Brittney K.
Yelp
You must have two things when visiting here: determination and PATIENCE.
And maybe a jacket, because they keep it pretty chilly in there.
Why those things, you may ask?
The National Palace Museum is an amazingly extensive collection of Chinese treasures and historical artifacts, with three floors packed full of a multitude of exhibits displaying ceramics, pottery, calligraphy, precious stones, and more. You could literally and probably will spend AT LEAST a few hours here even if you skim quickly through it all. It's massive. It's well worth the price of admission. But if you're determined, you can eventually say you've seen everything!
But wait! It's not all sunshine and roses...
The main downside of coming here (if you've seen a reoccurring pattern amongst all the other reviews) is the presence of hordes upon hordes of tourists and tour groups that have little to no courtesy and will literally park it right in front of the popular displays so you have the most difficult time waiting to take a good picture. The worst part is that they seem neverending, but if you're patient, you may be able to sneak up and snap a photo before they descend upon it like a fresh piece of meat.
This will likely be the case when you attempt to see the famous "jadeite cabbage", which has returned to the National Palace Museum! We were lucky enough to catch it during our trip. However, this is one of the best examples of where you will be need to be extremely patient to wade through the army of tourists that will be blocking your way...
No backpacks are allowed, but you can store your belongings in a locker on the first floor for 10 NTD and you get the coin back afterwards too, so it's essentially free. Bathrooms are spread throughout, but benches and seating are hard to come by so make sure you're wearing walking shoes and are ready to be on your feet for at least a few hours. There's an audio tour available also, which we didn't do but seemed interesting, and the gorgeous exterior of the museum deserves some photos as well.
In all seriousness though, this a fantastic museum with so, so much to see. One of the main flaws is indeed the crowds, but if you can get past that, there's much to admire and learn, and then you can eat your heart out at the nearby Shilin Night Market afterwards!