The Pingxi Lantern Festival in New Taipei has some of the most popular attractions in Northern Taiwan, and is known as one of the best festivals in the world. Thousands of lanterns are set off during the festival, to celebrate the traditional Chinese Spring Lantern Festival Holiday. It is definitely worth experience if you are in Taiwan during Lantern Festival.

Background:
The practice of lighting off sky lanterns in Taiwan began in Shifen, when during the Qing Dynasty local villagers would flee into the mountains during raids from bandits. Once the bandits had left, the remaining villagers sent sky lanterns into the air to let the fleeing villagers know that it was safe to come down from the mountains.
The people of Shifen send off sky lanterns as a symbol of peace, and celebrate every year during Lantern Festival (元宵節), a Chinese holiday.
Setting off sky lanterns as a tourist attraction began in the 1990's and you can find people lighting off lanterns every day from Shifen. Since 1990 the Lantern Festival has been held every year (expect 2021 due to COVID-19).
The Pingxi Lantern Festival is part of larger festivities around Taiwan at the time, known as the Taiwan Lantern Festival.
Because of the hundreds of sky lanterns set off every day, this creates an environmental problem with lantern trash piling around the forests and mountains of Pingxi District. The local people and volunteers help to clean up, but because of the tourism allure associated with lighting off the sky lanterns, it seems that this practice is not going away anytime soon.


Hours:
The Lantern Festival is usually held for the entire week that Lantern Festival falls on, which is the 15th day of the first month of the Lunar New Year. Setting off hundreds of lanterns at night is usually done during the evenings. 
In 2023 the Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival will be held Sunday February 5th from 6 PM to 8:30 PM. 

Website:
https://2023skylantern.ntpc.gov.tw/#/info

Price:
Free

How to get there:
By Train: Take the TRA to Ruifang Station, buy the Pingxi Railway line one day pass, and then switch to the Pingxi Railway line. Get off at any station! The main lantern setting is done at Shifen Square, which is right next to the Shifen Waterfall parking lot.
By Car/Scooter: Take provincial highway 2 east toward Pinglin, then get off the main highway once you reach Shifen. You can drive right or left to reach all of the stations on the Pingxi Railway line. But please know there is limited car parking around the stations. 

Map:
​Please see below:

Four Four South Village (aka Forty-Four South Village) is a former military dependents village that has been converted into a cultural park in Xinyi District of Taipei City. Now it is home to cafes, arts and crafts stores, bookstores, and a community center. Also, it has great views of the Taipei 101. It is worth visiting if you are in the area. 

Background:
Four Four South Village was named and built for the 44th Arsenal of the Combined Logistics Command and their families in 1948, after the ROC military retreated to Taiwan following defeat in the Chinese Civil War. The houses were cheaply built out of wood, concrete, bamboo, and tiles. The houses were small, and everyone had to share a communal bathroom. There was also no running water when it was built. Part of the village was destroyed in a fire in 1999, and the whole village was planned to be demolished in 2001, but local residents and cultural experts persuaded the government to preserve part of the village as a cultural heritage site. Now it sits as an important historical site close to the Taipei 101.

Hours:
24/7

Price:
Free:

How to get there:
By MRT: Take the MRT red line to the Taipei 101/World Trade Center station. The village is just a short one minute walk south. 
By Car/Scooter: The village is just south of Xinyi Road, southwest of the Taipei 101. There is paid parking nearby.

Map:
Please see below:

This glass building in Budai is the highest high-heeled structure in the world. It is not actually a real church, it is a classic tourist trap that is slowly fading in popularity. There is not much here except this and some seafood restaurants, but it was still fun to visit.

Background:
Budai is a fishing port village in Chiayi county and has the only ferry to Penghu from the main island of Taiwan.
Construction of the high-heel church was completed in 2016. It is composed of 300 pieces of blue glass and is 17.76 meters tall, 12 meters wide, and 25 meters long.
Many people were afraid that the building would be abandoned by tourists after completion because it is lacking in historical or cultural significance. It is said the chapel was built to honor the women that suffered a breakout of blackfoot disease which broke out in the area decades ago, which prevented them from wearing high heels and having a happy wedding.
After construction, it received the Guinness World Record for the highest high-heeled shaped structure in the world. 
Even though the high-heeled building is used as a wedding venue, it is not a real church and is not related to any religion. 

Hours:
24/7
​
Price:
Free

How to get there:
By car/scooter: Take provincial highway 17 or Expressway 61 to Budai along the coast in Chiayi, then head west to the coast. The high heeled church is near the ocean in Budai and is hard to miss. 
By bus: You can take bus 7209H from Chiayi HSR station, which takes about an hour and a half to reach Budai. 

Map:
Please see below:

Academia Sinica's Museum of History and Philology is one of the best museums in Taiwan. It has the largest collection of Chinese oracle bone remains in the world. It is also free, usually devoid of people, and has some of the most amazing ancient artifacts from Taiwan and China. It is like a mini National Palace Museum, and is worth a visit on your trip to Taipei.

Background:
The museum first began in 1933, just after the Institute of History and Philology was created in 1928 in Beijing. After 1949, the museum was moved to Taiwan as part of the ROC retreat to Taiwan. In 1965 the museum did merge with the National Palace Museum, and was reopened in 1986 when the museum building at Academia Sinica was completed. The building also underwent renovations from 1997-2002.
Much of the collection comes from when the institute was located in China, and includes thousands of pieces from prehistoric times, as well as the Shang, Chou, and Han Dynasties. 

Website:
http://museum.sinica.edu.tw/en/visit/

Hours:
Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday from 9:30 AM to 4:30 PM

Price:
Free!

Temperature:
The museum is kept at a cool 20 degrees Celsius, so dress accordingly.

How to get there:
By car/scooter: There is paid car parking at Academia Sinica, and scooters must park outside.
By MRT/Bus: Take the blue MRT line to Nangang Exhibition Hall station, then transfer to any number of busses from exit 5 to Academia Sinica.

​Map:
Please see below:

The Yuanshan Grand Hotel is one of the tallest traditional Chinese buildings in the world, and was the tallest building in Taiwan for nearly a decade. It also features multiple restaurants, a swimming pool, all day buffet, shops, and secret underground tunnels, slides, and bunkers. It is a major landmark in Taipei and definitely worth a visit even if you do not plan to spend the night there.

Background:
After the ROC government moved to Taiwan in 1949, there was no decent hotel for international travelers and foreign dignitaries, so Chiang Kai-shek planned the Yuanshan Grand Hotel, which was established in 1952. The swimming pool and other buildings were completed in 1953 and 1956, and the main hotel building was completed in 1973. 
Originally the land where the hotel stands was a Shinto shrine called the Taiwan Grand Shrine, left over from the Japanese Era.  
In 1995 a fire hit the top floors, and repairs were not completed until 1998,
Numerous foreign dignitaries including US presidents have stayed at the hotel.

Hours:
24/7 (it's a hotel)

Price:
Free to walk inside the lobby.
Rooms vary from about 3000 NT to 500,000 NT per night. 

Website:
https://www.grand-hotel.org/EN/official/about.aspx?gh=TP 

Tour times:
Every day at 11 AM and 2 PM (check with the front desk to make sure)
The tour is 200 NT per person

How to get there:
By Car/Scooter: The Yuanshan Hotel is a big square building in Taipei near Shilin and Neihu on the Keelung River. You have to take a roundabout road up to the hotel which can be confusing, it may take you two passes to make it into the parking lot. 
By bus: There is a free shuttle bus from MRT Yuanshan Station.

Map:
Please see below:

The Taiwan Sugar Museum (aka Qiaotou Sugar Factory/Refinery) is a historical sugar refining Factory in Qiaotou District of Kaohsiung City. It was the first sugar factory in Taiwan and lasted nearly a hundred years. Now it has been converted into a museum and cultural center, and is one of the most popular attractions in the area.  

Background:
The first Han Chinese settlers to Qiaotou came during the late Ming Dynasty, along with Koxinga. The original name of Qiaotou District was was Xiaodianzai (小店仔), a name given because in the olden days there was a few shops near a the Yungui Bridge (允龜橋). Later during the Qing Dynasty, the row of shops became a long street known as Xiaodianzai Street (小店仔街). The Yunchong Bridge crossed a small ditch near the old street, and after a while people referred to the street as Qiaotou Street (literally the street at the head of the bridge). The ditch was later filled in with earth and the bridge was torn down, but it stood near the current stinky tofu stand.  
In 1901, during the Japanese era, the first sugar factory in Taiwan was built in Qiaotou. At it's height, it was producing 18,000 tons of sugar per year. After the fall of sugar production in the late 1900s due to the reduction of available land and the growing cost of producing sugar in Taiwan, the factory began to slow production. In 1999, the sugar factory stopped producing sugar, and in 2006 it was converted into a museum.
Due to its convenient transportation from both the MRT and TRA, the Qiaotou Sugar Museum has become a popular attraction, and is especially crowded on weekends. 
​
Hours:
9 AM to 4:30 PM

Price:
Free entrance, different areas inside may require additional entrance fees. 
Ten Drum Creative Park 十鼓文創園區: 350 NT

When to go:
Anytime, it never gets really crowded here.

How to get there:
By Scooter/Car: From central Kaohsiung, take provincial highway 1 north (scooters) or national freeway 1 (cars) until you reach Qiatou. There is paid parking in front of the sugar factory.
By MRT/TRA: Take the MRT or TRA to Qiaotou Train Station stop. The old street is just one block south of the train station.
​
Map:
​Please see below:

Weiwuying, also known as the National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts, is a performance arts center in Fengshan District of Kaohsiung City. It is the largest arts venue under one single roof in the entire world. It has the largest pipe organ in Asia. It was also named as one of the top 100 places in the world by Time Magazine. The arts center also sits next to Weiwuying Metropolitan Park. It is a must see spot for any foreign tourist visiting Taiwan.

Background:
Before 1950, the land on which Weiwuying stands was undeveloped. After that, it was used as a military recruitment camp under the KMT. In 2003, it was decided to use the land as one of Taiwan's main stimulus projects. It was decided that an arts center should be built, and Mecanoo Architecten was chosen as the developer. Ground was broken in 2010, and the main building was completed in 2012. After some delays, the building was finally completed and opened in 2018. The building's shape was inspired by banyan trees in the nearby metropolitan park, with open spaces and walls similar to sitting in a banyan grove. Also, much of the steel needed for creating the unique curved shape was made by local shipbuilders in Kaohsiung. Over a meter of insulation was also added to the roof for sound-proofing. 
The center includes 2236 seats in the main theater, 1981 seats in the music hall, 1210 seats in the drama theater, 434 seats in the performance hall, as well as capacity for over 30,000 people in the grassy area near the building part of Kaohsiung Metropolitan Park. There is also an exhibition hall and business exhibition center. 
Since its opening, it has been nominated for multiple architecture awards. Also, it was named as one of the World's 100 Greatest Places by Time Magazine in 2019.

Hours:
11:00 AM to 9:00 PM every day (outdoor courtyard open 24/7)

Price:
Depends on the event.

Website:
https://www.npac-weiwuying.org/about?lang=en​

How to get there:
By MRT: Take the Kaosiung MRT Yellow line to Weiwuying Station.
By car/scooter: From central Kaohsiung drive east along Sanduo Road across national freeway 1 until you reach Weiwuying, it is hard to miss. There is plenty of paid parking nearby. 
​
Map:
Please see below:

Formosa Boulevard Station has been named the second most beautiful MRT station in the world. It includes the largest glass piece of artwork in the world, which covers the roof and pillars in the central part of the station. Did I mention it's an MRT station? Yeah. Some people like to take selfies here. 

Background:
Formosa Boulevard Station is currently the only interchange station on the Kaohsiung MRT, connecting the red and orange lines. 
It's name in Chinese is simply "Formosa Station" referring to the Formosa Incident in 1979 (aka the Kaohsiung incident) which was a crackdown by the KMT on the pro-democracy movement in Taiwan and helped lead to the full democratization of Taiwan. 
The added the name "boulevard" to the English name, refers to Chungshan Road which is also known as Formosa Boulevard. 
The "Dome of Light" was designed by Italian artist Narcissus Quagliata, and is made of over 4,000 glass pieces. The art piece took over 4 years to complete and the glass was shipped from Germany. The four main themes of the station are Water: The Womb of Life; Earth: Prosperity and Growth; Light: The Creative Spirit; and Fire: Destruction and Rebirth. It has a diameter of 30 meters. ​
In addition, large bending glass windows on the four main exits were designed by Shin Takamatsu Architect & Associates.
The station was completed in 2008 and had 18,000 daily passengers as of 2019. ​

Hours: 
6 AM to midnight. 

How to get there:
By Train: Take the TRA to Kaohsiung Station, and then switch to the MRT line. Get off at Formosa Station, and you have arrived!
By Car/Scooter: Take provincial highway 17 in downtown Kaohsiung to the intersection of Chungshan 1st Road and Zhongzheng 4th Road. The station is underneath the roundabout. 
​
Map:
Please see below:

Hobe Fort (Aka Huwei Fort) is a Qing Dynasty era fortress in Tamsui, New Taipei that once has massive guns that protected the waterways nearby. The fort is included in a historical monument ticket that allows you to see other historical buildings in the area. It is also one of the best preserved historical fortresses in Taiwan. 

Background:
After the Sino French War in which the French threatened Tamsui and Keelung, the Qing Dynasty decided to fortify their coastline in Taiwan, building forts at Keelung, Tamsui, Penghu, Tainan, and what is now Kaohsiung.
Hobe fort in Tamsui was completed in 1888 and designed by Liu Mingchuan. 
The fort never saw any military action, which has helped preserve the fort. 
After the Japanese took over Taiwan, they took out the canons and turned the fort into a practice ground for troops. 
After the ROC took over Taiwan, they placed troops at the fort for a while, before turing the fort over to the central government, who have opened it to the public.
The walls of the fort are 4.2 meters thick and 7 meters high. There is also an outer earth wall. The fort only has one gate facing north.

Hours:
9:30 AM to 5 PM

Price: 
80 NT per person (includes entrance toFort San Domingo and the Little White House)

How to get there:
By Car/Scooter: Take provincial highway 2 north from Taipei until you reach Tamsui. The fort is near Heping Park off highway 2. Parking can be found in front of the fort.
By MRT: Take the red line MRT north to Tamsui station and walk 1 KM north or take a bus/taxi to the fort. 

Map:
Please see below:

The Miaoli Hakka Roundhouse is an exhibition center focused on local Hakka culture, as well as a tourist center, performance hall, and DIY art center. It was completed in 2014 and was built to resemble the Tulou Roundouses in Fujian, China. Taiwan has no historical roundhouses. Even if it is not historically accurate, it is a beautiful building with some very educational exhibitions on Hakka culture. 

Background:
The Hakka people are a subgroup of Han Chinese that migrated from North Central China to southern China to avoid social unrest, occupying now what is Fujian, Guangdong, and Taiwan. These moves were aided by "guest household" policies during at different times, such as under the Kangxi Emperor. 
The Hakka people have a distinctive culture and language differing than that of their neighbors, because they came from a different part of China when cultures in the north and south were very divergent. 
Roundhouses first appeared in China during the late Ming Dynasty (late 1500s). The were built round to match the many round hills in Fujian province. The Hakka people specialized in creating roundhouses, because it helped to centralize the community, create an easy defense against bandits and invaders, and save precious farmland. There are over 3000 roundhouses in Fujian, that attract over 4 million visitors a year. In 2008, the tulou roundhouses in Fujian became a UNESCO world heritage site. 
During the cold war, the US mistook these roundhouses for nuclear missile silos. 
Hakka people started moving to Taiwan in the late Ming Dynasty, along with Koxinga and other Ming loyalists.
Although there are no historical roundhouses in Taiwan, there are still many square Tulou (土樓) that served similar purposes as roundhouses.
The Miaoli Hakka Roundhouse was built in 2014 at a cost of 130 million NT. It was built to resemble the Tulou Roundhouses in Fujian, China. It is 3,400 square meters and has four stories.
After its construction, some people criticized the building for not being related to Taiwan Hakka culture. However, the government leaders defended the decision saying represented a fusion of Hakka culture which is a worldwide heritage, and that it was meant to increase tourism in the area.   

Price:
Free

Hours:
9 AM to 5 PM, closed Mondays.

How to get there:
By train/HSR: Take the TRA Train to Fengfu Station, or take the HSR to Miali Station. The roundhouse is within walking distance. 
By car: Drive to the HSR station in Miaoli. There is paid parking across the street from the roundhouse. 

Map:
​Please see below:

Nangan is the largest Island in the Matsu Archipelago. Besides being the main transportation hub to the other islands in Matsu, it also has traditional stone house villages, military  museums, a giant statue of Mazu, a variety of local food, and much more to explore.

Background:
Thousands of years ago, stone aged peoples once inhabited the Matsu Islands, including Beigan Island itself. These stone aged people later disappeared. 
The Matsu islands were inhabited again around the Song Dynasty (990 - 1200 AD) by Chinese Fisherman, the descendants of whom still inhabit the islands today. 
Because the Goddess Mazu's corpse washed ashore on this island, Nangan is also known as Matsu Island. 
During the Chinese Civil War, Matsu was used as a military  outpost for the retreating ROC. During the years that followed, it withheld shelling and threats of invasion from China, helping to keep Taiwan free of communist control.
In 1992 after cross straight relations had warmed up, martial law was lifted on the islands and tourists were allowed to visit.
In  the year 2000, a ferry link with Fuzhou started to provide constant China Mainland visitors to the island, as part of the three links with China. 
​In 2003, the Nangan airport was completed, which made Nangan the true transportation hub of Matsu. 
Nangan has a population of 4,000 people, and is the largest island in Matsu in terms of population and geographical size. 

How to get there:
By Boat: There are daily ferries from Keelung Harbor that usually take an overnight trip to Nangan, passing through Dongyin Island. 
There are boats from Beigan Baisha Harbor (北竿白沙港) to Nangan Fu'Ao Harbor (南竿福奧港) every hour from 7 AM to 5 PM. 
By Plane: There are flights to and from Taipei Songshan Airport three times a day via Uni Air.

Price:
By Boat:
500-2000 NT per person (one way from Keelung)
160 NT per person (one way from Beigan)
By Plane:
​About 2000 NT (one way from Taipei)

How to get around the island:
Nangan is a large, hilly island and it would be very hard to get around on foot or bicycle. We recommend one of the following
By Scooter: We recommend riding a scooter as your #1 choice. It's fast, convenient, and there isn't much traffic on the island. A scooter will cost about 500 NT per day to rent.
When braking on hills, use both brakes, otherwise you could lose traction on one tire and skid. Don't stop or park on a slope. Also, some hills that are too steep are closed off for scooters.
By Car/Taxi: You can rent a car or hire a taxi for 200O NT per day.
By Bus: There is a bus that goes around the island, but wait times can be 30 minutes or more. 

When to go:
We recommend going between April and June when the "blue tear" phosphorescent microbes in the water will be the most visible at night. Also, winters can be cold and windy and summers very hot, and there could also be typhoons in the summer and fall. 

Map:
Please see below:

Su'ao's Crayon Castle (officially Luck Arts Crayon Factory) is a crayon factory castle in Su'Ao township in Yilan County, that has been specifically designed as a DIY experience center for kids where they can make their own arts and crafts, as well as their own set of markers, and crayon in the shape of Taiwan! The DIY activities include making markers and crayons, face painting, painting porcelain, making chalk, and water coloring. Basically, it is a paradise for young children. 

Background:
The Lucky Art corporation started in Yilan in 1990, and has four factories worldwide, two in Taiwan, and one in Shanghai and Vietnam. 
The factory in Yilan produces over 1.5 million crayons per day.
In 2008, the Lucky Art corporation opened its tourist crayon factory, which now sees more than 200,000 visitors per year. 
In 2017, the crayon castle was expanded to double its size, and added a parking lot that can accommodate over 200 cars. 

Price:
General DIY (4 activities and 100 NT coupon): 250 NT per person
Chalk DIY: 150 NT per person
Watercolor DIY: 350 NT per person
Paint Porcelain: 160 NT per person
Price for children under 90 CM: free
Parking: Free

Hours:
8:30 AM to 6PM
(Tickets not sold after 4 PM. Sessions every half hour.)

How to get there:
By Car: Take National Freeway 5 south until it ends. You will see the Crayon Factory on your right as the road becomes the Haishan West Road. 
By Train: Take the TRA to Xinma Station (新馬站) and then walk or take a taxi the remaining 500 meters to the crayon factory. 

Map:
Please see below:

Taiwan's National Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall (literally National Founding Father Memorial Hall) sits in northern Xinyi District of Taipei, and includes a large open square and gardens. The inside of the memorial hall commemorates the life of the founding father of the Republic of China, Sun Yat-sen, who is revered on both sides of the Taiwan Strait. In addition the memorial hall has a performance hall, free rotating art exhibitions, and changing of the guard every hour. It is definitely a sight worth seeing on your trip to Taipei. 

Background:
The memorial hall was completed in 1972 after 8 years of construction. 
Chiang Kai-shek's funeral in 1975 took place in the memorial hall. 
Originally the hall was only used to commemorate Sun Yat-sen, but recently it has become a cetner for the arts. The Golden Horse Awards festival is held annually here.
There is another Sun Yat-sen Memorial in Guangzhou and also one in Hong Kong.

Sun Yat-sen was born in 1856 in Guangdong, China, but also spent part of his childhood in Hawaii where he had family. He was an influencial leader in the Xinhai uprising the overtthrew the Qing Dynasty in 1911. After that, he was elected as the provisional president of China, and then stepped down for a short time in favor of the warlord Yuan Shikai who forced the last Qing emperor to abdicate. However Yuan Shikai then declared himself emperor. Sun then re-formed the Nationalist KMT party and military in Guangdong, and allied with the Chinese Commnist Party. With help from the Soviets, Sun's army made a push against Yuan in the First United Front. He then died suddenly from liver cancer in 1935 at the age of 58.
After Sun's death, the KMT generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek decleared himself president and led a war against the Japanese, then a civil war against the communists in which the KMT lost mainland China and retreated to Taiwan. 
Sun is considered to be one of the greatest leaders that China has ever known.

Hours:
9 AM to 6 PM.

Price:
Free

Art Exhibitions:
You can check the current art exhibitions on display here.

How to get there:
By MRT: Take the Blue line MRT to Dr. Sun Yat-sen memorial Hall Station and get off at exit 3 or 4.
By car/scooter: Drive east of Zhongxiao East Road in Taipei and turn right on Guangfu South Road. There is a parking lot to the northwest that offers free scooter parking and paid car parking, 

Map:
​Please see below:

The National Palace Museum (aka NPM) in Taiwan has one of the largest collections of Chinese artifacts in the world, and perhaps the finest collection of Chinese art in the world. The museum is open year round and offers tours in many different languages. It is a must see spot for any foreign tourist visiting Taiwan.

Background:
The National Palace Museum has over700,000 artifacts in two locations, one in Taipei (where most foreign visitors come, northern branch) and another in Chiayi (less visited southern branch). However only 3,000 artificats can be on display at a time, so the museum rotates artifact displays every two months. This way, you will likely be seeing something different every time you come.

​Originally the National Palace Museum was established in 1925 when the Republic of China ruled all of Mainland China, after the last emperor of the Qing Dynasty was expelled from the forbidden city. In 1931, Chiang Kai-shek ordered that the artifacts in the forbidden city be moved to Shanghai, and Later Nanking so that they would not fall into the hands of the Japanese until the Japanese surrendered in 1945. After the Chinese Civil War started that same year, Chiang Kai Shek ordered the artifacts be moved to Taiwan between 1948 and 1949, but not all the artifacts could be sent before the communists seized control of some of the remaining collection. Only 1/5 of the original collection from the forbidden city made it to Taiwan, but they were considered the best of the artifacts. 
For ten years the items sat in storage in Taichung until a small viewing hall was built in 1957. In 1965 the current site for the palace museum was established, and has been expanded over the years. The museum also plans further expansions in the future. 
The museum is a monument to Taiwan's (the Republic of China's) claim to be the true legitimate government of China, as it preserved and protected these artifacts from the communist destruction of heritage during the Cultural Revolution. China of course claims that the artifacts were stolen. However, the PRC's Forbidden City (also know as the National Palace Museum) and the National Palace Museum in Taiwan have exchanged artifacts since 2009. 

Hours:
8:30 AM to 4:30 PM every day (open till 9:00 PM on Friday and Saturday).

Price:
350 NT per person.

FAQ:
Click here for the National Palace Museum's official FAQ. 

How to get there:
By MRT/Bus: Take the MRT to Shilin Station on the red line and then take any number of busses 
By car/scooter: From central Taipei I recommend driving there via the Ziqiang tunnel in Neihu/Dazhi which goes through the mountain straight to the museum. There is free scooter parking to the right of the entrance and paid car parking across the street. 
​
Map:
Please see below:

Liberty Square (AKA Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall) is one of the most notable landmarks in Taipei, as well as symbol and gathering place of freedom and democracy. featuring a large public square, Chiang Kai-Shek memorial, opera houses, and gardens. It is officially a monument to the Generalissimo and President of the Republic of China, Chiang Kai-shek. It's iconic scenery and architecture are a must visit for anyone travelling in Taipei.

Background:
The building itself gets its inspiration from the Sun Yat-sen mausoleum in Nanking, China. It took four years to construct and was finished in 1980, five years after Chiang Kai-shek had died. 
The memorial hall has 89 steps which represent the age of Chiang when he died. Inside is his statue, along with a museum and exhibition dedicated to his life. 
The plaza became the main gathering place for many demonstrations in Taiwan, such as the Wild Liliy student movement that helped to fully democratize Taiwan by demanding full muilt-party elections, to which the then president Lee Teng-hui agreed. In 2007, then president Chen Shui-bian changed the named of the plaza to Liberty Square.
In 2017, plans were announced to transform the memorial hall to respect human rights and face history, referring to Chiang Kai-shek's leadership during martial law andthe white terror, in which thousands of innocent Taiwanese civilians were imprisoned and killed.
Chiang Kai-shek's statue in the memorial hall has also been vandalized recently by pro-independence students. 

Hours:
Every day 9AM to 6PM.

Price:
Free admission.
​
How to get there:
By MRT: Take either the green line or red line to Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall station.
By Car/scooter: Take either Aiguo Raod, Xinyi Road, or Renai Raod to western Taipei and you should see it. There is paid car parking underneath the opera houses but free scooter parking on the street. 

Map:
Please see below:

Rainbow Village is a brightly colored artistic dependents village located in Taichung, Taiwan. It was converted into a tourist destination by one of the former residents in order to save the village from destruction. The unique paintings cover almost the entire village, and has become a major spot for tourists and Instagrammers. 

Background:
The artist behind the work, Huang Yung-Fu (黃永阜), was a KMT soldier that retreated from mainland China with the ROC army. He and his family were relocated to a dependent's village in Taichung, where they stayed permanently. Eventually after over half a century the village became worn down and developers wanted to tear it down. In order to save his village, Mr. Huang painted the houses starting in about 2008, which caught the attention of local university students that campaigned to save the village. The village is now a popular tourist attracting, attracting more than a million visitors a year.
Check out this video recently made by the BBC for more information:

Who knows how much longer Mr. Huang will live, so if someone wants to make an English documentary they should do it soon.

How to get there:
Take highway 125 in Nantun, on the outskirts of the Taichung. The village is tucked into Zhongyang Road Lane 19.

Price: Free

Hours: 24/7

Map: Please see below: