When you come to Taipei, you may go to Taipei 101, the tallest building in Taiwan, or walk along the Dihua Street to feel the atmosphere that mix traditional and modern, even admire the spectacular Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, and also go through the North Gate for getting back to the old Taipei time.
Today, we present you to the National Palace Museum, one of the world’s largest and finest Chinese artifacts museums, which is also one of the must-see attractions in Taipei.
Table of Contents
About the National Palace Museum
Found in 1965, the National Palace Museum is the popular museum in Taiwan, and today it houses a collection of over 700,000 works, from painting, calligraphy, statuary, bronzes, lacquerware, ceramics, jade to rare books and historical documents.
Most of the artifacts came from the Forbidden City in Beijing and be brought to Taiwan with the Republic of China government during the civil war.
The National Palace Museum is dedicated to preserving and sharing the histories of the 5,000 years Chinese cultures, if you want to know about more history and culture, don’t miss this one of the largest museums collectIng ancient Chinese artifacts and artworks in the world.
How to Get There
- Take MRT Red Line (Tamsui-Xinyi Line) to Shilin Station [R16] Exit No.1 and then transfer bus R30, 815, 304, 300, 255, M1, S19, or S18 to the National Palace Museum.
- Take MRT Red Line (Tamsui-Xinyi Line) to Jiantan Station [R15] Exit No.1 and then transfer bus R30, M1, S19, or S18 to the National Palace Museum.
- Take MRT Brown Line (Wenhu Line) to Dazhi Station [BR14] Exit 3 and then transfer bus BR13 to the National Palace Museum.
- Take MRT Brown Line (Wenhu Line) to Jiannan Road Station [BR15] Exit 1 and then transfer bus BR20 to the National Palace Museum.
▎SEE ALSO: TAIWAN TRANSPORTATION GUIDE – GETTING AROUND TAIWAN
TIPS:
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Hours
- Monday
- 8:30 am – 6:30 pm
- Tuesday
- 8:30 am – 6:30 pm
- Wednesday
- 8:30 am – 6:30 pm
- Thursday
- 8:30 am – 6:30 pm
- Friday
- 8:30 am – 9:00 pm
- Saturday
- 8:30 am – 9:00 pm
- Sunday
- 8:30 am – 6:30 pm
Fares
Regular | NT$350 ($12) |
Group (>10 ppl) | NT$320 ($11) |
Students with ISIC (International Student Identity Card) | NT$150 ($5) |
- With the ticket stub, you can go to the National Palace Museum Southern Branch in Chiayi for free within three months.
- There are six free museum days:
- New Year’s Day (1/1)
- the Lantern Festival (2/8)
- International Museum Day (5/18)
- World Tourism Day (9/27)
- National Day (10/10)
- Taiwan Culture Day (10/17).
- Free daily guided tour:
Skip the line with YOUR online ticket!
Buy tickets online ahead of time, although these tickets are usually sold at the same price as regular tickets, you can spend your time doing something else instead of waiting in ticket-buying line!
Map
Exhibition Floor:
- Ground Floor: Children’s Gallery and multimedia auditorium.
- Level 1: Orientation gallery, special exhibition galleries, Qing dynasty furniture, religious sculptural arts, rare book, and historical documents galleries.
- Level 2: Ceramic, painting, calligraphy galleries, bookstore, and gift shops.
- Level 3: Jade and bronze exhibition galleries.
Top Treasures Must See
Jadeite Cabbage(翠玉白菜)
Jadeite cabbage is a piece of Jadeite carved into the shape of a Chinese cabbage head during the Qing dynasty (AD 1644-1911) by taking advantage of its half-white and half-green natural colors, when you look closer will see there are two insects camouflage in the leaves.
Meat-shaped Stone(肉形石)
Meat-Shaped Stone is a piece of Jasper carved into a shape of a chunk of Dongpo Pork during the Qing dynasty (AD 1644-1911), it looks so real and definitely a mouthwatering piece of work.
Mao-Gong Ding(毛公鼎)
The Mao Gong ding is a large bronze vessel used for cooking, from the late Western Zhou period (BC 1046-771). The ding is height 53.8 cm, width 47.9 cm, weight 34.7 kg, and it has 500 characters inscriptions inside.
Pan water vessel of San(散盤)
Pan water vessel of San is a bronze vessel dated to late Western Zhou period (BC 1046-771), inside the vessel has 357 characters inscriptions recording the agreement between two states after a dispute.
Revolving vase with swimming fish in cobalt blue glaze(霽青描金游魚轉心瓶)
Revolving vase with swimming fish in cobalt blue glaze is an official kiln ceramics during the Qing dynasty (AD 1644-1911). The vase has an inner side and outer side, by rotating the neck of the vase, the inside will spin and show fishes swimming.
White pillow in the shape of a recumbent child(白瓷嬰兒枕)
White pillow in the shape of a recumbent child was from the Northern Song dynasty (AD 960-1127). The child-shaped pillow means to bring imperial many children or grandchildren in the future, and there are only three similar child shaped pillows in the world.
Narcissus basin in bluish-green glaze(青瓷無紋水仙盆)
Narcissus basin in bluish-green glaze is an imperial container during the Northern Song dynasty (AD 960-1127). It is a Ru ware, a rare type of Chinese pottery from the Song dynasty, the bluish-green glaze over the whole container has a beautiful smooth quality without any markings during firing.
Lotus-shaped warming bowl in light bluish-green glaze(青瓷蓮花式溫碗)
Lotus-shaped warming bowl in light bluish-green glaze is also a Ru ware from the Northern Song dynasty (AD 960-1127) for warming wine, the shape of the bowl resembles a lotus flower in bloom.
Other Fun Thing to Do
Zhishan Garden(至善園)
After enjoying the treasure tour, take time to Zhishan Garden just near the National Palace Museum, covering an area of 1.88 hectares, it’s free entry with the museum ticket stub, you can stroll and immerse in the traditional Chinese style garden.
- Get Location
- Admission fee:NT$20 ($0.7), Free admission with same-day museum ticket
- Hours:Tue – Sun 08:30~18:00 | Mon Closed
Dining
Silks Palace(故宮晶華)
The Silk Palace is located next to the National Palace Museum. It is a building full of visually transparent glass veils. They present traditional Chinese cuisine in a modern way, each dish is an artwork resemble the museum’s treasure, such as Jadeite Cabbage and Meat-shaped Stone.
- Avg. Cost:NT$875~ 4180 ($29~140)
- Get Location
- Tel:+886 2 2882-9393
- Hours:Mon – Fri 11:30~18:00 | Sat 11:00~20:00 | Sun 11:00~18:00
What Else Fun Near National Palace Museum
Shilin Night Market(士林夜市)
Shilin Night Market is Taipei’s largest night market and also one of the most popular in Taiwan, drawing many visitors come here to enjoy a wide range of local Taiwanese street snacks.
- Get Location
- Hours:Mon – Fri 16:00~24:00 | Sat – Sun 16:00~01:00
Laodifang Lookout(老地方觀景平台)
The Laodifang Lookout offers the panoramic view of Taipei City from Jiantan Mountain, also it’s a great place to watch the planes landing and taking off.
- Get Location
- Hours:Mon – Sun 24hr
I hope you enjoyed reading this post, in this post, you’ve learned every information about the National Palace Museum, moreover, don’t forget to buy online tickets in advance to save your time!
Finally, If you still have any questions on your trip to the National Palace Museum, please leave in the comments below, I will be more than happy to help you out:)