Taipei Travel

Taipei's Artsy Side

Welcome to Taipei! In our trio of cover stories in this autumn issue, we're taking you on a long walk on the city's artistic side.

In our main feature, we visit key galleries, music stores, alternative cinema locations, and important heritage complexes that have been magically transformed into cultural-creative parks. Then it's exploration of hybrid creative spaces where "life encounters art," serving combos of such functions as gallery, café, bookstore, select shop, art studio, or community space. Finally, it's a whirlwind sampler tour of smaller performing-arts venues providing "intimate encounters with performing arts and artists."

Autumn's onset brings cooling weather, inviting maximum out-of-doors time. In our A Day in Taipei files, we present two splendid day-tour itineraries. Roam Yuanshan/Dalongdong on foot, an area with "old ways and new ways in cultural fusion," home to such gems as Dalongdong Baoan Temple, Taipei Confucius Temple and the Taipei Fine Arts Museum. Then zip up to the famed Beitou hot-spring resort area and tour about on the local S39 bus,

In our Out in Nature department, tackle two trails on the eastern fringes of Yangmingshan National Park, on Taipei's north side. One involves moderately challenging elevation gain, the other is a gentle meander along a creek. And in this section's nature photography offering, get to know the iconic Taiwan Blue Magpie and another endemic belle, the Taiwan Whistling Thrush.

Let's head back inside now — time for a Taipei attraction beloved by tourists, our food! In DIY Fun, make traditional Taiwanese pastries to celebrate the upcoming Mid-Autumn Festival. And in two Fine Food articles, learn about local eateries that have received more attention after visits by big-name celebrities like NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang or K-pop idols, and two popular spots for "hearty meat meals" serving up delectable tender steaks and crispy chicken.

Last but not least, in Where to… check out three high-quality, easy-access campsites that enable you to sleep out under the starry sky right in the city, two in the hills just off the urban core, one close to downtown on riverside parkland by the Xindian River.

Enough to keep you busy while with us? Enjoy your stay!