Taipei: what to see in the Taiwanese capital in the World Travel ticket
Until 1709, in the part of the island of Taiwan where Taipei is located today there lived only tribes in contrast to each other. Taking advantage of the situation, the Han people of China the south began to take possession of the territories by founding a small town.
The Taiwanese city it developed with Chinese rule over the north of the island, and when Taiwan became a prefecture in its own right, Taipei was its capital.
He remained capital even under Japanese rule and until 1894, when the island first attempted to secede from China. A separation never realized and, although Taiwan considers itself independent today, it is still for the whole world only an “autonomous region” belonging to the great Chinese state. Residents, however, do not recognize how capital beijingbut actually Taipei.
Today, for our date with reviews of the world’s famous cities, let’s go back to Asia and find out what to see in Taipei, the capital of Taiwan.
Where is Taipei?
Taipei is located in the far north of the country, that is to say on the northern tip of the island of Taiwan (Republic of China). Almost entirely surrounded by a magnificent national nature reserve, it extends its territory over several kilometres.
It overlooks a bay and is bordered by two rivers, the Xindian to the south and the Tamsui to the west. Its urban area reaches the body of the Qixing extinct volcano, which is inside the Yangmingshan National Park.
The park itself delimits the districts located in the northern suburbs, Shilin and Beitou, creating a real “green belt” around the capital of Taiwan.
Here is the map of Taipei City:
People of Taipei
The city has an urban area which today has more than 2,600,000 inhabitants.
But the proximity to the city of Keelung, another populated city, and then counting the suburbs, means that the entire metropolitan area exceeds 7 million inhabitants!
With a density of 9,900 inhabitants per km², Taipei is certainly the most populated area of the island.
The people are almost all of Chinese descent, some descendants of early settlers (17th century) and many more descendants of the Chinese invasion that occurred in the 20th century.
A 2% reflects the former inhabitants of the island, a population of Filipino descent now almost completely absorbed.
Taipei Climate
The climate in Taipei is rather humid. Summers are long, very hot and interspersed with powerful typhoons, while winters are short, rainy and foggy.
Temperatures range between 10° and 33°C.
The best time to visit Taipei are March, April, May, June, July, August and September.
Taiwan coin
The official currency in use in Taiwan is the new Taiwanese dollar (1 euro = 33 NDT). So when traveling on the island, you have to make the change in advance or take a credit card.
Getting around in Taipei
The capital of Taiwan is a modern city, served by two airports, an efficient metro and a coordinated service of buses and fast trains that connect it to the rest of the island.
City dwellers, however, love to use the scooter, or scooter taxi.
In general getting around Taipei is easy, convenient and fast. The metro, in fact, is very active and has five different lines indicated by colors (brown – the panoramic and touristic, red, green, orange, blue).
Equally effective are trains and urban buses which can also be used with combinable cards and “easy passes” to use one or more different means by paying only once. For tourists, a ride in the Maokong cable car is a must, which is not a boat but a panoramic cable car. Taxis are also widely used, the only ones running day and night, even when other vehicles are stationary.
What to see in Taipei
What to see in Taipei? When traveling in the capital of Taiwan, the most important attractions to visit are:
- Liberty Square, certainly a concentration of splendid monuments such as the magnificent pagodas of the two theaters (Nationale and Teatro dei Concerti);
- Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Monument, which is located in the center of the main square;
- Tbuddhist emplii, that adorn the historic center of the Taiwanese city. For example Ithe 18th century Bangka Lungshan, the Baoan, the temple of Confucianism but in general there are dozens of temples concentrated in a single street, the so-called “Via del Cielo” (Xinsheng South Road) where there are also churches and mosques;
- Taipei Central Subway Station. Not only because almost all the city’s thoroughfares converge here, but because the main entrance to the underground marketa huge shopping street that runs…under the surface of the city;
- Taipei 101, the tallest skyscraper in the city, and the fifth highest in the world. 508 meters high, it bears the name of 101, like the number of its floors. Its particularity is its very characteristic bamboo shape.
- National Palace Museum, it is a former royal palace transformed into an art museum, and still retains the architectural forms with pagoda roofs. Pleasant to see both on the outside and, for the works it contains, on the inside;
- Shi-Men Ting, or the shopping street, where the most beautiful shops of the capital are gathered;
- Taipei Zoo, one of the finest in all of Asia;
- Tamsui, a romantic pier in the port of Taipei that has remained faithful to the old look of a fishing pier, with a breathtaking view at sunset;
- Thermal Park, located near the city, it is a protected park crossed by a river with warm waters that accumulate in different basins, where you can bathe and cool off.
What to eat in Taipei
When traveling, it is always important to try the typical local dishes. Taiwanese cuisine is very popular and represents a fair mix of Chinese and Japanese cuisine (it was influenced by this during Japanese rule on the island).
Curiosity: many dishes are based on oysters and shellfish.
Undisputed specialties of the place: Oyster omelet, pork soup, fragrant papaya smoothie.
In particular the Niu Rou Mianthe national dish, is a very rich soup made from beef and vegetables that can be eaten in the best restaurants as well as on the street, served on street stalls.
Do not miss to taste the “Smelly Tofu”… the name is not engaging but it is worth trying, because it is rather a very good spreadable cheese with a strong flavor that accompanies dishes based on vegetables and prawns.
As local street food we recommend fried crabsa real delight that can be found on every street corner.
Another great street food is Gua Bao, a soft bun stuffed with roast pork, peanuts, pickled vegetables and cilantro flavoring. If you have the courage, also try the very soft “Pig’s Blood Ice Cream”. We will never reveal the ingredients!
What to do at night in Taipei
For nightlife, the city has three certain indications: Xiniy district, Ximending and the nightclub district in Da’an.
Of the tree, Ximending is perhaps the favorite area for tourists. It becomes pedestrianized at sunset and everything that used to be traffic, offices, work during the day magically transforms: delicious concert cafés open, pubs put tables outside, street performances entertain people and s have fun with little until dawn. Attention only to those who drink too much!
In the Taiwanese capital, you can have fun until dawn between pubs, bars, clubs and the famous karaoke, where you can go wild singing your favorite songs, perhaps accompanied by a good pint of beer or a cocktail.
The most famous nightclubs to spend the evening are:
- OMNI nightclub;
- nightclub;
- WAVE CLUB;
- Korer;
- At nightclubs;
- Triangle;
- M Taipei;
Our article on the discovery of Taipei, the capital of Taiwan, ends here. See you next time with reviews from world capitals, by Viaggi nel Mondo!
