Fodor's Expert Review Taipei 101

At 1,670 feet high, Taipei 101 enjoyed the title of world's tallest building for six years until Dubai's Burj Khalifa overtook it in 2010. The distinctive square-base skyscraper either resembles a giant pagoda or a massive stack of packing boxes, depending on your imagination or romantic leanings. The sturdy frame is designed to withstand the typhoons and earthquakes that can often ravage the Taiwanese capital. The lower floors are a shopping mall, but what most foreign visitors come for is the elevator on the 5th floor, which will whisk you up to the 89th-floor observation deck (and outdoor terrace on the 91st floor) for a spectacular 360-degree panoramic view across the city from a quarter-mile above street level.