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Day trips from Taipei

Taipei’s day trips are short. The MRT runs to Tamsui and its forts on the river mouth in about 40 minutes, and the train reaches Keelung, the harbour city, in under an hour. Jiufen, the old gold-mining town in the hills above the coast, takes about an hour by train and bus. Over the mountains, buses through the Hsuehshan Tunnel reach Yilan and Luodong in about an hour. Each has free Mappu audio guides with a map.

Where to go

Jiufen and Jinguashi

A gold-mining town on the hills above the coast, named for nine families. Gold was found in 1893, and the stepped lanes of Shuqi Road and Jishan Street, the Old Street, follow the slope, with the sea between the rooftops. Over the ridge in Jinguashi, the Gold Museum fills the old mining office of a district where mining ended in 1987, and a long stone stairway climbs to the ruins of the Ōgon Shrine.

Getting there
Train from Taipei Main Station to Ruifang, 45 minutes to an hour, then a local bus up to Jiufen Old Street in about 15 minutes; the same bus goes on to Jinguashi. Direct buses also run from Zhongxiao Fuxing MRT station in about 1 hour 30 minutes.
Time
About 1 hour to 1 hour 30 minutes each way; most of a day with Jinguashi.
Listen to the free Jiufen guideMap of Jiufen

Also free: Gold Museum, Ōgon Shrine

On foot: Mount Keelung to Ōgon Shrine, Jiufen

Keelung

Taiwan’s northern harbour city. Miaokou Night Market grew from the crowds around Dianji Temple and is known for its food. On the hills above the port, Zhongzheng Park, laid out in 1933, is crowned by a 25-metre statue of Guanyin, and Ershawan Battery, begun in 1841 and rebuilt after the French attack of 1884, looks over the harbour. Across the water, Xian Dong Yan, the Fairy Cave, is the largest sea cave in the area, with a Buddhist temple inside.

Getting there
Train from Taipei Main Station to Keelung, 45 minutes to an hour. The night market is a 10-minute walk from the station; Zhongzheng Park is up the hill across the harbour, and the battery and the Fairy Cave are a short bus or taxi ride.
Time
About 1 hour each way; an afternoon and evening, ending at the night market.
Listen to the free Miaokou Night Market guideMap of Miaokou Night Market

Also free: Zhongzheng Park, Ershawan Battery, Fairy Cave

On foot: Keelung Harbour to Zhongzheng Park, Keelung, Dianji Temple to Ershawan Battery, Keelung

Tamsui

A river-mouth town with layers of foreign forts. Fort Santo Domingo began as the Spanish fort of 1628, was rebuilt by the Dutch and later became the red-brick British consulate. Hobe Fort was built in 1886 after the Sino-French War and never saw battle. In the old town, the red-brick Tamsui Church, finished in 1933, grew from George Leslie Mackay’s mission of 1872.

Getting there
MRT Tamsui-Xinyi (red) Line to Tamsui, the last stop, about 40 minutes from Taipei Main Station. Fort Santo Domingo is a 20-minute walk along the riverside Old Street, or a short bus ride; Hobe Fort is about 10 minutes further.
Time
About 40 minutes each way; half a day, longer if you stay for the sunset over the river.
Listen to the free Fort Santo Domingo guideMap of Fort Santo Domingo

Also free: Hobe Fort, Tamsui Church

On foot: Fort Santo Domingo, Hobe Fort and Tamsui Church

Luodong and Yilan

Over the mountains lies the Lanyang Plain. In Luodong, the Forestry Culture Park was the timber yard for Taiping Mountain’s forests from 1905, with its log pond and the forest railway that closed in 1982, and the night market, the largest in Yilan County, is known for local snacks. In Yilan city, the Yilan Museum of Art fills a 1949 bank branch, reopened in 2014 for local artists.

Getting there
Buses from Taipei through the Hsuehshan Tunnel reach Yilan in about 1 hour and Luodong in about 1 hour 15 minutes, depending on traffic. Trains from Taipei Main Station take 1 hour 15 minutes to 2 hours on the coast line. The forestry park and the night market are each within a 15-minute walk of Luodong station.
Time
About 1 hour to 1 hour 30 minutes each way; a full day, ending at the night market.
Listen to the free Luodong Forestry Culture Park guideMap of the Luodong Forestry Culture Park

Also free: Luodong Night Market, Yilan Museum of Art

On foot: Forestry Culture Park to Zhen’an Temple, Luodong

How to plan the day

  1. Jiufen and Keelung are on the same side of Taipei: Jiufen in the morning, Keelung’s night market in the evening, about half an hour apart by train or bus.
  2. Jiufen’s lanes are narrow and crowded at weekends and around sunset; a weekday morning is calmer.
  3. Tamsui fits in an afternoon: the forts first, then the Old Street and the riverside at sunset.
  4. An EasyCard works on the MRT, local Taiwan Railway trains and most buses, including the ones to Jiufen and Yilan.

Tours and tickets

From Mappu’s partners, if you would rather have a guide. The free audio guides above work without them.

Partner links (Airalo, Amazon, Booking.com, GetYourGuide, Klook, Tiqets, Trip.com, Viator, Welcome Pickups): if you book or buy through them, Mappu may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.

Questions travellers ask

How do I get from Taipei to Jiufen?

Take a Taiwan Railway train from Taipei Main Station to Ruifang, 45 minutes to an hour, then a local bus up the hill in about 15 minutes. Direct buses also leave from near Zhongxiao Fuxing MRT station and take about 1 hour 30 minutes.

Can I see Jiufen and Keelung on the same day?

Yes. They are about 30 minutes apart by train or bus. See Jiufen in the morning or early afternoon and end the day at Miaokou Night Market.

Which is the easiest day trip from Taipei?

Tamsui. The MRT red line goes there without a change in about 40 minutes, and the forts and the old town fit in half a day.

Listen to the free Jiufen guideListen to the free Miaokou Night Market guideListen to the free Fort Santo Domingo guideListen to the free Luodong Forestry Culture Park guide

Travel times are typical timetable times from the rail operators; check the day’s timetable. The facts about each site come from Mappu’s guides and the sites’ official websites. Taiwan Railway, Taipei Metro. Last checked on .