My college friends and I traveled abroad last January, and it was our first time together in a foreign land. Taking advantage of Taiwan’s visa-free offer for Filipinos, we grabbed the opportunity to visit and explore Taipei’s tourist spots.
We arrived at Taoyuan International Airport in the wee hours of the night. The airport is about 40 minutes (more or less) away from Taipei, the capital city of Taiwan, where our hotel accommodation was located. Since the trains were closed, we took an Uber and had about five hours of sleep after checking in.
Despite feeling restless, we were excited to kick off our DIY city tour in Taipei. That morning, after having breakfast at Fuhang Duijang, we visited Longshan Temple.
Longshan Temple
The Mengjia Longshan Temple was originally a gathering place for Chinese settlers in 1738. Located in the old village part of Taipei’s Wanhua District, it is one of the big three temples in the area. Although it was badly damaged during World War II, Taipei residents have continuously restored it with pride as it represents Taiwanese temples, featuring a mixture of Taoist, Buddhist, and other deities like Mazu.
Entrance to the temple is free, and since we visited on a Sunday, we had the chance to witness their worship practices.
Liberty Square
From the temple, we took the train to our next DIY tour stop: Liberty Square.
Liberty Square is home to the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, the National Theater, and the National Concert Hall.
The Liberty Square Main Gate is striking, with its cream and blue colors giving off a regal vibe.
On the opposite side is the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, named after the late President of China. The hall features 89 steps, representing Chiang’s age at the time of his death. The eight-sided roof symbolizes luck in Asian culture.
The National Theater and Concert Hall are twin performance venues situated on the north and south sides of Liberty Square. These halls were among the first major modern performing arts venues established in Asia and host over 800 events per year.
The entire park spans 240,000 square meters and serves as a venue for major events like the Lantern Festival, foreign dignitary visits, concerts, and more. When we visited, we could hear music and see people rehearsing.
Taipei 101
Our next stop was the iconic Taipei 101 building.
Taipei 101 was once the tallest building in the world until the Burj Khalifa in Dubai claimed the title. It also previously held the record for the world’s fastest elevator, traveling at 60.6 km/h. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to experience the elevator ride since it requires a fee of 600 Taiwan Dollars (approximately 1,000 PHP or 21 USD).
That fee grants access to the indoor observatory, multimedia corridor, outdoor observatory, and the elevator speed experience — quite the package, lol!
While Taipei 101 no longer holds the title of the tallest building, it still remains the world’s largest and highest-use green building, recognized for its environmentally responsible and resource-efficient design throughout its lifecycle.
Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post. Photo watermark is named after my old site.
