To the west of the city, an ageing village has been transformed into an art piece with vibrant colours and drawings on every inch of the walls by Mr Wong, the nonagenarian ‘resident painter’ who’s also a KMT veteran of the Chinese Civil War (1945–49). To get there, take bus 27 (50 minutes) from the train station. Alight at Gancheng…

A fantastic place for kids and botany fans, this massive museum has over 50 exhibit areas covering space, the environment, rainforests, gems and minerals, dinosaurs, and Han and Austronesian cultures. Galleries have fun, interactive displays; there are also theatres and a huge botanical garden. Across 9 exquisite hectares, the Museum is a five-venue complex housing the Space IMAX Theater, Science…

Inside the Fort San Domingo site is the 1891 Former British Consular Residence, an elegant red-brick Victorian-style house, complete with furnishings re-created from photographic records. The consulate was closed in Japanese times, then reopened after WWII until 1972 when Britain closed it down. London has recognised the PRC since 1950. The residence is a western building that was the third…

This 200m-long swaying pedestrian bridge was built by the Japanese in 1937. It offers a great vantage point from which to gaze south towards the forested hills of Taiwan’s northern mountain range, or back up the river to the concrete jaws of the city.On the bridge, the entire river and shore view of the “Bitan Scenic Area” is in sight.…

Ten years in the planning, this 57-hectare nature reserve opened in 2001 under the control of the Wild Bird Society of Taipei. There’s a visitor centre and good trails and hides, as well as over 200 species of birds, 150 species of plants and 800 species of animals. It’s a 15-minute walk from Guandu MRT, or take the R35 bus…

This fairly bleak concrete square, with two brick buildings (remnants of former factory buildings) at the northern end – one is a restaurant, the other a toilet block – is set aside for Taiwan’s youth culture. The sole highlight is the funky and imaginative dreamscapes of graffiti on the back wall and extending into the lanes east of the park.…

For 26 years, this two-story mansion and its gardens were part of the official residence of Chiang Kai-shek and his wife Soong Mei-ling. There are over 100 species of 1000 roses in the garden. Beside the rose garden, there are western, Chinese, ecological, and herb gardens, giving such a variety to enjoy! With the different seasons, flower exhibitions are offered,…

Taipei has so many places to see and this is one for sure, Ximending’s most iconic building was built in 1908 to serve as Taipei’s first public market ,and it’s well preserved class III historical site. These days it’s a multifunctional cultural centre with regular live performances and exhibitions. There’s an artist and designer weekend market in the north square (2pm…

Tamsui’s most famous sight is Fort San Domingo. The original fort, built in 1628 during the Spanish occupation of Taiwan (1626–41), was dismantled by the Spanish before they left. The 13m-high structure seen today is the Fort Anthonio built by the Dutch in 1644. These days the original Spanish name is used, though to locals it’s still the Red Haired…

Aletheia University, located next to Fort San Domingo, the first Western university in Taiwan, founded by George Leslie Mackay. The university’s original building, Oxford College, was built in 1882 and fronts a Chinese-style pond and a large, more recent chapel. The university still operates as a centre of learning, so visitors are only allowed to wander the grounds and buildings at…