Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Orientation
There are myriad roads in the area worth exploring but the main attractions start across
the street from the MRT. A good way to cover Beitou, however, is to first take bus 230
(every 30 minutes) up to the Folk Arts Museum and then wind your way down (continue
on the museum road, not the road the bus took).
It's about 20-minutes' walking to the Di-re Valley area and around 40 minutes to the
MRT. Along the way you'll pass, among many modern hot-spring spas, historic
Whis-
style temple built in 1905 and dedicated to Guanyin, and the
Bank of Taiwan Dormitor-
Getting There & Around
Beitou is easily reached by MRT in 30 minutes from Taipei Main Station. Take the Tam-
sui (red) line to Beitou station and transfer to a spur train to Xinbeitou station.
In addition to the buses listed above, and taxis, Beitou has a unique system of
motor-
cycle taxis
, which hails from the red light district days (with its winding roads it was
easier to move prostitutes and musicians around Beitou on two wheels than four). Call
2894 9669 (Chinese only) for a pick up.
TOP OF CHAPTER
Yangmingshan National Park
How fortunate Taipei is to have this diverse
park
(Yángmíngshān Guójiā Gōngyuán;
www.ymsnp.gov.tw
)
at its doorstep, complete with forested mountains, hot springs, rolling
grass hills, and some handsome lodgings and restaurants. The park covers 114.55 sq km,
with a top elevation of 1120m, and is easily accessible from the downtown area by fre-
quent buses.
The park was formed by the volcanic action that produced the Datun Mountains
(which may still be dormant and not extinct as long thought). This explains the high con-
centration of hot springs (13 in all), and also the smoking fumaroles one sees at Xiaoy-
oukeng. During the Qing dynasty, the area was a source of sulphur for the empire, and it
is said that the park's iconic grasslands were created by Qing soldiers burning forest cov-
er. In fact, Yangmingshan was originally called Grass Mountain until changed by Chiang
Kai-shek in honour of the Ming scholar Wang, Yang-ming. Though it has been a protec-
ted area since Japanese times, the national park was officially established in 1985.
