National Palace Museum - Worth visiting?

Hi,

I have to admit that I%26#39;m not really into museums... But I do have free slots in my itinerary and was wondering if the National Palace Museum would be worth a visit, even for people like me who don%26#39;t generally have an interest in history or art. I know many first-time visitors list the NPM as a must-go, and well, I am a first-time visitor. Any comments? :)

If I do visit the museum, I would probably join a free English guided tour at 10am. Does anyone know how long this tour will take? Or would it be better to walk around on my own and rent the audio player?

Thanks! :)

National Palace Museum - Worth visiting?

The National Palace Museum is excellent, well worth a visit. There are pros and cons to the tour and the audio player. You get to ask the tour guide questions and that may help to make the exhibits more interesting for you. However, using an audio player gives you more flexibility - can skip galleries or sections you are not interested in.

National Palace Museum - Worth visiting?

Thanks, squidoid!

I%26#39;m more inclined to join the guided tour at the moment, but do they have a limit to the group size? Just thinking that if they allow too many people in the tour, it will probably not be too effective also.

I find it okay but it%26#39;s somewhere that I would want to revisit again. I think about 1-2 hours of walking around is enough.

I visited the museum over 20 yrs ago in a rushed tour, and last year spent a day there so engrossed that my friend and I almost skipped lunch. Give yourself more freedom to roam and read the details on the exhibits. I%26#39;m no big fan of history and art but viewing the exhibits is just awesome.

i would suggest that you visit the museum in the afternoon, so the most you can spend your time there is about 2~3 hours till it%26#39;s closed.

Don%26#39;t be like me, as i went in the morning, planned to stay 2 hours, then follow by lunch %26amp; others destination after that. But end up spent 5 hours+ there, skipped lunch %26amp; cancelled the remaining day schedule.

Thanks all for your replies! :)

From your comments, I think it%26#39;s worth a visit. Though I don%26#39;t think I%26#39;ll give up my lunch to view exhibits, haha.

You may want to ask the staff if the ';live'; guide or the audio player offers a more comprehensive tour. The situation may have changed, but in the past, the guided tour was only a partial tour covering the main points and not a full tour of the entire museum (that would%26#39;ve taken hours!).

I%26#39;m only allocating two to three hours for the museum tour, so covering the highlights would be good enough for me. :)

I can only slot in the NPM on a Sat or Mon, and am wondering which is better. For Sat, is it better to concentrate on Beitou and Danshui? I%26#39;d like to reach Danshui in time to catch the sunset. I read that Danshui is crowded on a weekend, so I guess I need to leave time to queue for the bus/ferry.

Yet if I go to the NPM on Mon, the Chih-shan Garden will not be open. Is the garden really worth a visit?

Here are my options, appreciate any comments anyone can offer:

Saturday:

NPM %26gt; Beitou (hotspring) %26gt; Danshui / Fisherman%26#39;s Wharf (sunset)

OR

Monday:

NPM %26gt; Tienmu (lunch at PS Bu Bu + shopping) %26gt; Ximending (dinner at Modern Toilet Restaurant + shopping)