OVERVIEW
Impressions of Taipei
Taipei, a sleepless city ― many shops run for 24 hours (including restaurants, and even bookstores!) ― is located in northern Taiwan. It offers areas of spectacular natural beauty, streets lined with shops, bustling night markets, countless restaurants, and numerous international hotels. Taipei is a convenient, clean, modern and safe city in southern East Asia.
National Taiwan University
Largest/Top university in Taiwan with a nice campus ― located in the heart of Taipei city. Very easy to reach by metro (MRT) or bus. 10 mins at 0.5 Euros to Taipei Main Station, easy access anywhere.
The Venue – gisNTU Convention Center
838 m2, 368 regular seats (extendable to 400+), plus 9 satellite meeting rooms, power plug for every seat, microphone for every 2 seats. At boundary of NTU main campus (Roosevelt Rd), 2 mins walk to metro station. Enumerable number of nearby restaurants (cheap and tasty!). Will take “mixed” approach to lunch.
Transportation
Transportation (metro, bus, taxi) is very convenient, cheap, and clean in Taipei. Typical city taxi fares < 5 Euros, metro trip usually < 1 Euro. From international airport: 1 hour bus ride ~ 4 Euros. Airfare not trivial, but bonus of (likely) flying thru Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai, Bangkok, Singapore etc. Try stopover.
Accommodation
Two hotels adjacent to NTU campus (a 4* hotel at ~ 90 Euros per night, is 1 mins walk from venue). Many good hotels, usually cheaper than in other major cities in Asia, and easy to book, too. Typical room rates: 3* – 50-70 Euros, 4* – 60-90 Euros, 5* – 90-150 Euros.
Attractions: Food!
Taiwanese cuisine: inherited from China with lighter, local tastes, with strong influence from Japan. Excellent seafood and vegetarian dishes. Diverse selection of (Chinese) regional and international cuisine. Large varieties in night markets. Generally inexpensive.
Attractions: Tourism
A nearby national park and hot spring areas, and not far from seashore. [Taiwan itself an island the size of Holland, but goes up to 3952 meters] Lot’s of temples and museums, especially the National Palace Museum, housing a sizable portion of China’s dynastic treasures.
Time to book your trip
Excellent location in East Asia; Unique, small but dynamic country. Fusion of Chinese, Japanese, American and European ― and Taiwanese! Excellent and convenient city, nice campus. Quite adequate venue in modern city. Excellent and inexpensive food, world class culture heritage. If time affords: Up 3000+ meters, diverse coastal areas (North, Northeast, East, South!) Side trip or stopover in dynamic East and Southeast Asian cities or tourist spots.