Wenwen
“Taipei City Government Artificial Beach. Playing in the Sand” is Taiwan’s first urban artificial beach, with a vast area of soft, white sand that’s both fun and easy to maintain. Back when Qingge was little, it was an ultra-popular family spot in Taipei City.
A decade has flown by, and with the establishment of family centers in every district, plus many themed parks, family restaurants... there are just too many fun options now. Even though Wenwen often takes Tony to Xinyi District for playdates, she almost forgot about this vintage sandbox.
Today, she specially brought along some sand toys to take Qingge on a nostalgic trip. It was so touching to discover that the city’s artificial beach is just as clean and beautiful as she remembers. Nestled in the heart of the luxury retail-filled Xinyi District, with Taipei 101 right in front—this must be Taiwan’s most “luxurious” sandbox.
The exact location of “Taipei City Government Artificial Beach. Playing in the Sand” is at the plaza (southeast corner) behind the Taipei City Hall building.Although there’s no shade setup, after 3 or 4 p.m., the shadow of the City Hall building covers the entire sandbox area, so kids can play without getting sunburned.
Not sure if it’s due to the wind shear effect from the building, but even in the summer, there’s a cool breeze blowing—very pleasant. If you arrive earlier and it’s still too sunny, you can first check out the Taipei Exploratorium inside the City Hall and enjoy the air conditioning.
Greek-style columns, umbrellas, comfy seating, along with surrounding palm trees give off a tropical vacation vibe. It’s hard to imagine this is the prime, space-scarce Xinyi shopping district if it weren’t for Taipei 101 showing up in the frame.
Although Wenwen still misses the old container market beach that had tons of food stalls, the City Government Artificial Beach is actually more spacious and better suited for kids to play. Just walk through the food street at Times Square from Taipei City Hall MRT Station, grab all your snacks and drinks, and you can enjoy food while keeping an eye on the kids. (No wonder moms can’t lose weight.)
The two brothers grabbed their sand toys, found a spot, and started digging and building; Dad sat under the umbrella sipping coffee and scrolling his phone, and couldn’t help but marvel at how relaxing parenting can be like this.
The fine sand doesn’t stick easily—just a pat and it’s clean. But there’s also a thoughtful water tap nearby for easy washing, so kids can rinse their hands, have a snack, and keep playing.
The sand used at “Taipei City Government Artificial Beach. Playing in the Sand” isclean filtering sand originally used at the bottom of purification tanks by the Taipei Water Department. It’s actually very fine, rounded gravel, with a texture similar to shell sand., which doesn’t get stuck between fingernails and is also very easy to clean.
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The larger grains of sand are easier to clean, but they’re relatively harder to mold and not great for digging waterways or building dams. However, kids always find their own ways to have fun.
Little Tony followed his brother’s advice, added a bit of water to the mold, pressed the sand down firmly, flipped the mold quickly, and poured out the sand.
He successfully made a little castle and a shell Up. So happy.
Tony now knows how to follow his older brother’s instructions, discovers more fun ways to play, and it’s rare to see Qingge still so playful, willing to hang out in the sandbox with the little ones. A nearly 150-cm-tall older kid really stands out in the sandbox.
On a whim, Wenwen picked a photo of Qingge from when he was little to compare—and was shocked to find that it’s been eight years since the last photo here. Kids grow up so fast, and will soon become teenagers. Parents, cherish the time you can spend growing up and traveling with your children.
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The Xinyi shopping district has countless department stores and frequent fun events. Bring your kids to shop in Xinyi, catch a show at the City Government Family Theater, and then stop by the artificial beach—Playing in the Sand—for a guaranteed happy day.
■ Opening Hours: Open 24 hours
■ Location: Songzhi Road, Xinyi District, Taipei City (behind Taipei City Hall building)
■ Transportation:
1. By MRT:
Taipei MRT Bannan Line (Blue Line) Taipei City Hall Station: Exit 2, connect via the City Hall passageway, then walk about ten minutes.
Taipei MRT Tamsui Line (Red Line) Taipei 101/World Trade Center Station: Walk about eight minutes.
2. By car: the nearest parking lots are:
Songshou Plaza Underground Parking Lot (directly opposite the back entrance of the City Hall at No. 75, Songzhi Road)
Parking fee: Weekdays (09:00–22:00) 30 NTD/hour, holidays (09:00–22:00) 40 NTD/hour, (22:00–next day 09:00) 10 NTD/hour
Authorized repost from [Wenwen and the Kids] | Original source: [Free Family-Friendly Spot: Taipei City Government Artificial Beach – Play in the Sand]