Top 3 Places in Taipei That You Shouldn’t Miss
Most visits to Taiwan begin in Taipei. It’s a friendly city that is straightforward to travel in, has delicious food in all places, and plenty of unmissable attractions.
When you are up for learning more about Taiwan’s history, this list is for you.
For the second time this 12 months, still upon the invitation of Clark International Airport (CRK), I visited Taiwan.
CRK offers one of the vital convenient ways to go to Taiwan. It provides each day flights to Taiwan and simple connectivity. For Metro Manila guests like me, point-to-point buses can be found from Trinoma Mall in Quezon City and Ninoy Aquino International Airport from Genesis Transport. Travel time is roughly two hours.
From check-in to boarding, every thing 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 range 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 three nights and spent sooner or later attending to know Taiwan through a few of Taipei’s hottest 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 unlucky past. Its complicated history is commemorated through two essential structures, one among 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 previous president of the Republic of China. Though it’s a memorial to a former military leader, it is definitely one among Taiwan’s most visited destinations.
This hall lies in the middle of Taipei’s Liberty Square, where the National Concert Hall and the National Theatre are also positioned. The square itself serves as a crucial place for public gatherings.
Construction of the hall began in 1976, a 12 months after Chiang Kai-Shek passed away. It’s fabricated from a white-marble memorial hall topped with a blue-tiled roof. Two sets of staircases with 89 steps representing his age on the time of his death result in the predominant hall, where a big statue of Chiang Kai-shek is positioned, and the guard mounting ceremonies happen.
On its first floor are exhibits telling Chiang Kai-Shek’s family life. They display his uniforms, medals, and even a few of his cars.
National Revolutionary Martyrs’ Shrine
The National Revolutionary Martyrs’ Shrine is one other site filled to the brim with stories.
In-built 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 constructing 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 individuals killed in the course of 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 avoid wasting children within the 1992 Taoyuan County tour bus fire, cops and firefighters who died in the road of duty, healthcare staff on duty in the course of the Hoping Hospital lockdown resulting from the 2003 SARS outbreak, and a postman who died delivering mail within the aftermath of Typhoon Nora.
Anyone who sacrifices their life for the victory of the Republic of China in the course of the war, for fulfilling their duty in the course of 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 a unprecedented collection of treasures which have miraculously escaped destruction. Lots of these were moved from the Palace Museum within the Forbidden City in China and five other institutions throughout China in the course of 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 shouldn’t be enough to view all the collection. The constructing 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 trendy 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 once we visited the museum. Luckily, the opposite essential a part of its collection, the meat-shaped stone, a chunk of jasper carved into the form 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 hottest spots for foodies — Shilin, Taipei’s most famous night market, and Ximending, the town’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’ve been to Taipei without going to Taipei 101, or a minimum of seeing it from afar.
Taipei 101 is Taiwan’s most iconic site. Sooner or later, 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’s also the most important engineering project ever within the history of the Taiwanese construction business.
On the 89th floor of the constructing is an statement deck where one can enjoy a bird’s-eye view of all the 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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