This is Taipei’s Central Park, where the city comes to play. And play it does, from kids rollerblading to teens shooting hoops to old men engaged in xiàngqí (Chinese chess). The park is a great place to stroll around after a meal on nearby Yongkang St or for a summer picnic. There's a little outdoor cafe, a sandpit, a firefly pond and a towering statue of Guanyin, the Buddhist goddess of mercy. Joggers do laps around its perimeter.

　　On big holidays, the amphitheatre hosts free stage shows featuring some of the biggest names in Taiwanese entertainment. Adjacent to the park and part of the MRT station is a branch of local coffee chain, Lousia (7.30am-10pm), that has tables outside in leafy loveliness and serves decent, well-priced coffee.

　　The park is open on all four sides and has dozens of entrances; there's even one from inside Da'an Park MRT station.