I highly recommend the highest building in the world--Taipei 101 for TJs to visit,for it is the place where travelers would always plan to go. I also believe the night markets in Taipei would always the most interesting places for them to go. They can enjoy the best Taiwan's local food there, and experience the world of real life in Taiwan.
Shilin night market is not to be missed with all kinds of Taiwanese food delicacies. Not far from Taipei and easily accessible is Wu Lai where you can soak in hotsprings and try the local aboriginal cuisines. Pinlin is famous for its tea plantations,Ye Liu for its strange rock formation.
Dear TJs, welcome to Taiwan!! Highly recommend you should visit the place I live - Ximending, an old town area in Taipei City. With lots of a historic spots & yummy traditional food, you can experience the real life in Taipei. Check out the details of Ximending: http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/archives/2004/08/07/2003182113
^ Ximending is also like the epicentre of youth culture (you know, the teenybopper variety) and it should definitely satisfy those with a low budget. A word of caution is that Xinyi (where Taipei 101 is) is full of pricey malls and I'm not sure whether you can fit it into your budget. But I suppose the draw of the world's tallest buidling (entry NT350) could be too strong to resist! If you're in the area try visiting the Taipei Discovery Centre in the City Hall as well (free, open Tue to Sun).
For loads of culture, nothing beats the National Palace Museum (rated 1 of the top 4 in the world!). You can spend hours (actually, days) browasing this treasure trove of Chinese art pieces. Try to go on a weekday or something because it's very crowded during the weekend. You could tie this in with a trip to nearby attractions like the Shilin Residence, Zhonglie Ci (Temple of the Martyrs in English or something like that) and Shilin Night Market. Peoplevisit Zhonglie Ci because of the Guard Changing ceromony but I don't really recommend it because it's quite small scale as compared to, say, in London.
Shilin Night Market is a place for you to gouge on fabulous food! My favourite is the amazing XXL deep-fried chicken cutlet. There are also Japanese-style teppenyaki stalls, smelly tofu (can smell awful, but it's glorious!), oyster omelette, fruit milkshakes made on-the-spot and bubble tea (milk+tea mixture, ask for one with 'pearls', which are tapioca balls).
A great temple to visit is Longshan Temple. It's one of the oldest in Taipei and very atmospheric. The air is heavy with incense and there are a lot of beautiful wooden carvings. You could tie it up with a visit to Smake Alley Market (or at a stretch, maybe Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall, Ximending?)
Yeah, that's basically all I have to say. For side trips, I like Jiufen. If you are venturing out of Taipei, I have to agree with one of the above postings that the East Coast is great (Especially Hualien/Taroko Gorge). The Taiwanese are very friendly, vocal people. It'll be fun. Have a great time!
This message has been edited. Last edited by: kyiviansnow,
Hi TJs! I am a Canadian who is teaching English in Kaohsiung Taiwan. There are many foreigners in Kaohsiung who have lots to say and think about the city and the country. We can give you advice on where to travel (because Taipei is not equivalent to Taiwan) and what to do while you are in the city. So come check out the second largest city in Taiwan and all it has to offer (or at least meet some of the ex-pat community). One other quick recommendation from me is Kenting. Kenting is a quaint little beach town in the south. You can surf, scuba dive, camp, party or just chill on the beach. You may see nicer beaches in Thailand, but it's worth a visit. You could also visit Maolin or Alishan and Sun Moon Lake. I've heard good things about the Penghu Islands, Little Liuchiu Island and Green Island. Hope to see you in Kaohsiung!
