The capital of Taiwan is a short flight away from Singapore and the one-way journey takes only 4 hours and 40 minutes. Taipei might not be as geographically near as its neighbours i.e. Bangkok and Hong Kong, but the Asian city’s cultural attractions are worth a special trip.

From eating fresh seafood from Addiction Aquatic Development, marvelling at award-winning National Palace Museum’s vast collection of artefacts to visiting the grand Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, here are 10 Touristy But Interesting Taipei Attractions That You Should Visit.

#1 ADDICTION AQUATIC DEVELOPMENT

Developed by Mitsui Food and Beverage Enterprise Group, Addiction Aquatic Development is a modern fish market with multiple concepts under its roof. Over here, you can shop for live seafood, purchase fresh sashimi and dine at one of their multiple on-site restaurants.

No. 18, Alley 2, Lane 410, Minzu E Rd
Zhongshan District, Taipei City, Taiwan 104
Tel: +886 2 2508 1268
Daily: 6am – 12am
Nearest Station: Xingtian Temple

#2 CHIANG KAI-SHEK MEMORIAL HALL

The grandeur of historical landmark Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall will leave you in awe. The octagon-shaped monument houses a massive bronze statue of Chiang and it is protected by military personnel. These armed guards change their shift every hour via a ceremony.

No. 21, Zhongshan S Rd
Zhongzheng District, Taipei City, Taiwan 100
Tel: +886 2 2343 1100
Daily: 9am – 5pm
Nearest Station: Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall

Source: Catherine Lee 234

#3 HUASHAN 1914 CREATIVE PARK

Huashan 1914 Creative Park was once a deteriorated factory, but has since then been revamped into a multi-purpose recreational park. Its revamp has drawn many local artists and many exhibitions, events, installations and performances are held here throughout the year.

No. 1, Section 1, Bade Road
Zhongzheng District, Taipei City, Taiwan 100
Tel: +886 2 2358 1914
Daily: 24 hours
Nearest Station: Zhongxiao Xinsheng

#4 LUNGSHAN TEMPLE OF MANKA

Founded in 1738, the Lungshan Temple of Manka was set up by the immigrants from Fujian, China during the Qing dynasty. The site is dedicated to the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy but you will notice many other deities here too. The government proclaimed the temple a historical site of second grade in 1985 and it will be preserved for future generations.

No. 211, Guangzhou St
Wanhua District, Taipei City, Taiwan 10853
Tel: +886 2 2302 5162
Nearest Station: Longshan Temple

Source: Travel Taipei

#5 NATIONAL PALACE MUSEUM

Taiwan’s National Palace Museum boasts a permanent collection of approximately 700,000 artefacts and artworks – yes, it has more ancient antiques than Beijing’s Forbidden City! A must-visit for those who have a keen interest in Chinese culture and history.

No. 221, Section 2, Zhishan Rd
Shilin District, Taipei City, Taiwan 111
Tel: +886 2 2881 2021
Mon to Thu: 8.30am – 6.30pm
Fri and Sat: 8.30am – 9pm
Nearest Station: Shilin

Source: Travel Weekly

#6 NATIONAL TAIWAN MUSEUM

The National Taiwan Museum is the oldest museum in Taiwan; it has been around for more than a century. The museum was constructed during the Japanese colonial era and remains in its original site. It is designed by Japanese architects Ichiro Nomura and Eiichi Araki.

No. 2, Xiangyang Rd
Zhongzheng District, Taipei City, Taiwan 100
Tel: +886 2 2382 2566
Closed on Mondays
Tue to Sun: 9.30am – 5pm
Nearest Station: Ntu Hospital

#7 RAOHE STREET NIGHT MARKET

Raohe Street Night Market is one of Taiwan’s oldest night markets and the 600-metre street is lined up with a vast number of vendors. There are so many hawkers that you will be absolutely spoilt for choice. Food aside, visitors can also expect old-school game stalls and hip fashion apparels.

Raohe St
Songshan District, Taipei City, Taiwan 105
Tel: +886 2 2763 5733
Daily: 5pm – 12am
Nearest Station: Songshan

#8 SHILIN NIGHT MARKET

Shilin Night Market is one of Taiwan’s most famous night markets. Foodies can dig into a plethora of Taiwanese snacks such as deep-fried chicken cutlets, bubble milk tea and oyster omelette, while shoppers can put their bargaining skills to test at the various retail shops.

Lane 101, Wenlin Rd
Shilin District, Taipei City, Taiwan 111
Mon: 4.30pm – 12am
Tue to Sun: 12am – 12pm, 4.30pm – 12am
Nearest Station: Jiantan / Shilin

#9 SUN YAT-SEN MEMORIAL HALL

The construction of Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall in Xinyi District was completed in 1972 and it pays tribute to the founder of the Republic of China, Dr. Sun Yat-sen. The hourly ceremony – where the stoic guards formally change their shifts – itself is a popular tourist attraction.

No. 505, Section 4, Ren’ai Rd
Xinyi District, Taipei City, Taiwan 110
Tel: +886 2 2758 8008
Daily: 9am – 6pm
Nearest Station: Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall

#10 TAIPEI 101

Taipei 101 is the most iconic landmark in Taiwan’s skyline. Standing at 508 metres, the tower is almost impossible to miss. The infrastructure is exceptionally sturdy; a gigantic pendulum is mounted between the 88th and 92nd storeys, hence allowing it to withstanding both earthquakes and typhoons. Fun fact: It was the world’s tallest green building until 2011.

Taipei 101, No. 7, Section 5, Xinyi Rd
Xinyi District, Taipei City, Taiwan 110
Nearest Station: Taipei 101

Read our guide on 25 reasons why we love Taipei.

Seafood is a perennial favourite, and we have this thing for fish markets. It has become a norm that we would check out the fish markets whenever we travel, especially if they include dine-in options!

It may sound like an intimidating experience, but we will gladly allow the freshness and variety to win us over. Fortunately, Asia Pacific is home to several large-scale fish markets. From Taipei’s Addiction Aquatic Development Seafood Market, Sydney’s Fish Market to Tokyo’s world-famous Tsukiji Fish Market, here are 6 Best Fish Markets in Asia Pacific that all seafood lovers have to make a special trip to.

#1 ADDICTION AQUATIC DEVELOPMENT

Addiction Aquatic Development in Taipei is a massive market with 10 different concepts under its roof; it is like the other Tsukji Market you never knew about.

Upon entering, you will be greeted by the Live Aquamarine area. Proceed to browse through an exhaustive selection of abalone, king crabs, scallops and more. You can pick up fresh seafood and groceries, and bento sets and ready-to-eat seafood.

There are a few dining options within the compound, including a Sushi Bar and a Charcoal Grilled Seafood Restaurant. We swear a trip to Addiction Aquatic Development will be the highlight of your Taipei trip.

No. 18, Alley 2, Ln 410, Minzu E Rd
Tel: (02) 2508 1268
Daily: 6am – 12midnight

#2 CHAU DOC MARKET

Chau Doc Market in Vietnam is considered an off-the-radar destination when compared to the other fish markets in this post, but it certainly does not pale in comparison. After all, not many people have even heard of the Vietnamese city Chau Doc!

We were blown away by the variety of dried seafood piled atop each other. The localised market’s vendors here are extremely friendly.

QL91 – Tuyen tranh Chau Doc, tp.
Chau ?oc, An Giang, Vietnam
Tel: +84 91 828 31 81
Daily: 5.30am – 6pm

#3 SHINSEN FISH MARKET

In the City of Smiles where cafes and restaurants are aplenty, a fish market exists too and you definitely need to know about it.

Shinsen Fish Market is a seafood haven in Bangkok, and it is a new addition to Bangkok’s ever-happening food scene. Just a few months shy of its first birthday, Shinsen Fish Market is supposedly inspired by and modelled after Taipei’s Addiction Aquatic Developments.

 Shinsen Fish Market
163/6 Soi Sukhumvit 39, Bangkok
Tel: +66 2 260 6522
Nearest BTS: Phrom Phong

#4 SYDNEY FISH MARKET

Sydney Fish Market is more than just a tourist attraction. This market is where everyone— locals include—heads to for New South Wales’ best and freshest seafood.Visit the market for grocery shopping or partake in an interactive cooking class. Want to gain an in-depth understanding of your seafood? Sign up for a Behind the Scenes Tour (from A$35 per pax).

Visit the market for grocery shopping or enrol yourself in an interactive cooking class. Want to gain an in-depth understanding of your seafood? Sign up for a Behind the Scenes Tour (from A$35 per pax). Of course, do not leave without having a seafood meal.

Bank St & Pyrmont Bridge Road, Sydney NSW 2009, Australia
Tel: +61 2 9004 1100
Daily: 7am – 4.30pm

#5 TSUKIJI FISH MARKET

Tsukiji Fish Market is one of the world’s largest and oldest wholesale seafood markets, and needs no elaborate introduction. The world-famous destination is where Japan’s fish traders gather to barter for the best fishes. It is also a dream come true for avid foodies who would fly all the way here to Tokyo just to savour the freshest sashimi at Tsukiji Fish Market.

Note that Tsukiji Fish Market might be moving soon, but the verdict has yet to be confirmed. Read more about it here.

5 Chome-2-1 Tsukiji, Chuo, Tokyo 104-0045, Japan
Tel: +81 3-3542-1111

#6 NORYANJIN FISHERY MARKET

Noryangjin Fisheries Wholesale Market is a must visit when in Seoul. The bustling market is a sight to behold on its own, and it is one trip that we will always take because the market simply comes alive with the many rows of stalls.

Watch as customers haggle for fresh sashimi, lobsters, crabs, prawns and live octopus etc. After purchasing seafood, go to the back of the market to find a restaurant to cook them for you in your preferred style(s).

It is a quintessential Seoul experience, and one that we will never forget.

674 Nodeul-ro, Dongjak-gu, South Korea
Tel: +82 2-2254-8000
Daily: 24 hours

Think Taipei is all about Taipei 101 and Shilin Night Market? Not really. Addiction Aquatic Development is the place to visit when in Taipei.

Addiction Aquatic Development is a massive space that houses fresh seafood and aquamarine products, a large Japanese-style supermarket, and many themed restaurants and food kiosks under one roof. It is developed by Mitsui food and beverage enterprise group, who also owns several established Japanese restaurants in Taipei, including Mitsui - our favourite Japanese restaurant in the city.

Sitting near the Songshan Airport, and what used to be the old Taipei Fish Market, it is now an upscale and classy market with Addiction Aquatic Development. It stands head and shoulders above other famous seafood markets in the world such as Tokyo’s Tsukiji Fish Market, Seoul’s Noryangjin Fish Market, Sydney’s Fish Market, and Perth’s Fremantle Market.

LIVE AQUAMARINE PRODUCTS

At the main entrance, you will be received by the Live Aquamarine area.

The idea is to remove the middleman and to deal directly with consumers. With this, Addiction Aquatic Development is able to pass on the savings through providing reasonably priced live seafood from all over the world.

Expect a spread of fresh oysters, king crabs, lobsters, abalone, uni, scallops and more.

SEAFOOD BAR

The Seafood Bar at Addiction Aquatic Development offers an array of fresh seafood. You can eat to your heart’s content here.

MEAT, GROCERIES AND FLOWER MARKET

Apart from seafood, you can also get imported and local fresh fruits, vegetables and meat. The sheer variety is crazy, and if we were living in Taipei, we know we would be doing our grocery shopping here every week!

Pasta, noodles and grains. Beef, pork and chicken. Oranges, berries and melons.

Salt, sugar and pepper. Butter, cheese and cream. Juice, milk and tea. Anything that you might need in the kitchen; anything at all.

It is one trip to the grocer you’d be happy to take. The choice are aplenty, and any culinary fanatic will have a whale of a time with these groceries!

SUSHI BAR

Our first thought upon seeing the tanks of fish was sushi. So you think Tsukiji Market is the only legit place for fresh nigiri sushi? Addiction Aquatic Development is another!

Beautiful sliced fishes in all sorts of colours sit atop vinegared rice, all prepared fresh before your eyes and awaits at the sushi bar. There are sashimi options too.

SUSHI & SASHIMI TO GO

Well, you can have both the sashimi and sushi to go, too. We bought a box and took it outdoors where the morning air was dewy and fresh, and you bet our breakfast was more than wonderful.

COOKED FOOD DELI

You have your bento sets here, alongside several other mains of the day. This counter boasts a wide selection of cooked food for takeaway, and it is so convenient because you just pick whatever you like, then head out to the large outdoor dining area to enjoy your hot food.

Best suggestion: buy something from the cooked food deli, buy a box of sushi and/or sashimi, grab some drinks from the grocer, then have a communal party at the outdoor dining area with your companions. Everyone gets to eat a bit of everything!

HOTPOT DINING AREA

If raw fish ain’t your thing, there is a hotpot option as well. Think huge pots of seafood goodness, with everything coming fresh from the sea. Expect nothing short of a soup so sweet that bears the essence of the freshness from all the seafood.

A seafood pot starts from NT$980.

OUTDOOR CHARCOAL GRILLED SEAFOOD RESTAURANT

This is one fond experience we would always remember of Addiction Aquatic Development. We had such an amazing meal at the outdoor restaurant where we sat under fairy lights and dined with the best company.

It is simple – you just order whatever you want from grill stalls, and your seafood will be grilled to order and served hot. Those big pots you see are actually charcoal-lit, where your seafood will sit and be kept warm.

That sheer simplicity of fresh, flavourful seafood, complete with red wine and a touch of winter breeze. It is one quintessential meal when at Addiction Aquatic Development.

Addiction Aquatic Development
No. 18, Alley 2, Ln 410, Minzu E Rd
Tel: (02) 2508 1268
Daily: 6am – 12midnight
Nearest Station: Zhongshan Jr. High School Station/ XingTian Temple Station

For more recommendations, read our Taipei city guides on the best places to eat, see, and do.