I am going to be in Taiwan in FEB/March for two weeks. I have never been there before and would appreciate suggestions on best sights and hotels. Traveling from Kaohsiung to Taipei, what recommendations on trains or buses? <BR>The Grand Hotel in Taipei looks very interesting, but the Hilton is near the train. <BR><BR>Will the Gorge on the east coast be visible in Feb. or early March? What is the best way to get there? Thanks for any suggestions you might have. Not much interest is shown about Taiwan on this board. Why is that?

karen&gt; good question. maybe because taiwan can be difficult to get around if you can't speak the language. for me, taipei definitely isn't one of the more picturesque cities in asia. but it is interesting with a happening night scene and some great eateries. <BR><BR>i've been to taiwan mainly for work, so my suggestions are very brief. definitely do the national museum and yangmingshan national park. up the coast from kaohsiung are some great beaches. grand hotel is an interesting looksee, but i don't recommend you stay there. service (and food) is horrible. there are coaches that go between kaohsiung and taipei -- best to check at your hotel.<BR><BR>http://www.worldexecutive.com/citygu...tractions.html and the lonely planet website are a couple of other websites you might want to check out.

karen,<BR><BR>some must-sees in taipei:<BR><BR>1. the shih-lin night market with its great little eateries...don't be scared by the food! taiwan is the culinary capital of the chinese speaking world.<BR><BR>2. the national palace museum. the most amazing museum i've ever been to. there are english language tours everyday i think at 10am and 3pm.<BR><BR>3. chiang kai-shek memorial hall.<BR><BR>4. downtown taipei, around mitsukoshi, the shopping.<BR><BR>just a few suggestions. taiwan is one of the most fun places in the world, in my humble opinion. oh yeah...i've stayed at the Grand Hotel and the hilton. the GH is more for show and history's sake, while the hilton is your typical modern nice hotel. i'd stay at the hilton if you want to be downtown (although the GH is right across from the night market).

Thanks for the replies Author Deej and Author G. I now have a start with my plans. Will stay at the Hilton in Taipei and still undecided about Kaohsiung (difficult word to spell for me).

I grew up in Taiwan but have lived in the US for over 20 years. I believe Hilton is located across the bus/train station in Taipei. The area isn't really that nice. I like the Grand Hyatt (there is a shopping center with a movie theather across from the hotel)or the Regent (upscale business hotel)and they're centrally located. <BR><BR>Kaohsiung is in the south and it's rather hot (I think even in Feb/Mar). The people in the south are very hospitable and it's true that language can be an issue even in Taipei. Remember to have the hotel staff write down where you like to go in Chinese to show to the taxi drivers. <BR><BR>As for hotels in Kaohsiung, as long as you stay with an US chain, you'd be fine. <BR><BR>Have fun.

I've been to Taipei, it's a nice city, the food is great! The places to see are:<BR><BR>National Palace Museum, an amazing museum of Chinese art, history. There's info in english. A must see.<BR><BR>If you love hiking, Yangmingshan National Park just north of Taipei (about 30-45 minutes away) is a must side-trip. <BR><BR>Chiang kai-shek memorial hall is also great, close by is the presidential palace. It's next to downtown so it's convenient. If you go at night it's all lighted.<BR><BR>Not speaking english can be a hazard but now with the subway system in Taipei it's much better, it's in english (signs, directions, etc..) It's not too expensive and convenient.<BR><BR>Just be careful of taxi drivers, i have friends who got ripped of by them (hiding the fare meter, charging more, etc..).<BR><BR>I've taken the train to central Taiwan, it was comfortable and easy. The bus too is ok but traffic jams are quite common so i think the train is better but i'm no expert.<BR><BR>If you can stop in central Taiwan, there's a place called Taroko National Park (close to Hualien), that's also a must see. That area is amazing!<BR><BR>In the western world people don't know much about Taiwan, that's a shame because it's worth the visit. Also, don't bring winter clothes (unless you come from a hot climate country). Taiwan doesn't know winter.. It never goes down below 0-5 Celcius so in the spring it must be around 15-20 Celcius, if not more.

I was just in Taiwan a couple of weeks ago and went to Taroko Gorge on the east coast (I assume this is what you're talking about). It's very beautiful, and I assume it would be visible this month - we had no problems when we visited. We took a quick 35-minute flight from Taipei (there is a smaller airport in Taipei, not the int'l one) to Taroko that was very easy and probably the best way to get there (I didn't pay for the ticket, so I'm not sure how expensive it is). <BR><BR>I agree, the Grand Hotel is not worth staying at... it looks cool but that's about it. It's pretty far outside the main area of Taipei. I don't know anything abut the Hilton, but I've heard good things about the Lai Lai Sheraton, Regent and the Grand Hyatt. I stayed at the Far Eastern Plaza Hotel, which was lovely and had several very good restaurants, a shopping mall next door, and was a pretty easy walk to other shopping areas in town.