Big Fantuan

The Elephant Mountain (象山步道) Hiking Trail, located in Taipei, offers the best vantage point for watching the sunset and capturing stunning views of Taipei 101 and the entire city. While the trail involves a challenging ascent with many stairs and takes at least an hour to complete round-trip, there are several lookout points and pavilions along the way, allowing visitors to tailor their experience based on their physical fitness and desired photographic angles.

Previously a hidden gem, the trail has now gained popularity among tourists and locals alike, particularly among amateur photographers seeking to capture the beautiful sunset. Securing a prime spot for photography on a clear day often requires arriving early, as space for tripods is limited and can fill up quickly. This is especially true during the New Year's Eve fireworks display at Taipei 101, where only 40-50 tripods can be accommodated along the trail, prompting some individuals to queue up 24 hours in advance to secure a spot.

For those seeking to capture clear views of Taipei 101 and the city skyline, it is recommended to visit in the morning when the sunlight illuminates the architecture, rather than in the evening.

When it comes to Taipei, Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall (中正紀念堂) is definitely one of the landmarks you may associate with. Located right beside the MRT C.K.S. Station, now it has become a popular urban park for local people, which serves as an art-and-culture exhibition, ecological and life-long learning classroom, and a place to memorize our former president of Republic of China (ROC), Chiang Kai-Shek.

Chiang Kai-Shek (C.K.S.) succeeded the unfulfilled wishes of Dr. Sun Yat-Sen and strived for the modernization of the Republic of China. As a leader of Nationalist Party in the middle of 20th century, he led the wars in the east and north of China and fought against the Japanese and the Chinese Communist Party. After his death on 5th of April 1975, citizens and overseas Chinese proposed to establish a memorial hall to commemorate this leader. Later on, the government decided to take the idea from the architect Mr. Yang Zhao-Cheng and started the construction in 1976. Finally, the construction of Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall was completed and officially open to public in 1980.

Take a close look at this solemn Chinese-style architecture. Its exquisite design conveys the spirit of Chinese culture. The exhibition hall on the ground floor tells you about Chiang Kai-Shek’s life stories. As we get higher, galleries and exhibition rooms can be found on 2nd and 3rd floors. One thing that is especially worth mentioning is that you definitely cannot miss the must-see spectacle on 4th floor, the honor guard shift-changing performance. The show starts on the hour everyday from nine o’clock in the morning to five o’clock in the afternoon.

Beside the memorial hall itself, there are two giant and traditional Chinese palace-like buildings. They are the National Theater and National Concert Hall. These are the places for local people to enjoy the most brilliant performing arts shows. Moreover, the memorial park with its area of 250000 square meters is also a paradise for animals and plants in Taipei city. For a traveller, Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall will be an idea spot to discover the story of C.K.S. and explore the Taipei people’s strong vitality.

Notice:

The honor guard shift-changing performance starts on the hour everyday from 09:00am ~ 05:00pm.

Yong Kang Street is a popular tourist destination in Taipei, Taiwan. It is known for its delicious food, including the original Din Tai Fung dumpling shop and mango shaved ice. In addition to these classic dishes, Yong Kang Street is also home to a variety of trendy boutiques, cafes, and other shops. Another must-try street food is Tian Jin Flaky Scallion Pancake.

The neighborhood around Yong Kang Street was once home to high-ranking Japanese officials during the Japanese colonial period. Many of these Japanese-style wooden houses still stand today. After the war, these houses became dormitories for students at National Taiwan University and National Taiwan Normal University, as well as government agencies. Because of this history, Yong Kang Street is a popular destination for Japanese tourists. Even the soaps, teas, and souvenirs sold in the street are different from those found in other Taipei shopping districts.

To experience the best of Yong Kang Street, follow this walking tour:

Yong Kang Beef Noodle>Lai Hao>Tian Jin Flaky Scallion Pancake>Yuan Skincare & Soap>Youmou To Ohana Coffee>Baishui tofu pudding>Old Tea Pot>Jin An Market Showa Town Antique Market

Before Fuxing N. Rd. Underpass was built, the little Lane 180 on Binjiang St. had been the only way to connect the both sides of Songshan Airport. Because the lane is close to a takeoff runway, you can see airplanes land here. The most exciting part is watching the airplanes touching down at low altitude. You can feel the gusting winds when airliners are taking off and the imminent pressure created by landing aircraft at close range. Some EVA Air flights bound for nearby Asian countries depart from Songshan Airport. Aircraft for these flights have Hello Kitty painted on them. Wherever they come out from a hangar, people holding their cell phones or long zoom cameras snap photos of them frantically. In addition, since pilot is a dream profession for many kids, every holiday lots of parents bring their kids here to watch the planes. However, because the lane is not much wide, it's advised to park your car on Binjiang St. or Minzu E. Rd. and walk here. Otherwise, the trip will go sour if you get a fine ticket from the police.

If you do not live in Neihu or Dazhi, it's unlikely that you have known or visited Taipei Koxinga Temple. Perhaps many tourists have ever gone through Ziqiang Tunnel beneath the temple—a passage links the National Palace Museum and Miramar Entertainment Park—without noticing the perfect place for sunset and night scenes in the city. The temple’s architecture features special roofs in both the front hall and the main hall, which take on the shape of Koxinga's official headwear. Inside the main hall sits a two-story-high bronze statue of Koxinga, while at the entrance lies a cannon facing the downtown Taipei. Yet there are some other tales about the temple. It is rumored that the construction for the temple stopped midway for unknown reasons in the 1970s. God statues did not go through the eye-opening ceremony, and thus the deities did not come to stay in the temple. That's why wandering ghosts gather around here easily. Later, an unidentified body was discovered, and people using the toilet in the unfinished basement encountered some supernatural events, which makes the temple categorized as a Yin Temple—a temple worships lonely spirits. It is suggested by the locals that people should not visit the temple alone in the evening.

The Taipei Water Park is the “cool spot” for parents to bring their children to play water. On the weekends and during summer vacation, the park area is filled with people; while kids are going wild over the water fountain fun, parents get to sit near the play area and enjoy their afternoon tea and ice cream from the cafe in the park. The neighboring Museum of Drinking Water is a hot spot for pre-wedding photos and music videos due to the European style architecture.