This guide will help you determine whether it’s worth visiting the National Palace Museum in Taipei, Taiwan. Read on to learn more.
I’m not a fan of museums, but the National Palace Museum (NPM) is one that I’d recommend anyone to visit. I’ll explain why it’s worth visiting in this guide.
Is the National Palace Museum, Taipei Worth Visiting?
The National Palace Museum in Taipei is a must-visit attraction. It houses the world’s largest Chinese art collection. History buffs will appreciate its extensive artifacts. The museum offers affordable access to priceless cultural treasures.
I usually think museums are boring. This one was still boring, but it had a lot of cool exhibits.
The only complaint I had with the museum was with the tourists from other countries that shoved my wife and I just to look at an exhibit.
This isn’t the museum’s fault, though.
Do I recommend anything special when visiting?
Ticket Price
| Entry Fee | Regular ticket: NT$350 |
| Group ticket: NT$320 each | |
| Discount ticket: NT$150 * |
* This ticket is only available to Taiwanese citizens, students with a valid student ID, & foreigners holding an alien permanent resident certificate (APRC). ARCs don’t count — unless you’re married to a Taiwanese resident.
Unused tickets can be refunded without a fee.
The museum also offers free entry on the following days:
- New Year’s Day (January 1st)
- International Museum Day (May 18th)
- World Tourism Day (September 27th)
- National Day (October 10th)
It’s free to enter the gardens outside.
You can also buy combined tickets, which allow you entry into multiple tourist spots in Taiwan.
For instance, it’s NT$820 for admission to the NPM and Taipei 101 Observatory.
KKday and KLOOK will sometimes include “free” tickets to the museum along with other things.
KLOOK Taipei Pass gives discounted entry to many Taipei sites.
I recommend the FunPASS instead, though. It gives free entry to many attractions and neat freebie souvenirs (sometimes).
Here’s the best time to visit.
Best Time to Visit
Weekdays (except Monday) in the morning, or during lunch, are the best times to visit the NPM. Most tourists will probably have their breakfast or lunch around that time. Giving you enough time to navigate the museum peacefully for a couple of hours.
Tourists will probably head to the museum around 1 or 2 PM. Whereas, most locals are at work, which reduces the potential for more people to show up.
And here’s how to get there.
How to Get There
1. Taipei MRT & Bus
Take the Red line to Shilin or Brown line to Dazhi or Jiannan Rd. stations.
Choose whatever station is closest to where you’re coming from.
From there, take one of these buses to the NPM:
| Closest MRT Exit | Buses | Drop Off Point |
|---|---|---|
| Shilin Station Exit 1 | 300, 304, & 815 | Bottom of the hill |
| R30 | Main Building Entrance | |
| S18, S19, 255, & M1 | Across the street of bottom of the hill | |
| Dazhi Station Exit 3 | BR13 | Across the street of bottom of the hill |
| Jiannan Rd. Station Exit 1 | BL7 | Across the street of bottom of the hill |
| BR20 | Main Building Entrance |
Here’s which bus is best:
- BR20 from Jiannan Rd. is ideal
- 300, 304, or 815 from Shilin to see more
- R30 from Shilin for those with less energy
- Dazhi has limited options
Bus fare is NT$15. Pay with change or an IC card (EasyCard is best).
I recommend using the latter since you won’t need to dig for change.
Use the Bus+ app to help you track all of the buses.
The hop-on, hop-off bus also will come here via the Blue route.
I have more information regarding this bus and what’s on the route in a separate piece.
In short, it’s super crowded on the weekends but is a fantastic activity to learn about Taiwan’s history. I enjoyed my time on the bus — though, I hate tours.
Booking tickets online is the easiest and most convenient way to book:
2. Driving
There’s a parking lot across from the museum. Here’s the address.
Prices may change, so I won’t list them.
There’s also an area in front of the museum and the courtyard where a driver could drop you and/or your family off.
Here’s a guide on renting a car in Taiwan if you don’t know how it works.
There’s also Uber and regular taxis.
I recommend using the FindTaxi or 55688 app to book a taxi.
3. YouBike
Here’s a map of nearby YouBike rental docks:
Let’s see when the best time to visit the museum is.
What to Do Inside & Around the Museum
Avoid the restaurants because they’re pricey. Explore the exhibits inside the museum. Once you’re done, check out one of the gardens outdoors.
The National Palace Museum has the following sections on each floor:
- 1st floor:
- Buddhist statues
- Ancient furniture
- 2nd floor:
- Calligraphy, documents, & rare books
- Ceramics
- 3rd floor:
- Jades
- Bronzes
- Jadeite cabbage
- Meat-shaped rock
If you find yourself invested in the history and are reading everything on each exhibit, you’ll likely spend a few hours inside the museum.
Once you’re done inside the museum, explore the outside if it’s not raining or if you don’t feel like the heat will melt your body.
There’s the courtyard, which has plenty of nice photo opps. It also has the Tien-Hsia-Wei-Kung Archway.
And afterward, there are 2 gardens:
1. Zhishan
Based on ancient Chinese techniques, it has plants and koi fish. Enjoy fresh air and drinks from vending machines.
2. Zhide
Smaller, with a pavilion and pond. In fall, enjoy lotus and olive scents.
This area has a few restaurants, but they’re very pricey and aren’t renowned.
I recommend venturing to Shilin Night Market afterward. Check out the food stalls and restaurants there.
Now that you’ve seen everything, you should spend more money.
What to Buy from the National Palace Museum Gift Shop?
Here’s what I’d buy:
- Miniature jadeite cabbage
- Miniature meat-shaped rock
- Postcard
- Fine China
- Coasters
- Scrolls
- Magnets
- Other glassware
You should know what other souvenirs you might want before buying anything from here.
Here are other guides of what you might want to buy while you’re in Taiwan:
Most folks will want to buy the miniaturized meat-shaped rock or jadeite cabbage. They cost under NT$300 and fit in carry-on bags.
I wish they had bigger sizes for a more prominent display. But what they have is smaller than a thumb.
Postcards are cheap and light. They cost about NT$49 each.
You can mail them from the first-floor post office.
Or:
You could mail bigger items. Because I saw massive scrolls that cost over 1,000 USD. There’s no way you could fit these in your bags and would require mailing.
Making the post office convenient.
The scrolls they have here are beautiful and are highly recommended if you’re looking for a splurge.
I would have bought some if I wasn’t taking the bus home from the museum.
And if I had more money…
Fine China, teapots, and other glassware are also other Taiwan-made souvenirs that are neat.
So long as you have the money.
And if you don’t, magnets or coasters are cheap and small. Even one-bag travelers can fit these.
The party’s not done here. You’ll now need to find other places to go.
Where to Go After
| Destination | Description | Time Spent There |
|---|---|---|
| Chiang Kai-shek Residence | Flower displays and historical site | 45 min |
| Jiannan Mountain | Hiking | 1.5 hrs |
| Shilin Night Market | Night market | 1 – 2 hrs |
| Miramar Entertainment Park | Ferris wheel and shopping mall | 1 – 2 hrs |
| Shung Ye Museum of Formosan Aborigines | Museum for Taiwan’s indigenous people | ~1 hr |
If you finish at the museum early in the day, the closest things for you to do are the Shung Ye Museum of Formosan Aborigines and Jiannan Mountain.
I recommend the former if you want more history.
And the latter if it’s a nice day and not fall.
Avoid hiking during autumn.
That’s when it’s breeding season for Asian hornets, which is when they’ll get aggressive [1].
If neither option is viable, take a bus toward the city area in Shilin District and visit the Chiang Kai-Shek Shilin Residence.
It’s a place filled with history about Chiang Kai-Shek and beautiful flowers.
Folks visiting on hotter days will want to take the bus to the Miramar Entertainment Park. It’s an air conditioned shopping center that has a giant Ferris wheel on top.
The Ferris wheel ride will last around 16 minutes and is worth riding when the sun’s about to set.
What if you finish at the museum toward closing time?
Take a buses 小18 or 小19 to Shilin Night Market.
These buses will pick you up at the end of the plaza outside the museum and will take you to the outskirts of the night market. Once there, you could peruse the various food stalls and restaurants and get some grub.
I don’t really like Shilin because the food’s pricier than other night markets and doesn’t taste much better. I’d rather go to Raohe or Tonghua.
If you’re in the area, go to Shilin. The price gaps aren’t that large.
Here’s what I’d do:
- Board the hop-on, hop-off bus (Blue route) at 9:40 from Taipei Main Station
- See all the important things I’d want at the museum before it gets crowded
- Eat at one of the restaurants
- Walk around the parks
- Head to Chiang Kai-shek residence if the Chrysanthemum Festival is going on
- If not, head to the indigenous people’s museum
- Hike at Jiannan Mountain if it’s not fall
- Otherwise, head toward Miramar mall and do everything around there
- Ride the Miramar Ferris wheel at sunset
- Eat in the mall
- Head home
- If I was still a party animal, I’d head to MAJI Square for drinks
I’ve got nothing else to cover. Check out other Taipei destinations to plan your itinerary.
Important Tidbits for Travelers
| Average Time Spent | 2 hrs |
| Best Time to Visit | Weekdays when it opens |
| Dress Code | Website only says to “dress appropriately” ** |
| Hours | Tue – Sun: 9 AM – 5 PM |
| Closed on Mondays | |
| Address | Sec 2, Zhi Shan Rd, Shilin District, Taipei City, 111 |
| Website | npm.gov.tw |
| City Located | Taipei City |
| Free Wi-Fi | iTaiwan or Taipei Free |
| Luggage Storage | Lalalocker, your hotel, storage lockers in the museum |
** To play it safe, avoid dressing in short shorts, tank tops, flip-flops, or similar clothing. Their website says to dress appropriately, but they don’t specify what defines appropriate. Thus, the rule is allegedly up to interpretation by the staff.
Tips for Travelers
Here are some tips that I recommend:
- Consider the FunPASS Unlimited if you’re visiting a lot of attractions in Taipei.
- Book tickets in advance to avoid the lines
- Visit during one of the free entry days
You should also know the rules.
Rules
The National Palace Museum (NPM) has rules for guests, including camera guidelines and restrictions on food and pets.
The National Palace Museum (NPM) requests guests follow these rules [2]:
- Groups of 10+ must rent audio touring headsets
- Camera rules:
- No audio recording
- Disable camera flashes
- Some artifacts can’t be photographed
- Don’t block foot traffic when taking pictures
- No tripods or selfie sticks
- Commercial recording needs prior approval
- No food or drinks
- Keep quiet
- No running, smoking, or littering
- No pets, big items, or toys
- Leave bags at the checkroom
Now you might wonder whether the Southern Branch is worth the visit.
Is the Southern Branch Worth Visiting?
The National Palace Museum Southern Branch is only worth the visit if you’re in Taibao City (Chiayi County) for some reason.
It’s a 13-minute bus ride from the Chiayi HSR station and nearby these spots:
- TaiSugar Suantou Cultural Park
- Meimea Shangshu, a petting zoo
If you want to find out-of-the-way places to visit in Taiwan, this could be a good way to spend a day with the family if you want an excuse to take the Taiwan High Speed Rail.
Let’s finish this off with some fun facts.
Fun Facts
| Number of Chinese Artifacts | ~700,000 |
| Chinese Name | 國立故宮博物院; guólì gùgōng bówùyuàn |
Source for artifact number [3]
Sources
- Asian hornets swarm hikers. Taiwan News. 9/26/2023.
- Visitor notices. National Palace Museum.
- National Palace Museum. Google Arts & Culture.
