Taipei

Ride to the 89th-floor deck, open 10:00 to 21:00, and see the gold mass damper that steadies the tower in typhoons.

The city's most atmospheric temple, first built 1738. Come at dusk when the chanting starts and incense fills the courtyards.

Nearly 700,000 pieces of Chinese imperial art, the jadeite cabbage included. Closed Mondays; arrive at opening to beat groups.

Sulphur suburb 30 minutes up the Red Line. Hotel and public baths sit beside the steaming Thermal Valley and a 1913 bathhouse.

Glass-floor cable car over the hills to Maokong's tea plantations. Closed Mondays, plus scheduled maintenance shutdowns.

Taiwan's main hub, 40km west. The Airport MRT Express reaches Taipei Main Station in about 36 minutes; buses run around the clock.

Small city airport for Tokyo, Seoul, Shanghai and domestic hops. Sits on the Metro Brown Line, 15 minutes from downtown.

THSR runs Kaohsiung to Taipei in about 100 minutes. Book a reserved seat online; EasyCard is not valid on the HSR.

October to December: dry, mild, and the summer typhoons have passed.

June to September, when heat, humidity and typhoon risk thin the crowds.

Lunar New Year through the Lantern Festival, late January to March.

Longshan Temple at opening, then the Bopiliao heritage block and a bowl of thick squid soup in the Wanhua lanes.

Metro to Xiangshan and climb the Elephant Mountain steps, 20 minutes up, for the classic Taipei 101 skyline view.

Xiaolongbao and beef noodle soup around Yongkang Street, then mango shaved ice a few doors along.

Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall grounds and the changing of the guard, then the Zhongshan bookshop lanes.

Taipei 101 at sunset, then eat your way down Raohe Street Night Market from the Songshan MRT end.

Volcanic park on the city's northern rim: sulphur vents, calla lilies in spring, silvergrass in autumn. Bus S15 or 260.

End of the Red Line, 40 minutes out. Riverside old street, iron-egg snacks, Fort San Domingo and a fine estuary sunset.