Shifen sky lanterns and Jiufen

Step by step

Trains, exits and fares. Tap a stop for directions and tips.

1. Blue Line (Bannan)

   BL11XimenBL12Taipei Main Station

   1 stop3 minNT$20

   08:00
   Taipei Main StationSightFree

   台北車站

   Take a TRA train east to Ruifang. Any train bound for Yilan or Hualien that stops at Ruifang works. Tap in with your EasyCard.

   Stay 10 min

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2. TRA (Taiwan Railway)

   Taipei Main StationRuifang

   50 minNT$97

   Tze-Chiang express fare after the June 2025 TRA increase. Local trains are ~NT$62 but slower.

   09:15
   Ruifang StationSightFree

   瑞芳車站

   Buy the Pingxi Line One-Day Pass at the counter. It covers unlimited rides between Ruifang, Houtong, Shifen and Pingxi.

   Stay 15 min

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3. TRA Pingxi Line

   RuifangShifen

   30 minNT$120

   Pingxi Line One-Day Pass

   10:00
   Shifen Old StreetActivityNT$250

   十分老街

   Write your wishes on a sky lantern and release it right on the train tracks between trains. Each color stands for a different wish (red for health, yellow for money...).

   Stay 1h 15mNT$250 ~₱490Four-color lantern, shared by your group

   Try the chicken wing stuffed with fried rice. It's a Shifen classic.

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4. Walk

   20 min

   11:30
   Shifen WaterfallNatureFree

   十分瀑布

   Taiwan's widest curtain waterfall, nicknamed Taiwan's Niagara. Free entry via a 20-minute walk across a suspension bridge.

   Stay 1h

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5. Walk

   20 min

   Back to Shifen Station

   TRA Pingxi Line

   ShifenHoutong

   20 min

   Covered by your day pass

   13:15
   Houtong Cat VillageSightFreeOptional

   猴硐貓村

   A former coal-mining town now home to hundreds of friendly cats. Cross the cat bridge from the station.

   Stay 1h

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6. TRA Pingxi Line

   HoutongRuifang

   8 min

   Keelung Bus 788 / 827 / 856 / 1062

   Ruifang Station (bus stop across the road)Jiufen Old Street

   20 minNT$20

   Or a taxi from the station rank, ~NT$250

   14:45
   Jiufen Old StreetFoodNT$200Lots of stairs

   九份老街

   Wander the narrow old street: taro balls at Grandma Lai's, peanut ice cream rolls, and fish balls. Stay until dusk when the red lanterns light up around A-Mei Tea House.

   Stay 3h 30mNT$200 ~₱390snacks

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7. Keelung Bus 1062

   Jiufen Old StreetMRT Zhongxiao Fuxing

   90 minNT$101

   Blue Line (Bannan)

   BL15Zhongxiao FuxingBL11Ximen

   4 stops8 minNT$20

   18:30
   Zhongxiao Fuxing StationHotel

   忠孝復興站

   Bus 1062 goes straight back to Taipei. Get in line at the Jiufen Old Street stop early. On weekends the queue can take 30+ minutes.

   Stay 10 min

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