Things to do in New Taipei, Taiwan: The Best Nature & Parks

Reviewed By CdnLovesTravel787 - Vancouver, Canada

Taipei Metropolitan Park is right next to Sangchong Metro stop and is the site of the 2020 Lantern Festival. It was only 5 stops for me along the Orange Metro line, very fast to get there. You have to climb up some stairs to get to one edge of the park where you can look down onto the vast, very flat park. Down below it was a carnival like atmosphere with games, food vendors galore for the New Years Festival. It would last till the end of February. Up more stairs was a meandering bridge above it all for a great view of the lanterns and festivities below. Up there on the bridge I entered the ‘Love Tunnel’ of lights. I could see all the lit displays from the bridge and took pics from up there. Would have to return another time to walk to see displays ground level. From up there the name of ‘Taipei Metropolitan Park’ was displayed in massive letters in English on one side and in Chinese on the other side. One display was a mock pinball machine with children rolling giant balls around, in it. Behind the row of food vendor tents on the ground, were two lit tunnels of round lanterns made by school children of Taipei. High up on the bridge, it looked like one long, wide strip of light. Once on the ground, you could walk through these tunnels to view the round lanterns. Everyone was taking photos of them above their heads. The entire park was well organized, well spaced out, and there were toilet facilities in place too. The food tents were in two lines facing each other and offered famous Taiwanese specialties like meat buns baked tandoori style, deep fried king mushroom pieces which battered and fried, are delicious. I really enjoyed this New Years Festival at this park, which was ideal for it.