Up High in the City’s High-Rises and Surrounding Mountains
TEXT | RICK CHARETTE
PHOTOS | VISION
Note: This article was published in the 2026 Summer Edition of TAIPEI magazine, a publication by the Taipei City Government.
Ah, Taipei … the deeper the night, the more romantic the twinkling panoramas of this city that never sleeps, from vantage points well-known to couples with a twinkle in their eye for each other. Read on to find out where they are, high up in manmade steel-and-concrete towers at dining and recreation hotspots or up in the hills, embraced by nature’s quiet.
Up in Manmade High-Rises
Let’s head deep into the city’s urban busy-ness and high up to panoramas awaiting you and your sweetheart, both “in” and “on”– iconic soaring spires created by inspired man.
Miramar Ferris Wheel
This giant 95-meter-high attraction sits prominently atop the multi-story Miramar Entertainment Park building (shopping/dining/entertainment). Dazzlingly lit up at night, its carriages are the perfect place to get cozy with that special someone, looking south across Dajia Riverside Park, beyond to planes taking off and landing at Taipei Songshan Airport, and the full city beyond that, lit up east to west. One exhilarating ride takes about 20 minutes.
Taipei 101
The pinnacle of the downtown Taipei sky is the crown of the skyscraping Taipei 101 tower, Taiwan’s tallest building. Super-fast elevators, racing along at 1,010 meters per minute, fly you to the Observatory on the 89th floor in just 37 seconds, which is, of course, much more effortless than free climber Alex Honnold’s approach. This level is a 360-degree indoor observation deck, and there is also access to an enclosed outdoor deck on floor 91. Enjoy an array of quality food-and-beverage spots high up in the spire.
Taipei Nan Shan Plaza
This Taipei 101 neighbor is a newer addition to the burgeoning city skyline. Opened in 2019, it is Taiwan’s fourth-tallest building. High-end high-up dining venues fill up floors 46~48 (options on lower levels as well). Renowned names include Chuan Ya (46F, Sichuan cuisine), Saffron 46 (46F, Indian cuisine), MiraWan (47F, French cuisine), and Cé La Vi Taipei (48F, contemporary Asian cuisine, sky bar).
Beitou Incinerator
Yes, you just read that title correctly. Romance awaits you up a Taipei incinerator. Enjoy grand night/day views, and surely one of your life’s oddest dining experiences, 120 meters up on the outside of this 40-story-high smokestack at the glass-walled Moonstar, Taipei’s only 360-degree revolving restaurant (completes one turn every 90 min., Western cuisine/afternoon tea). Overlooking the confluence of the Tamsui/Keelung rivers, you can also take in the spectacular sunsets over the Tamsui River and Mt. Guanyin behind it. Live singers perform Fri-Sun.
Up in Nature-Sculpted Hills
Taipei sits in a sea-level basin surrounded by mountains, all hill areas smoothly accessible via the comprehensive public-transport web.
Elephant Mountain Trails
The city’s famed Taipei 101 tower sits in a Taipei Basin east-side nook, and just behind is Four Beasts Mountain, made up of four low peaks. Laced with well-maintained trails that start at the mountain base, many lit at night, the Elephant Mountain Trail is the most popular. Each night, you’ll find photographers and smooching sweethearts taking in the pulsating skyline view at the Six Boulders lookout. (Savor a taste now with a Google search for “Taipei Live Cam Xiangshan.”)
Bishan Temple
Perched high on a ridge of a mountain in the Neihu District, overlooking almost the full basin running far west, is the grandiose Bishan Temple. Each night, its mountainside-overhang courtyard fills up with night-view aficionados. Spend your pre-night hours behind the ridge in the Baishihu area, filled with recreational farms, rustic cafés/eateries, and pleasant trails. (Experience the temple view online with a “Taipei Live Cam Bishan Temple” search.)
Four Seasons Corridor Observation Deck
This viewing deck is in the hills to the north above the renowned Beitou Hot Springs resort area, in the city’s northwest. The expansive wooden platform is right by a roadside in the forest-surrounded Datun Community, an agritourism enclave (mandarin orange picking, bamboo shoot collecting). There’s an unobstructed southerly view taking in the Guandu Plain, Tamsui/Keelung river convergence, and Beitou Incinerator, with Taipei 101 poking above an eastward mountain spur.
Battleship Rock
The huge, flat-topped Battleship Rock in the forested Shilin District hills can be conveniently accessed via the Junjianyan Hiking Trail, which starts on the campus of National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University. This hulking warship-resembling outcrop of sedimentary rock, formed 24 million years ago, offers sweeping views of the Taipei Basin, Tamsui River valley, and the Yangmingshan massif to the north.
About the author
Rick Charette
A Canadian, Rick has been resident in Taiwan almost continually since 1988. His book, article, and other writings, on Asian and North American destinations and subjects—encompassing travel, culture, history, business/economics—have been published widely overseas and in Taiwan. He has worked with National Geographic, Michelin, APA Insight Guides, and other Western groups internationally, and with many local publishers and central/city/county government bodies in Taiwan. Rick also handles a wide range of editorial and translation (from Mandarin Chinese) projects.
