Yu Da Wei Xian Sheng Memorial Museum

Small but excellent museum, with a large amount of English signage to help explain the exhibits. A short loop telling the story of the Second Taiwan Strait Crisis of 1958, in which the Nationalists in Kinmen and Communists on the mainland shelled each other with artillery almost non-stop for months, a decade after the end of the Chinese Civil War. There is also a Virtual War room where you can experience war for 3 minutes. Outdoors there are historic military vehicles on display, including tanks, a fighter plane, and an amphibious landing vehicle.

A small museum detailing Kinmen's history of legalized brothels set up by the government for soldiers, many of whom were stranded on the island for the rest of their lives after retreating from Mainland China. Glosses over the darker aspects of the story, and is told largely from the point of view of the men, but still has some interesting information. Many, but not all, signs are in English as well as Chinese. Free, open everyday. No.126 Qionglinli Xiaojing, Jinhu Town, in the middle of island. Ask the tourist office at the Jincheng bus station for buses that stop there.

With an underground howitzer base and museum, in Shanhou in the northeast of Kinmen, near Shanhou Culture Village. Bus 31 from Shamei (沙美, bus 5 or 5A from Kincheng to Shamei)

Also referred to as Shanhou Culture Village (山后民俗文化村), it's a great little place to poke around, with Kinmens 2 best antique stores being located within the walls. It is only NT$50 to get in and a beautiful and well maintained example of South Fujian style traditional Chinese houses with swallow tail roofs and was built towards the end of the 1800s.