Discovery Center of Taipei


This is a great place to get your bearings on the city and its history. Maps and models show Taipei's evolution from a walled, gated city in 1882 to the bustling metropolis it is today. Even so, it could do with a bit of an update on the new skyscraper cityline. There are exhibits, many interactive, on geography, topography, commerce, famous residents and natural resources. Use the western entrance to access the museum.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. Taipei World Trade Center

0.25 MILES

This squat Lego-like building, in pink stone, stands next to the much more impressive Taipei 101 and is the capital's main venue for international trade…

2. Taipei 101

0.25 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…

3. National Dr Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall

0.29 MILES

The hall and its surrounding gardens occupy an entire city block. The latter are well used by picnickers, kite flyers, breakdancers and the early morning…

4. Jimmy's Moon Bus

0.34 MILES

A magical art installation based on Taiwan's celebrated author of illustrated books, Jimmy Liao's When the Moon Forgot. You can clamber inside and pose…

5. Village 44

0.43 MILES

When the Nationalist army decamped to Taiwan in 1949, one million soldiers (and in time their families) had to be rehoused. Thus arose military-dependents…

6. Songshan Cultural & Creative Park

0.45 MILES

Set in a former tobacco factory (or more accurately an industrial village) from the 1930s, this lovely park is part lush gardens, part frog-filled lake,…

7. Taiwan Design Museum

0.48 MILES

Housed in one wing of an atmospheric former tobacco factory, this exhibition space showcases modern designs by local and international artists.

8. Taipei Railway Workshop

0.66 MILES

This huge former repair factory for the country's trains is being transformed into a heritage museum. While all visitors can enter and peek from the main…