New Taipei City Travel

Have you already thought of a place for a family outing? Ever since the Circular Line has started operation, it's more convenient for people to travel via MRT. Here is the information about parent-child attractions. Starting from the "Kao's Fried Fresh Squid" at the Banqiao Huangshi Market; the combination of aromatic and sweet cabbage and the chewy squid creates such a very delicious flavor; have some food to get energy for a fun day. Strolling to "The Lin Family Mansion and Garden," which keeps complete classic and delicate garden architecture, parents and children can go beyond the space and have the time to feel the flow of history; the next attraction is the very popular check-in point, the "Air Force San-Chong Village No.1;" kids can enjoy playing house (game), and moms can take beautiful photos at the colorful ball pool; with the use of the interactive APP, people can know more about the culture of the military dependents' villages. If the kids are still energetic, the "New Taipei Metropolitan Park" is the next destination; a large grass lawn for running and jumping as well as the inclusive playground equipment for fun experiences; the Clover Landscape Slide is a must-go place of internet beauties; the last destination will be the "Zhonggang Main Drainage," after the comprehensive renovation, there are vivid 3D color paintings as well as the popular IG check-in point, the color block water trail. Capture the wonderful moments of a family gathering to make the unforgettable memories deeply impressed in your mind.Gao's Fried Fresh SquidA full bowl of fried fresh squid contains only two simple food ingredients, cabbage and squid; the aromatic fried cabbage has a crunchy texture and tastes sweet as well as the well-processed squid is crusty and chewy. Mixed with 4 seasonings, sour, sweet, salty, and spicy, the simple bowl of squid becomes very special.info.Location and Address: No.28, Gongkou Street, Banqiao Dist., New Taipei CityContact Phone Number: 886-2-29603503Opening Hours: Tuesday ~ Sunday 8:00-17:30. The shop is closed on Mondays and the Chinese New Year holidays from the prior day before the Chinese New Year's Eve to the 5th day of the 1st lunar month.The traffic information from the Fuzhong MRT Station to the Gao's Fried Fresh SquidGet off at the Fuzhong MRT Station and take about a 5-minute walk.The Lin Family Mansion and GardenAfter visiting the flourishing shopping malls and city center, it is hard to believe that a classical Chinese garden quietly sits in a place just a quarter hour's walk from the city center, waiting for people to explore. The Ben-Yuan Lin's Family Mansion and Garden is also called "Lin's Family Mansion and Garden”. It was the most magnificent private mansion in Taiwan built in the Qing dynasty. Inside his deluxe garden, there are pavilions, alcoves, and artificial landscapes, making the garden the most popular site of classical building photography and the most common spot for wedding photography.info.Location and Address: No.9, Ximen St., Banqiao Dist., New Taipei City, Taiwan 220Contact Phone Number: 886-2-29653061Opening Hours: 9:00 ~17:00 (The first Monday of each month is an official holiday. The Garden is open on weekends)The traffic information from the Gao's Fried Fresh Squid to The Lin Family Mansion and GardenWalk along Beimen Street and Ximen Street. It takes about 4 minutes to reach the destination.The Lin Family Mansion and Garden's informationAir Force Sanchong First Military VillageEntering Lane 86 from the busy Zhengyi South Road, what first comes into sight is the two national flags with blue sky, white sun, and a wholly red earth. Low and plain brick houses line up the streets – Air Force Sanchong First Military Village filled with nostalgic memories is right here. “Air Force Sanchong First Military Village” was officially recorded as New Taipei City's historical architecture in August, 2006 and has now been recognized New Taipei City's cultural heritage of military family village. In 1954, National Women's League of the R.O.C. built the Air Force military family housing here, where the houses' layout and size varied in according to military rank. Japanese and Kuomintang troops had all stayed here before; the two large-scale underground dugouts at the village are still perfectly preserved today – they are approximately the size of two basketball courts. At the village there are also artillery battalions left from the period of Japanese rule.info.Location and Address: Lane 86, Zhengyi South Rd., Sanchong District, New Taipei CityContact Phone Number: 886-2-89535332Opening Hours: 10:00 - 18:00The traffic information from The Lin Family Mansion and Garden to the Air Force Sanchong First Military VillageTake the Circular Line and get off at the Touqianzhuang MRT Station. Transfer to the Zhonghe-Xinlu Line and get off at the Taipei Bridge MRT Station. It takes about a 10-minute walk to reach the destination.Air Force Sanchong First Military Village's informationNew Taipei Metropolitan ParkThe Riverside Park along Erchong Floodway used to be the flood spill way of Greater Taipei. Ater the realignment by the New Taipei City government, it has become a green land of about 800 hectares, the largest city park for sight-seeing in Greater Taipei area, famous leisure point of interest and a pride of Sanchong people. On the broad grass land, you can have a walk, fly a kite, play ball games or ride a bicycle at will. There is a bicycle path here with a length of about 20 km, the longest in Taiwan. There are also 68 muli-funcional sports grounds and 7 natural ecological parks here, a very good place for having a rest.info.Location and Address: Sanchong Dist., New Taipei CityContact Phone Number: 886-2-29862345Opening Hours: Open all year roundThe traffic information from the Air Force Sanchong First Military Village to the New Taipei Metropolitan Park (Erchong Floodway Riverside Park)Take the Zhonghe-Xinlu Line and get off at the Sanchong MRT Station. It takes about a 3-minute walk to reach the destination.New Taipei Metropolitan Park's informationZhonggang Main DrainageWho could think that the popular check-in point- Zhonggang Main Drainage used to be a stinky sewage place? After the comprehensive renovation, the place is completely different. Fish is swimming, turtles are sunbathing on the stones and birds are searching for food, an ecosystem with abundant species everywhere. Enter from the dream-like Rainbow Bridge, there are children's colored paintings on the walls along both sides of the river; with the on-site landscapes, 3D paintings are lively and vivid and make people personally on the scenes. Please don't miss the "color blocks," you have to take photos with them; the colorful large and small blocks scattered in the river, it's IG's most popular check-in spot for internet celebrities; either sitting or standing, you'll get beautiful photos. There is also a small fruit cake bridge, very lovely. You should remember to check-in at the spot and upload your beautiful photos! The Zhonggang Main Drainage is designed with barrier-free slopes everywhere as well as chairs for visitors to take a break. It's a place worth coming over to.info.Location and Address: No.191, Zhongyuan Rd., Xinzhuang Dist., New Taipei CityContact Phone Number: 886-2-29929891 (Xinzhuang District Office)Opening Hours: until 22:00.The traffic information from the New Taipei Metropolitan Park (Erchong Floodway Riverside Park) to the Zhonggang Main DrainageTake the Circular Line and get off at the Xinfu Station. Take one step out of the station, you can reach the destination.Zhonggang Main Drainage's informationReturn Trip Traffic InformationWalk to the Xinfu MRT Station and transfer to either MRT Line on the return trip back home.Circular Line MAP

In the night of Lantern Festival, sky lanterns slowly fly upward, carrying people’s wishes into the night sky. The beautiful scene can be seen at the most representative festival in New Taipei City. Since 1999, New Taipei City government has held Sky Lantern Festival in Pingxi on Lantern Festival that falls on January 15 of the lunar calendar, and it is the grandest annual festival of the mountain town of Pingxi. For over twenty years, numerous tourists from home and abroad have attended the festival to light up sky lanterns, flying them into the night sky with their dreams and wishes.Multiple Origins of Sky Lanterns“Please help us!” During the Three-Kingdom Period, Zhuge Kongming (Zhuge Liang), the prime minister of Empire of Shu-Han, sent large paper lanterns up to the sky to deliver military messages by following the principle of rise of hot air when he and his soldiers were besieged by the enemy, and they eventually got out of the predicament. This the most well-known origin of the sky lantern, so it is also known as Kongming lantern. Others think the sky lantern gets the name of Kongming lantern because it shapes like the silk ribbon scarf of Kongming. Like Internet and other inventions, the sky lantern originated from military technology. The sky lantern has been considered the originator of the hot-air balloon, and the threshold of humans’ flying dream. The sky lantern first appeared in the battlefield in Europe when Mongolia went on an expedition to the west. Five hundred years later, the first hot-air balloon carrying passengers rose to the sky in Paris.Praying for Blessings at Lantern Festival After sky lanterns go about among people, the release of sky lanterns has become a folk activity for people to pray for blessings. Since ancient times, there has been the custom of releasing sky lanterns at Lantern Festival which is the birthday of Heavenly Lord Tian Guan, and the sky lantern is a medium for people to pray for blessings to the God. Pingxi District, New Taipei City is located at the upper reaches of Keelung River. In the beginning of the 19th century, immigrants from Fujian were harassed by bandits from time to time when they reclaimed Pingxi, and sky lanterns were used as tools to mark themselves safe. In the 1990s, Pingxi started the revival movement for sky lantern culture, attracting tourists to release sky lanterns in the mountain town. The activity has become the most famous one in Pingxi. Moreover, with the help of popular movies, Pingxi sky lanterns have become well-known around the world.Unique Climate and Terrain of PingxiWhen it comes to sky lanterns, people think of Pingxi. However, why is Pingxi so closely related to sky lanterns? In accordance with current laws and regulations, Pingxi is the only area in Taiwan where sky lanterns can be released outside. Pingxi is one of the areas in Taiwan with the most rainy days, and it has a relative humidity of over 75% often. Damp environment prevents sky lanterns from wreaking havoc after they fall to the ground. Additionally, Pingxi is surrounded by mountains on four sides, and there is no airport nearby, which ensures that sky lanterns only fly in the mountainous area of Pingxi without disturbing flights, making Pingxi the best location to release sky lanterns.Pingxi District is a district in New Taipei City with least population. It was the settlement of the Ketagalan tribe. In the early 19th century, the Han people reclaimed Pingxi, and it became prosperous because of coal mining in the early 20th century. However, it became quiet again after mining ceased. The Pingxi Railway which was open to traffic in 1921 was once doomed to dismantle. Thanks to the endeavors of local people, the railway has turned into a sightseeing railway. The one-hundred-year Pingxi Railway passes by charming railway towns, such as Shifen, Pingxi and Jingtong, where you can find magnificent Shifen Waterfalls, and secluded stations rarely known to anyone. Light Pingxi tours are promoted every year during Sky Lantern Festival, and local tour guides would lead tourists to explore mining culture and railways, relishing the beauty of the mountain town.New Taipei City Pingxi Sky Lantern FestivalNew Taipei City government held the first Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival in 1999, and this year marks the 26th anniversary of the event. It is the most famous ceremony for Lantern Festival in northern Taiwan. The Sky Lantern Festival enjoys the fame with the beehive fireworks in Yanshui, Tainan as we always say “sky lanterns in the north, and beehive fireworks in the south.” The two festivals have repeatedly been selected the must-see festivals by travel websites. Two sessions of releasing sky lanterns are held each year at Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival, which are on the day of Lantern Festival and one weekend before the festival. Quiet a few sky lanterns are allowed to be released each time in each section. When over one hundred sky lanterns are released at the same time, the dreamlike scene brightens up the night sky of the mountain town of Pingxi.👉Official website of 2024 Pingxi Sky Lantern FestivalSky Lantern Festival each year features the Chinese zodiac sign of that year. The main lantern that is up to 20 feet tall presents excellent sky lantern making craftsmanship. One can write on the sky lantern made with rice paper with a Chinese writing brush. After that, you put paper money inside the lantern as fuel to push it up to the sky.Sky Lantern Festival is the most important event in Pingxi District. Residents, public servants, schools and stores will all devote themselves to the grand occasion by participating in performances and planning fairs. To deal with a great number of tourists, New Taipei City government deploys police and firefighters to maintain the safety of participants, enabling them to enjoy the pleasure of releasing sky lanterns.Mountain Cleanup to Protect EnvironmentSky lanterns carrying blessings and wishes will eventually fall to the ground in the distance after they disappear from sight. To maintain the environment of Pingxi, New Taipei City government holds a mountain cleanup activity and cultural tour after Sky Lantern Festival every year to enable participants to help collect sky lanterns and listen to instructors tirelessly telling stories about Pingxi at the same time.