Food to Eat

Taipei’s fifth gate, dating back to when the capital was a walled city under the Qing dynasty, though only the gates survive, the original fortifications were extremely strong, with walls four meters thick five meters high and extending a total of four kilometers. Most Chinese walls have four gates, but the Taipei wall had five. Some say that the fifth…

Designed to imitate the area’s cuesta rock formations, this stunning glass and aluminium-panelled structure is worth a visit for the architecture. Exhibits focus on the ecology and history of the Lanyang (Yilan) Plain, an alluvial fan formed by the Lanyang River. The main building incorporates the shape of the cuestas commonly seen along the Beiguan Coast. To also present the…

Stamps, uniforms, machinery, history and so much more for a token admission price. It won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but the stamps of the world collection, while a bit outdated, is pretty impressive; for newer stamps check out the glass cabinets of Taiwan’s special issues. Established in 1965, the exhibits at the Postal Museum document the development of the…

This is truly a unique spot, as it is the only place in Taiwan with such an incredible view, and has therefore become one of the most-frequented scenic spots in northern Taiwan in recent years. About a 10-minute walk southeast from the cape is an area that is beautiful when the tide is low: the Laomei Algal Reef. The flat…

One of the best beaches in New Taipei City is found at this little bay that’s sometimes called White Haven Beach. The Chinese name translates as ‘white-sand bay’. The entrance to the beach is down a side road 100m or so off Hwy 2 (there are English signs around the 23km mark). Swimming is permitted from May to September, as…

Just north of Wai’ao is this small seaside park with beautiful cuesta and ‘tofu’ block rock formations, and lookouts down the coast. You can snorkel here in summer. Beiguan Tidal Park is also known as Lancheng Park, a tourist attraction in the Northeast Coast of the National Scenic Area, and also one of the best attractions when taking the North…

In year 2000,thousands of people were attracted to Taimali beach to celebrate with 25 other countries for the first aurora shining upon the Pacific Ocean. This palm-studded beach running up the emerald coast seems to stretch on and on. There’s no swimming but the crashing surf, soft sand, green mountains rising to the west and long coastline sweeping north make…

This huge expanse of forest and landscaped gardens and lakes is great fun to cycle around. The highlights are Huoshui lake and Pipa lake. The Huoshui lake, an enormous man-made freshwater lake at the northeastern edge that flows into the sea and is popular with swimmers and rowers. Be careful of the packs of stray dogs that wander this park, though usually…

Caves of the Eight Immortals, aka Baxian Cave, has both the geologically and archaeologically interesting. It is located on the cliffs that face the Pacific Ocean in Shanjian Village in Changbin Township. There are dozens of natural sea caves. These sea caves were originally in the sea. Now they are scattered in 150 meter high cliffs. This is because the…

The seven-minute, 1.9km ride offers an unparalleled bird’s-eye view of the lake as you rise into the nearby hills. The gondola terminates at the Formosan Aboriginal Cultural Village, an amusement park–like venue. Sun Moon Lake Station lies to the south east of Sun Moon Lake, the north of Ita Thao community, and the west of Youth Activity Center. The Ropeway incorporates…