Yangmingshan National Park

Yangmingshan is Taipei's backyard volcano — a national park of dormant volcanic peaks, hot springs, sulphur fumaroles, and subtropical forest on the mountains north of the city that provides the most dramatic natural landscape accessible from any Asian capital. The park's highest point, Qixing Mountain (Seven Star Mountain, 1,120m), offers views across Taipei to the south and to the Pacific coast and the Keelung volcanic archipelago to the north.

The volcanic landscape is the park's most distinctive feature — Xiaoyoukeng (a fumarole area where sulphurous gases vent from the mountainside in hissing, yellow-stained vents) provides the most visceral encounter with the volcanic activity that created the mountains. The Lengshuikeng hot spring area offers free public hot spring pools fed by the volcanic heat, and the hiking trails between the volcanic features pass through forests of cherry trees that bloom spectacularly in February-March.

The park is accessible by bus from MRT Jiantan or Shipai stations (about 40 minutes), and the network of trails ranges from gentle walks through the flower gardens (the park is famous for its flower festivals — calla lilies in March, cherry blossoms in February, hydrangeas in May) to challenging ridge walks across the volcanic peaks. The combination of volcanic geology, subtropical ecology, and the proximity to a city of 2.6 million people makes Yangmingshan one of the most remarkable urban national parks in the world.