This was published 1 year ago
Taipei, Taiwan, things to do: Six of the best attractions
Taipei 101, named for the number of floors.Credit: iStock
TAIPEI 101
If you suffer from acrophobia a visit to Taipei 101, named for the number of floors, could allay fears. High-speed lifts whisk you to the 88th-level Observatory deck in 37 shudder-free seconds and the structure can withstand earthquakes and category 17 gale force winds. Check out the 600 metric-tonne pendulum (a damper) that swings slightly, and offsets movements caused by strong gusts. It was once the world's tallest building until eclipsed in 2010 by Dubai's Burj Khalifa. If none of this reassures, head to the ground-floor Din Tang Fung restaurant and watch a dozen white- coated cooks hand-craft scrumptious soup dumplings called Xiao long bao. See taipei-101.com.tw/en
NATIONAL PALACE MUSEUM
It says a lot about the Taiwanese culinary appetite that the National Palace Museum's most famous artefact is a fragment of banded jasper carved into a piece of Dongpo pork, or pork belly. The second is a bokchoy cabbage fashioned from jadeite. While these draw crowds in Taipei (the pork piece was part of the NSW Art Gallery's recent exhibition), there are far more precious items among the 30,000 on display. The treasures were originally housed in Beijing's Forbidden City and shipped to Taiwan by Chiang Kai-Shek in 1948 in thousands of crates. See npm.gov.tw
CHIANG KAI-SHEK MEMORIAL HALL
Credit: iStock
Take your place 15 minutes early for a ringside view of silver-helmeted, white-gloved and crisp-uniformed soldiers marching beneath the seated statue of Taiwan's controversial former leader, Chiang Kai-Shek. Even though the changing-of-the-guard takes place daily on the hour from 9am until 4pm, it's always packed. Give yourself time to cross huge Liberty Square and climb the 89 steps to the hall. Chiang, who died in 1975, is in fact buried in the Cihu Mausoleum 45 km south, however, the memorial museum displays many possessions including his bullet-proof black Cadillac used only once. See en.cksmh.gov.tw/
SHILIN NIGHT MARKET
Everyone's doing street food these days, but if you crave the real deal take the metro to Shilin Night Market, the most famous of Taipei's 20 after-dark markets. With hundreds of outlets selling fabric, clothing, techno gear and cheap eats (stinky tofu is a favourite), the market dates to 1899 when a few vendors gathered around the Matsu temple, still illuminated with red lanterns today. Three food stalls get an honourable mention in the Michelin guide including Hai You Pork Ribs, which has sold its tasty secret-recipe rib soup for 40 years. See shilin-night- market.com/
LE PALAIS RESTAURANT
Want to nab a table at Taiwan's only three-star Michelin restaurant? Call two weeks in advance and order the speciality duck. The French guide launched in Taiwan in 2018 and quickly dispensed stars to 24 eateries, but only Le Palais, at the Le Palais de Chine Hotel, received the top gong - it still holds the rating today. Decor and atmosphere are decidedly French, but the food is unquestionably Cantonese courtesy of Hong Kong chef Ken Chan. Duckling is sliced and folded into pancakes table-side and later served in a noodle soup. Finish with creamy egg-custard tarts. See palaisdechinehotel.com/en/restaurant.php
YANGMINGSHAN NATIONAL PARK
For a tiny island, Taiwan is blessed with nine national parks. The closest to Taipei at only an hour by bus, is Yangmingshan National Park extending over 11,000 hectares and containing 20 extinct volcanoes. Well-marked walking trails and bike paths criss-cross the park winding past ponds, hot springs and steam vents. It's a great place to see cherry blossoms from late January to April and fields of Arum Lilies. A bus travels through the park, which also has cafes and a hotel or two. The highest point, Mt Qixing at 1120 metres, has the best views of downtown Taipei. See ymsnp.gov.tw/main_en/
The writer travelled to Taiwan courtesy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Taiwan.
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