If you are into scenery, nature, seafood, and the marina, you'll definitely want to make a trip to Danshui's Lover's Bridge. Not only is it a good date spot due to the beautiful view, but there are a ton of things to do at the Fisherman's Wharf that will end up taking away a good portion of your day if you want to explore.
The entire trip to reach Lover's Bridge is a little more than 30 minutes. Depending on where you are coming from, take the MRT to Danshui and hop onto the number 26 Red Bus where it will take about 15 minutes to reach the terminal station, or Fisherman's Wharf.
When I visited, they had a chocolate festival going on in one of the buildings overlooking the wharf. There's also several restaurants, small local businesses selling seafood, and even a hotel with a Subway inside! If you're lucky, you might just stumble upon a concert or local street artist performing in the open area. I've also heard that if you take a walk down Danshui Old Street, you can reminisce on the local culture and find your way into the famous night market. And with the many boats and ferries parked along the wharf, you're able to find one that will take you to Bali.
The main attraction of this wharf is definitely the incredible Lover's Bridge. The bridge itself is not too long, only requiring about a 2 minute walk to get across, but if you start along the wharf and walk onto the platform overlooking the marina that will connect you to the bridge, you'll definitely be much more appreciative of the marina as it allows you to get some really good shots. This is definitely a romantic date spot if you want to bring your significant other, but it's also a good place to go if you want to have some alone time and reflect. The best time to go is right about sunset, where you can catch the water with the sun shining down, see the sky change from blueish gray to a streaky pink and orange, and catch the transition of all the shops and restaurants as they change their lighting to accommodate nightfall. The lights on the platform slowly turn on, and you're washed in a glow of bright light. You're able to see the bright lights with a greenish tinge on the boats twinkling at you - it's truly breathtaking! But the BEST part is seeing Lover's Bridge be lit up in an array of color, sometimes slowly fading between colors and other times blinking different colors each second. And the sky does get dark quickly, so if you come during this time, you're able to catch what it looks like before sunset, during sunset, and when night falls.
There's also a small replica of the Lover's Lock and a small Love statue that are pretty popular here. I believe you're able to hang locks on the small gate and then ring a bell to signify your everlasting love? Not sure, but it was pretty cool to find. I wouldn't recommend putting anything personal onto that gate since anybody (myself included) can read through them. The Love statue (similar to the one in front of Taipei 101) is directly in front of Lover's Bridge except that Love is written in script without any of the letters stacked on top of one another. The "O" is shaped into a big heart - and of course this attracts all the tourists and couples alike, so be prepared to wait awhile if you want to take a picture with the sign and it's a busy day.
tl;dr - Highly recommend coming here. Doesn't matter if you're on a date, by yourself, with family or friends, or with your dog. There's truly a breathtaking view, and with a ton of history and even a historical museum, there's probably something to do here that will appeal to everybody. Come during sunset/later afternoon - and try to come on a day with...
Read moreA nice long stroll from Tamsui MRT station or take a youbike. It's relatively flat so it's an easy ride. There's a footpath and cycle lane all along the way. There's so much to see and snacks and drinks to enjoy along the way too.
If you time it in the evening, you can see the whole sunset all along the way. That's an awesome experience.
The bridge is made for pedestrians and that's wonderful, for once the cars didn't occupy a big part of the attraction. People bring their dogs here, they run around happily off-leash. It's lovely to see that people and animals are happy together.
Once you arrive at the Fisherman's Wharf, you'll see the marina with lots of boats , some are fishing boats while others are leisure yachts.
There's Starbucks there if you care for expensive bad coffee, there's Hi-5 for drinks and reasonable coffee - taste and price-wise. There's a Subway for a quick sandwich. Buy something and sit next to the river , it's calming to hear the waves.
If you keep walking forward you will reach the beach, you can walk along the beach, lots of flotsam and jetsam. Take an easy stroll...
Read moreBeen here twice already. First time was in Oct 2018 and the 2nd time was 20th Feb 2023. Both visits to the place has been awesome. The first visit was during night time around 7pm. Many shops were closed already then, but the Lovers bridge was brightly lit nonetheless. When you reach the peak of the bridge in the middle (it is a gentle arch), you will be met by strong winds coming from the sea with constant sea mist picked up by the winds and spraying in your face. And coming from a country sitting on the equator, this is a welcome.
My 2nd visit here was at 10am in the morning. Shops were just beginning to open here and there. Managed to ride a coin operated ride which went on for 5 minutes for NTD $30.
Sea mist were the same and I managed to cover the other end of the bridge as well as look at the shops which were opened. Recommended location for lovers to watch sunset on the level 2 deck facing the sea. It’s gonna be scenic and memorable as you hold each other’s hand and try to steal a kiss. LOL....
Read more