The Palace Museum is an absolute must-do when visiting Taipei. This Met-like museum hosts some of China’s most valuable ancient imperial artifacts. With nearly 700,000 pieces, it is the largest collection of its kind anywhere in the world, which I find incredible as Taiwan is a rather small island to begin with.

Collections of coins, textiles, paintings, sculptures, vases, rare books and more were brought over from mainland China by Chiang Kai-shek, as the Chinese Civil War threatened the immediate safety of these precious items. So you can now find some of China’s oldest and most profound cultural staples, lining the corridors of this magnificent museum on the outskirts of Taipei City.

There are four floors of art and artifacts, gardens, pavilions, memorials, and common areas. Above are the sculptures, gardens, and entrance to the museum as photography inside is strictly forbidden. The Palace Museum offers a beautiful assortment of China's rich history right in Taipei’s backyard and was a perfect way to spend the afternoon.

One of the days that I wasn’t completely drowning myself in liters of beer, schnitzel, and pretzels as big as my head at Oktoberfest… I decided to go on a little adventure to the Pinakothek der Moderne. This extremely vast and incredibly designed museum was absolutely one of the highlights of my trip to Munich housing art, architecture, design & graphics of the 19th & 20th centuries.

I took the U6 underground train from the apartment I was staying at near Oktoberfest into the city centre and walked to the $120 million building from the Odeonsplatz station. Opened in 2002, the Pinakothek boasts a comprehensive collection of Modernism from the likes of Dali, Picasso, Braque and more as well as contemporary art from the 1960’s onward.

After some snooping around on the east and west wings of the first floor, I went up the staircase to explore the architectural wonders of Stephan Braunfels. In a world of white, high above the reception area, I walked, played, did yoga and took advantage of the amazing environment and beautiful lighting.

The Pinakothek is a marvelous place to get lost for an afternoon, whether as a break from guzzling beer, like myself, or simply as a palate-cleansing cultural day trip. If you are in Munich for a bit my recommendation is to go on Wednesdays, as it’s Allianz Day, which means free admission all day.