Top 10 Attractions in Taiwan

Tourist attractions， shopping， and as a culinary destination. That is a reason people make Taiwan as the travel destination. Starting from its natural beauty， Taiwan offers the coastal valleys and vast green forest. If viewed from the history and culture， Taiwan has the most comprehensive collection of Chinese artifacts relic in its National Museum. Not only that， for the culinary matters， national parks， and shopping， Taiwan does not need your doubt. The appeal of most of Taiwan lies in the architecture of the building. Historic buildings and temples in Taiwan many combines elements of art from the Netherlands and China， so beautiful.

Here are the best tourist attractions in Taipei Taiwan you must visit：

1.Yangmingshan National Park

If your landscape is a priority during a vacation in Taipei， Yamingshan National Park should be the first destination that should not be missed. The park is located 30 minutes drive from the city center is surrounded by rocky cliffs， mountain meadows， and lakes are calm. The best time to visit is around February and March for the cherry blossoms are blooming and the gardens of colorful flowers that are being showcased finest colors.

Yangmingshan National Park is one of the nine national parks in Taiwan， located between Taipei and New Taipei City. The districts that house parts of the park grounds include Taipeis Beitou and Shilin Districts； and New Taipeis Wanli， Jinshan and Sanzhi Districts. The National Park is famous for its cherry blossoms， hot springs， sulfur deposits， fumaroles， venomous snakes， and hiking trails， including Taiwans tallest dormant volcano， Seven Star Mountain （1，120 m）.

This mountain range was originally called Grass Mountain during the Qing Dynasty， in reference to Datun Mountain. Officials during this period were worried about thieves stealing sulfur from the rich sulfur deposits in the area so they would regularly set fire to the mountain. Thus， only grass and not trees could be seen.

Different from the high mountain national parks， Yangmingshan National Park has a lower elevation. Even though mountain elevations range from only 200–1120 meters， beautiful landscapes such as ridges， valleys， lakes， waterfalls and basins are abundant. Andesite rocks make up most of the areas geology.

Due to the effects of post-volcanic activity and precipitation， soil in the region is highly acidic. With the influence of the northeast monsoon and the areas microclimates， winter temperatures are much lower than the surrounding areas. The above factors cause the vegetation to differ from those in other regions at the same latitude. Some medium and high altitude plants can be found here such as Bird-lime Tree and Hairy Japanese Maple. Vegetation groups can be divided into subtropical monsoon rain forests， temperate evergreen broadleaf forests and mountain ridge grasslands. There are 1360 species of vascular bundle plants in the region. Some of the common ones are Red Nanmu， Large-leaved Machilus， Formosan Sweet Gum， Taiwan Cherry， Mori cleyera and Dark Spotted Cherry. The most famous is Taiwan Isoetes in Menghuan pond， an aquatic fern only found in Taiwan. Mt. Datun is one of the most well known places to see some of the 168 different species of butterflies in northern Taiwan. The best time to view the butterflies is from May to August. The most common ones are from the Families Papilionidae， Danainae and Nymphalidae. There are also 122 species of birds in the region.

2.Beitou Hot Springs

Beitou District is the northernmost of the twelve districts of Taipei City， Taiwan. The historical spelling of the district is Peitou. The name originates from the Ketagalan word Kipatauw， meaning witch. Beitou is the most mountainous and highest of Taipeis districts， encompassing a meadow with rivers running through the valley which have abundant steam rising from them； the result of geothermal warming. The valley is often surrounded by mist shrouding the trees and grass. Beitou is famous for its hot springs. In March 2012， it was named one of the Top 10 Small Tourist Towns by the Tour-ism Bureau of Taiwan.

Actually there are a lot of hot water baths in Taipei， but the most famous area is in Beitou. This area is famous for its hot baths resort since 1986. With beautiful gardens， museums， and temples around the city， you must visit Beitou in Taipei during the holidays.

Beitou has been well known for its natural resources and wonderful scenery for a long period of time. Since the Qing Dynasty， Beitou has been well known for the extraction of sulphur， which is the main component of the Beitou Hot Spring. Beitou Hot Spring facilities were developed while Taiwan was under Japanese Imperial Rule. At that time， the Japanese were very fond of hot springs and regarded them as a way of healing diseases. As time progressed， Beitou Hot Spring has developed into one of the popular leisure attractions in Taiwan. Located in Taipei City， Beitou features public hot spring pools and a great number of hot spring resorts and hotels. Due to the local belief that the hot spring is able to heal a variety of physical pain （such as arthritis， muscle soreness， chronic dermatitis etc）， Beitou hot springs had become increasingly popular. It is now one of the major hot spring areas in Taiwan.

In the early Japanese era， Hokuto （Pak-tau） was a village at the entrance of the well-known North Formosa sulfur district. Three Japanese extracting plants in this district produced about 200 short tons （180，000 kg） of sulfur monthly. The Japanese had already recognized the value of the village as a sanitary resort and constructed a Japanese inn with hot mineral baths provided by the sulfur springs. The hot springs have been developed to include aroma therapy， massage， acupuncture， hydrotherapy， and excellent cuisine which complement the entire spa experience. The mineral waters stream from the numerous geothermal vents that occur naturally in the region and are famous for their health benefits.

Popular hot springs in Beitou include Diregu Hot Spring， Shinyi Road Hot Spring， and Hushanli Hot Spring. Apart from that， there is also a special Hot Spring Museum at Beitou that displays a wide range of hot spring information.

Beitou is one of the largest concentrations of hot springs and spas in the world. Once a small park where locals used to relax in the hot springs， the Beitou Valley has evolved today to include over thirty resorts； A 20-minute train ride north of Taipei takes you to Beitou. The resorts and spas are regarded by many locals and international tourists as among the most relaxing and rejuvenating places in the country. The spas consist of different degree pools （from cool to very hot） and minerals. However， residents of this district note that sulfuric fumes from the hot springs do ruin their electric appliances in the long term.

3.Building Chiang Kai-shek Memorial

Building Chiang Kai-shek Memorial is a landmark of Tai-pei are usually used to celebrate national events. In this white marble walled building， visitors can learn the history of Chiang Kai-shek， the leader of Taiwan to visit the 20th century museum located in the basement. For those of you who are not too interested in history， you can enjoy views of the garden hall is decorated by tasteful Chinese ceramic.

The National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall is a Taiwanese national monument， landmark and tourist attraction erected in memory of Chiang Kai-shek， former President of the Republic of China. It is located in Zhongzheng District， Taipei， Taiwan.

The monument， surrounded by a park， stands at the east end of Memorial Hall Square. The structure is framed on the north and south by the National Theater and National Concert Hall.

The Memorial Hall is white with four sides. The roof is blue and octagonal， a shape that picks up the symbolism of the number eight， a number traditionally associated in Asia with abundance and good fortune. Two sets of white stairs， each with 89 steps to represent Chiangs age at the time of his death， lead to the main entrance. The ground level of the memorial houses a library and museum documenting Chiang Kai-sheks life and career and exhibits related to Republic of China-era Chinese history， and Taiwans history and development. The upper level contains the main hall， in which a large statue of Chiang Kai-shek is located， and where a guard mounting ceremony takes place in regular intervals.

After President Chiang Kai-shek died on 5 April 1975， the Executive branch of the government established a Funeral Committee to build a memorial. The design， by architect Yang Cho-cheng， was chosen in a competition. Yangs design incorporated many elements of traditional Chinese architecture recalling the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum in Nanjing， China.（The Kuomintang （KMT） revered Dr. Sun as founder of the party and government Chiang had led.） Groundbreaking for the memorial took place on 31 October 1976， the 90th anniversary of Chiangs birth. The hall officially opened on 5 April 1980， the fifth anniversary of the leaders death.

Yangs design placed the main building at the east end of the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Park， covering over 240，000 square metres in Zhongzheng District. A main gate， the Gate of Great Centrality and Perfect Uprightness was placed at the west end on Chung Shan South Road， with a Gate of Great Loyalty standing at the north side on Hsin Yi （Xinyi） Road and a Gate of Great Piety standing at the south side on Ai Kuo （Aiguo） East Road. A Boulevard of Homage， bordered by manicured bushes， connected the main hall with the square.

4.Martyr Shrine

The Martyrs Shrine is dedicated to the people of Taiwan who sacrificed themselves in battle. Built in 1969， the temple architecture is reminiscent of the Hall of Supreme Harmony in the Forbidden City， Beijing. Located on the mountain Chingsan， Shrine of the Martyrs is also present Keelung river view which is in the process of restoration by the Taipei government.

The National Revolutionary Martyrs Shrine is a must see attraction for all visitors to Taiwan interested in fine architecture and scenery， Chinese history and war monuments， and the dramatic ceremony of the changing of the honor guard at the shrine.

The shrine was built to honor about 390，000 Chinese soldiers who died during the War of Resistance against Japan， the Civil War between Nationalist and Communist China， and the First and Second Taiwan Strait Crises.

5.National Palace Museum

The museum is considered a very majestic as it has a collection of priceless antiquities from the country of Taiwan and China. Collection of Chinese-owned since Taiwan was chosen as a place to save objects of Chinese art at the time of the Sino-Japanese war and civil war in China. The collection， among others， various kinds of jade carvings and sculptures of boats made with olive seed material.

The National Palace Museum houses the worlds largest collection of priceless Chinese art treasures， one which spans Chinas nearly 5，000-year history. Most of the museums over 600，000 art objects were part of the Chinese imperial collection， which began over 1，000 years ago in the early Song dynasty.

6.Longshan Temple

Feels incomplete without a visit to Taipei when the ancient temple is very famous； Longshan Temple. In the temple built in 1738， you can see the statue of Guanyin Goddess of Compassion， a pair of dragon decoration in the hall， and the four dragons in the den. Everything is fine and perfectly chiseled.

Longshan Temple is a temple in Wanhua District， Taipei， Taiwan. The temple was built in Taipei in 1738 by settlers from Fujian. It served as a place of worship and a gathering place for the Chinese settlers. Like most temples in Taiwan， the temple worships a mixture of deities from Buddhism and Chinese folk religion such as Guanyin， Mazu and Guan Yu.

This temple originated its name from the ancient Lungshan Temple established in Chin-chiang county of Fukien province in the seventh century. Immigrants from the three counties Chin-chiang， Nan-an and Hui-an of Fukien came to Manka in the beginning of the eighteenth century. As they were pious followers of that ancient Lungshan Temple in their home town， they erected this one as a branch temple at Manka and named it after the root temple when they created a new settlement here in Taipei. Lungshan Temple of today is no longer in the original buildings constructed in 1738. It was rebuilt in 1919 and completed in 1924.

The temple has been destroyed either in full or in part in numerous earthquakes and fires but Taipei residents have consistently rebuilt and renovated it. Most recently， it was hit by American bombers during the Raid on Taipei on May 31， 1945， during World War II because the Japanese were reportedly hiding armaments there. The main building and the left corridor were damaged and many precious artifacts and artworks were lost. It was rebuilt after the end of World War II a few months later.

Longshan Temple is seen as an emblematic example of Taiwanese classical architecture， with Southern Chinese influences commonly seen in older buildings.

7.Taipei 101 tower

The skyscraper is located in downtown Taipei and just a few blocks from the Taipei World Trade Center. As the name implies， this tower has 101 floors and visitors can ride up 91 floors to see the sights of Taipei city from a height of 509 meters. To go to the top of the building， provided the worlds fastest elevator to break the Guinness World of Record. Just in 37 seconds， you sped from the ground floor of 89 to see the sights.

Taipei 101， formerly known as the Taipei World Financial Center， is a landmark supertall skyscraper in Xinyi District， Taipei， Taiwan. The building was officially classified as the worlds tallest in 2004， and remained such until the opening of Burj Khalifa in Dubai in 2010. In 2011， the building was awarded the LEED platinum certification， the highest award according the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design （LEED） rating system， and became the tallest and largest green building in the world.

Taipei 101 was designed by C.Y. Lee & partners and constructed by KTRT Joint Venture and Samsung C&T. The construction started in 1999 and finished in 2004. The tower has served as an icon of modern Taiwan ever since its opening. The building was architecturally created as a symbol of the evolution of technology and Asian tradition （see Symbolism）. Its postmodernist approach to style incorporates traditional design elements and gives them modern treatments. The tower is designed to withstand typhoons and earthquakes. A multilevel shopping mall adjoining the tower houses hundreds of stores， restaurants and clubs. Fireworks launched from Taipei 101 feature prominently in international New Years Eve broadcasts and the structure appears frequently in travel literature and international media.

Taipei 101 is owned by Taipei Financial Center Corporation （TFCC） and managed by the International division of Urban Retail Properties Corporation based in Chicago. The name originally planned for the building， Taipei World Financial Center， until 2003， was derived from the name of the owner. The original name in Chinese was literally Taipei International Financial Center.

The Taipei 101 tower comprises 101 floors above ground and 5 floors underground. It was not only the first building in the world to break the half-kilometer mark in height， but also formerly the worlds tallest building from March 2004 to 10 March 2010 and it still remains the worlds tallest， largest and highest-use green building since 28 July 2011 （see Developments）.

8.Huaxi Night Market

If a visit to Taipei， do not miss the night market. This area is known for its variety of delicious foods are sold， such as meat soup， eel noodles， shrimp， and snake meat. One of the popular night market is Huaxi Night Market， located adjacent to the Longshan Temple.

Huaxi Street Night Market is said to be the oldest tourist night market in Taipei. Its open over 50 years.

9.Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hall

The National Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall is located in Xinyi District， Taipei， Taiwan. It is a memorial to the Republic of Chinas National Father， Dr. Sun Yat-sen， and was completed on 1972. The total building area covers 29，464 square metres （7.3 acres） in an open space of 115，000 square metres（28.4 acres）. It contains displays of Suns life and the revolution he led， and is also a multi-purpose social， educational and cultural center for the public.

The main entrance to the hall contains a statue of Sun Yat-sen. Every hour， there is a formal changing of the guards， which is a popular tourist attraction. The building also includes a performance hall， an exhibition center of about 10，000 square feet（1，000 m2）， a multimedia theatre， an audio-visual center， lecture halls， and a library with over 300，000 books.

The building itself is sited in Chung-shan Park. It includes gardens， decorative historical walls， and an exhibition and performance area surrounding Lake Cui， also known as Emerald Pond.

This site is dedicated to Sun Yat-sen， the man considered the “father of the nation” in Taiwan and “forerunner of the revolution” in China. In it， you can find world-class performance hall， multimedia theater， and a very large library. Surrounding environment is very beautiful， there are lakes and extensive green gardens.

10.Presidential Office Building

Presidential Office Building is located in Zhongzheng district. Buildings built during the Japanese occupation has a beautiful wall with decorative gravel. As a legacy of Japan， the building has 5 floors and the main tower as tall as 7-story faces east to honor the goddess of the Sun. Building was inaugurated as the President of a national historical site in 1998.

The Presidential Office Building houses the Office of the President of the Republic of China. The building， located in the Zhongzheng District in the national capital of Taipei， Taiwan， was designed by architect Uheiji Nagano during the period of Japanese rule of Taiwan （1895–1945）. The structure originally housed the Office of the Governor-General of Taiwan. Damaged in Allied bombing during World War II， the building was restored after the war by Chen Yi， the GovernorGeneral of Taiwan Province. It became the Presidential Office in 1950 after the Republic of China lost control of mainland China and relocated the nations capital to Taipei at the end of the Chinese Civil War. At present， this Baroque-style building is a symbol of Taiwan Government and a famous historical landmark in downtown Taipei.

At the time Japanese rule of Taiwan began in 1895， the Governor-General of Taiwan set up temporary headquarters at the former Qing Dynasty secretariat. The new rulers began making long-terms plans for development of the island. The plans soon included building a new headquarters for the Governor-General. A two-stage architectural design contest was held in 1906 and 1910.

During the Japanese Colonial period in Taiwan， the building served as the office of the Governor General of Taiwan.

The architectural design of Uheiji Nagano was selected in 1910. Aspects of the design typical of Japanese architects in Taiwans colonial period include a facade facing east and a creative blend of traditional European elements （Renaissance， Baroque and neo-Classical）. Plans were submitted to Tokyo where revisions were made to Naganos original design. Tokyo authorities increased the height of the initial six-story central tower to 11 stories and made defensive improvements to the defense and corner towers. Construction began in June 1912 and was completed in March 1919 at a cost of 2.8 million Japanese yen. Undoubtfully， it became one of the best-known masterpiece during the period of Japanese rule of Taiwan after the construction finished.

During the Second World War， the building suffered heavy bombing from the Allied Powers and was severely damaged. On 31 May 1945， during the Raid on Taipei， bombs hit the front left side， main lobby， and northern sections of the Taiwan Governor-Generals Office. The fire burned for three days， damaging large parts of the building. Forty-five days after the air raid， Japan surrendered.

The building was not repaired until 1947， when the Taiwan Provincial Government initiated a restoration plan funded through private donations. The restoration involved approximately 81，000 workers and was completed at the end of 1948， looking only slightly different from the original building. Since the timing of the restorations completion coincided with the 60th birthday of President Chiang Kai-shek， it was renamed Chieh Shou Hall. （“Chieh Shou” means “Long live Chiang Kai-shek”.） Beginning in mid-1949， the building served as the southeast military affairs office and， following the retreat of the ROC central government from mainland China to Taiwan， it became the Office of the President in 1950. Since 2006 the name Chieh Shou Hall was dropped. The structure is officially referred to in English simply as the Presidential Office Building.