Jiufen Old Street — Local services in New Taipei

Originally established as a gold mining mountain town, built by the Japanese and now is a maze of lanes and alleyways with rich history and culture. This small town was a relatively isolated village until the discovery of gold during the Japanese occupation in 1893. After the WWII, gold mining activities declined, and the town today exists mainly as a tourist destination remembering and celebrating Taiwanese history and culture. 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.

Explore Jiufen and the surrounding mountain area, Mount Keelung Trail, as part of your visit to Jiufen. Hiking the mountain provides some exceptional views across to the Pacific Ocean and nothern Taiwan's mountain range. The hike takes around 45 minutes uphill till you reach the submit. It's all up stairs, taking adequate climbing shoes, water and free of bags is recommended. Then coming back is 20 minutes non stop.

Getting to Jiufen can be done directly from Taipei or from Keelung as part of a multiple visit. However to enjoy more time, we recommend you make Jiufen a day trip. Fist arriving midday or after lunch to hike the mountain, later enjoy walking around the old streets and finally after sun set enjoy the red lantern streets come into light and bring a magic feel to the streets. The easiest option is to take the direct bus 1062 from Songshan Station MRT (Green line), take exit 4 from the MRT and look out for the bus station towards your right. The trip takes about 1 hour for 70 NT. Another option is to travel by train from Taipei main station (TRA trains) to Ruifang Station (take express train better). 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 stop (named Local Residents Plaza, 區民廣場) with busses 827 and 788 heading toward Jiufen for 15 NT. Lastly if you coming from/to Keelung you can take bus 788...

Spirited away feels in Jiufen 😍

My mom, sister and I were here on a group tour. Jiufen was our last stop. It was in late May and it was hot, but thankfully it didn’t rain.

The stairs will wear you out so wear sweat pants or shorts or anything extra comfortable. I was wearing skinny jeans the day we visited Jiufen and my knees hurt like hell. We had to stop at a resting area where there’s free WiFi, free charging ports and free water. Don’t make the mistake of giving up mid-stairs and coming right down and then deciding to climb up again. You’ll feel super tired afterwards. Gather all your strength and make your way to the top for an awesome view.

There’s also a denim store manned by a golden...

I'm sure at one point, the Old Street might have been a charming place to meander around. However, it's turned into a tourist trap with hoards of busses and large groups stomping through the narrow streets. It's crowded. The stores are mainly selling crappy tourist trinkets or are offering snack foods to munch on. There's really no historic feel to it anymore. The town itself is built into the side of a mountain side and has nice views looking down towards the coast. However, Jiufen's popularity has been its downfall. I have no reason to go back there, and it was a low-light on our trip...