Taipei Layover of 8 and a half hours
 

My girlfriend and I will have an 8 1/2 hour layover in Taipei as we travel from Bali back to NY. We want to see the National Museum while we are there. I have heard reports that there is not much to do at the airport so I think this is a much better use of our time. How much time do you think we will have to spend at the Museum? Also, does anyone recommend something other than the National Museum as the one thing to see in Taipei? Finally, do we need a visa for our visit to Taipei? Thanks!

I do think the National Museum is the one must-see in Taipei. Admission, according to the website is 160 Taiwan dollars, about US$5. When I was there I found some inexpensive items in the gift shop that I picked up, perhaps $10 worth.

I don't know where you are from, so it's hard to say if you need a visa. If you are US citizen, you do not need a visa.

I'm an American expat living in Taiwan and also a volunteer docent at the National Palace Museum. If you are American, no visa is needed to enter Taiwan. The Museum offers English language tours twice daily, at 10:00 and 3:00. Admission is NT$160, and the tour is free. The NPM is open every day of the year, from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. There is a nice tea house on the top floor.

You can also buy a joint ticket that will give you admission to the aboriginal museum, which is almost directly across the street. It's very interesting and worth a visit.

You'll probably end up with a full morning at the Museum. If you have more time to spend and the weather is nice, you could go to Taipei 101 -- the views are great on a clear day. However, at 101, as at the Museum, crowds of tourists from the Mainland can make sightseeing difficult.

Another option after the museum would be to go to the Chiang Kai Shek Memorial and have a meal at nearby Ding Tai Feng, Taiwan's most famous dumpling restaurant on Xin Yi Lu (Xin Yi Road).

Get the addresses in Chinese online and print them -- English is not necessarily spoken by taxis.

Hope this helps.