Country guide
Taiwan is 394 km long and 144 km wide, and mountains take the eastern two-thirds of it — more than two hundred peaks above 3,000 m, the highest of them Yushan a...
Photograph · Man Ng · CC BY 2.0
Reviewed by Elena Voss · Roavina Travel Editor
Taiwan is 394 km long and 144 km wide, and mountains take the eastern two-thirds of it — more than two hundred peaks above 3,000 m, the highest of them Yushan at 3,952 m. The 23,299,132 people counted in December 2025 are pressed into the western third, which is where the railway runs and where every city a visitor is likely to open sits: Taipei with New Taipei and Keelung at the north end, then Taichung, Tainan and Kaohsiung down the plain. The east coast is the other trip entirely, reached by crossing the ranges rather than skirting them.
Checked 2026-08-25
Every city catalogued in this country so far, ranked by how much there is to see.
Photograph · Heeheemalu · CC BY-SA 4.0
Seasonal closures come from recorded opening hours.
Ranked by importance — sitelinks, pageviews and heritage status, not editor preference.
70 places match
Category
Typical visit duration
Interests
關渡自然公園
Guandu Nature Park is a protected wetland area in northern Taipei, known locally as 關渡自然公園. The park occupies a significant ecological zone where the Tamsui River meets the sea, creating a habitat of international importance for migratory birds.
關渡宮
Guandu Temple, known locally as 關渡宮, is an active place of worship in Taipei devoted to Mazu, the sea goddess.
Zhishan Cultural and Ecological Garden is a green Taipei attraction that brings cultural heritage and ecological observation together in the Zhishan area.
順益台灣原住民博物館
The Shung Ye Museum of Formosan Aborigines, 順益台灣原住民博物館, introduces visitors to the cultures and heritage of Taiwan's Indigenous peoples.
林安泰古厝
Lin An Tai Historical House and Museum is a relocated and reconstructed traditional Taiwanese residence in Taipei. Its classical Fujian-style design reflects the domestic architecture associated with wealthy merchant families during the Qing dynasty period.
台北故事館
Taipei Story House, locally called 台北故事館, is a small heritage house with a distinctly European-influenced appearance in Taipei’s museum district. Its steep roof, patterned half-timbering and intimate domestic scale make the building itself the central attraction.
大龍峒保安宮
Dalongdong Baoan Temple, also known as 大龍峒保安宮, is an active religious and cultural landmark in Taipei’s Dalongdong district. It is a place for worship as well as a meaningful stop for travelers interested in Taipei’s local traditions.
行天宮
Xingtian Temple, or 行天宮, is a prominent Taipei place of worship dedicated to Guan Yu, associated with war and righteousness in Chinese folk religion. It is an active religious site rather than a museum or staged attraction.
松山慈祐宮
Songshan Ciyou Temple, known locally as 松山慈祐宮, is an important religious site in Taipei’s Songshan district. Dedicated to Mazu, the sea goddess widely venerated in Taiwan, it offers travelers a close view of living temple culture within the urban cityscape.
臺北清真寺
Taipei Grand Mosque is Taipei's principal Islamic house of worship and a significant cultural landmark in Taiwan's capital. Established to serve the Muslim community, it represents one of the most important Islamic institutions in the country.
公館夜市
Gongguan Night Market is an evening food, shopping, and street-life destination in Taipei’s Gongguan area, near National Taiwan University. It brings together food stalls, small shops, casual dining, and the constant movement of a student-oriented urban district.
臨江街觀光夜市
Linjiang Street Night Market, known locally as 臨江街觀光夜市, is an evening street market in Taipei’s urban fabric, with the visit unfolding along vendor fronts rather than inside one attraction building.
南機場夜市
Nanjichang Night Market, known locally as 南機場夜市, is a neighborhood night market in Taipei. It brings together food stalls and small independent businesses in an evening street setting.
廣州街觀光夜市
Guangzhou Street Night Market, locally called 廣州街觀光夜市, runs along Guangzhou Street in Taipei’s Wanhua District. It is a traditional street market with food stalls, snacks, and local businesses.
臺北魚市
Taipei Fish Market, locally known as 台北魚市, is a working seafood marketplace in Taipei. It combines wholesale trade with retail activity, giving visitors a view of how seafood moves through an urban market rather than through a museum-style exhibition.
永康街
Yongkang Street is a renowned commercial and dining destination in Taipei's Da'an District, officially recognized in the city's attraction inventory. The street has developed significant visitor appeal through its concentration of local eateries, specialty shops, and neighborhood atmosphere.
心中山線形公園
Xinzhongshan Linear Park is a pedestrian green corridor shaped by the former surface alignment of the Taiwan Railway Administration railway between Zhongshan and Shuanglian. Taipei Rapid Transit Corporation began renovating the green space between the two MRT stations in 2017.
西門紅樓
The Red House, known locally as 西門紅樓, is a historic landmark in Taipei’s Ximending district. Built during Japanese colonial rule as a public market, it is recognised by its octagonal red-brick form and cruciform plan.
剝皮寮歷史街區
Bopiliao Historic Block, known locally as 剝皮寮歷史街區, preserves an old streetscape in Taipei’s Wanhua district. Its buildings and lanes connect visitors with the city’s Qing dynasty and Japanese colonial-era development.
艋舺青山宮
Qingshan Temple, known locally as 艋舺青山宮, is a historic place of worship in Taipei’s Wanhua district. The temple honours the Qingshan King, a deity traditionally associated with protection from plague and illness.
臺北府城南門
South Gate of Taipei, also known as 臺北府城南門, is the principal southern gate associated with the former Taipei Prefecture walls.
臺北府城東門
The East Gate of Taipei, known locally as 臺北府城東門, is a surviving remnant of the city’s historic fortifications.
臺北府城小南門
Xiaonanmen is a preserved gate from old Taipei’s Qing-era city wall, known in Chinese as 臺北府城小南門. It gives a compact, highly visible glimpse of the fortified city that once shaped this part of Taipei.
臺北市立天文科學教育館
Taipei Astronomical Museum, or 臺北市立天文科學教育館, is a municipal science-education museum in Taipei’s Shilin District. It introduces astronomy and space science to a general audience through public learning rather than functioning primarily as a research observatory.
國立臺灣科學教育館
National Taiwan Science Education Center, locally known as 國立臺灣科學教育館, is a science museum in Taipei devoted to public learning and engagement with scientific ideas.
Seven to ten days can combine three or four days in Taipei with Tainan, Taichung or Kaohsiung on the western rail corridor. The east coast, central mountains and offshore islands require slower connections and should replace, rather than merely extend, that compact route.
Taiwan’s National Immigration Agency provides the current entry and online-arrival requirements. Check passport eligibility and permitted duration there, with consular guidance where relevant; do not assume a transit permission or previous visa exemption covers a different journey.
Taoyuan Airport connects to Taipei by airport metro, and high-speed rail makes western cities straightforward to combine. Conventional rail and buses reach the east and smaller places, but mountain roads take longer and are more vulnerable to weather disruption.
Spring and autumn often suit city and rail travel, while summer brings heat, heavy rain and typhoon risk. Mountain conditions can diverge sharply from Taipei or Kaohsiung, so check the Central Weather Administration outlook for the specific route.
New Taiwan dollar is the recorded currency. Transit stations and urban shops increasingly support electronic payment, yet night markets and small regional businesses may prefer cash; withdraw TWD through recognised banking channels and verify any foreign-card fee.
Use 110 for police and 119 for fire or ambulance; Taiwan uses Type A and B sockets at 110 V. Tap-water guidance is Not recorded here, and typhoon or earthquake instructions should be taken from official alerts rather than social-media summaries.
