Dear reader: This article contains links to products and services that I may be compensated for, at no extra cost to you.
Jiufen (九份 or Jioufen), a mountaintop former gold mining town in New Taipei City on the northeast coast of Taiwan, is one of the most popular day trips from Taipei.
Visitors and people who live in Taipei flock to Jiufen Old Street because it encapsulates the best of Taiwan in one small package: rich history, atmospheric lanes and teahouses, breathtaking views, and distinctly Taiwanese snacks at every turn. If you’re planning a trip to the country, chances are you’ve already got Jiufen Old Street on your Taiwan travel itinerary.
Below I’m going to share everything you need to know for planning a day trip trip to Jiufen based on multiple trips I’ve made there in the last 10 years, including things to do in Jiufen, what to eat in Jiufen, the best Jiufen teahouses, where to stay in Jiufen if you decide to spend the night, and things to do in Jinguashi nearby.
If you’re new to Taiwan, also check out my Taiwan travel guide!
Table of Contents
Jiufen Essentials
- Jiufen Old Street is a tourist magnet. It gets ridiculously crowded every day of the year. The best time to visit is from 10 AM (when most things open) till around noon. In the afternoon, crowds reach their peak, then taper off in the early evening. The lanterns come on from around sunset till about 9 PM.
- There are lots of stairs in Jiufen! For visitors with kids, elderly, or bad knees, ask your taxi or private driver to drop you off at the top of the Old Street instead of the bottom, where most people start. Then you can just walk down as far as you want into the Old Street or have the driver pick you up at the bottom.
- It is easy to combine a Jiufen day trip with a visit to a few of the following: Jinguashi Gold Ecological Park, Golden Waterdall, Shifen Waterfall, or Houtong Cat Village. Find out how to do this in my detailed post on how to get to Jiufen, Jinguashi, and Shifen. Another option is to visit the incredible Keelung Night Market in Keelung city after Jiufen.
- There are some really good deals on minibus day trips that include Jiufen, such as this one, this one, and this one.
- You can also get to Jiufen by riding a tourist shuttle bus, which is free for Taipei Unlimited Fun Pass holders. You can buy the pass here.
- Find out the best time to visit Taipei & Jiufen, and plan your Taipei trip by consulting my Taipei 5 day itinerary.
If you sign up for Klook using my referral link, you’ll get NTD100 off any of the above deals.
Where to Stay in Jiufen
While most people do Jiufen as a day trip from Taipei, spending the night offers you the chance to enjoy the streets before and after all the tourists arrive. Also, seeing the view from your Jiufen accommodation or a teahouse at night when the lights in town and along the road light up is breathtaking.
Below are some of my recommended hotels and hostels in Jiufen:
For budget travelers, try On My Way Jiufen Hostel (see on Agoda / Booking / Klook / Tripadvisor).
Mid-range options with the choice of cheaper rooms or rooms with views include Dosun (see on Agoda / Booking / Klook / TripAdvisor) and OwlStay (see on Agoda / Booking / Klook).
For something a luxurious stay in Jiufen, the rooms at Something Easy Inn (see on Agoda / Booking / Klook / TripAdvisor) have unbeatable views, even from the en suite bath tubs. This is one of the best hotels in Jiufen. Prepare for a bit of a walk to get up there.
If you don’t want to carry your luggage uphill, try Sunshine B&B (see on Agoda / Booking / Klook / TripAdvisor), which is right by the Jiufen Old Street bus stop.
Was Jiufen Really the Inspiration for Miyazaki’s Spirited Away?
In nearly every article about Jiufen ever written, it is said that the Taiwanese town was the inspiration for Spirited Away, a Japanese animated film by Hayao Miyazaki about a girl who gets lost from her parents and works in a bathhouse for the kami (spirits).
Today in Jiufen you can buy all kinds of Spirited Away souvenirs and paintings, and nobody can deny that Jiufen’s narrow staircases with red lanterns and especially Amei Teahouse look straight out of Spirited Away.
In this interview with Miyazaki, as reported in the Taiwanese news, Miyazaki directly states that Jiufen was NOT the inspiration for Spirited Away. Rather, it was Dōgo Onsen in Matsuyama, Shikoku, Japan than inspired it. The Jiufen myth has been propagated by so many bloggers, writers, and businesses, however, that Jiufen and Spirited Away are now tied, despite the falsity of these claims.
See more details on this debate in the Reddit discussion below the video in the above link.
There’s another place in Taiwan that I personally think also looks particularly reminiscent of Spirited Away. Read my guide to Beitou Hot Springs in Taipei to find out where it is!
A Brief History of Jiufen
In the Qing Dynasty (1636-1911), Jiufen was a tiny, isolated village with nine families, who would request jiu fen (九分) or “nine portions” when ships arrived.
Gold was discovered in the area in the 1890s, resulting in a gold rush, and Jiufen developed as a gold boomtown. Jiufen reached its peak during the Japanese colonial occupation of Taiwan (1895-1945).
The town’s layout was dense, with building practically built on top of one another. Many Japanese inns from that era survive today. During WWII, the town was used as a POW camp, and after the war the gold industry declined, with the mine totally closed in 1971.
Nearby Jinguashi suffered the same fate as Jiufen, and today is the site of the Gold Ecological Park, commonly visited in combination with Jiufen.
Jiufen’s revival came in 1989, when the Taiwanese film A City of Sadness, set in Jiufen, received international acclaim. This initiated a domestic and later international tourism boom that saw the city redevelop into the tourism center that it is today.
Jiufen only seems to get more and more popular every year. It has been promoted heavily in Japan, Taiwanese people love going there on the weekend, and it is one of the top day trips from Taipei for international tourists.
If you are interested in Japanese-era architecture in Taiwan, you can find information about other Japanese buildings in Taiwan in my guides to the best temples in Taipei, historic Dihua Street in Taipei, and places to visit in Taichung.
For more fun day trip ideas from Taipei, see my guides to Jiaoxi Hot Spring in Yilan, Wulai Hot Spring, the best Taipei beaches, and the best theme parks around Taipei.
Things to Do in Jiufen
Here’s a detailed list of what to do in Jiufen during your visit. Spots 8-10 are in nearby Jinguashi, a 10-minute ride past Jiufen by bus. You only need about 2 hours to cover the Jiufen attractions, including stopping for food and tea, but you can easily double that if you add Jinguashi.
Explore Jiufen Old Street
The main reason people come to Jiufen is to explore the highly atmospheric Jiufen Old Street (Jishan Street or 基山街). The old street begins beside the 7-Eleven near the Jiufen Old Street bus stop, and meanders uphill, which numerous lanes and staircases branching off from it.
You could walk all the way up to the top of the village and back down in about 30 minutes, but most people spend a couple hours here, including some shopping, photo taking, snacks, and stopping somewhere for lunch or tea.
The old street is very touristy but still has a lot of charm. Don’t miss the staircase that leads from the Old Street down to Amei Teahouse and Shengping Theater, probably the most beautiful section.
The tourist section of the Old Street ends around Jishan Street Viewing Platform (基山街觀景臺). After that, the road leads to a collection of hillside houses that has a more local feel, where a temple, several guesthouses, and a very traditional teahouse are located.
Enjoy a Tea Set at Amei Teahouse
Amei Teahouse (阿妹茶樓, open 8:30 a.m. to midnight, to 1 a.m. on Friday and Saturday) is the most iconic building in Jiufen, and the one everyone especially thinks looks like Spirited Away. You can find lots of Spirited Away souvenirs on the staircase leading up (or down) to it.
This beautiful wooden building once housed the only blacksmith in Jiufen, and it has been beautifully preserved and maintained.
Amei Teahouse is EXTREMELY popular. If you come during the afternoon, when Jiufen crowds reach their peak, it could be a long way. It is no longer possible to pre-order your tea set online.
I went quite early when I visited (around 9 a.m. on a weekday), and I was able to walk in and get a seat. If you come for a cocktail or dessert, you’ll be sent to the second floor, while tea drinkers get the best view on the top floor.
For the tea set, you only need to choose between hot or iced tea. Each set comes with four little treats: brown sugar mochi, green bean cake, sesame crackers, and sweet plums.
The tea is served in the traditional kung-fu style, and the waiter gave me a thorough demonstration on how to do it and speaks perfect English. The tea is high mountain tea (see my guide to Taiwan’s teas) and they provide enough to make many pots of it.
To take the classic picture of Amei Teahouse, go up the stairs of Skyline Tea House (海悅樓觀景茶坊). It’s very obvious which one it is when you get there; it’s right across from Amei. The view is especially nice in the evening, when all the lights and lanterns come on.
For the best shots, try to get a seat in one of the upper floors of that teahouse. However, because of this, the line for a spot in Skyline Tea House can be just as long or even longer than the one for Amei Teahouse!
Give some Love to Other Jiufen Teahouses
Even if you don’t get into Amei Teahouse (or feel you don’t have to go there), there are many other great teahouses in Jiufen to choose from.
Jiufen Teahouse (九份茶坊, 10:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.) is the best choice for those who want a variety of fine local tea choices and don’t care about having a view. The building’s traditional interior is especially lovely. Each person pays a water fee of TWD100, then a packet of tea ranges from NT600-1200. Don’t miss the oolong tea cheesecake!
Taiwan Sweet Potato Teahouse (芋仔蕃薯茶坊, 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.) just uphill from Amei Teahouse, is a decent alternative to Amei. You have to enter through a stone tunnel from the street that miners once used to get to the Jiufen mine, which is pretty surreal!
Another Amei alternative right beside it is Skyline Tea House (海悅樓觀景茶坊, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.), which is where you can take the best photos of Amei Teahouse from. You are more likely to get a seat with a view here than at Amei (or any seat at all).
Further up the Jiufen Old Street from the staircase down to Amei, there is a section with several quieter teahouses that all have great views. Try Forgetful House (忘情小築), Ocean See (九份觀海樓民宿), or Shan Cheng Creation House/Something Easy (九份山城逸境民宿), a pottery shop with a tea room on the third floor.
If you walk all the way to the local community at the end of the road, there is a very traditional and rustic looking teashop called Tree Grove (樹窟奇木樓).
Go Back in Time at Shengping Theater
Shengping Theater (昇平戲院, 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., to 6:00 p.m. on weekends, free entry) is a handsome theater dating to 1934, when Jiufen was prosperous. It was built with Taiwanese cypress (hinoki) in the imitation Baroque style popular in Japan at the time.
Inside, you can see old movie posters, a well-preserved concession stand, and an old movie projector. The square in front of the theater was once a bustling social center and marketplace in Jiufen.
The theater is located on Qingbian street (輕便路), an atmospheric lane running between the main highway and Jiufen Old Street. The easiest way to get there is to walk up the staircase from the Jiufen Police Station (九份派出所) bus stop, or down the staircase from Jiufen Old Street and go past Amei Teahouse.
Rent a Qipao for Your Photos
Visitors to Japan love renting kimonos and yukatas for their visit; now the thing to do in Taiwan is to rent a traditional Chinese qipao (sometimes spelled chipao in Taiwan) to stroll around and take photos. The easiest way to do this is to rent a qipao here.
Jiufen’s atmospheric old streets, hanging red lanterns, and Japanese-era architecture are the perfect backdrop for taking some photos in costume. Also, imagine the feeling of dressing up to visit one of Jiufen’s traditional teashops just like locals did 100 years ago!
If you’re wondering what the locals may think, there’s no need to worry. None of them will take offense, and Taiwanese love renting kimonos when they travel to Japan.
Another popular place in Taiwan to rent a qipao is historic Dadaocheng in Taipei. Find even more in my guide to wearing qipaos in Taiwan.
Shopping on the Old Street
While entirely aimed at tourists, Jiufen Old Street is nonetheless a great place to pick up some typical Taiwanese products and souvenirs.
Some of the most popular items sold on Jiufen Old Street include tea, various cakes and desserts, Spirited Away and Totoro items, traditional whistles, cat-related items, postcards, old-fashioned candies, pottery, and all types of typical Taiwan-themed souvenirs.
For excellent, freshly baked pineapple cakes, try 老珍香餅店, a few minutes up the Old Street from the entrance. The smell inside the shop is amazing!
Hike to Keelung Mountain Peak
Keelung Mountain (基隆山 or 雞籠山) is the 588-meter peak you see to the right when looking down from Jiufen. From the pavilion at the top of the mountain, you can enjoy an incredible view of Jiufen and as far away as Taipei 101 on a clear day. I include the trail of my list of the best hikes near Taipei.
The Mount Keelung Trail (雞籠山登山步道) begins about 400 meters up the highway from the entrance to Jiufen Old Street. The hike only takes an hour return, but it is steep, tiring, and mostly involves stairs. According to one of my readers, if you follow the trail for a few minutes up, an alternative trail branches off to the left, with less stairs and a gentle (but longer) ascent to the peak.
See more details and pictures here for the Keelung Mountain Trail.
Jinguashi Gold Ecological Museum
The Jinguashi Gold Ecological Museum (金瓜石黃金博物館, NTD80, 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m, to 6:00 p.m. on weekends), also known as New Taipei City Gold Museum or Gold Ecological Park, is only 10 minutes past Jiufen and definitely worth adding to your Jiufen trip.
The museum/park is fairly spread out amongst natural surroundings and there are some pretty incredible views to be had (even better than in Jiufen I would say).
Here you can explore the old mining facilities, touch a 220-kg gold bar that was once the large in the world, enter mining tunnels and even have a coffee topped with ice cream and gold leaf at the cafe on site!
All the buses to Jiufen continue on to Jinguashi before turning around. You can get a small discount if you book your Gold Ecological Park tickets online.
Hike to Teapot Mountain and the Shinto Shrine
A breathtaking 1 to 2-hour hike to Teapot Mountain (茶壺山) begins from right inside the Gold Ecological Park. A rock pile at the top of the mountain looks like a tea pot, and you can even climb right into and through it. This is one of my personal favorite hikes near Taipei.
To find the trail, locate Tunnel #5 (本山五坑), one of the Gold Ecology Park’s popular attractions. Just past it, take the walking bridge across the river and turn right at the end of it. It takes less than an hour to reach the tea pot.
After that, you can return the same way, or go through the tea pot and continue along a loop (2 hours total) that will bring you back to Jinguashi via the remains of a Japanese Shinto Shrine (金瓜石神社石燈籠).
If you only want to see the Japanese Shrine, it’s a 20-minute uphill stair walk, starting at the staircase just before the buildings at Tunnel #5.
Golden Waterfall
One of the most famous (but but slightly more difficult to get to) attractions in the Jiufen and Jinguashi area is the visually stunning Golden Waterfall (黃金瀑布). The waterfall bed’s unique color is the result of all the heavy metal deposits in the area. If you want to see the waterfall, I recommend joining this tour.
Nearby, the abandoned Shuinandong Smelter or “Remains of the 13 Levels” (十三層遺址) is a haunting beautiful spot popular among photographers. Nearby at the Shancheng Art Gallery Performance and Exhibition Gallery you can learn how to make tofu on this cultural tour.
To get to the Golden Waterfall, walk for 20 minutes downhill from Jinguashi Gold Ecological Museum on country road #34, or take bus #788 or 856 from Ruifang, Jiufen, or Jinguashi, or 826 from Jiufen or Jinguashi. These buses may be quite infrequent.
What to Eat in Jiufen
You don’t have to do much planning for what to eat in Jiufen; the old street is lined with food stalls, with both traditional and modern specialties on offer. You can find some of the most famous Taiwanese street foods in Jiufen.
Most Jiufen restaurants are hole-in-the-wall shops with only a few tables, though some have back rooms or second floors with balconies offering great views.
The most famous thing to eat in Jiufen is taro and sweet potato balls (芋圓 and 地瓜圓). You can find these in dessert shops throughout Taiwan, but the ones in Jiufen are especially good.
The balls are fairly bland but it’s all about the chewy texture. They are served hot or on ice, in a slightly sweet syrup, and often come with a variety of beans.
The best places to try them are Lai Ah Po Taro Balls (賴阿婆芋圓) right on the Old Street and Ah Gan Taro Balls (阿柑姨芋圓) up a staircase from the Old Street. At both shops, you can usually see workers making the balls.
Another traditional specialty you’ll see in Jiufen is herbal rice cakes (草仔粿) and taro cakes (芋粿). These are thick, fist-sized dumplings that come stuffed with beans or vegetables. The most popular spot to buy them is Ah-Lan (阿蘭草仔粿芋粿).
A-Jou Peanut Ice Cream Roll (阿珠雪在燒) serves one of my favorite Taiwanese sweet snacks, a kind of wrap with traditional ice cream, peanut brittle shavings, and cilantro. It may sound like an odd combination, but they are SO GOOD!
A-Jou is really popular but extremely efficient, and because they know we all want to take photos, they even give you a moment to get a shot on their signed plate before wrapping it up.
For a proper meal, try 魚丸伯仔, a 60-year-old shop which does fish ball soup and tofu triangles stuffed with meat (豆腐包) .
Also try 郵局前油蔥粿, which specializes in you cong guo, a kind of savory cake made with rice flour and white radish. You’ll see a huge slab of it on the counter, and they cut chunks of it off and cover them with sweet soy sauce and fried shallots.
If you’re vegetarian or vegan and aren’t sure which items you can eat, find out how to ask in my Taiwanese vegetarian food guide.
Getting to Jiufen
There is so much information to share about this that I’ve written a separate article on how to get to Jiufen, Jinguashi, and Shifen from Taipei. For your stay in Taipei, also feel free to check out my favorite 50 things to do in Taipei and my recommended Taipei itinerary.
Well, I hope you’ve found all the information you needed in this Jiufen guide. If not, feel free to ask me questions in the comments below!
Thanks so much for your website! We just bought last minute tickets to Taiwan. Arrive at Taipei and leave from Kaohsiung. We have 8 days on the island!
We have a 8 yo and a 5 yo. We want to do mainly Alishan and Kenting. Just hiking and beach! We know the kids are not keen on city walk, history and culture. But they will love the nature! Happy kids and happy parents. That’s what we want for this holiday!
We will obviously spend the first day in Taipei. Then we should leave the second day to Alishan. I reckon we should have at leave one full day in Alishan. Then we leave on the 4th or 5th day to Kenting. Then back home to Singapore!
My husband and i have been to JiuFen. I personally would love to go there again! So perhaps we skip Taipei and go straight to JiuFen. Do you think it’s worth it? I guess I only know Jiufen near Taipei and that’s why the notion stuck in my head!
Would love to hear from you!
Again thanks so much for creating this website! Made me so excited about the trip in a weeks time!
Hi Carrie,
Thanks for reading, and I’m glad you found some useful info on my site!
Your plan sounds great, but I’m afraid I can’t really tell you whether to skip Taipei or do Taipei + Jiufen. It really is up to you! Taipei is such a huge city with so much to do, but it really depends on what kind of things you want to do with your kids. If you loved Jiufen a lot, then I guess only you can do decide if you want to do only that again! I think your kids might enjoy Jinguashi too, which is near Jiufen. Another place you could consider as a day trip or overnight trip from Taipei is Jiaoxi, which has an easy waterfall hike and lots of hot springs (some very kid friendly ones with slides too, such as Art Spa Hotel). For the rest of your trip, it sounds great, and seems like you already know what you want to do. Please let me know if you have any more questions though!
Heyy!
Thanks so much for creating this post. Was super useful and adequate even years later 🙂 Glad I finally made it to Taiwan as well and tried all the weird but tasty stuff you mentioned here.
Thanks, I’m so glad to hear it was useful!
Hi Nick,
We will do a vacation trip to Taiwan with our family (kids are 12 and 9)
Of course, we also want to visit Shifen and Jiufen in a day trip. So I have a few questions for you as an expert:
– we are thinking about getting a rental car for the trip. Jiufen does not look very spacious on the pictures. Do Hotels Usually have parking spaces and is it easy to get around by car?
– we will not come during the lantern festival. Is it possible to have lanterns fly on a regular day? And if so, where is this done?
– how are the travel distances between Shifen, Jiufen and the cat village on a weekday? Visiting all three look feasible in 1 day, but since streets appear small, I am wondering about the traffic.
– what other places are for you a must see in Taiwan during a 1 week trip.
Kind regards from Yokohama and thank you in advance for your insights.
Simon
Hi Simon,
I would honestly say sometimes taking public transportation in Taiwan is easier than driving because the roads can be so crowded, and especially because finding parking can be really tough. Jiufen is an extremely popular tourist destination, with only one tiny road going up to it, and most hotels are somewhere up in the village so you can’t even drive to them, as most of the village is for walking only, with lots of staircases. I’m sure if you search, you could find some that are on the main road or do have parking though. Having said that, I’m pretty sure there are still some little parking lots around the entrance to Jiufen Old Street; there will be signs and people out there to collect money. So if you are set on driving, you can certainly do it!
For lanterns, setting off lanterns at Shifen train station, right from the train tracks, is also an extremely popular thing to do now, every day of the year. Again, I feel it would be easier to take the train there, but you can drive and they will have some parking lots there. Traveling on a week day will definitely be better for all of this. I think you can use GoogleMaps on a similar time/day of your travels (like check it when it’s a weekday afternoon in Taiwan) to judge the driving times. Just add a little more time for finding parking. If you are used to driving in places with narrow roads and lots of maneuvering that would be good! For me, I’ve been living in Taiwan for 10 years, and we have a family car, but I still let my wife (Taiwanese) do all the driving 🙂
For 1 week in Taiwan, I think it depends on what kind of attractions you want to visit. A lot of visitors with that time frame do Taipei, with 1-2 day trips, then a 2-night trip to Hualien/Taroko Gorge. Feel free to consult my articles on Taroko Gorge, traveling around Taiwan with kids, Taipei itineraries, and things to do in Taiwan for more ideas!
Hi Nick,
I’m travelling to Taiwan with 5 other students from Germany and we have 6 days after a one week workshop in Taipei with students from the Design University of Taipei. Which sites, national parks and cities would you recommend that are mostly in the North and East and have low budget travel options?
Thanks a lot for your answer in advance!
Best wishes,
Clara
Hi Clara, there are many different things you could do, and it depends on what kind of sights (cultural? natural?), the season you are traveling, and just how low your budget is. But I suppose I would say you could take the slower (cheaper, easier to get a seat) train to Hualien City, where there are many great hostels, then do a day trip to Taroko National Park (see my article about that). Next, continue on the train from Hualien to one of the villages in southern Hualien County or Taitung County, such as Yuli, Guanshan or Luye, which feature beautiful countryside scenery. You can rent bikes and ride around. See my article on “East Coast of Taiwan” for all the details. This is just one idea that you can consider.
Hi Nick, we want to thank you so much for producing such high-quality content! We are using your guide the second time to explore Taiwan (last time Alishan) and I must say the info you provide are gold! Really appreciate your effort in writing original and insightful content!
Well thank you very much, glad it helped! And thanks for taking the time to leave some feedback!
Hi, I am doing a girls trip this January and was thinking of renting a private car to drive us to Pingxi, Shifen and Jiufen. What are the routes would you recommend for us and places to visit? What time does the shops close at Jiufen?
Thanks!
Hi Lia,
I think it doesn’t make a huge difference which route you take for this tour. You could start at Jiufen, then do Pingxi/Shifen or Shifen/Pingxi.
Or you could do Pingxi/Shifen then Jiufen last.
I guess it depends, which place do you want to visit with less crowds? Then go there first.
Personally I would choose to do Jiufen first, because the old street and staircases there get extremely crowded in the afternoon. It’s more annoying to pass all the people. However, don’t go to Jiufen TOO early. One time I went too early, and I found that most of the food stalls and shops didn’t open until around 10 a.m. The shops and food there are pretty interesting, so you don’t want to miss that.
For Shifen waterfall, even if it’s still crowded, you still have the same view of the waterfall, so it’s not such a problem, in my opinion!
I would recommend this deal for your driver. I’m sure they will also give you advise on the best schedule, based on factors like parking too:
https://affiliate.klook.com/jump/en-CA/activity/9909-popular-sightseeing-charter-tour-taipei/?adid=89163&af_wid=3452
Enjoy your trip!
Hi Nick,
Thank you very much for your guides to Jiufen. You’ve put a lot of thought into them. I took the bus to Jiufen and had no trouble at all following your clear instructions. Had a fantastic time. Appreciate your work, and thanks again.
Hello Nick! I’m taking my second trip to Taiwan later this month, and your website has been so helpful for planning it. My first trip was in 2016, and I saw many of Taiwan’s most popular attractions, including Taipei 101, Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall, Beitou’s hot springs, Foguangshan, Sun Moon Lake, and Kenting National Park. Jiufen was at the top of the list of things I wanted to see and didn’t get to, and I’m very excited to go this time!
The Klook link to preorder a tea set at A-mei is saying it’s currently unavailable. Do you have any suggestions on what to do, or will I just have to stand in line?
Thank you!
A-mei teahouse no longer takes any kind of bookings, so yes, you just have to stand in line. Try to go earlier in the day so you can beat the crowds, and you shouldn’t have to wait too long. Some people recently even reported that they didn’t have to wait in line at all, but of course the line will be bigger on weekends, holidays, high season in Taiwan (winter), and in the future once Taiwan’s tourism industry fully recovers (right now we are still at only 50% of pre-covid figures)
Hi Nick,
To photograph the classic picture of Amei teahouse, do you have to be a customer of Skyline Teahouse? Thanks
If you see the photo in my article with the caption “The entrance to Amei Teahouse”, that one was taken from the cement path between the two lighthouses, so anyone can stand there and take this photo. But if you want a higher photo like the photo in my article with caption “he famous view of Amei Teahouse in Jiufen”, then you will have to go up Skyline Teahouse.
Hi Nick,
Is it possible to do Shifen(waterfall & Pingxi), Jiufen(gold eco park & teapot mountain hike) all in one day?
Between teapot mountain hike and keelug mountain hike which do you reccomend?
Yes, you could certainly do those in one day if you get an early start. Between those two hikes, I liked Teapot Mountain more. Keeling mountain is just up up up, then a great view. Teapot mountain has more fun terrain, including climbing inside a cave in the teapot part, and another ladder climb later on. It also has a great view of Yinyang sea on the coast, where the two colors of water mix together.
Thank you for a fantastic website!
Do you think Juifen will open up on the 11.th or the 12.th of February 2024, or is everything still closed down to new years at that time?
Kind regards, Lea
Jiufen is a town, so it can’t close. But many of the small shops and restaurants will take a break on LNY Eve and LNY Day. After that, they will gradually start to open again.
If we arrive to Jiufen around 4pm (staying the night and exploring the next morning) will we have any trouble finding restaurants to eat dinner on/near old street? Do we need to hurry to have dinner or will places be open at a normal time? Thanks!
Most things will stay open until around 6 or 7 PM. You can use GoogleMaps and click on various restaurants to check their opening times.
Great article as always Nick!
I wanted to ask if Uber is available in the Teapot mountain area or do I have to book a cab in advance?
I actually wanted to photograph the Remains of 13th level after the lights turn on at 6 pm, but the last bus back to Jiufen is of 5 pm. So will I be able to get a cab then?
That’s a tough call. I’ve never personally tried, so I don’t know. You might get lucky and catch an Uber driver who happens to be around Jiufen and is willing to pick you up. But you also might not. However, you can walk from Remains of 13 levels to Jinguashi Gold Ecological Park (where tea pot mountain located) and there are buses (788 to Keelung and 965 to Ruifang) going from there back to Jiufen and Ruifang until late. Use GoogleMaps directions to find the times.