City Information    Boka hyrbilar hela världen online         Queensway Travel
Airport  
Chiang Kai-shek International Airport is located in Taoyuan, 40 km south of the city. Flight time from London, including stopover in Hong Kong, is 15 hrs 20 mins. The frequently congested passenger terminal at Chiang Kai-shek offers duty-free shops on the departure level, and duty-free tobacco and liquor sales for inbound passengers. There are some fairly poor restaurants at the airport, including a Burger King. Banking facilities offering currency exchange are available in all areas. Airport departure tax of NT$300 is included in ticket price. A new and much improved terminal has been built and has been in use since late 2000. Before departure be sure to check which terminal you leave from, though, as they have separate entrances. Sungshan Domestic Airport is in the northern precincts of the city itself and offers frequent flights to all the other major Taiwanese cities. 
Airport to City Centre
Taxis line up outside the Chiang Kai-shek arrival area, taking 40 mins or more to reach the city centre. Airport taxis add 50% to the meter for trips to the city, costing about NT$1,200; no tips are expected. Airport buses with luggage compartments run about every 15 mins to West Station beside the Taipei Railway Station, Sungshan Domestic Airport in the city, and a limited number of other city destinations. Many major hotels also offer their own limousine service, usually around NT$1,800, though this can vary from hotel to hotel.
Orientation
Taipei lies on the east bank of the Tamsui River in a basin surrounded by mountains, 25 km from the north coast of Taiwan. The city is neatly divided into four quarters by Chungshan North and South Rds, and Chunghsiao East and West Rds, which intersect near the main government offices. The south-west quarter is the city’s premier shopping and entertainment district, containing the oldest sections of the city along the Tamsui River. Although the area has fallen on relatively hard times as upmarket business has moved north and then east, it retains much of the traditional Chinese atmosphere of noisy, crowded chaos, along with some interesting temples. 
The main shopping part of this area is called Hsimenting, which has recently been renovated and has newly paved pedestrian walkways. It’s an area where most of the XY-generation hang and shop. The North-West sector contains little of interest to most foreign travellers except, far to the north, the National Palace Museum. The fastest-growing part of the city is the South-East sector, with the Taipei World Trade Centre complex, the Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall, the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall and numerous new, top-class hotels. Finally, the North-East quarter contains the domestic airport, foreign bank offices, corporate headquarters and some good hotels, as well as the city’s trendiest shopping and business areas on and around Tunhua north and south roads, south of the domestic airport. 
The major roads in Taipei are divided by compass points – for example Chungshan North and South Rds, Chunghsiao East and West Rds. Within these divisions there are sections, such as Chungshan North Rd section 4. The sections go up to a maximum of seven and each one has its own street number. So if you are going to Chungshan North Rd number 220, you must specify the section, otherwise you will end up in the wrong building! As part of the city government’s effort to internationalise the city, major roads such as Tunhua and Chungshan have been renamed in English, and are now numbered boulevards and avenues, like New York. Unfortunately, the change has little impact for foreign visitors as most taxi drivers and the general population of Taipei have little knowledge of the correlation between the English and Chinese road names.
Excursions          Reguljär flyg - sista minuten resor - restresa         Queensway Travel
Since the longest domestic flight in Taiwan is only 50 mins or so, anywhere on the island is suitable for a weekend getaway. The most popular excursion from Taipei is the Taroko Gorge, a spectacular marble-walled crevice near Hualien on the east coast. A resort hotel at the head of the gorge offers 5-star facilities, although the gorge can be seen on a day trip. Kenting National Park on the southern tip of the island is just 2 hrs by car from Kaohsiung (a 35-min flight from Taipei) and offers good beaches and fine resort hotels. The fortress island of Kinmen, just 2 km off the coast of mainland China (frequent flights from Taipei), has recently been opened to tourists and provides an interesting alternative for those seeking traditional Chinese culture. 
Sun Moon Lake at the centre of the island is 3 hrs drive from Taipei. It is one of the most serene areas of Taiwan. The lake, surrounded by mist shrouded mountains, is reminiscent of a scene from a Chinese scroll painting. For something a bit more exotic, fly to Taitung on the south-east coast and then take a small plane for the 20-min flight to Orchid Island, home of the primitive Yami tribespeople with their intricately carved and painted canoes, still made in the traditional way – without nails! There’s no decent place to stay on the island, but back on Taiwan the hot-spring spa of Chihpen is just a few km from Taitung and is packed with hotels. However, if you are used to Western standards of resort hotels, be a little wary and stick to the Japanese-owned Royal Hotel Chihpen.
Getting Around
Most foreign visitors use metered taxis, which are extremely numerous and reasonably priced (but note minimum fare is NT$70), and can be freely hailed just about anywhere in the city, day or night. Premium rates start after 2300. Most taxi drivers speak no English, so be sure to have your destination – and the name and address of your hotel for your return – written down in Chinese.
What to see
Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall: Taipei’s most impressive monument commemorates the late generalissimo and president, who ruled the Republic of China for nearly half a century. The blue-roofed, marble-faced hall contains a library and mementoes of Chiang’s life on the ground floor, with a large bronze statue of the man in the main hall. Extensive well-tended gardens and fish ponds form a haven of tranquillity in the hectic city.
City Zoo: In the hills of suburban Mucha in southern Taipei, this is one of the biggest zoos in Asia, with a notable Butterfly House and an ice-house for King penguins. The Mucha Line of the MRT system terminates here. 
Lungshan Temple: This 1738 structure is the best example of traditional temple architecture and arts in Taipei. Intricate stone and wood carvings, mural paintings and ornate decoration. Always busy with worshipping devotees, this is the best place to see ancient Chinese religions in living action today. 
National Palace Museum: The world’s largest collection of Chinese art, mostly amassed by ancient emperors. Only a fraction of the 640,000 pieces are on display at any one time, but feature exquisite jade, porcelain, painting, calligraphy, bronzes, oracle bones containing the earliest Chinese writing and more. Free English guided tours at 1000 and 1500 daily.
Hsin Tien Temple: Another Taoist temple located in the city centre, this makes a very interesting short trip for someone with a few hours to kill. The facade is dominated by enormous bright red doors. Like most large temples in Taipei, it is surrounded by fortune teller stands and vendors selling religious paraphernalia.
Sun Yat Sen Memorial: Although the architecture and scale are less impressive than the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial, this alternative does offer some welcome open space and an interesting exhibition for those interested in modern Chinese history. The ‘father’ of the Republic of China, Sun Yat Sen, was an important figure in the rare position of being revered both sides of the Taiwan Strait by Communists and Nationalists alike. The extensive, open courtyard of the Sun Yat Sen Memorial is a popular place for group activities. A juxtaposition of the old and new can be found here, with Tai Chi, aborigine folk dancing and roller blading all going on together.
Where to walk
A business visitor with two or three hours to kill could do no better than head for Taipei’s oldest temple, the Lungshan Temple, at 211 Kuangchou St, in the old district of Wanhua. Crowds of worshippers have thronged here since 1738 to pay homage to the Buddhist goddess of mercy in the front court, the Taoist goddess of the sea in the rear court and countless other deities throughout the temple. A narrow alley to the right of the temple leads to Herbal Medicine Lane, with its stalls of pungent traditional medicines, and Hsiyuan Rd, running beside the temple, is lined with shops making and selling religious images and embroidered goods. 
Head west toward Zthe river along Kuangchou St and you reach Huahsi St night market (Snake Alley), where serpents were once skinned alive and various parts fed to men hoping to improve their health or potency. Turn right into this covered street of souvenir shops, eateries and snake part vendors. Continue down Huahsi St for two blocks until you come to Kueiyang St; turn right and continue to Chingshan Temple at Sec 2, No 218, devoted to the deity King Chingshan; then continue east along Kueiyang St for two or three blocks until you come to Kangting Rd where, at No 81, you will find another popular place of worship, the Chingshui Temple.
For those interested in taking a walk around one of the most popular night markets in Taipei, take the MRT to Chientan station near the Grand Hotel. The Shihlin night market epitomises the true Chinese way of shopping – a long stretch of street offering anything from watches, latest fashion and toys to Buddhist beads, fortune tellers and a wide variety of knick-knacks – and, of course, you can bargain for all of it. Take plenty of cash as credit cards will not be accepted. 
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