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Although travelgasm.com has yet to visit all cities in Asia, the continent is not known generally for high quality museums that are curated with academic rigor. However, Taipei provides a welcomed exception to the norm, and the National Palace Museum (國立故宮博物院) very well could be the best museum in Asia.

With 696,373 pieces in its permanent collection (and around 3,000 pieces on display at any given time in quarterly rotation), it certainly is the largest collection of Chinese artifacts and art in the world. The sometimes disorderly queues of tourists waiting to gawk at popular artifacts — like the Jadeite Cabbage (翠玉白菜) — can be annoying, but it's well worth the trouble to see an incredible collection covering 7,000 years of Chinese history, particularly for the modest price.

The National Palace Museum is inconveniently located in the Waishuangxi (外雙溪) neighborhood of the Shilin District (士林區), but we've mapped out the best transit and walking route below. You also could consider booking a three-hour tour of Taipei which includes transportation to the National Palace Musuem as well as easy visits to the Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall and other attractions.

As the museum is rather isolated, the only place to eat within convenient walking distance is the Silks Palace restaurant (故宮晶華) inside the museum itself, which has both inexpensive Taiwanese "fast food" and more upscale Cantonese options. We never tried it (although it generally has solid reviews), but you may prefer to eat near Shilin MRT Station (士林站) before or after visiting the museum. The district is huge and has many restaurants, but popular options convenient to the station include Fong Sheng Hao (豐盛號) for Western-inspired breakfast sandwiches, Ikari (怡客咖啡) for coffee and light meals, and Bao Bao Bao (寶飽煲) for Taiwanese food.

How to Get Here: Take the Red Line (Line 2, Tamsui-Xinyi Line) to Shilin Station (士林站). Leave the station by Exit 1. Walk straight to Zhongzhen Road (中正路) and turn right (do not cross the street). Walk past five alleyways, cross Zhongshan North Road (中山北路), and just past the gas station is the bus stop you need (Fulin Elementary School). Catch the R30, 255, 304, or 815 bus. If the bus is a "down" bus (as signified by the "下" character), you should tap your EasyCard on the reader when getting off (down from) the bus. If the bus is an "up" bus (上), you instead tap your EasyCard when getting (up) on the bus. If you can't speak Mandarin, just watch locals if you are unsure when to tap.

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