Penghu Islands
Almost comically small, this cast-iron lighthouse was built in 1878 by Brits who initially staffed the place on 10-year shifts. The main attractions are the moorland landscapes and bracing sea views.
About a minute's drive east, a 'bridge to nowhere' is actually the viewing platform to look down onto the Wai'an Decoy Cannon (外垵餌砲; Wài'ǎn Ěrpào), a two-bore 6m gun made in concrete as a cunning ruse by the Japanese to fool reconnaissance that the island was heavily fortified.
14.27 MILES
Those desert island paradise photos you probably saw on Penghu's promotion brochures and websites were most likely taken at Jibei Sand Tail, a dazzling…
6.03 MILES
This celebrated 17th-century Matsu temple sports high, sweeping swallowtail eaves and a wealth of gorgeous Chaozhou-style woodcarvings, mostly from a 1922…
10.49 MILES
This large, family-friendly experience is home to an engrossing collection of living sea life, from a rescued three-legged turtle and magical family of…
23.62 MILES
Penghu's most photographed icon is a double hoop of stone walls linked to breakwaters in an ocean bay. Built with narrow openings, they were designed to…
13.33 MILES
In the west coast fishing village of Zhongshe, over 130 small, traditional houses survive, most tightly packed in two photogenic huddles. Made of local…
6.08 MILES
Magong's cute if minuscule historic heart is a forked alley of old-style shops directly east of the Tianhou (Matsu) Temple.
7.01 MILES
This large modern museum offers an excellent introduction to Penghu's history, culture and changing lifestyles. Memorable features include the explanation…
4.32 MILES
Penghu's only really 'complete' traditional village, low-slung Erkan oozes charm and is appealingly set on a grassy plateau raised above the sea…
1.32 MILES
The largest of Penghu's five fortress sites, this was one of a pair rebuilt in 1887 following the end of the Sino-French War. Four heavy Armstrong guns …
3.74 MILES
This minor geological curiosity is a vertically contoured wall of basalt forming a small outcrop in the grass-and-scrub landscape. There's a glass-box…
4.32 MILES
Penghu's only really 'complete' traditional village, low-slung Erkan oozes charm and is appealingly set on a grassy plateau raised above the sea…
4. Fengkuei Cave & Youfu Pavilion
5.06 MILES
At the southernmost tip of Fengkuei is Fengkuei Cave, where strong waves create long rectangular spaces under the coastal basalt. When the tide rises,…
5.09 MILES
For fine views and nice walks, follow signs to Snakehead Hill (蛇頭山; Shétóu Shān) and discover some grassy terraces on which once stood a Dutch fort.
5.84 MILES
This self-contained 'village' was once the living quarters of military families. The partly derelict area is now being valiantly reworked into a small…
5.86 MILES
The 200-year-old Da-yi Temple is dedicated to Guandi, the god of war, with 4m bronze statues guarding the entry stairs.
5.92 MILES
A quick walk west along Zhongshan Rd from central Magong takes you to Shuncheng Gate, the only restored portal in the largely overgrown old city wall.