Things to do in Jiufen and Ruifang
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Jiufen and Ruifang
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Spring is the most forgiving window, mild with a weakening monsoon, and a March or April weekday overnight is the best bet.
Summer is hot, humid and wet, with plum rain then typhoon risk that can close trails and coastal transport at short notice.
Autumn is popular and good for hiking on clear days, but October is rainy on this coast and weekends are the most crowded.
Winter brings the northeast monsoon at full strength, persistent drizzle and low cloud, with lantern and mist atmosphere as compensation.
What's on
- Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival Around the Lantern Festival, dates set each year
Mass lantern releases centred on Shifen and Pingxi, reached by the branch line from Ruifang, spectacular and extremely crowded.
Best things to do in Jiufen and Ruifang
Jiufen Old Street
The narrow Jishan Street lane across the hillside, free to walk and atmospheric, but it moves at a shuffle at peak hours.
Shuqi Road
The steep stone staircase that is Jiufen in photographs, with teahouses and a sea view, and slippery steps when wet.
Shengping Theater
A restored 1930s cinema that explains how rich this mining town once was, in a free 20 to 30 minute indoor visit.
A-Mei Teahouse
The red lantern teahouse everyone photographs, where a set tea service buys terrace time and a sea view when clear.
Jiufen Gold Mine Museum
A small village museum on Jiufen's own gold rush, with tools and photographs, and a good wet weather pairing with the theater.
Where to stay in Jiufen and Ruifang
Jiufen Old Street and Shuqi Road
one overnight for lanterns and early morning quiet
Sleeping in the village gives you the lanes after the buses leave and before they arrive, at the cost of stairs and limited late food.
Ruifang Station area
multi-day Ruifang touring by train and bus
The practical base for Pingxi and Shenao line changes and luggage storage, with local food and plain hotels but no Jiufen atmosphere.
Taipei
luxury hotels, nightlife and a Jiufen day trip
Jiufen has no luxury hotel tier, so travellers who need full-service lodging should sleep in Taipei and accept day trip crowd timing.
Think twice about
- Jiufen Old Street at midday on weekends and holidays
The lane becomes single file and stop-start for hours, with no room to stop for food or photographs. Arrive early or stay past 7 pm.
Best restaurants in Jiufen and Ruifang
Grandma Lai's Taro Balls
The best known taro ball shop in Jiufen, serving the village specialty hot or iced in a light sweet soup for about NT$50.
A-Zhu Peanut Ice Cream Roll
A long-running stall wrapping peanut brittle shavings, ice cream and coriander in a thin crepe, made to order.
Zhang Ji Traditional Fish Ball
A small busy fish ball shop on Jishan Street, serving fish ball soup and simple sets with braised pork rice and noodles.
Jiufen Teahouse
Jiufen's original teahouse, a calm interior with kettles over coals, where a tea pack brews pot after pot for hours.
City of Sadness Restaurant
A restaurant and teahouse on Shuqi Road long linked to the film A City of Sadness, with Taiwanese sets and a period interior.
Skyline Teahouse
The teahouse opposite A-Mei, whose terraces look straight at it and down the staircase to the sea, without its queue.
Outdoor things to do in Jiufen and Ruifang
Mount Keelung
A stepped climb east of Jiufen, about 1.5 hours return, for wide views over the village roofs, the coast and the sea.
Teapot Mountain
The signature Ruifang ridge hike behind the Gold Museum, short and steep with open coast views and no shade or water.
Gold Museum
The large open-air mining museum in quieter Jinguashi, with a tunnel, mine buildings and a huge gold brick to touch.
Golden Waterfall
A roadside waterfall coloured gold and orange by mine minerals, a striking short stop chained with the Gold Museum.
Houtong Cat Village
A former coal village on the train line from Ruifang, now known for street cats, cafes and a small mining museum.
Bitoujiao Trail
The best coastal walk in Ruifang, a boardwalk and steps trail along a green headland with open Pacific views.
Shen'ao Rail Bike
Pedal rail cars on a short old line along the coast and through a lit tunnel, a novelty ride children tend to love.
Shifen Waterfall
Taiwan's widest waterfall, reached by the Pingxi Line from Ruifang and a walk through Shifen Old Street.
Best hotels in Jiufen and Ruifang
Jiufen The Ocean Theory
A small modern guesthouse near the old street with view balconies, as close as Jiufen gets to upscale, still a guesthouse.
Something Easy Inn
A well regarded guesthouse at the upper end of the old street, with large view rooms, big bathtubs and free guest snacks.
Dosun B&B
A quiet B&B above the village reached by stairs, with view rooms and tea equipment, calmer than the old street.
On My Way Jiufen Hostel & Backpacker
The budget base in Jiufen, with dorm beds for solo travellers who want the overnight atmosphere at hostel prices.
Is Jiufen and Ruifang expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | NT$1,800 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | NT$3,500 a person |
| Splurge | NT$7,000 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Shen'ao Rail Bike: a few days ahead
- Jiufen The Ocean Theory: weeks ahead
- Something Easy Inn: weeks ahead
- Book Jiufen guesthouses weeks ahead for weekends and holidays, and the Shen'ao Rail Bike days ahead.
- Book a private car for a full Ruifang coast day ahead in peak season.
Is Jiufen and Ruifang safe?
- Stone steps in Jiufen are steep and slippery when wet, and there is no step-free route through the village core.
- At Shifen keep off the train tracks except at marked lantern areas, and never between trains.
- On Mount Keelung, Teapot Mountain and Bitoujiao, trails are exposed and slick after rain, so turn back in storms.
Jiufen and Ruifang travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Souvenir pricing on the first stretch of Jishan Street, and generic pineapple cakes that are better bought in Taipei.
- Organised day tours that give Jiufen 60 to 90 crowded midday minutes and call it done.
- Teahouse terraces sold as if the classic Shuqi Road view were private at peak hour.
Getting around Jiufen and Ruifang: public transport and more
- Bus 1062 from Zhongxiao Fuxing and bus 965 from Ximending and Beimen both climb the narrow mountain road to Jiufen in about 80 to 90 minutes.
- Trains from Taipei Main Station to Ruifang take about 45 to 60 minutes, then a 15 minute bus or a short taxi climbs to Jiufen.
- A taxi from Taipei costs about NT$1,200 to NT$1,400, and branch trains from Ruifang serve Houtong, Shifen and Badouzi about hourly.
Who Jiufen and Ruifang suits
| Solo travellers | Great |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | Not ideal |
| Families | OK |
| Bachelorette parties | OK |
Make Jiufen and Ruifang your trip
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