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The Atlas Obscura Guide To Taiwan

43 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in Taiwan

Updated August 31, 2022

Cities

Unusual Attractions in Taiwan

New Taipei City, Taiwan

Wanli UFO Village

A rare pod of derelict midcentury Futuro and Venturo houses lines a semi-abandoned beachfront resort outside Taipei.

Taichung City, Taiwan

Rainbow Family Village

Grandpa Rainbow felt the neighborhood needed some color, so he picked up a paintbrush and went to work.

New Taipei City, Taiwan

Houtong Cat Village

Once a prosperous mining village, this tiny Taiwanese town is now overrun with cute cats.

Xinxing District, Taiwan

The Dome of Light

The world’s largest work of glass art hides in this stunning Taiwanese subway station.

Xiulin Township, Taiwan

Taroko Gorge

An extraordinary natural landscape of mountains, waterfalls, and rocky cliffs riddled with tunnels.

Xiulin Township, Taiwan

Eternal Spring Shrine

A waterfall runs right through the middle of this Taiwanese shrine to the hundreds of workers killed while building a nearby highway.

Yehliu, Taiwan

Yehliu Geopark

This Taiwanese promontory is covered in otherworldly hoodoo formations.

Taipei City, Taiwan

Tuned Mass Damper of Taipei 101

Enormous pendulum helps keep Taiwan's tallest building from swaying.

See All 43 Things To Do in Taiwan

Cool Places to Eat & Drink in Taiwan

Taichung City, Taiwan

Carton King Creative Park

Life-size animals and furniture made entirely from cardboard fill this odd paper-themed restaurant.

Taichung City, Taiwan

Gulu Gulu

Paiwanese restaurant run by native indigenous Taiwanese singer songwriter, and home to a DIY arts-and-crafts folk garden.

Taipei City, Taiwan

Tengfeng Fish Ball Museum

If you've ever wanted to learn about the history of Asian fish balls, this Taiwanese museum has you covered.

Fuli Township, Taiwan

Luoshan Organic Tofu Farm

Learn to make this village's specialty: volcanic mud tofu.

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Unique Restaurants & Bars 5 Restaurants 4 Art 4 Shops 4 Temples 4 Architectural Oddities 4 Nature 3 Colonialism 2

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Stories About Taiwan

Meet the Bakers Giving Mooncakes a Modern Twist

When it comes to these treats, trends trump tradition.

by Clarissa Wei

August 31, 2022

Podcast: Beishan Broadcast Wall

Join us for a daily celebration of the world’s most wondrous, unexpected, even strange places.

by The Podcast Team

August 24, 2021

How to Make Taiwan's Iconic Train Bento

These convenient, compact meals have a devoted fanbase.

The Secret to This Taiwanese Town’s Tofu Is a Mud Volcano

This unusual terroir produces firm, tasty tofu.

by Clarissa Wei

Enter the Lair of an Enormous, Ancient, Predatory Worm

Trace fossils are useful paleontological allies—but they can't tell us everything.

by Jessica Leigh Hester

February 4, 2021

The Blacksmith Turning Decades of Chinese Bombs Into Kitchen Tools

Years of war produced these unusual souvenirs.

by Clarissa Wei

February 3, 2021

Burying the Dead in Taipei's Public Parks

The eco-friendly approach reflects Taiwan's shifting funerary practices.

February 10, 2020

Taiwan’s Pygmy Seahorses Have a Robust Social Media Presence

Scientists used it to conduct a survey of them in the country's dive hotspots.

by Sabrina Imbler

November 14, 2019

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