Seal Co‑living 海抱共居
EN
繁體中文 English 日本語 한국어

Weekend day-outs

From Kunyang to Shilin: a classic cross-city day with the National Palace Museum, Shilin Official Residence, and Shilin Night Market

Starting from Kunyang Station at the eastern end of the Bannan Line, you only need to transfer once at Taipei Main Station to reach Shilin. Spend the morning at the National Palace Museum, the afternoon at the Shilin Official Residence, and the evening at Shilin Night Market — it's mostly indoors, so it still works on a rainy weekend.

Seal Co-living team Updated 5 min read Translated from Chinese · 中文原文

The main building of the National Palace Museum with the green hills behind
Photo: Maxim Klimashin / Unsplash
On this page
  1. How the day goes
  2. Routes and journey times
  3. Walking tips
  4. Budget
  5. For you, if you've just moved here
  6. FAQ
  7. Sources

Kunyang Station is at the eastern end of the Bannan Line, and Shilin is in the north of the city. On a map it looks far, but you only need to change trains once, at Taipei Main Station. This route is mostly indoors, so it still works on a rainy weekend. From Kunyang House to the MRT station: Kunyang Station (Bannan Line), about a 2-minute walk.

How the day goes

  1. Morning08:30

    Set off

    At Kunyang Station, take the Bannan Line towards Dingpu and ride 9 stops to Taipei Main Station. Change to the Tamsui-Xinyi Line towards Tamsui and ride 6 stops to Shilin Station (about 27 minutes on the train).

  2. Morning09:30

    National Palace Museum

    Leave Shilin Station by Exit 1 and walk 1–2 minutes to the Zhongzheng Rd. bus stop. Take bus Red 30, Minibus 18, 255 (short route), 300, 304, 815, Minibus 19 or Citizen Minibus 1; the ride takes about 15 minutes. Red 30 stops at the B1 entrance of Exhibition Area I. The museum is open Tuesday to Sunday, 09:00–17:00, and ticket sales and ticket exchange stop at 16:30.

  3. Midday12:30

    Lunch back near Shilin Station

    Take the bus back to Shilin Station and find a place nearby to sit down and eat.

  4. Afternoon13:30

    Shilin Official Residence Main Building

    It is about 620 m from Shilin Station. It is open Tuesday to Sunday, 09:30–12:00 and 13:30–17:00 (last entry 11:50 / 16:50). There is a scheduled guided tour at 15:30, which you can just make if you go in the afternoon.
    If you would rather skip the residence, you can go to the Martyrs' Shrine instead: it is open every day, 09:00–17:00, with a changing of the guard every hour on the hour (except during the spring and autumn memorial ceremonies). It is about 1 km from Jiantan Station.

  5. Early evening16:30

    Shilin Night Market

    From Shilin Station, ride 1 stop to Jiantan Station. From Exit 1, it is about a 5-minute walk to the Shilin Market area. The night market is open every day, 16:00–24:00.

  6. Evening

    Head home

    At Jiantan Station, take the Tamsui-Xinyi Line to Taipei Main Station, then change to the Bannan Line towards Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center and ride back to Kunyang (about 25 minutes on the train).

Routes and journey times

Leg Route Time on the train Fare
Kunyang → Shilin Bannan Line to Taipei Main Station, change to the Tamsui-Xinyi Line About 26.7 minutes (1 transfer) NT$35
Shilin Station ↔ National Palace Museum Bus (officially about 15 minutes) — Regular bus fare
Shilin → Jiantan Tamsui-Xinyi Line, 1 stop About 1.7 minutes NT$20
Jiantan → Kunyang Tamsui-Xinyi Line to Taipei Main Station, change to the Bannan Line About 24.6 minutes (1 transfer) NT$35

Times on the train are calculated from Taipei Metro open data. Allow an extra 5–10 minutes for each transfer and for entering and leaving stations.

Walking tips

  • Walking around the museum's galleries is hard on your feet, so remember to find somewhere to sit down along the way.
  • From the residence to the night market is about 1 km in a straight line. You can walk or ride a YouBike; you don't have to take the MRT.

Budget

Item Regular ticket
MRT, 3 rides NT$90
Bus, return trip Regular bus fare
National Palace Museum NT$350
Shilin Official Residence Main Building NT$100
Total (excluding bus and food) About NT$540

The table shows regular ticket prices. To see who can use concession tickets, check the official websites of the two venues.

For you, if you've just moved here

  • EasyCard: The three MRT rides add up to NT$90, so you don't need a day pass. If you also commute every day on weekdays, work out whether the TPASS metropolitan pass is worth it for you (30 days for NT$1,200, covering the MRT, city buses and more; the latest announcement sets the conditions).
  • YouBike: Register your EasyCard as a member, and the first 30 minutes on YouBike 2.0 in Taipei City are free.
  • Rainy-day plan: The National Palace Museum and the Official Residence Main Building are both indoors. If the rain is heavy, spend the afternoon at the museum as well; just buy your ticket before 16:30.

FAQ

Are there free days at the National Palace Museum?

Yes. Admission is free on National Day (10 October) and on Taiwan Culture Day (17 October 2026), so it may be more crowded than usual.

Can I go on a Monday?

Both the museum and the residence are closed on Mondays. In 2026, the museum also opens on three special Mondays: 26 October, 9 November and 7 December.

When else is the residence closed?

It is closed during Lunar New Year, Tomb Sweeping Day, the Dragon Boat Festival and the Mid-Autumn Festival. Every year it also closes for one week in February–March and for two weeks in September for maintenance.

If you'd also like to live long-term at the eastern end of the Bannan Line, take a look at Kunyang House.

Sources

(All data below was retrieved on 5 October 2026.)

  1. 1.National Palace Museum – opening hoursnpm.gov.tw/Articles.aspx?sno=02007001
  2. 2.National Palace Museum – admissionnpm.gov.tw/Articles.aspx?sno=02007004&l=1
  3. 3.National Palace Museum – public transportnpm.gov.tw/Articles.aspx?sno=03009216&l=1
  4. 4.Department of Cultural Affairs, Taipei City Government – Shilin Official Residence Main Buildingculture.gov.taipei/cp.aspx?n=5FB2672C1EFD7588
  5. 5.Tourism Administration, Ministry of Transportation and Communications – Shilin Official Residencetaiwan.net.tw/m1.aspx?sNo=0001090&id=208
  6. 6.Taipei Travel Net – National Revolutionary Martyrs' Shrinetravel.taipei/en/attraction/details/447
  7. 7.Tourism Administration, Ministry of Transportation and Communications – National Revolutionary Martyrs' Shrinetaiwan.net.tw/m1.aspx?sNo=0001090&id=9508
  8. 8.Taipei Travel Net – Shilin Night Markettravel.taipei/en/attraction/details/1692
  9. 9.Tourism Administration, Ministry of Transportation and Communications – Shilin Night Markettaiwan.net.tw/m1.aspx?sNo=0001090&id=154
  10. 10.Department of Transportation, Taipei City Government – TPASS FAQdot.gov.taipei/News_Content.aspx?n=D739A9F6B5C0AB95&sms=72544237BBE4C5F6&s=211F0144D17E5F30
  11. 11.YouBike – Taipei City ratesyoubike.com.tw/region/taipei/rate/
  12. 12.Data.Taipei – MRT running times between stationsdata.taipei/dataset/detail?id=513e97fe-6a98-4a0d-b7dc-11122c8638d4
  13. 13.Data.Taipei – MRT station data (for distance calculations)data.taipei/dataset/detail?id=1eefa68d-7c8d-491b-8e75-66a161947426
  14. 14.Data.Taipei – MRT faresdata.taipei/dataset/detail?id=4acb4911-0360-4063-808d-fcee629508b3

Living in Taipei

Keep reading

Weekend day-outs

Along the Green Line: From Gongguan to Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall, Longshan Temple, and Sunset at Dadaocheng

Living in Gongguan, you're just a few stops north on the Songshan-Xindian Line from old Taipei neighborhoods like Wanhua and Dadaocheng. Watch the ceremonial guard performance at Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall in the morning, walk through Longshan Temple at midday, stroll Dihua Street in the afternoon, catch the sunset at Dadaocheng Wharf in the evening, and finish with dinner at Ningxia Night Market before heading straight home on one train.

5 min read

Weekend day-outs

Starting from Houshanpi: Zoo in the Morning, Tea in Maokong in the Afternoon, and a Stroll Through Raohe Before Walking Home at Night

Living around Houshanpi in Nangang, you can head south into the hills on weekends and north to the night market in the evening. Visit the zoo in the morning, take the Maokong Gondola up for tea at midday, come back down to Songshan Ciyou Temple and Raohe Night Market in the evening, then cross the Rainbow Bridge and walk home to Houshanpi.

5 min read

Seal Co-living

Make Taipei home.

7 furnished shared houses. From NT$8,000 per bed per month on a 12-month lease, minimum lease 30 days.1

Browse the houses Book a viewing