The more I read about Taiwan and its capital before my trip there in February, the more I have been looking forward to see that city. Apart from the undeniable fact that there is a some 12 to 14 hours trip between Europe and Taipei, I can just absolutely recommend to take the trip there – either (as I did) as a city trip or a longer stay including exploring the whole country like its lovely island outpost Kinmen.
The city is very tourist-friendly: most of you – like me – might not be able to understand Taiwanese or Mandarin – but all signs are in English as well and people at least try their best to understand you – in general, the level of English is very fine, though. One fact about Taipei you might laugh about is something I absolutely loved: there are (very clean) public toilets almost everywhere!
Taiwan and Taipei offer a lot of cultural influences: of course, there is first of all a very Chinese touch – but there are also quite strong Japanese influences (you will easily find Japanese restaurants and bakeries, for example). There have also been colonial times with Dutch and English influences. One of the first sights I explored, for example, has been Fort Santo Domingo in Taipei’s suburb Tamsui, which served both countries as residence for their delegates.
One place you just cannot miss to visit is the National Palace and its museum. The palace building and gardens would easily be worth the bus trip from Shilin Metro Station, but the museum is just overwhelming, showing a wide range of cultural heritage with exhibits on calligraphy, jade, Taiwan’s earlier times and many more topics. Also perfect in case of adverse weather.
Another quite famous spot is Taipei 101, a skyscraper which used to be the world tallest building (and now “only” hosts the Guiness Record for the world’s fastest elevator…). On nice days, you have a beautiful view over the city – and if you are less lucky with the weather, there is still a posh shopping mall on the first five floors, which might spoil your travel budget.
One amazing place I loved was the National Chiang-Kai-shek memorial hall with its impressive statue on top. It also hosts exhibitions which are not directly linked to the former country’s leader – so don’t be confused if you see Smurf advertisement on the pictures below.
If it is not too foggy, I also absolutely recommend to ride the Maokonng Gondola. If you have a day ticket, you can also board and unboard as you like – especially Zhinan Temple Station is worth the stopover on the way to the hilltop due to several temples worth visiting.
On the top of the hill, there are a lot of tea plantations – and tea houses offer you to have a nice oolong tea or a delicious bite – I had a hot chicken dish with tea leaves in it which just has been amazing! If you have time and feel like it, you may also visit a Giant Panda in the Zoo next to the valley station.
The night markets of Taipei are also very famous and worth to spent the late hours in. You may find cheap clothing or interesting street food. I visited a couple of night markets during my time in Taiapei – finally, I have to say that I loved the Shilin Night Market most.
There is really a lot to do in the city. It is just lovely to stroll around and feel the atmosphere, relax in the parks or enjoy the different culture. You won’t be able to miss Hello Kitty, feels like some sort of national hero 🙂 I absolutely loved my trip – hope to be back there some day!
Flyctory.com on Taiwan
All other articles about Taiwan:

Home is where the heart is – My Twelve Favorite Cities of the World

The Twelve Best Flights Of My Life (… so far)

Airport Review: Kinmen (KNH), Taiwan

Kinmen – Taiwan’s Western Outpost

Flying the Hello Kitty Jet

Airport Review: Taipei Songshan Airport – TSA
Other Top Picks
Here are all other reviews which I rated as excellent and assigned the Top Pick! Award:

Treaty Oak Revival – Have a Nice Day

Hampton Inn & Suites Pittsburgh Downtown

Museum of the Everyday Culture (Museum der Alltagskultur, Waldenbuch)

Maelfoy – Failures, Fears and Forgiveness

Cathay Pacific First Class Lounge London (LHR) Terminal 3

Presidents Hall of Fame

Dennis Durant – Fragile

Dogma – Dogma

Dining at Pokemon Cafe Tokyo

Finn & Jonas – Kiosk

Myrtle Beach Colored School Museum

D’Virgilio, Morse & Jennings – Sophomore

ibis Hotel Cologne Frechen

The Struts – Pretty Vicious

The Joni Project – Shades of Blue

Luke – Strange Boy in Town

Acrisure Stadium (Pittsburgh) Highlight Tour

Doro – Conqueress – Forever Strong and Proud

Gatwick Aviation Museum

The Gaslight Anthem – History Books

Mini Golf at Gator Golf Adventure Park Orlando

Chris Shiflett – Lost At Sea

Angelus Apatrida – Aftermath

Israel Nash – Ozarker

FRAUPAUL – Was, wenn wir dann durchdrehen… ?! EP

Holly Humberstone – Paint My Bedroom Black

Owl Cafe “Akiba Fukurou” Tokyo

Car Rental Review – RentYourCar.Fo at Vagar Airport (FAE) – Hyundai i20

Fun Spot America Kissimmee

Exploring Regent’s Canal with London Waterbus Company

The Royal Park Hotel Tokyo Haneda

Alexandra Hofmann – Grün

Antje Schomaker – Snacks

Darius Rucker – Carolyn’s Boy

Krakow Airport (KRK) Business Lounge

Hotel Andromeda (Ostend)

Alex Diehl – Das ist keine Übung

Topgolf Oberhausen

Wynwood Walls (Miami)

Atena – Subway Anthem

Collapse Unter The Empire – Recurring

Joe Leila – Breathing EP

Air France Lounge Paris (CDG) Terminal 2G

ibis Styles Bern City

ibis London Shepherd’s Bush

Post-Plaza Guesthouse Husavik

Danko Jones – Electric Sounds

Arabia Steamboat Museum

Flying with FLN Frisia-Luftverkehr from Harle (EDXP) to Wangerooge (AGE)

Hilton Garden Inn Faroe Islands

Bellucci Boi – Lost in Berlin EP

Allison Russell – The Returner

Durry – Suburban Legend

Quality Inn Arena (Wilkes-Barre)

Henri Tudor Museum (Rosport, Luxembourg)

Holiday Inn Express Dublin City Centre

Andorra National Automobile Museum

Marduk – Memento Mori

Melanie Wiegmann & Carl Carlton – Glory of Love

Gregor McEwan – Going Solo

Philipp Artmann – Guten Morgen schönes Leben

Alice Cooper – Road

RiKu Hotel Pfullendorf

Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum

Hilton Imperial Dubrovnik

TracieLynn – More Than a Bad Habit EP

Bobby Rush – All My Love For You

Madsen – Hollywood

Hampton Inn Pittsburgh – Bridgeville

Airport Marrakech-Menara (RAK)

Atreyu – The Moment You Find Your Flame EP

Hilton Garden Inn Krakow Airport

Uncaved – Dogmatorraistes

John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum (Boston)

Pullman Cologne

Ludwig Wright – Turn of Tides or Where the Waves Come From

Bianca James – Bianca James

Mammoth WVH – Mammoth II

Mercure Hotel Severinshof Cologne City

Sasha – Toto und der Mann im Mond (music album)

Santans – Koi Boi EP

Fury in the Slaughterhouse – Hope

Hampton by Hilton Dortmund Phoenix See

Pinball Perfection (Pittsburgh)

Icelandair Boeing 737 MAX Saga Premium Class

Molly Tuttle and Golden Highway – City of Gold

Hamburg Coffee Museum Burg

Lori McKenna – 1988

Iberia Dali VIP Lounge Madrid T4 (Madrid MAD)

nhow Frankfurt

Tom Astor – Wieder da!

Jim “Kimo” West – Of Wood and Spirit (American Guitar Stories)

Homewood Suites by Hilton Orlando Theme Parks

Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real – Sticks and Stones

Sean Patrick McGraw – Hillbilly Hippie

1476 – In Exile

Maihaugen Lillehammer

Hafdals Hotel Akureyri

Sylvia Aimee – Identity EP

Lucinda Williams – Stories From A Rock N Roll Heart

Whale Watching with North Sailing Husavik (Iceland)

Lane Motor Museum (Nashville)

Pascal Blenke – Gedankenspiele

American Space Museum (Titusville)

Ayron Jones – Chronicles Of The Kid

Wuppertaler Schwebebahn (Wuppertal Suspension Railroad)

Saturnus – The Storm Within

Steve Lukather – Bridges

Deer Tick – Emotional Contracts

Larnaca Airport (LCA)

Lava Show Reykjavik

Melia Berlin

Bergen Belsen Concentration Camp Memorial

Puffin Watching at Hafnarholmi in Northeast Iceland

Omnium Gatherum – Slasher EP

Ron Pope – Inside Voices

Musicians Hall of Fame & Museum Nashville

Hrafnavellir Guest House (Hornafirdi, Iceland)

Tanya Tucker – Sweet Western Sound

Oryad – Sacred & Profane

Sören Vogelsang – Optimismus Prime

Brandy Clark – Brandy Clark

Marathonmann – Maniac

Yes – Mirror To The Sky

Forest Lagoon Akureyri

Moor – Heavy Heart

Bunk’Art 1 (Tirana)

Anna Demetriou – More To This

Adagio Hotel Bremen

Indecent Behavior – Therapy In Melody

Husavik Eurovision Exhibition

Museum of Jewish Heritage

Andreas Diehlmann Band – Long Way To Go

Sebel – Der Boxer

Local Archaeological Museum of Kourion (Cyprus)

Pittsburgh Steelers Hall of Honor Museum

Philip Bradatsch – Philip Bradatsch

Storm Seeker – Nautic Force

Walking the City Walls of Dubrovnik

Dave Hause – Drive It Like It’s Stolen

Nature Museum (Naturmuseum) Dortmund

Flying Contour Airlines Embraer E135

As Everything Unfolds – Ultraviolet

Kati von Schwerin – Welcome Back Home

Esther Rose – Safe To Run

Texas Hippie Coalition – The Name Lives On

Car Rental Review – if Rent Andorra La Vella (Carlemany)

Grand Design – Rawk

Dutch Railway Museum Utrecht

German Rail (Deutsche Bahn) Lounge Hamburg – Premium Area

Al Noor Island and Butterfly House (Sharjah)

IntercityHotel Hannover Hauptbahnhof Ost

Jennifer K. Austin – Cards EP

Lordi – Screem Writers Guild

VIVA – Das ist die Wahrheit

Hampton by Hilton Frankfurt Airport

Milow – Great To Know You EP

British Airways Boeing B777 Club Suite Cabin

Black Hawk – Soulkeeper

Katie Melua – Love & Money

Sophie B. Hawkins – Free Myself

Sophia – Niemals Allein

Hampton by Hilton Utrecht Central Station

Kourion Archaeological Park

Leony – Somewhere in Between

Watching Kansas City from Liberty Memorial Tower

Premier Inn Hamburg St. Pauli

American Airlines / British Airways Soho Lounge New York JFK Terminal 8

Night Demon – Outsider

Stephen Jay – understatement

Timesbold – Not Still Here

Ailbhe Reddy – Endless Affair

Kendall Lujan – Forget Me Knots EP

GEODIS Park Stadium Tour (Nashville)

Brian Falduto – Gay Country

DoubleTree by Hilton Pittsburgh Downtown

Car Rental Review – Sixt Goslar – Audi A6 Quattro

Umberto Panini Collection Motor Museum

Gateway Arch St. Louis

Wolfgang Petry – Stark wie wir

Lina – 24/1

Drayton Farley- Twenty on High

AnnenMayKantereit – Es ist Abend und wir sitzen bei mir

Embassy Suites by Hilton Tampa Downtown Convention Center

Helge Schneider – Torero

Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum (Pittsburgh)

Dierks Bentley – Gravel & Gold

Tanzwut – Silberne Hochzeit

P!nk – Trustfall

Ron Sexsmith – The Vivian Line

Hampton by Hilton Dublin City Centre

Malte Vief und Malte Viefs Kammer – Kammer III

The Legendary – Warlord

Simone Kopmajer – With Love

Cyprus Museum (Nicosia)

The Rehats – Heart & Mind

Eamonn McCormack – Eamonn McCormack

Premier Inn Saarbruecken City Centre

Hampton Inn & Suites Albany Downtown

Puttshack White City (London)

Pristine – The Lines We Cross

Joe Henry – All The Eye Can See

German Rail (Deutsche Bahn) Premium Lounge Berlin Main Station

Sofitel London Heathrow (Terminal 5)

Laura Cox – Head Above Water

Sonic Wildhearts – Get It On

Lukas Graham – 4 (The Pink Album)

Richard Lynch – Radio Friend

Hilton Garden Inn Tirana

Groenalund – #lovestorm

Riding the TECO Line Streetcar in Tampa

Clarion Collection Hotel Hammer (Lillehammer)

National World War I Museum (Kansas City)

Car Rental Review – Hertz Kansas City Airport (MCI) – Ford Explorer

Hotel Fürst Bismarck (Hamburg)

Wasserturm Hotel Cologne (Curio Collection by Hilton)

Museum of Miniature (Ordino, Andorra)

Brightline Premium Lounge West Palm Beach

Frankfurt Airport (Fraport) Visitors’ Center

Madame Tussauds New York

Gabbie Hanna – This Time Next Year

Top of the Rock Observation Deck

Museum of Graffiti (Miami)

Senator John Heinz History Center Pittsburgh

Crazy Putt London

Adam Warner – What We’re Known For

Hampton Inn @Aviation Plaza Linden (New Jersey)

Panorama Pergamonmuseum Berlin

Poppy Fardell – Back On My Feet

Nevena – Nevena

Upsahl – Sagittarius EP

Sündflut – Basta! EP

Nina Hagen – Unity

Sea Life Oberhausen

Isafjord – Hjartsatjaki

Myle – Sad Boy Summer EP

German Rail Museum (DB Museum) Nuremberg

Boppin’ B – Saxbomb

TWA Museum Kansas City

St. Pauli “Kult Kieztour” with Barbie Stupid and Lee Jackson

Sarah Connor – Not So Silent Night

Millerntor Stadium Tour – Home of the FC St. Pauli

Lufthansa Bistro Lounge Frankfurt (FRA) C14/C15

Tina Tandler – Songs for Saxophone

Live Forever: A Tribute To Billy Joe Shaver (Various Artists)

Rook Road – Rook Road

Hampton Inn & Suites Poughkeepsie

Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum (Nashville)

Seth Avett – Seth Avett Sings Greg Brown

Stephanie Quayle – On The Edge

The Moon City Masters – The Famous Moon City Masters

Sleep Inn & Suites Tampa South

Russell Dickerson – Russell Dickerson

High-Speed Train Rides in Florida with Brightline

Beyond King Tut: The Immersive Experience (New York City)

Aspire Lounge Inverness Airport (INV)

Massive Wagons – Triggered!

Wally – Alles halb so wild

Landeszeughaus Graz – The World Largest Weaponry

Dutch Open Air Museum Arnhem (Openluchtmuseum)

Brightline Premium Lounge Miami

Chez Kane – Powerzone

Arny Margret – they only talk about the weather

Kenny Foster – Somewhere in Middle America

Avantasia – A Paranormal Evening With The Moonflower Society

Taylor Swift – Midnights

Panagia tis Asinou Church

Alex Williams – Waging Peace

Here It Is: A Tribute to Leonard Cohen (Various Artists)

Takis Pattichis Museum of Industrial Pharmacy (Limassol)

MAP Boutique Hotel Nicosia

Madame Tussauds Nashville

Sharjah Archaeological Museum

Melissa Naschenweng – Glück

Ashley McBryde – Lindeville

Radisson Red Oslo Airport

Staying Overnight at the VIWA Private Spa Wuppertal

Richard Marx – Songwriter

Dr. John – Things Happen That Way

Kelsea Ballerini – Subject To Change

Billy Idol – The Cage EP

Silent Knight – Full Force

Phänomenta Lüdenscheid

Riding the Kansas City Streetcar

LeAnn Rimes – God’s Work

Kane Brown – Different Man

Charley Crockett – The Man From Waco

Roland Kaiser – Perspektiven

Jon Pardi – Mr. Saturday Night

Megadeth – The Sick, The Dying… and The Dead!

INNSIDE Dusseldorf Derendorf

Glen Campbell Museum

Louisa Specht – Karussell EP

Heather Nova – Other Shores

Drei Meter Feldweg – Durak

Car Rental Review – Alamo Nashville Airport (BNA) – Toyota Camry

Holiday Home Wonderland (Ralingen)

German Röntgen Museum Remscheid

DoubleTree by Hilton Dubai – Business Bay

Watkins Family Hour – Vol. 2

Thundermother – Black And Gold

Ystafell Auto Museum (Iceland)

Red Roof Plus+ Nashville Airport

Polish Aviation Museum (Krakow)

Wade Bowen – Somewhere Between The Secret and The Truth

Tawern Roman Temple District

Hampton Inn & Suites Kansas City Downtown/Crossroads

Amon Amarth – The Great Heathen Army

Pete Wolf Band – Crosswalk To Nowhere EP

Paola Inn and Suites (Paola, KS)

H.E.A.T. – Force Majeure

KölnTriangle Cologne View – a great View of Cologne

New Bedford Whaling Museum

LustfingeR – LustfingeR

Brooke Eden – Choosing You EP

Whiskey Myers – Tornillo

Icelandic Aviation Museum (Akureyri)

Car Rental Review – Avis Nashville Airport (BNA) – GMC Acadia

Tennessee State Capitol (Nashville)

More Than Words – Today (Make Today Be the Best Day of Your Life)

Alan Parsons – From the New World

Graz Coin Cabinet (Münzkabinett)

Hampton by Hilton Warsaw Airport

Journey – Freedom

Premier Inn London Paddington Basin

Jonny Houlihan – Coffee and Jesus

Kylie Morgan – P.S. EP

Ryman Auditorium Self-Guided Tour

Pig Museum (SchweineMusuem) Stuttgart

Luke Combs – Growin’ Up

Halton County Radial Railway / Streetcar Museum

The Cumberland River Project – A Smell of Gravy

Museum at Bethel Woods – The Original Site of the 1969 Woodstock Festival

Brett Eldredge – Songs About You

Clara Louise – Enough Is Enough

Museum of The Story of Alfa Romeo

Kasalla – Rudeldiere

Comfort Inn Nashville – Opryland Area

Carrie Underwood – Denim & Rhinestones

Mary Keey – Digital Me

Kyle Daniel – Following the Rain

Le Belgrand Hotel Paris Champs Elysees (Tapestry Collection by Hilton)

Sharjah Off Road History Museum

Cruising on the Herjolfur Vestmannaeyjar Ferry

Epsilon Hotel London-Stratford

Zotter Chocolate World & Edible Animal Park (Riegersburg, Austria)

Junipa Gold – Something Divine EP

Patsy Cline Museum (Nashville)

Def Leppard – Diamond Star Halos

Grenjadarstadur Turf House Museum

Deutsches Museum Traffic Center (Verkehrszentrum)

Holiday Inn Helsinki City Centre

Avi Kaplan – Floating On A Dream

mxmtoon – rising

Marius Müller-Westernhagen – Das eine Leben

Johnny Cash Museum (Nashville)

Premier Inn London Gatwick Airport South

The VIP Circle Room Experience at the Grand Ole Opry

Veterans Airport of Southern Illinois in Marion (MWA)

Hilton Garden Inn Mannheim

Last Exit Al Khawaneej (Dubai)

Milan Cathedral Museum

Automobile & Toy Museum North Sea (Norden, Germany)

Dana Fuchs – Borrowed Time

Stephen Jay – Vita Beata

Driving Up Jebel Jais Mountain

Cold Years – Goodbye To Misery

Old Crow Medicine Show – Paint This Town

La Valette Club Lounge Malta Airport (MLA)

Joshua Hedley – Neon Blue

Adria Hotel & Conference Center (Queens, NY)

Car Rental Review – Panek Krakow (Skoda Fabia)

Hilton Gdansk

Axel Rudi Pell – Lost XXIII

Cooter’s Place Nashville

Premier Inn Hamburg City Millerntor

Cole Swindell – Stereotype

Askara – Lights Of Night

Tennessee Judiciary Museum Nashville

Joe Satriani – The Elephants of Mars

Ann Doka – House of Change

Riding the Stadler FLIRT Train of Swiss Südostbahn (IR 26 Treno Gottardo)

Finnair Business Lounge Non-Schengen Helsinki Vantaa (HEL)

Circle of Friends – The Garden

Watching the New York Islanders at UBS Arena

Fassberg Airlift Museum

DoubleTree by Hilton Sharjah Waterfront

Ian Noe – River Fools & Mountain Saints

NANEE – Tausend Farben EP

Paleface – Fear & Dagger

Gasometer Oberhausen

Tiffany Woys – All About Love EP

Doug Adkins – A Cowboys’ Life

Der To – Hand aufs Herz

House of German History (Haus der Geschichte) Bonn

Floorball Final4 Semifinals at Max-Schmeling-Halle Berlin

The Dogs – El Verdugo

Emma Elisabeth – Some Kind of Paradise

Brewery Museum (Brauerei-Museum) Dortmund

The F35 Kjölur-Route in Iceland

Visiodrom Wuppertal

Porsche Museum Stuttgart

Curtis Stigers – This Life

Premier Inn Cologne City South

Klaus Lage – Je wahrer die Liebe

Ard – Take Up My Bones

Hampton by Hilton Munich City Center East

Bellver Castle & Palma Municipal Museum

Goodbye June – See Where The Night Goes

Rokksafn – The Icelandic Rock’n’Roll Museum (Reykjanesbaer)

Holiday Inn Express Oberhausen

Exploring Munich With Tram Line 19

Amos Lee – Dreamland

Gdansk Airport (GDN)

Rolo Tomassi – Where Myth Becomes Memory

Erin Rae – Lighten Up

Saxon – Carpe Diem

VfL Gummersbach (Handball) at SCHWALBE arena

Validor – Full Triumphed

Egilsstadir Airport (EGS)

Stuttgart Funicular (“Standseilbahn”)

jackie – Hey Angel EP

Lokwelt Freilassing

Katie Henry – On My Way

Hallgrimskirkja Reykjavic – Church and View from Tower

Keb’ Mo’ – Good To Be …

TownePlace Suites Mississauga-Airport Corporate Center

Billy Talent – Crisis of Faith

Conner Smith – Didn’t Go Too Far EP

Noah Guthrie – Blue Wall

Matthias Reim – MATTHIAS

Jet Age Museum Gloucester

Jacob Bryant – Bar Stool Preacher

German Spy Museum Berlin

Tristan Harders’ Twilight Theatre – Drifting Into Insanity

Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilization

Flying With Porter Airlines from Toronto (YTZ) to Ottawa (YOW)

Rachel Bradshaw – Rachel Bradshaw EP

Arnhem War Museum 40-45

Carolyn Miller – Thank You EP

The Berlin Tränenpalast (“Palace of Tears”)

Flying Norlandair from Akureyri (AEY) (not) to Grimsey (GRY)

High Tea at At.mosphere Burj Khalifa Dubai

Delta Hotels by Marriott Toronto

Scala Museum Milan

HC Ambri-Piotta at Gotthard-Arena (Gottardo Arena)

Christmas Market at Westfield Centro Oberhausen

Aurora Reykjavik

Spell Songs – Spell Songs II: Let The Light In

Johannes Scheurich – Mehr Davon

Visiting Jokerit Helsinki at Hartwall Arena

Al Lewis – Moving On Moving Past EP

Emma Longard – Quieter Pt. 2 EP

Incredible Pack – Time For Decisions

LAVA Centre Hvölsvollur (Iceland)
