Confucius Temple, Baoan Temple & Garden

Not far from Beimen WOW lie two of biggest and most notable temples in Taipei, Confucius Temple and Baoan Temple. Both of them have a rich history and showcase impressive architecture and decorations. Nestled between them is Baoan Temple Garden, a small serene garden with even more striking figures and wall paintings. Baoan Temple is open every day from 6:30am to 9:30pm. Confucius Temple is closed on Mondays, but open all other days between 8:30am and 9:00pm. Please note that some of the showcasing rooms at Confucius Temple close already at 5pm.

How to get there? 

Ride the Red Line from Zhongshan to Yuanshan for about five minutes. Exit through gate 2, cross the road and follow Kulun Street for another five minutes. On your right side, Taipei Confucius Temple will be the first one to appear. Next to it is the Baoan Temple Garden, and across the street from the garden is the Baoan Temple. There will be signs to guide you and the temples are easy to spot. 

Taipei Confucius Temple was built to honor the great philosopher Confucius. He valued simplicity, and this is why it's less densely decorated than other temples in Taipei. Still, it's well worth a visit. The Confucius Temple has a more calming feeling to it than the neighbour temple, it’s bigger and more spacey. It’s also more tourist oriented, with several rooms with information in English where you can learn about the life of Confucius, with rituals and history, and even math. And not to forget; there is also a pond with turtles. 

While the Confucius Temple is good for tourists and photography with lots of open space, the Baoan Temple is much smaller and seems to be more visited for praying. This temple is also much older, and with all the impressive details it’s definitely worth seeing. 

The Garden is beautiful, and very calm even though it’s so close to the busy roads. The most spectacular feature is the colourful statue of a dragon in the middle of the pond, which also has koi fish in it. Next to it are also some impressive wall ornaments, not to mention the gate to the garden itself which is richly decorated. 

All three places are worth seeing, with beautiful art, views and nice atmosphere. They are all impressive in their own way, since they have different styles.