum (國立故宮博物院)

After the lunch, we departed for the next attraction, National Palace Museum (國立故宮博物院). The museum is another must visit tourist attraction in Taipei and it has a collection of close to 700,000 pieces of ancient Chinese artifacts and artworks, spanning over 10,000 years of Chinese history from the Neolithic age to the late Qing dynasty. As the collection is so large, only 1% of the pieces can be exhibited in the museum at any given time! These national treasures were brought to Taipei from mainland China between 1948-1949 when Chiang Kai-Shek's government came to Taiwan during the Chinese Civil War period. Although they only consist of a portion of the treasures originally housed in the Forbidden City in Beijing, they are the finest and high quality collections.

National Palace Museum

The whole museum was packed with visitors, and we queued for quite some time before we got the tickets and audio devices. Our tour guide brought us through various exhibition halls, covering bronze artifacts, porcelain, jade artifacts, paintings, Chinese calligraphy and rare books. It was really an eye-opener for most of us. Out of the many exhibits, the Cauldron of Duke of Mao (毛公鼎), Jadeite Cabbage (翠玉白菜) and Meat-Shaped Stone (肉形石) are the top 3 treasures in the museum.

Jadeite Cabbage (Source: Photo from Japantimes)

Meat-Shaped Stone (Source: Photo from Japantimes)

Cauldron of Duke of Mao (Source: Photo from Twitter)

After the tour of the museum, we visited the souvenir shop for some shopping.


Shilin Night Market (士林夜市)

We exited the museum, hopped onto the coach and depart for the last attraction of the day, Shilin Night Market (士林夜市). Shilin Night Market is the largest and most popular night market in Taipei. Similar to other night markets, it has a large section dedicated to food vendors selling many favourite Taiwanese local snacks, like fried chicken steak, oyster omelet, oyster vermicelli, stinky tofu, small sausage in big sausage and bubble tea etc. Along the smaller streets and lanes, there are many shops selling clothes, bags, shoes and accessories etc.

Shilin Night Market (Source: Photo from pcwallart)

Busy street of Shilin Night Market (Source: Photo from mygola)

Since it was our last night in Taipei, everyone went on a final shopping spree before we wrapped up the day and return to the hotel.

Day 9

There's no planned tour on Day 9 as we need to catch an early afternoon flight back to Singapore. So after our breakfast, we basically spent the remaining time in the hotel rooms packing up before we depart for the airport arranged by Topology Travel (真程旅行社). It had been enjoyable tour in Taiwan for everyone, which was filled with a mixture of historical, cultural, nature and shopping experiences. Final appreciation to Topology Travel (真程旅行社) who arranged the majority of the travel and the great hospitality of the tour guides and driver.



Follow the links below to the other days of my Taiwan tour:

Day 1: Taipei (Tamsui, Ximending Hot Pot)

Day 2: Keelung (Tianhou Temple @ Peace Island, Zhong Zheng Park, Ershawan Fortification, Bisha Fishing Port, Nanya Rock Formation, Bitou Cape, Miaokou Night Market, Cashbox Party World)

Day 3: Hualien (Jinan Temple, Nan Fang Ao Fishing Harbour, Qingshui Cliff, Qixintan Beach, Hang Rou, Mochi, Fanlin House Minsu)

Day 4: Hualien (Taroko National Park Visitor Centre, Shakadang Trail, Leader Village Taroko, Buluowan Visitor Centre, Tianxiang, Eternal Spring Shrine, Dajili Restaurant, Rainbow Night Market)

Day 5: Taipei (Yilan Cake Factory, Fu Ge Shi Yao Chicken, Shifen & Sky Lantern, Mei Guan Yuan @ Ximending)

Day 6: Wulai (Neidong National Forest Recreation Area, Wulai Old Street, Sun Moon Light Hot Spring, Ding Tai Fung @ Taipei 101, Chia Te Bakery)

Day 7: Taipei (Hsing Tian Gong, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hall, Taipei 101, Wufenpu, Shi Da Night Market)

Day 8 & 9: Taipei (Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall, Shin Yeh Restaurant, National Palace Museum, Shilin Night Market)

How to spend a day in Taipei? Visit Temple, Museum, Taipei 101, Night Market and Shopping

Day 7

Free and Easy in Taipei City

On Day 7, we embarked on a free and easy tour by ourselves in Taipei City. As usual, it was breakfast first at our East Dragon Hotel (東龍大飯店) before we kick-off the rest of the day.


Hsing Tian Gong (行天宫)

Our first stop of the day is the Hsing Tian Gong (行天宫), which is a temple dedicated to Guan Yu, who is widely worshipped as the God of War. The temple was completed in 1967 and is the newest of the other 2 branches. However, this temple is the only one located in downtown Taipei, thus it is the most popular and had the most visitors of all.

From our hotel, we walked to Ximen Station (西門站) and took the MRT to the Xingtian Temple Station (行天宫站). Once we exited the station, we followed the signage and walked for another 300m before reaching the destination.

Hsing Tian Gong (Souce: Photo from worldarchitecturemap)

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When we arrived at the temple, the decorative dragons on the roof the temple caught our attention. We took some photos outside the main entrance before we enter the temple. Inside the temple, it was already packed with visitors and worshippers. At the centre of the temple is a large sheltered square where worshippers offer their prayers. At the side of the temple, there's a section where it's opened for fortune telling services.

Interior of Hsing Tian Gong (Source: Photo from flickriver)

We did not spend too much time here, so after some of our group members completed their prayers and the fortune telling, we returned to the Xingtian Temple Station (行天宫站). From there, we took the MRT to our next destination, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hall Station (國父紀念館站).


Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hall (國立國父紀念館)

The memorial hall was completed in 1972 to commemorate the founding father of Republic of China, Dr Sun Yat-Sen (孫中山). The memorial hall is located in a large compound that comprises of fountain, lake and gardens. The hall itself contains an exhibition centre, theatre lecture halls and a library.

Map of the compound

We entered the compound from the north entrance, which is a short distance from the Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hall Station (國父紀念館站). We walked past the garden where the area is filled with colourful flowerbeds, statues of Sun Yat-Sen and historical walls. Near the main entrance to the memorial hall, the location also offers an excellent view of the Taipei 101, which many cannot resist but to stop and take photos with it.

Statue of Sun Yat-Sen

View of Taipei 101

Main entrance of the Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hall

Inside the main hall, we would see a giant statue of Sun Yat-Sen in a seated posture, both sides flanked by guards. Every hour, there would be a guard changing ceremony. However, we did not meet the timing to witness it.

Statue of Sun Yat-Sen inside the hall

One of the guard by the side of the statue

We went ahead to the exhibition area, where it showcases the life of Dr Sun Yat-Sen and his struggle in the revolutions. It is an inspiring exhibition which reminds the current generation on how his perseverance and conviction managed to overthrow the Qing imperial rule and built a new modern China.

A painting of Sun Yat-Sen

Sculptures of Sun Yat-Sen and his wife, Song Qing Ling

ROC Founding Government Policy

After the exhibition, we exited the compound by the south and made a slow walk to the next destination, Taipei 101.


Taipei 101 (臺北101)

Taipei 101 is a very popular tourist attraction in Taiwan and is considered as a must-visit attraction in Taipei. It was completed in 2004, and was then the world's tallest building, before it was overtaken by Burj Khalifa in Dubai in 2009. The construction of the building itself was an engineering feat, which was specially designed to withstand typhoon and earthquake that is very common in Taiwan.

There's a multi-storey shopping mall that adjoins the tower, which is home to many fashion stores and restaurants etc. However, shopping wasn't our main objective for the visit. We made our way to the 5th floor to purchase the tickets to the Indoor Observatory Deck located at the 88th and 89th floor. The tickets also allow entry to the Outdoor Observatory Deck located at the 91st floor. After we bought the tickets, we were treated to a ride in the world's faster elevator to the 89th floor, travelling up to 1010 m/min and taking only 37 seconds!

Souvenirs of Taipei 101

Tickets to the Observatory

World's fastest elevator

The Indoor Observatory Deck offers 360 degree view of the city. There's free audio guide devices that comes in different languages to guide visitors through various iconic buildings/landmarks that be seen from the observatory, as well as introduction to the construction history and special features of the building. The weather was very good and we were able to enjoy the scenic view of the city, which every buildings and cars seems dwarfed when we overlooked them.

View of Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hall

View of City Hall

View of Songshan Airport

View of Xiangshan area

View to the west of the building

There are also stalls around the observatory selling food, drinks and souvenirs. At the centre of the deck, we could see the world's largest damper sphere that suspends from the 92nd to the 87th floor, which serves like a pendulum that help to offset movement of the building caused by strong gusts.

World's largest damper sphere

Damper Baby mascot

Once we were done at the Indoor Observatory Deck, we climbed up the stairs to the Outdoor Observatory Deck. After the observatory tour, we were all hungry and tired. We exited the place and went to the food court located at the basement of the mall to have our lunch.


Wufenpu (五分埔)

After the late lunch, we departed Taipei 101 and walked towards the Taipei City Hall Station (市政府站). From there, we took the MRT to Houshanpi Station (後山埤站), which is just a short walk to Taipei's largest clothing wholesale market, Wufenpu (五分埔).

Wufenpu (Source: Photo from hotels-in-taipei)

Despite being a wholesale market, many shops also offer retail sales to individual customers. The clothes here are cheaper than those similar ones that one could find in Ximending (西門町) and Shilin Night Market (士林夜市). The market covers a large area comprising of various streets and lanes, thus visitors have to remember which lane they have turned into so that they don't get lost inside. Ladies would love this place because most of the shops here sell women apparels and accessories. After the frenzy shopping, we departed the area and returned to Houshanpi Station (後山埤站).


Shi Da Night Market (師大夜市)

Most travelers would have covered Raohe Night Market (饒河街觀光夜市) along with Wufenpu (五分埔), but some of group members preferred to visit Shi Da Night Market (師大夜市), thus we took the MRT to Taipower Building Station (台電大樓站). The night market got its name due to its proximity to the nearby National Taiwan Normal University (國立臺灣師範大學). The night market covers a large area, which mainly extend along the sides of the Longquan Street (龍泉街).

Shi Da Night Market (Source: Photo from daliulian)

Since the night market is near to the university, there are many shops and stalls that target the young adult market with trendy fashions. Of course there's the usual street food and snacks that dominates portion of the night market. We settled our dinner here with the street food and after the second round of shopping, we bid farewell to the night market and took the MRT back to our hotel in Ximending (西門町).



Follow the links below to the other days of my Taiwan tour:

Day 1: Taipei (Tamsui, Ximending Hot Pot)

Day 2: Keelung (Tianhou Temple @ Peace Island, Zhong Zheng Park, Ershawan Fortification, Bisha Fishing Port, Nanya Rock Formation, Bitou Cape, Miaokou Night Market, Cashbox Party World)

Day 3: Hualien (Jinan Temple, Nan Fang Ao Fishing Harbour, Qingshui Cliff, Qixintan Beach, Hang Rou, Mochi, Fanlin House Minsu)

Day 4: Hualien (Taroko National Park Visitor Centre, Shakadang Trail, Leader Village Taroko, Buluowan Visitor Centre, Tianxiang, Eternal Spring Shrine, Dajili Restaurant, Rainbow Night Market)

Day 5: Taipei (Yilan Cake Factory, Fu Ge Shi Yao Chicken, Shifen & Sky Lantern, Mei Guan Yuan @ Ximending)

Day 6: Wulai (Neidong National Forest Recreation Area, Wulai Old Street, Sun Moon Light Hot Spring, Ding Tai Fung @ Taipei 101, Chia Te Bakery)

Day 7: Taipei (Hsing Tian Gong, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hall, Taipei 101, Wufenpu, Shi Da Night Market)

Day 8 & 9: Taipei (Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall, Shin Yeh Restaurant, National Palace Museum, Shilin Night Market)

Guided day trip to Wulai from Taipei: Visit Neidong National Forest Recreation Area and enjoy the hot spring

Day 6

Day Tour to Wulai (烏來)

On Day 6, we had a more relaxed travel itinerary. We would be visiting Wulai (烏來) and enjoy the hot spring there. We got a bit tired over the same breakfast offered by East Dragon Hotel (東龍大飯店), thus we decided to buy breakfast from the popular Yonghe Soya Bean shop (永和豆漿) located just opposite our hotel. The shop is quite small and there's a long queue, thus we decided to take away the food. Despite being small, they sell a lot of different food, ranging from buns, burgers, wraps and of course their famous soya bean curd and drinks. After the breakfast, we hopped onto our coach and began the travel to Wulai.

Neidong National Forest Recreation Area (內洞國家森林遊樂區)

Wulai is located within the mountainous district south of Taipei City, which is famous for its hot springs and aboriginal culture. After the long coach ride, we reached the first destination at Wulai, the Neidong National Forest Recreation Area (內洞國家森林遊樂區). This is a large park popular for its waterfalls and the turquoise blue river. We only walked along the Waterfall View Trail, which follows the river upstream.

Map of the park

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Along the way, we would pass by the dam, then the lower, middle and higher level waterfalls.

River Dam

Turquoise blue water

Lower Level Waterfall

Middle Level Waterfall

Water collection point

Upper Level Waterfall

For those more adventurous, one could walk further and try out the hiking trail that winds through the forest. After lots of photo taking at the waterfalls, we turned back via the same trail and back to the entrance. We got onto the coach and made a short trip to the town area.


Wulai Old Street (烏來老街)

We alighted near the tourist centre, crossed the bridge and reached the Wulai Old Street (烏來老街), which is considered as the heart of the Wulai town. Along the way, we could see the Nanshih River, which itself is a hot spring river, and many people were soaking in the free bath!

Nanshih River

River cutting across the town

The main street itself is not very long and 2 sides of the street are mainly lined up with small hotels with hot spring services, restaurants and shops selling local delights and snacks. Along the way, we can also find the Wulai Atayal Aboriginal Museum.

Roasted Suckling Pig

Wulai Old Street (Source: Photo from gotaiwantrip.com)

As it was already lunch time, we bought different kinds of food snacks and ate as we stroll along. Some of the popular food includes the grilled wild boar sausages, steamed bamboo rice and mochi.


Sun Moon Light Hot Spring (日月光温泉)

After some shopping at the Wulai Old Street, we returned to the tourist centre and boarded the coach to the next destination, which was also the highlight of the trip, the hot spring! We arrived at Sun Moon Light Hot Spring (日月光温泉) soon after a short drive from the town area.

Sun Moon Light Hot Spring (Source: Photo from blog.xuite.net)

As we were a large group, we opted for the outdoor public pool so that everyone can enjoy the hot spring together. Being outdoor, everyone need to put on the swimsuit in order to enter the pool. There are 5 hot spring pools with water temperature ranging from 32-42 deg C and a cold spring pool. While enjoying the hot spring, we could also look at the nice mountainous scenery outside.

Hot Spring (Source: Photo from sunmoonlighthotspring.net)

Everyone had great fun soaking in different pools. After the revitalising hot spring bath, it was time to make our way back to Taipei City.

Din Tai Fung @ Taipei 101 (鼎泰豐)

It had been a tiring day so far, and most of us had a nap on the coach while we make our way to the Din Tai Fung at Taipei 101. It was already dark when we arrived at Taipei 101. The restaurant is located at the basement of the mall and the queue was very long. We waited for around half an hour before we go seated.

Taipei 101

Din Tai Fung (Source: Photo from plaza.rakuten)

The food offering is almost similar to those we could find in Singapore. We ordered our usual favourites, such as the famous Xiao Long Bao, egg fried rice, the soup noodle wanton and many other dishes. We did not explore Taipei 101 after the meal, as we would come back here again on Day 7.


Chia Te Bakery (佳德糕餅)

Our last activity of the day was to visit the popular Chia Te Bakery (佳德糕餅) to buy their famous pineapple pastries (鳳梨酥).

Chia Te Bakery

It was near their business closing time, but the shop was still packed with visitors. Other than the traditional pineapple pastries, they also have the pastries in different flavours such as cranberry and strawberry, and other products like sun cake, milk cake, egg tarts etc.

Rows of pastries and cakes (Source: Photo from Tripadvisor.com)

Everyone was equipped with numerous boxes of pastries and cakes to be brought back home for family and friends. After the frenzy shopping, we headed back to the hotel to end the day.

Follow the links below to the other days of my Taiwan tour:

Day 1: Taipei (Tamsui, Ximending Hot Pot)

Day 2: Keelung (Tianhou Temple @ Peace Island, Zhong Zheng Park, Ershawan Fortification, Bisha Fishing Port, Nanya Rock Formation, Bitou Cape, Miaokou Night Market, Cashbox Party World)

Day 3: Hualien (Jinan Temple, Nan Fang Ao Fishing Harbour, Qingshui Cliff, Qixintan Beach, Hang Rou, Mochi, Fanlin House Minsu)

Day 4: Hualien (Taroko National Park Visitor Centre, Shakadang Trail, Leader Village Taroko, Buluowan Visitor Centre, Tianxiang, Eternal Spring Shrine, Dajili Restaurant, Rainbow Night Market)

Day 5: Taipei (Yilan Cake Factory, Fu Ge Shi Yao Chicken, Shifen & Sky Lantern, Mei Guan Yuan @ Ximending)

Day 6: Wulai (Neidong National Forest Recreation Area, Wulai Old Street, Sun Moon Light Hot Spring, Ding Tai Fung @ Taipei 101, Chia Te Bakery)

Day 7: Taipei (Hsing Tian Gong, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hall, Taipei 101, Wufenpu, Shi Da Night Market)

Day 8 & 9: Taipei (Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall, Shin Yeh Restaurant, National Palace Museum, Shilin Night Market)