Feel spirited away in this decommissioned gold mining mountain town, originally built by the Japanese and now a maze of lanes and alleyways with rich history and culture.
Founded during the Qing Dynasty, this small town was a relatively isolated village until the discovery of gold during the Japanese occupation in 1893, quickly developing the town due to a gold rush. Many buildings in the town remain unchanged to this day, reflecting the Japanese influence on both architecture and culture on the island. During World War II, the town housed a Japanese prisoner of war camp where captured Allied Force soldiers (mainly British) were forced to work in the gold mines. After the war, gold mining activities declined, and the town today exists mainly as a tourist destination remembering and celebrating Taiwanese history and culture.
A convenient way to visit Jiufen (as well as Shifen in Pingxi ) is to take a shuttle bus from Ximen, leaving in the morning and returning before dinner.
From the beginning of the 1990s, Jiufen experienced a tourist boom that has shaped the town into an attraction easily accessible from Taipei City as a nice day trip (around 2 hours away roundtrip by public transit). Today, the town is filled with both retro Chinese and Japanese style cafés, tea houses, and souvenir shops, as well as fantastic views of the ocean.
The majority of attractions are concentrated along the cobblestone steps of Shuqi Road between Jiufen Elementary School and the Jiufen police precinct. The three roads running perpendicular to Shuqi Road (Jishan St., Qiche Rd., and Qingbian Rd.) each boast a wide variety of shops, restaurants, and cafés.
Besides the main roads, there are numerous small alleys and lanes that snake around the area and sometimes even run beneath buildings. Retro clothing such as a Qipao or Cheongsam for women, men, and children is available for rental.
Explore Jiufen and the surrounding mountain area as part of a tour inclusive of transportation with an English-speaking guide to enjoy your day without having to worry about taking public transportation in and out of Taipei City.
While most visitors come to Jiufen as part of a day trip, many enjoy staying overnight at one of Jiufen’s many boutique hotels and B&Bs in Taiwan. Since there are a limited amount of guesthouses and hotels in Jiufen and it is one of Taiwan’s more popular destinations, early reservation is recommended.
How to get there?
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By train
From Taipei Main Station , take the train north to Ruifang Station. After exiting the station and facing the Wellcome supermarket, take a left and walk 200 metres down Mingdeng Road. Next to the police station is a bus station (named Local Residents Plaza, ) with routes 827 and 788 heading toward Jiufen. Please note that the bus stop next to the police station heads east toward Jiufen, and the bus stop across from the police station heads west toward Taipei. Route 825 provides weekend service only. From here, the bus trip takes roughly 15 minutes, and the fare is NT$15. It is recommended to take bus 1062 back to Taipei and enjoy some time at Raohe Night Market ().
By bus
From MRT Zhongxiao Fuxing (), Brown Line BR and Blue ine BL interchange, leave from Exit 2 and from outside Sogo department store take bus route 1062 (Keelung Bus) to Jinguashi, alight at Jiufen. The ride is about 1 hour and the fare is NT$98. Be sure to get a good seat to enjoy scenic views of Northern Taiwan. Bus 788 is also available from Keelung.
A new bus service number 965 is running from Ximen and Beimen (near Taipei Main Station) out to Ruifang, Jiufen, and Jinguashi, fare NT$90.
Shuttle bus
A shuttle bus service is available to Jiufen then on to Shifen Old Streets from Taipei City at Ximen , leaving in the morning and returning before dinner.
Travel and enjoy the foods 