Freebies are gone for good. New Taipei City museums to charge NT$80 per person from July

▲ Gold Museum. (Photo / Provided by New Taipei City Government Culture Bureau)

By Chen Ruizhong / Staff reporter

New Taipei City’s public museums, which have offered free admission for five years, will reinstate ticket fees starting July 1 to improve the visitor experience. The standard fare will be NT$80 per person.

The free admission policy for New Taipei City’s public museums was implemented on February 18, 2011. During today’s city council meeting,the decision was made to reintroduce ticketing for museums including the Sanxia History Museum, Gold Museum, Yingge Ceramics Museum, and Tamsui Historic Museum.The national historic site Lin Ben Yuan Family Mansion has been undergoing renovation since October last year, with completion scheduled for June 2018. Currently, parts of the site are open to the public, and no admission fee is charged during the construction period.

The New Taipei City Cultural Affairs Bureau stated that public museums such as the Yingge Ceramics Museum, Sanxia History Museum, Gold Museum, and Tamsui Historic Museum are gradually installing Beacon systems. By enabling Bluetooth on mobile phones or tablets, visitors can receive accurate and real-time museum-related information. Additionally, a borderless “virtual museum” will be developed in the future to offer more diverse and refined exhibition services, further elevating the quality of New Taipei’s museums.

As a token of appreciation, residents registered in New Taipei City, domestic students, and those holding low-income household certificates are all eligible for free admission. In accordance with legal regulations, children under the age of twelve, seniors aged sixty-five and above, indigenous people aged fifty-five and above, individuals with disabilities and their accompanying persons, as well as volunteers holding Honorary Volunteer Service Cards, are also granted free entry.