Taiwan Travel - Accommodation, Attractions, Information

Away from the capital, Hualian is a good starting point for tours of Taroko Gorge. The region is popular for its indigenous song and dance performances.

Taitung is perfect for excursions to nearby Green Island, Orchid Island and Chihpen Hot Springs. Pingtung County features Kenting National Park and Dapon Bay, with its seaside locations perfect for recreation and swimming. Tainan County boasts many temples associated with present-day Taoist deity. Visit ChihKan Towers, Great Queen of Heaven Temple and Altar of heaven to name but a few.

Changhua's many attractions include Big Buddha, Confucius Temple, Tianwei YungJing Roadside Flower Farms and folk villages. Savour the local Meat Dumplings and Little Moon Cake specialities. Nantou County is blessed with interesting towns, forested mountains, clear streams at Shitou, Shanlinshi and Sun Moon Lake.

Recommended Hotels Taiwan

Yomi Hotel Taipei  
Located in Taipei’s Zhongshan Business District, Yomi Hotel (formerly Yu-Mei Hotel) is just a 4-minute walk from the MRT station and each guestroom offers free broadband and wireless internet access.
Easily accessible, the Yomi Hotel is an 8-minute drive to Taipei Train Station and 12-minutes to Taipei Songshan Airport while the famous Shihlin Night Market is located within the vicinity.
Guestrooms at the Yomi hotel are elegantly furnished and each comes with its own flat-screen TV, satellite programs, DVD player and attached bathroom.
A fitness centre lets guests kick start their day while a business centre is available for their convenience. Other facilities which guests can enjoy for free include the hotel’s laundry machine and bicycle.
The Yomi Hotel’s restaurant serves up Chinese, Japanese and Western cuisine that will satisfy anyone’s appetite. Breakfast and afternoon tea is also available here.
Book now or look for more information & guest reviews!

Dong Wu Hotel, Taipei  
Dong Wu is an outstanding, well-kept hotel offering value-for-money. 7 minute’s walk from the Metro, in a quieter part of Taipei nearby cafés and restaurants.
Dong Wu Hotel has extremely friendly and helpful English speaking staff. Enjoy the atmosphere and write home about it using the free Wi-Fi internet access. Ask the informative staff for sightseeing advice.
The rooms are kept very clean. The beds are comfortable and to Western taste by being much less hard. Enjoy a complimentary welcome drink per day per room before going to use the onsite business facilities.
Outside Hotel Dong Wu, experience the nearby night markets. In the daytime, see the attractive buildings and businesses that remain from Taipei’s past. Return to excellent food at the Dong Wu restaurant.
Book now or look for more information & guest reviews!

Accor Makes Its Taiwan Debut
The Accor Group has opened its first hotel in Taiwan: the new Novotel Taipei Taoyuan International Airport. Located at Taiwan's busiest international airport, the 360-room Novotel Taipei Taoyuan International Airport is located just a few minutes ...

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Brief History

Taiwan has a rich, colorful history. It became a protectorate of the Chinese Empire in 1206, the year the great Mongol conqueror Genghis Khan founded the Yuan dynasty. The island was made a prefecture (county) of the coastal mainland province of Fukien in 1684, and in 1885, during the Ching or Manchu dynasty (China's last reigning house), Taiwan was proclaimed a separate province of China.

For centuries Taiwan has been familiar to the West as Formosa, a name derived from the 16th century Portuguese mariners who, on sighting the island from a galleon, named it "IIha Formosa!" (Beautiful Island!). The official Chinese name for the Pescadores (Fishermen's Isles), a name also given by Portuguese mariners, is Penghu. The archipelago is located in the Taiwan Strait, and forms one of the 16 counties of Taiwan province.

The Dutch invaded Taiwan in 1624 and remained as colonists for 37 years. The Spanish invaded and occupied northemmost Taiwan in 1626, but were driven out by the Dutch 16 years later in 1642. The Dutch were finally dislodged in 1661 by invading forces from the mainland led by the Ming dynasty loyalist Cheng Cheng- kung, whose latinized name, Koxinga, derives from his ennoblement by the Ming court as Kuo Hsing Yeh, or Lord of the Imperial Sumame. Koxinga hoped to use Taiwan as his base in the fight to overthrow the Ching dynasty and restore the Ming dynasty.

In 1884 the French occupied northemmost Taiwan following a dispute with China over the Yunnan-Indochina border. In March 1885 they also occupied the Pescadores, but withdrew from both the Pescadores and Taiwan three months later under the terms of a treaty with China.

The Japanese went to war with China in 1894 following a dispute over Korea. By the treaty of Shimonoseki, concluded in 1895, Taiwan and the Pescadores were ceded to Japan. Under another provision, Korea, over which China had exercised suzerainty, was declared independent and, as expected, was subsequently annexed by Japan. Taiwan and the Pescadores were restored to Chinese rule at the end of World War II in 1945.

The principal city of Taiwan is Taipei, which since December 7, 1949, has been the provisional capital of the Republic of China.

The Republic of China (ROC) was bom in the Wuchang Revolution which erupted on October 10, 1911. The ROC was formally established on January 1, 1912 and brought the republican form of government to Asia. Dr. Sun Yat-sen, the nation's founding father, sought to create a government "of the people, by the people, and for the people" to replace the weak, corrupt bureaucracy of the Ching dynasty.

Location and Topography

Taiwan is situated in the Pacific Ocean about 160 kilometers (100 miles) from the southeastern coast of the Chinese mainland. Located about midway between Korea and Japan to the north and Hong Kong and the Philippines to the south, Taiwan is a natural gateway for travelers to and within Asia.

Shaped roughly like a tobacco leaf, Taiwan is 394 kilometers (245 miles) long and 144 kilometers (89.5 miles) wide at its broadest point. The Central Mountain Range bisects Taiwan from north to south and about two-thirds of the island is covered with forested peaks. The rest of the island is made up of foothills, terraced flatlands, and coastal plains and basins.

Taiwan province includes the Penghu Archipelago-a group of 64 islands previously known as the Pescadores-and 21 other islands.

Climate

Taiwan's climate is subtropical, with average annual temperatures of 21.7 C (71.2F) in the north and 24.1C (75.7F) in the south. The rainy season, in May and June, typically heralds the start of summer. Summers, which last from May through September, are usually hot and humid with daytime temperatures from 27 to 35 C (in the 80s In general, visitors should wear lightweight clothing from April through No- vember, sweaters and coats are necessary only from December through March and in air-conditioned restaurants, cinemas, etc.

Population

In 1995, Taiwan's population exceeds 21 million, which makes the island one of the world's most densely populated places. Except for the approximately 350,000 aborigines, the people of Taiwan originate from the Chinese mainland, most from the coastal province of Fukien.

Religions

The Chinese religious belief system has a guardian deity for almost every aspect of human life. The Chinese deities revered in Taiwan, notably Kuan Yin, Goddess of Mercy, and Matsu Goddess of the Sea, all had their origins on the Chinese mainland, Taoism and other indigenous Chinese religions, and such imported religions as Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam, also came to Taiwan via the mainland, Today Buddhism and Taoism are the predominant religions in Taiwan, along with significant numbers of Protestants, Roman Catholics, and Moslems.

Languages

Mandarin Chinese is the Official language in Taiwan, though other dialects are also spoken. Many people can speak some English, but most taxi drivers do not speak English.

Electricity & Water

Electric current is 110 volts, 60 cycles, AC. Drinking water served at hotels and restaurants is distilled or boiled.

Vaccinations

Persons who have been in cholera-infected areas must beinoculated more than seven days but less than six months before arrival. A smallpox vaccination is no longer required.

Currency

The Republic of China's unit of currency is the New Taiwan dollar(NT$). Foreign currencies can be exchanged at government-designated and private banks andhotels. Receipts are given when currency is exchanged, and must be presented in order to exchange unused NT dollars before departure.

Major credit cards are accepted and traveler's checks may be cashed at some tourist-oriented businesses and by room guests at most international tourist hotels.

Tipping

The standard tip is about NT$50 per piece of luggage. A 10% service charge is automatically added to room rates and meals. All other tipping is optional.

Business Hours

Banks are open from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, while most commercial firms are open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday.

Government offices are open from 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and from 1:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. on Saturday.

Department stores are open from 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., and most other stores are open from 9 or 10 a.m. to 9 or 10 p.m.

Telephone

Overseas Calls

On private phones, the Overseas operator may be reached by dialing "100," and direct dialing is available as well. Person-to-person and station-to-station calls are accepted. For information call the Telecommunications Administration at (02) 321-2535. Overseas calls may also be made on public facilities at ITA offices. Rates fo

AT&T USADirect Service World Connect Service is available from almost 90% of public phones in Taiwan by dialing 0080-10288-0. You can simply pick up the handset of any public phone and dial the access number with no need to insert a phone cord or coin

Domestic Long Distance

These may be made on private phones or pay phones directly, or through the telephone bureau.

City Pay Phones

The rate for public pay phones is one NT dollar for three minutes and approximately NT$10 for domestic long distance calls. You can buy telecards which cost NT$100 each to save trouble finding coins to make phone calls.

Transport

Airport limousine buses are available from CKS International Airportto Taipei every 15 minutes, and tickets cost around NT$111 per person.