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1 day in Taipei

1 day in Taipei

Old Jan 16, 2012, 12:13 am
  #1  
MXS
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1 day in Taipei

Going to some markets, the Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial, and seeing some temples will probably be my focus on this short trip I have to Taipei. Bao'an, Confucius, and Longshan are some temples I have come across in my research and I would not have to see all three but would atleast like to visit one of them.
If I have time or depending on how the weather is I may also look at Yanmingshan NP, the National Palace Musuem, or going to the top of Taipei 101. (Thank you FT for all the information!)

1. If I get a fairly early start in the morning would someone have an itenerary, based on the above information, that would best allow me to see the sites I have listed?

2. Some pictures show a view of Taipei Tower 101 that looks like they were taken from a mountain. Is there a good place to go for a view of Taipei 101?

3. Someone told me while they were in Taiwan that they visited a Jade mine. I doubt any mines are in the city but are there any mines that you could tour that are located close to Taipei?

Some additonal information:
I will be flying into TPE in a week (arriving late night on Wed) and then I will have one full day before leaving early on Friday. I enjoy walking and taking public transportation and that is what I am currently planning to use to tour the city/area but would be open to other ideas. I am still trying to decide on the hotel I will stay at but may be leaning towards a hotel near Taipei 101.
I have read many of the posts on Taipei and some of them for short time periods seem to be dated and that is why I started a new one.

Thank you in advance for any information!
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Old Jan 16, 2012, 1:57 am
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i feel like i got a lot done on my weekend trip to Taipei

don't think you'll find any mines close to the city... also there's not really big mountains within the city... there are a bunch on the way out towards the coast though

I'd do the temples in the day time and go to the night markets in the evening... public transport is fine and will get you to many places quickly, so plan your route according to the train stops, easy enough
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Old Jan 16, 2012, 2:52 am
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by the way, if possible have a local show you around!

I had a fantastic time at the night market when some local girls took me around sampling new stuff like the snake soup, stinky tofu or bubble tea
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Old Jan 16, 2012, 8:39 pm
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If you want to see the National Palace Museum, and can get an early start, I would do that first thing. It will probably take 1/2 day for transit and seeing the main stuff there. Mornings are the least crowded.

The Bao'an Temple and the Confucius Temple are next to each other, so easy to see together. Longshan and also Xingtiangong temples are both near subway stops--I would go to at least Longshan (which is also next to lively markets). Subway is easy to use.

Taipei is in a basin surrounded by mountains, so basically you can see 101 from everywhere. The Maokong Gondola takes you up into a teahouse mountain area.

I don't know about jade mines around Taipei, but just outside of Jiufen (1 hour bus ride) is the Gold Museum, with extensive hiking around the old gold and copper mine shafts. Breath-taking views.

There are other museums in the city: the 2-28 Memorial Museum & the National Taiwan Museum, both at 2-28 Park and of at least local interest.

Several parts of the city make for funky walking, especially in the evenings (the neon lights block out the ugly architecture). Maybe you should try to see the obscure but sweet film "Au revoir Taipei" to prepare. But also be prepared for 48 hours of rain.
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Old Jan 16, 2012, 10:46 pm
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MXS
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Thank you both for the ideas! That helps having some ideas about where to start and which places are close to each other. Normally, I would have a travel book but have not found any that I liked for Taipei.

I like the idea about the gondola ride. I will research Jiufen.
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Old Feb 4, 2012, 1:02 am
  #6  
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This might help anyone who is looking for ideas or would like to know what you can do in Taipei for a short stay.

I arrived at TPE - went through customs and there is a welcome/tourist info desk right after you leave the secure area of the airport. I told them which hotel I was staying at and they gave me a brochure with the bus company that I needed to take to get me to my hotel. They circled ithe Chinese part and pointed me in the direction I needed to go. The bus company told the driver which stop I needed and he made sure that I got off at the right stop.

Getting around in Taipei was as easy as everyone told me it would be. I went to a subway station and explained that I was just going to be travelling for the day and they sold me an all day pass.

I changed my initial plans on what to see because of the weather and because my time in Taipie was shortened by just a little bit. But here is a rundown on what I was able to see in one day and I am sure that someone could see a lot more of the city in a short period.

Bao'an and Conficius Temples - they are two blocks from an MRT station and they are across the street from each other.
River Walk - it was not all that great on the morning I did it (should have skipped this long walk and spent my time somewhere else)
Rested at the hotel for an hour
Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall
Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall
Taipei 101 - I waited in line and bought a ticket to go to the top because the weather started to clear up. I did have to wait about an hour to do this. This may have been another thing I could have skipped to spend time in a different part of the city.
Longshan Temple and after that the night market across the street.
Shilin night market

Each of these places were very close to an MRT stop (taipei101 was the farthest away)

I saw some people collecting stamps in a book that they were taking with them to the different sites. It looked similiar to the progam that the US Nat'l Parks Service has with their stamps at each Nat'l Park. This was something that was different that I have not noticed in other countries.

Hope it is helpful for someone going to Taipei on a short stay.
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Old Feb 6, 2012, 6:03 am
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Looks like you had a good time. I agree that going up Taipei 101 is probably not worth the time and cost. I wish I had seen your original post earlier - you asked about a good view of Taipei 101. Last year we walked up to Elephant Mountain. We parked near Taipei 101 and it took about 30 minutes to get to get to the trail and almost 30 minutes to get up to a good viewing spot. A taxi could take you right to the trailhead, saving some time. Here's a good blog post about it:

http://taiwan-photography-blog.com/2...hant-mountain/

It's a lot of steps to the top but well worth it. That was one of the highlights of our vacation - and the only cloudless sky we saw in our 3 weeks there!

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Old Feb 6, 2012, 11:28 am
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Originally Posted by timeasterday
Looks like you had a good time. I agree that going up Taipei 101 is probably not worth the time and cost. I wish I had seen your original post earlier - you asked about a good view of Taipei 101. Last year we walked up to Elephant Mountain. We parked near Taipei 101 and it took about 30 minutes to get to get to the trail and almost 30 minutes to get up to a good viewing spot. A taxi could take you right to the trailhead, saving some time. Here's a good blog post about it:

http://taiwan-photography-blog.com/2...hant-mountain/

It's a lot of steps to the top but well worth it. That was one of the highlights of our vacation - and the only cloudless sky we saw in our 3 weeks there!

The photographer whose blog is referenced here also works for a travel company called Taiwan Adventures that has a nice online travel guide http://www.guide.taiwan-adventures.com/ I just contacted them about putting a photography tour together for me.
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Old Feb 6, 2012, 3:58 pm
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Originally Posted by glennaa11
The photographer whose blog is referenced here also works for a travel company called Taiwan Adventures that has a nice online travel guide http://www.guide.taiwan-adventures.com/ I just contacted them about putting a photography tour together for me.
That sounds great. I didn't know Neil was doing that. Have fun!
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