Taiwan In 12 Hours

[seamountain]

I'll be in taiwan for 12 hours en route to the west... any recommendations on what to do? and where to go?

 

thanks!

[id6230]

I honestly can't think of anything to recommend. You can always do your own research through the net and it depends on what you want to do too.

I have been there on a work related trips but I did not have time to venture on my own. I got holed up in my hotel most of the time.

[agxo3]

12 hours isn't a lot of time - it takes at least an hour to go anywhere from the airport (assuming you're going in and out of CKS - now called Taiwan Taoyuan Internationa Airport). Take a shuttle to the high speed rail station in Taoyuan then take the HSR to Taipei. The staion is right in the middle of downtown and has connections to the MRT and to local trains.

 

From there, you can take the MRT to Taipei 101 (2nd tallest building in the world) where you can take the high speed elevator to the observation deck on the 80th (??) floor. But only do this if the smog is not too bad, otehrwise you won't get a good view anyway. Taipei 101 and the area around it is a big shopping area. But not too far away is the Chiang Kai Shek memorial, which cold be pretty interesting.

 

Around the Taipei Main train station is the government center and the Taiwan Arts and Crafts Musueum.

 

The national palace Museum is worth a visit - more Chinese artifacts there than in any museum on the mainland.

 

An MRT ride away is snake alley and some Long Shan (??) temple. Nice but better at night.

 

Not too many other really interesting places in Taipei and you don't have the time to go to too many other places on the island.

[artvader]

You can visit the Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall... which is just a few kilometers from Taipei 101. If you're going to CKS memorial hall, then it would also be a good idea to head to Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall, though CKS's place is look more grand.

 

Long Shan temple is a good place to visit, too. I've always been fascinated by this place.

 

Nearby is Xi Men Ting, I think it's like an equivalent of Hong Kong's Park Lane Shopper's Blvd.

 

Taipei 101 itself is ok, but a little bland for a mall... too quiet and too classy for my taste, however, there are also other malls around Taipei 101 that are more upbeat. The observation deck is ok, but then you just came from a plane and I'm sure you're already sick of seeing buildings from a top down view.

 

There's also this unique place I've been to just across the Taipei Main Station, just below KMall. It's called "Taipei Story House" wherein they set up a pseudo museum of what Taipei looked like in the early 1950's. Very rustic and so surprising to see how much the landscape has changed since then.

 

If you're the artsy type, you can go to the Taipei Fine Arts museum, but most of the displays there are contemporary works. It's nice, but it's also very westernized already.

 

Another thing you can do while in Taiwan is to count how many 7-11s you can spot during your whole trip. I swear this place should earn a Guinness record for the most number of convenience stores in every block.

 

If you take the MRT you should be able to visit all these places (except for the Fine Arts museum, which you'll have to go across a Park to get to).

 

One thing I really love about the place is the food. If possible, try sampling the native dishes.

[sitilim]

try heading towards the window of china... not sure how many hours it'll take tho... maybe 2.5 hrs.

[uno1234]

Taipei 101 is a must see

Shin yeh is a must if you want to try authentic Taiwanese Cuisine

Mitsui is my all-time favorite Japanese Resto in Taipei..........Very good Japanese food....The Otoro there literally melts in your mouth......On the downside, it is very expensive expensive...expect to spend upwards of NT$ 2,500 to NT$ 5,000 or more per head if you go for the set menus at the sushi bar.......

[artvader]

Parang pang sossy masyado sa Xinyi district eh. Although I do enjoy going there, I like the "carinderia" type foods better. If I'm going to eat authentic Japanese food, I'd rather like to go to Japan itself rather than go to another country to taste their Japanese cuisine... it just sorta defeats the purpose of going to another country, doesn't it?

 

Danshui's a good place to go to sample some of Taiwan's street foods. the area around Main Taipei Station and Ximen for the Gadget/Photography lovers. Snake Alley/Longsan Temple for the Religious/Jewelry/Exotic cuisines.

 

The Presidential Palace at night near Ximen (Shiao Nan Men, actually) is simply breath-taking.

[uno1234]

Parang pang sossy masyado sa Xinyi district eh. Although I do enjoy going there, I like the "carinderia" type foods better. If I'm going to eat authentic Japanese food, I'd rather like to go to Japan itself rather than go to another country to taste their Japanese cuisine... it just sorta defeats the purpose of going to another country, doesn't it?

 

Danshui's a good place to go to sample some of Taiwan's street foods. the area around Main Taipei Station and Ximen for the Gadget/Photography lovers. Snake Alley/Longsan Temple for the Religious/Jewelry/Exotic cuisines.

 

The Presidential Palace at night near Ximen (Shiao Nan Men, actually) is simply breath-taking.

 

 

 

Different strokes for different folks I guess but if you're a food buff like me...The first thing on my to do list when I travel is to try the best restaurants in the area........As for Mitsui, it actually ranks up there among the best Japanese restaurants I've tried.....Trust me!!! I've been around and I've tried the restaurants the likes of Aragawa in Tokyo to Masa in New York...Mitsui is almost at par with Aragawa and Masa for a fraction of the price..... :thumbsupsmiley:

[kanski]

can anyone comment on the duty free shops at the taiwan international airport. can i expect a good selection of electronic goods here? will the prices of locally made electronic products be markedly cheaper?

[Tanabe_san]

can anyone comment on the duty free shops at the taiwan international airport. can i expect a good selection of electronic goods here? will the prices of locally made electronic products be markedly cheaper?

 

If you prefer electronics try to go sa Guang Hua Market, Ba De Rd. (sakay ka ng Zong Xiao Xin Sheng Station)... mura dun lalao na computer parts. Pwede ka din mag Nova sa (Taipei Main Station).

[kanski]

^^^ Bro, I will just be stopping over in Taiwan en route to somewhere else and my lay-off is a long 4 hrs. That's why I was hoping to look for electronic gadgets to shop while in the airport.

[artvader]

Yup may mga electronic stores din sa airport. However, I can't say the price is as low as the ones in downtown.

[kanski]

Yup may mga electronic stores din sa airport. However, I can't say the price is as low as the ones in downtown.

 

Cool. As long as they are cheaper than the shops here in Manila. Hope I can find an Asus Eee in the airport.

[artvader]

Cool. As long as they are cheaper than the shops here in Manila. Hope I can find an Asus Eee in the airport.

 

Oh definitely, if you can find one. Asus EEE in Taiwan only costs around PhP 12,000. Even if you get it for PhP 15,000 there, you'd still save a lot...

[kanski]

Oh definitely, if you can find one. Asus EEE in Taiwan only costs around PhP 12,000. Even if you get it for PhP 15,000 there, you'd still save a lot...

 

Thanks bro! I'll just keep my fingers crossed that I'll be able to see one in one of the airport's shops. Cheers!