Chiang Kai Shek Shilin residence (士林官邸)

Getting there
Take the red MRT line to Shilin Station and leave out of Exit 2, turn left down the bendy Lane 505 of Zhongshan North Road, and follow it straight until you get to the big Zhongshan North road, cross and continue along Fulin road. You'll see the residence grounds on your right, walk a little further to find the entrance.

Chiang Kai Shek Shilin residence
Originally the heavily militarised residence was actually a flower/botanical centre and there are many installations and nature inspired sculptures, flower gardens and open spaces to walk around and explore.

Wandering through the gardens of Taiwan’s ex-dictator admiring the flowers, make you proud to be from a democratic country. But what’s makes this place really fun to visit, are the abandoned, semi-collapsed buildings which were inhabited (presumably )by CKS's jump-suit clad henchmen. In order to explore them, leave the main paths and head to the more overgrown areas. You will see buildings and ruins poking out of the overgrown vegetation.

On a more serious note, it is interesting to see how the man lived. His military-green painted mansion and his chapel both give a much more insightful view of the man who ruled Taiwan than his propagandistic memorial in the centre of town.

Chiang Kai Shek Memorial (國立中正紀念堂)

Getting there
Just take the red MRT line to the Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Station. It's pretty central so you can walk there from other tourist locations like the 2/28 park. It's also possible to walk to Longshan temple & Night market if you're up for a bit of a stroll

Chiang Kai Shek memorial (國立中正紀念堂)
This is definitely an impressive place and is worth visiting just to admire its scale. Inside the memorial are numerous things from CKS’s life and rule, leaving out everything nasty (like the 2/28 massacre or the estimated disappearance of 80 000 people during his reign). His two bulletproof black cadillacs look really cool too.

It’s another great place to escape the noise of the city and you can bring a packed lunch from the best buffet in Taipei, and sit in the grounds while you admire the architecture and listen to the birdsong.