Wandering Through New Taipei: Must-See Spots in Keelung, Jiufen, Jinguashi & Shifen
- sinjahaag
- 21. Apr.
- 10 Min. Lesezeit
Aktualisiert: 27. Juli
North of Taipei City, only a stone's throw away, a special municipality stretches along rural, coastal and mountaineous areas, completely surrounding Taipei City, yet not belonging to it: welcome to New Taipei; an area covering a total of 29 districts displaying ecological, environmental and historical diversity to explore. Some of Taiwan's most populous cities are centered within this area out of which 4 spots I personally find worthwhile sharing: Keelung, Jiufen, Jinguashi and Shifen. These places are not only convenient and in-reach from Taipei City, they also offer a culturally enriched sightseeing and attraction programme to dive into.
Apart from Keelung, Jiufen, Jinguashi & Shifen are situated within the Ruifang district, whereas some of the related attractions, e.g. Shifen Waterfall or lighting sky lanterns on the historic railway track in Shifen, belong to the Pingxi district. Let me guide you through my personal highlights on each district below!
Table of Content
Keelung: "Rainy Port": maritime beauty & exquisite night market experiences!
Keelung is oftentimes referred to as "Rainy Port" due to its instable, wet weather changes. During the 16th century, Keelung port was a base for Japanese pirates. It was later on conquered by the Spanish, Dutch, French and finally the Japanese. Moreover, an afterwards following earthquake hit the city tremendously, leaving ruins of old forts on both sides of the harbour to detect nowadays.
It is home to the largest port in the north of Taiwan, combining the very best of coastal views, cultural heritage and food experiences based on hosting Taiwan's biggest night market.
When I came here by train, the weather was so unbearably hot that it was hard to make my way around. However, if you do have a chance visiting Keelung for a day, I highly recommend doing so. Do not underestimate the walking distances along the coast; buses can be caught from one or the other station taking you from A to B. English as a communication tool can, however, be quite challenging. Yet, people are very friendly, welcoming and helpful, so that even communicating with your feet and arms will most likely get you to wherever you desire to go without any doubt. Simply plan some additional time buffer ahead and deep dive into a joyful adventure!
Zhengbin Fishing Port: picturesque scenery of brightly coloured houses
Zhengbin Fishing Port probably is one of the main highlights and most popular photo spots all over Keelung; multi-coloured European-style houses are lined closely next to one another along the harbor which once served to be Taiwan's largest fishing port under the rule of the Japanese. If you have been to the Netherlands or Denmark, this harbour section might remind you of a similar scenery.
Only 10 minutes from here, by continuing walking southwest, you will bump into Zhengbin Fisheries Association, a two-storey building featuring fisheries-related arts inside a Japense-era style building. Further rstored Japanese monuments can be found down the road, e.g. the Keelung Fort Commander's Official Residence or the Keelung Fortress Command. The latter hosts historical exhibitions upon Taiwan's Japanese era, formerly serving as the highest military command centre in northern Taiwan
Nearby attractions are Heping Island Geopark, known for its unique coastal rock formations, the National Museum of Marine Science and Technology, as well as Keelung Indigenous Cultural Hall.
Miakou Night Market: best of the best all over Taiwan
Miakou Night Market belongs to one of the most famous, biggest and best night markets all over Taiwan. Its history traces back to the Japanese era, in which merchants started selling snacks right in front of the Dianji Temple. This also gives reason on the actual translation of "Miakou", which literally means "temple entrance". Nowadays, the market extends beyond temple premises with widespread lantern-paved streets in a golden-reddish aura. Some stalls are open during day time but the best time t visit is certainly at night. Be prepared to queue in a flood of people, surrounded by delicious smells, heat coming from hot iron plates and market criers advertising their products. It's a special kind of experience that one must give a try. Stalls on the street oftentimes have their menu in English, Chinese and Japanese. To name a few delicacies, you could go for deep-fried snacks, such as intimate fish or chicken, vegetarian braise, thick crab soup or seafood-filled crabs. Take your pick and enjoy the vibrant night life of both locals and tourists.
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Jiufen: village heartbeat of nostalgic mountain charme
Whilst preparing my travels for Taiwan, Jiufen directly caught my attention as a must-see place I wanted to visit! Online detected pictures of narrow, old and lantern-lit streets with local shops and souvenirs, underlined with a picturesque view onto the seaside, looked so appealing that I asked my Taiwanese friends to go there.
Whilst I was initially planning on going by public transport, we ended up renting a car to be more mobile. And soon after we started our journey, I understood the reasons behind this choice: driving into the Ruifang area can be quite adventurous due to serpentine-like winding roads, depending on where you plan to go. Riding along the coast is easy-going and fine but if you desire to visit coastal mountain villages, like Jiufen, or further sightseeing attractions, as the Gold Museum or Teapot Mountain, public transportation- unless you go for grabbing a taxi- might prove to be a bit more difficult.
Jiufen is a coastal mountain area located one hour drive fro Taipeh in New Taipei's district Ruifang. It's a vibrant, colour bursting place with loads of hustle and bustle. Many tourists come here to wander the charming old streets of the former gold mining town to take pictures, eat their way through the plentiful food stalls, take a rest at one of the old tea houses and buy souvenirs in form of local handicrafts. It's a nostalgic vibe to fall for.
The main highlight of Jiufen certainly is Jiufen Old Street, where souvenir stores and local eatery stalls are lined closely next to each other. It's a perfect spot to try local delicacies in smaller portions to see what you like best. I personally loved the freshly prepared fish ball soup, stinky tofu, sweet taro soup, xiaolongbao and the glutinous rice cakes that come with both sweet and savoury fillings.
If you are already in Jiufen, or close to the village, you might want to consider paring your visit with a stopover in the Gold Museum in Jinguashi, where you'll learn more about the former gold mining industry of the area.
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Jinguashi: deep-dive into the former gold mining times of Ruifang district
Visiting Jinguashi, a former gold mining town located in the mountain area of Ruifang district, is oftentimes paired with a visit in Jiufen since both spots are fairly close to one another and hence make it convenient to combine within da day trip. From Jiufen Old Street you can simply hop on a local bus towards Jinguashi, which is only a few minutes ride.
One of the main reasons to come to Jinguashi is visiting the famous Gold Museum, also known as Gold Ecological Park.
Getting here is a phenomenon itself; you will be driving through beautiful slopes of greenery giving glimpse onto the seaside the higher you get. From the parking lot you'll be walking across a widely spanned bridge with more stunning panoramic views until you reach the entrance of the Gold Museum complex. From here, you will also be able to marvel at the well-known famous Teapot Mountain. Let me know whether you actually see a teapot in the rocky formation since my fantasy was not enough to draw a connection between the wording and actual appearance ;)
Make sure to wear comfortable shoes, as the premise if quite big and some areas might require staircases and smaller hiking trails you might want to consider.
Inside the museum, a great exhibition hall, plus further smaller buildings with diverse exhibitions, will be awaiting you, displaying Taiwan's history of gold mining, including explanatory information on mining techniques & processes, workers lives, equipment used. Thorough information on ecological and geological aspects of mining, different kinds of minerals and the overall impact of mining onto our environment are further highlighted. But that's not all. Additionally, you will find Taiwan's largest gold bar (220kg) exposed to touch.
If you're curious to discover and explore what it's like to enter a gold mining tunnel from within, you do have the chance to participate in a gold tunnel experience train tour, taking you directly into a short section of an old mining tunnel. A small fee applies.
Several walking trails around the museum premises offer breathtaking panoramic views onto the mesmerizing scenery. A popular spot to walk to is the so-called "Jinguashi Shinto Shrine"; located only a short distance from the museum premises. This Shrine was built back in 1937 during the period of Japanese rule over Taiwan and served as place of worship for minors and officials working in the area.
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Shifen: waterfall walks & sky lanterns
Shifen is another charming and scenic spot, closely located to Ruifang area, in the Pingxi district. The main attraction to come here is probably to lit a sky lantern on the historic railway that used to serve for transportation of coal in former times. However, Shifen also offers a beautiful waterfall track to take into consideration, as well as an old street on which you can purchase souvenirs, sky lanterns, handmade crafts and delicious foods- definitely try the grilles sausages, they are a perfectly loaded and juicily tender snack in between!
Shifen Waterfall Park: "Taiwan's Niagara Falls"
Shifen waterfall counts to the widest waterfall all over Taiwan, containing a height of roughly 20 meters with a width of almost 40 meters. It's a magical scenery surrouded by saturated greenery. Getting there, you will pay a small fee for entering before walking along calm nature trails, combiningviewing platforms, suspension bridges and resting areas. It's a 20min. walk from Shifen Old Street and highly recommendable to see!
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Shifen Old Street: a connection to the traditional railway
Shifen Old Street is- just like Jiufen Old Street- a place of hustle and bustle, tourism, eatery- and shopping opportunities. The special thing about it? It is located directly next to- and even over- an active railway line, meaning trains will pass through from time to time, requesting visitors to step aside. A speciality to try is the grilled sausages!
Sky Lanterns: releasing good luck & fortune
Next to the waterfall, railway track and Old Street, Shifen is especially famous for releasing sky lanterns into the air. The annual Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival takes place two to three weekends in the month of February on the 15th day of the first lunar month. The location may shift between Shifen and Pingxi town, so it is advisable to check ahead in case you are planning to visit.
Apart from the festival, you can of course also purchase your personal sky lantern and "set it free". This is especially a phenomenal experience once dawn sets in. Simply buy a sky lantern of your choice and place your personal wishes on each side of the lantern (different colours stand for different categories of wishes, e.g. family, profession). Once your wishes are placed on the lantern, be invited to step onto the railway track where the lantern is lit. Several photos will be taken with your camera from holding to uplifitng the lantern in the air, allowing you to collect beautiful memories. It's an enchanting moment seeing the lantern fly into the air.
Sky Lantern colour-codes and their meanings
Red = good health & safety
Blue = career success
Peach = a happy and fruitful family
Pink = love and happiness
Purple = good luck for exams
Orange = great luck & profit
Yellow = good fortune & prosperity
Green = dreams come true
White = a promising future Some stalls in Shifen Old Street even offer sky lantern souvenirs in form of handicrafts or pastries for an additional memory to consider taking home.
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Address: No. 81號, Shifen St, Pingxi District, New Taipei City, Taiwan 226 How to get there: Take the TRA from Taipei Station to Ruifang Station, then transfer to Pingxi Line towards Shifen Station. From here, it's a short walk to both Shifen Old Street Opening Hours: most stores operate between 7am - 9pm |
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