Taipei
A hipster cafe without any of the pretension. Spacious, studious, with a wall of windows, and damn good coffee and cakes. Named after the Haruki Murakami book, Kafka on the Shore, the venue often hosts music acts of all genres come evening, when caffeine can be swapped for an alcoholic beverage.
Check out the urinal artwork in the toilets. There's a small balcony area for smokers.
5.79 MILES
Home to the world's largest and arguably finest collection of Chinese art, this vast hoard covers treasures in painting, calligraphy, statuary, bronzes,…
2.39 MILES
Founded in 1738 by Han immigrants from Fujian, this temple has served as a municipal, guild and self-defence centre, as well as a house of worship. These…
2.94 MILES
This former 'Centre Street' has long been known for its Chinese medicine shops, fabric market and lively Lunar New Year sundry market. It has attracted…
2.35 MILES
Towering above the city like the gigantic bamboo stalk it was designed to resemble, Taipei 101 is impossible to miss. At 508m, Taipei 101 held the title…
2 MILES
This former detention centre, court and jail was where political prisoners were incarcerated and tried during the White Terror period (1947–87). The…
1.34 MILES
This grandiose monument to authoritarian leader Chiang Kai-shek is a popular attraction and rightly so. It is a sobering feeling to stand in the massive…
1.84 MILES
Borrowing from western urban-regeneration models, this early-20th-century wine factory has been restored as Taipei's most retro-chic venue. Remodelled…
3.98 MILES
Recipient of a Unesco Asia-Pacific Heritage Award for both its restoration and its revival of temple rites and festivities, Bao'an Temple (also called…
0.29 MILES
Located next to a water park (open in summer only), this museum covers the history of water treatment in Taipei and is set in a rather beautiful former…
0.43 MILES
Head down to the river from the Museum of Drinking Water, turn left, and you'll soon come across this charming art village. It was founded in the late…
3. Taipei City Hakka Cultural Park
0.46 MILES
This 4-hectare park is dedicated to the Hakka people. The grounds are modelled in part on a Hakka village – there's even a rice-paddy field. At the main…
4. Kishuan Forest of Literature
0.74 MILES
This sleepy wooden lodge was built by a Japanese family in 1917 and was lovingly reconstructed after two fires in the 1990s almost destroyed it. Visitors…
0.76 MILES
Built with money from the Saudi government and other Middle Eastern countries back in the 1950s, this modest, traditional structure is set in its own…
0.92 MILES
This is Taipei’s Central Park, where the city comes to play. And play it does, from kids rollerblading to teens shooting hoops to old men engaged in…
7. Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall
1.34 MILES
This grandiose monument to authoritarian leader Chiang Kai-shek is a popular attraction and rightly so. It is a sobering feeling to stand in the massive…
1.46 MILES
This oft-overlooked museum has had a massive makeover and is now bags of fun if you're a young kid, into stamps or even mildly interested in them. It…