Historical Taipei & Temples
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Port
Keelung (Taipei), Taiwan
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Activity Level
Moderate
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Excursion Type
All
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Wheelchair Accessible
No
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Starting At
$69.95
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Minimum Age
Information Not Currently Available
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Duration
Approximately 4½ Hours
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Meals Included
Meals not included
Travel to Pao-An Temple, dedicated to Pashen Tati, the god of medicine in local folk religion. The temple was built more than 230 years ago. It is one of the island's oldest and contains many ornate and intricate carvings. Look closely at the columns decorated with ferocious, writhing dragons and marvel at the ceilings adorned with woodcarvings of lions, flowers and figures from Chinese mythology.
You will also see the Confucius Temple, dedicated to the great Chinese philosopher whose teachings still influence modern Chinese life today.
Continue to Lin An-Tai *-- an old house with a Chinese courtyard and elegant decorative embellishments. This is one of the few traditional houses remaining in northern Taiwan, built by the Lin family, who were wealthy traders in the 18th century. The crescent-shaped pond in front of the building was used for defense, for raising fish, for firefighting, as a water supply, and to moderate the surrounding temperature. At more than 160 years old, Lin An-Tai is Taipei's best-preserved and -maintained Chinese-era house.
A stop at Dihua Street allows you to explore the 150-year-old business street and trade center. It's still the most popular place in Taipei for residents to buy snacks and sweets for Chinese New Year festivities.
Notes:
Wear comfortable walking shoes.
* For Noordam's call on 24 February 2025, due to construction work, the visit to Lin An-Tai will be replaced with a visit to Zhishan Garden. Covering an area of 1.88 hectares, Zhishan Garden is based on traditional Chinese garden building techniques, and is filled with a literary atmosphere. It reflects the garden styles of the Sung and Ming dynasties.