Taipei 101 is a famous landmark of the Taiwan. It is a skyscraper with 101 floors – part is a mall, a business center, some floors occupied by restaurants, and an observatory. This is one of our stops in our last family vacation.
Taipei 101 Features
The skyscraper has a total height of 508 meters. It has a total of 101 floors and a high-speed elevator that reaches a top speed of 1,010 m/ minute. The tower has anti-earthquake structural features, believed to withstand major earthquakes of magnitudes recorded in the past 2,500 years. It also has wind-resistant designs that can withstand category 17 gale force winds up to 60 meters per second. One of the most famous feature of them all is the damper – considered as the world’s largest and heaviest tuned mass damper.
Taipei 101 Observatory
Visiting the observatory will let you experience one of the fastest elevators in the world. From the 5th floor to the 89th floor, where the observatory is, it will just take about 37 seconds. The elevators have atmospheric pressure regulatory systems to avoid discomfort (ears ‘popping’) for occupants. As the elevators takes you to the observatory or back to the ground, the lights are dimmed for you to see the constellation display at the ceiling.
At the observatory, you can see the 360-degree view of Taipei’s skyline. There are also high-powered binoculars around the observatory that you can use for a fee. Make sure to spot the Infinity Sky section of the tower.
An interesting part of the observatory is seeing the actual damper used in the tower. The tuned mass damper is the key feature that keeps Taipei 101 secure and safe. The tuned mass damper restrain building sway when there’s strong winds or earthquakes and is necessary for maintaining structural integrity. At Taipei 101, the room-sized device, with 5.5 meters in diameter, is capable of moving five feet in any direction, thereby reducing the tower sway by 30 to 40 percent. This is the only tuned mass damper in he world display to the public. The mom and dad engineers were so amazed, of course!
There is also on outdoor observatory you can check at the 91st floor where visitors can experience the panoramic view surrounded by the clouds or view the tip of the spire that reaches 508 meters above the ground. This is the top of the skyscraper. However, when there are strong winds and unsafe for visitors, they close this part.
Taipei 101 and Damper Baby by Gab
Taipei 101 Observatory Fees
Taipei 101 Observatory Admission costs Adult NT$600 or about Php 1000 (for kids above 115cm & students it’s NT$540 or about Php 930). You can either get your tickets online, at the kiosks or directly at the reception.
Tips when visiting Taipei 101 Observatory
- We suggest checking the weather before heading to buy tickets as weather in Taiwan is quite unpredictable (especially on January).
- When using a credit card for purchase, if you have not bought online, use the kiosks instead of lining up to get your tickets. It’s faster and you’ll be charge of the same amount.
- Choose a schedule that you can see both the late afternoon and the night lights. 4pm schedule would be a great time to go and on a weekday, if you can.
- They will allow you to line up for the entrance only at the time of your entry and number printed in the tickets. You will not be allowed to line up early.
- Lining up for the entrance to the elevators at peak hours (5pm onwards in weekdays) will take you about 20 minutes. Be prepared by taking rest room breaks and having your snacks before your entrance.
- They offer a photo souvenir by entrance. They will take your photo and photoshop the Taipei 101 in the background. Is it not required to pay for the photo and we decided not to spend on it. We don’t think it’s worth the price.
- Before leaving the observatory, checkout the souvenir items at the shops to take home a Taipei 101 memorabilia.
Taipei 101 Observatory Operating Hours
The observatory is open everyday from 9am to 10pm. Closing time ticket sales and entrance is at 9:15pm.
Taipei 101 is located at No. 20, Section 5, Xinyi Road, Xinyi District, Taipei City. You can take the Red Line 2 (Xiangshan train) MRT to Taipei 101/World Trade Center.
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