The 16th century Portuguese explorers who named Taiwan “Formosa,” meaning “beautiful island,” knew what they were talking about. From lush mountains to one of the worlds tallest buildings, Taiwan is stunning. So to get your weekend started, we invite you to take a little tour with us through a few of the 91 iconic sites we’ve just put up on Street View.

We’ll start with a virtual glimpse of what to expect when landing in Taiwan at the Taipei Taoyuan International Airport, the country's largest airport:

From there, head over to one of Taipei’s main attractions, the incomparable Taipei 101 (the worlds tallest building from 2004 to 2007). For a little virtual scare, you can even step out onto the ledge of the Taipei 101 observatory where, if you look closely, you’ll see our Street View operator holding on tight to the building as he gets the perfect angle for the imagery:

Use Street View to hop from your perch over this cityscape to the trails on some of Taiwan’s tallest mountains. Check out this view from the Nengao Cross-Ridge National Trail, one of the most difficult yet scenic hikes in Taiwan:

If you’ve had enough of heights, you can cruise on over to some of Taiwan’s scenic bodies of water. Use Street View to explore Songlong Rock Waterfall at Sun Link Sea Forest Park, surrounded by a centuries old forest, as well as Cueifong Lake, Taiwan's biggest mountain lake:


Of course, it wouldn’t be a proper visit to Taiwan without seeing some of the island’s most loved celebrities, so have a look at the Taipei Zoo Panda House’s resident (napping) superstars:

Finally, take a break from all of that time in the great outdoors, and give the kids (or yourselves) a little dinosaur thrill, with a quick visit to Taiwan’s National Museum of Natural Science, the country’s second largest museum:

Phew, now we’re exhausted. But if you can’t get enough, worry not, there are 85 more sites like these just added to Street View for you to discover and consider for your next weekend trip to Taiwan. Happy exploring!

Posted by Cynthia Wei, Street View Program Manager, Google