See the True Taiwan: an insiders guide

Spring has finally arrived in Taiwan, which means there is about a two week window to get out and enjoy what may be the best hiking weather on earth until the temperature cranks up to unbearable levels. If you want to go somewhere that's close to Taipei, doesn't involve cramming it into a train to cat town, and is not full of other foreign faces, get down to Shiding 石碇. This is a day trip isn't far down the road from Shenkeng, the self proclaimed stinky tofu capital of Taiwan, but you'll still be getting long looks for being a foreigner here. The river view west and slightly south of the old street. A tribute to the village's mining history. Highway 5 runs overhead, Tanlan trail below. Off the beaten path? Not really, anymore, but still a great place to be for a day out of the city. It features genuine hiking, low-tempo river walks, and old street, and is based around an old school mining community. The main draw here is the hike at Huangdidian ...

Right before the Chinese New Year Taipei City started demolishing a long ramp up to the Zhongxiao Bridge which, while helpful for drivers, was a massive eye sore in one of the city's most heavily visited central areas. Now, several weeks on, the construction is nearing its end, commuters have gotten used to new traffic flows, and a small park has been built around what was previously an overlooked landmark. Despite living here for a long time, there is something cool about actually being able to pass through the gate and hang out in the space around it without being in the middle of traffic. The outward side of the gate, as seen from the new park. The new park under development, with the Zhongxiao bridge in the back. The city side of the gate seen from Boai Road. The move was one of many designed by city hall to make Taipei a more pedestrian friendly place and encourage residents and visitors to get around on their own power. Many visitors to Taipei at some po...

Teapot mountain is a cute name for an enjoyable ocean side hike located a short ride from Jiu Fen's old street. The hike gets its name from the view of the rock outcropping at the summit of the trail which looks like a teapot without its handle. From start to finish you'll need to budget between two and three hours of your day to get it done, less if you're an avid hiker and decide not to climb your way around to higher peaks nearby. It's a more forgiving journey than the one up nearby Mt. Keelung, and while the view from the top isn't quite as epic on a beautiful day it has more character and far fewer people. From Taipei take bus 1062 from ZhongXiao FuXing MRT which is labeled Jin Gua Shi. The pick up point changes fairly often so check the station map to confirm you get to the right spot. You can also take bus 788 from Keelung, and if you're out at Rui Fang station there are two buses serving the mountain from there. The bus route to/from Taipei...

The National Palace Museum 台灣故宮博物館 is one of the few places that is a genuine must see on your trip to Taiwan. It's possibly even worth making a stop in Taipei if you're going to be outside of the capital just to be sure you get to see the treasures it houses. Some of the pieces in this museum are just that stunning. To make a long history lesson short, the bulk of the collection housed at the palace was brought over from China during the civil war. There was a limit to how much the army could take with them as they bounced around the country, so only those objects deemed truly valuable were brought along. As a result, the Taiwanese half of the museum - the other is in the Forbidden City in Beijing - houses a disproportionately high volume of culturally meaningful art. Thankfully, the curators at the museum have packed the permanent collection with great pieces, and there are which come out of storage in rotation. With all the great pieces of art from China's past ...