Day Trip to Jiufen, Taiwan

This is post 5 of 9 in the series “Traveling Taiwan”

Traveling Taiwan is a series post on my adventures around Taiwan. As of now it consists of travel in and around Taipei to include day trips from Taipei.

If planning on staying in Taipei for a few days, then I’d recommend an easy day trip to Jiufen. Jiufen is one of Taiwan’s most popular destinations and for good reason. Jiufen’s Old Street is a narrow pedestrian food path winding through the city lined with fun shops, teahouses, amazing food vendors, and so much more! For those that love anime, I hear Jiufen was the inspiration behind the animated fantasy film, Spirited Away. So whether you are into anime or just want to experience and see a cute and traditional Taiwanese village, then I highly recommend a day trip to Jiufen.

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Table of Contents

Where is Jiufen?

Jiufen is a village in New Taipei City located in Ruifang District. Jiufen is not far from the coast and is in a pretty mountainous area.

Some nearby towns in the vicinity of Jiufen include Ruifang, Houtong Village, and Keelung City.

Getting to Jiufen from Taipei

Getting to Jiufen is relatively stress free and easy, especially if just doing a day trip from Taipei. If visitors are not renting a car, it is recommended to take a train to Ruifang Station then either a bus or taxi to Jiufen.

From Taipei Main Station take the northbound local train to Ruifang Station. It’s a pretty common route, so trains run to Ruifang regularly. The train ride to Ruifang Station from Taipei Main Station is roughly an hour. There is an Express Train that takes about 40-50 minutes, we got lucky and hopped on this one. The express train was a tad more pricey but the comfort and quickness of the train was well worth it.

Once at Ruifang Station, there are buses that go directly to Jiufen. The journey from Ruifang to Jiufen is roughly 15 minutes.

We got lost for some reason in Ruifang and could not fid the bus station. I believe we exited Ruifang Station on the wrong side, so we decided to take a taxi. The Taxi ride was cheap, just a couple bucks! Be warned, the taxi drivers are crazy. I nearly had a heart attack sitting in the back seat as the driver cut off other drivers, sped around tight curves, and honked at other drivers.

Day Trips to Jiufen from Taipei

I love day trips and have nothing but great experiences with day trips booking through Viator or Get Your Guide.

Although I did Jiufen on my own this time, I highly recommend booking a day trip to Jiufen from Taipei. Especially if you don’t want to figure out the bus schedules or transferring from one mode of transportation to the next.

Here are a few of the recommended Day Trips to Jiufen.

How we Spent a Day in Jiufen

We spent 3 days in Taipei and took a day trip to Jiufen from Taipei. We chose to visit Jiufen based on interests, proximity to Taipei, and we simply just wanted to see more of Taiwan outside of the big city. We combined a visit to Jiufen with a trip to Houtong Cat Village which was only about 10 minutes away by train.

I saw pictures of the famous Amei Tea House in Jiufen at night and knew I wanted to arrive to Jiufen in the afternoon and hang around until it got dark. We got to Jiufen around lunch time and spent a solid half day here walking the Old Street, sampling food, drinking tea at the famous tea houses, and just explored the narrow alley ways. We really loved our day trip to Jiufen and want to share our experience.

If you are wondering what to do in Jiufen? Or looking for things to do in Jiufen, outlined below are what we did and our recommendations on how to spend a day in Jiufen.

Discovered the Cave to Taro Potato Teahouse

When going up or down Shugi Road, right next to Amei Tea House, there was a cave like passageway. Curious, Jill and I both walked through the tunnel and ended up at the Taro Potato Teahouse. The tunnel was longer then expected and fun to take photos of. On the other side of the tunnel was the teahouse.

We didn’t actually go inside or eat anything at the teahouse. For the most part we just wanted to walk through the tunnel leading to the teahouse. Walking the tunnel is certainly not a must do when visiting Jiufen, still it was a fun experience.

Drank Tea at a Tea House Overlooking the Ocean

I am not a huge tea drinker but Jill is. So while on our day trip to Jiufen, we couldn’t leave without at least sitting down and drinking tea at one of the teahouses.

We knew the famous Amei Teahouse would be impossible to enter without reservations. Without any particular teahouse in mind, we strolled around Jiufen Old Street looking for a teahouse and stumbled upon one. Although I can’t recall the name it was right by Ocean See Hotel.

This tea house was multiple storied and we got lucky enough to be seated outside on the balcony. The view were amazing, again looking out toward the coast. Jill and I both ordered different teas. They came out in their own glass kettle. Each one was filled with loose leaf tea. Both teas were from Taiwan and delicious, although I preferred the one I ordered.

Explored the Narrow Alley Ways of Jiufen Old Street

When visiting Jiufen, the Old Street also known as the historic district is a must. Jiufen Old Street is a series of small alleys with restaurants, shops, teahouses, bars, and hotels, lined on both sides of the alley ways.

We spent the majority of our time in Jiufen here walking the Old Street and eating food sold by local vendors.

I’ll be honest, this area was jam packed with tourists, I mean shoulder to shoulder. Even though it was crowded, I didn’t feel overwhelmed and still got to eat what I wanted and sit down at bars and tea houses.

It’s one long alley way with several smaller alley ways that branch off the main one. I recommend starting at one end and walking through Jiufen Old Street. Gain a sense of what you want to eat or what shops you want to visit, then go back through and eat and shop. Afterwards, explore some of the side alley ways, you never know what you will come across!

Photographed Temples

Although Jiufen is a pretty small village there are several stunning temples in and around Jiufen.

Our taxi driver dropped us off behind Shinghuang Temple. This had to be one of the most photogenic temples I’ve seen in Taiwan. I took a photo of one of the statues on the roof of the temple. The statue is of a man on a Lion/Dragon overlooking the ocean and the land reaching into the sea. This is the main photo above for this post. This has to be one of my favorite views in all of Taiwan.

Another impressive temple that is not to be missed while visiting Jiufen is the Shen Ming Gong Temple. This temple is located just a few steep steps above Jiufen Old Street. It’s a massive complex and the vibrant colors and complex architecture are truly impressive.

While sitting in the back of the taxi to Jiufen from Ruifang, I noticed a massive temple off in the distance. According to Google Maps, I believe this is the Jinshan Temple. Unfortunately, I was only able to enjoy this temple from a distance. I’ll have to travel back to Jiufen to pay this temple a visit.

Sampled Food Around Jiufen's Old Street

The highlight of our day trip to Jiufen was walking the Old Street in Jiufen and sampling all the delicious food offered from the various vendors and small dining restaurants.

Food options on Jiufen’s Old Street are endless. You can find everything here from fine dining to snacks on the go.

We tried several small dishes throughout Jiufen’s Old Street. Two things that stood out to us was the Vegetarian Red Vinasse Taiwanese Meatballs (pictured above) and the ice cream burritos with cilantro and peanut butter. The ice cream burritos consisted of dan bing as the wrap rolled with ice cream and cilantro. Either the ice cream was peanut butter or there were peanut shavings on the ice cream. Either way, I would have never guessed, but a concoction of ice cream, peanut butter, and cilantro makes for a great refreshing treat!

Sat Down and Tried Local Taiwanese Beers

Surprisingly, Taiwan has a great craft brew scene. While walking the Old Street in Jiufen, we decided to take a breather and try some local brews at Golden Bar.

Golden Bar had an extensive craft beer menu. If I recall, the craft beer was all Taiwanese. While here, I tried the Oolong Tea Pilsner by Jim & Dad’s Brewing Company and a Winter Melon Ale from Taiwan Head Brewers. The Winter Melon Ale was very good. As always, it was so nice to sit down, rest, and enjoy craft beer!

Stood in a Crowd and Took a Photo of Amei Teahouse

By far the most popular and photographed site in Jiufen is the Amei Teahouse. According to the Amei Teahouse website, his teahouse has been in Jiufen for over a hundred years and started off as a black smith shop before being converted into a beautiful teahouse.

Honestly, I never went inside the teahouse. Like many others, I just saw the Amei Teahouse from across the alleyway and snapped a few photos. It was painful as there were hundreds of people doing the same thing, taking a quick picture then moving on.

It’s rumored that the Amei Teahouse is the inspiration behind the animated movie Spirited Away.

Walked down Shugi Road at Night to View the Lanterns

Toward late evening, Shugi Road in Jiufen is lit with lanterns lining both sides of the road from the top to the bottom and is a spectacular site to see. Shugi Road basically connects Ruijin Road wit Jiufen Old Street. It is a series of steps leading from one road to the other.

For many, Shugi Road could be your starting point to exploring Jiufen, or this road could be your exit out of Jiufen. Either way, it is recommended to walk Shugi Road especially at night to view the lanterns.

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Plan Your Trip: 🗺 ✈️ 🇹🇼

Booking Accommodations ⛺️ 🛖

For booking recommendations on the best deals and locations, check out Agoda or Booking.com

Activities and Tours 🏖 🚁

Find fun activities and things to do through Tripadvisor. If you are looking for tours and day trips, Viator and Get Your Guide have a lot of great options.

In need of a car rental? 🚗 🚘

I recommend checking with Rental Cars.

Train Travel 🚂 🚊

For the JR Pass, tickets can be purchased on the JR Pass site.