Jiufen and Shifen in One Day from Taipei: Route, Order and Tips

A hillside village that grew rich on gold mining, and a narrow street where trains squeeze past shopfronts only a few steps from the stalls — both are less than two hours from Taipei, and both are why so many visitors happily set an early alarm on day three of their Taiwan holiday. Jiufen and Shifen are the classic pairing for a day out from the capital, but what many guidebooks skip is that the order you visit them in matters as much as the places themselves. Get the timing slightly wrong, and your dreamy red-lantern scene turns into a crowd under the noon sun.

Shifen first, Jiufen second — the one order we recommend

If you remember just one thing from this guide, make it this. Start at Shifen from late morning to early afternoon, because the colourful sky lanterns and the waterfall need daylight. Then move on to Jiufen in the late afternoon and wander uphill until the sky turns deep blue — that's when the red lanterns on the teahouses switch on all at once. Most people who visit Jiufen in the morning and complain it doesn't look like the photos simply went at the wrong time. The only downside of this order is the long queue for transport back in the evening, which we cover near the end.

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Getting there by train from Taipei

The most popular route is to take an eastbound train from Taipei Main Station to Ruifang, the key junction for the day. From Ruifang, switch to the small Pingxi Line train that winds up through the valley to Shifen. When you're done, ride back to Ruifang and take a bus or taxi up the hill to Jiufen, which doesn't take long. Note that the Pingxi Line doesn't run as frequently as the city metro, so check the timetable before you set out and plan your return train in advance. The stored-value card you use on the Taipei metro works on this route too, so you don't need to queue for a ticket at every leg.

Shifen: shops on both sides of the tracks, and lanterns full of wishes

Shifen Old Street has a railway line running straight down the middle, lined with lantern shops, stuffed fried-chicken wings and snack stalls. Between trains, visitors step onto the tracks to write their wishes on paper lanterns with a Chinese brush. Each colour has its own meaning — red for health, yellow for wealth, pink for love — before everyone lets them float up into the sky. The moment a train horn sounds, the whole crowd steps back onto the pavement in perfect unison, as if they'd rehearsed it. Our take: multi-coloured lanterns look great in photos, but choosing a single colour and writing one wish you genuinely mean feels far more personal. It's also worth knowing that fallen lanterns end up as litter in the surrounding forest, so simply posing with a lantern without releasing it is a perfectly good choice.

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Shifen Waterfall: a short walk that buys back some quiet

Plenty of people release their lantern and rush off, even though Shifen Waterfall is only a short distance away — a broad curtain of water tumbling into a rocky pool surrounded by green forest. The path follows the river and crosses a small suspension bridge, and it's a welcome break from the noise of the old street. After several days of rain the falls are especially powerful and white. Ordinary sneakers are fine; no special gear needed.

Houtong Cat Village, if you still have energy

On the way back from Shifen to Ruifang, the train passes Houtong, a former coal-mining village that has become home to countless stray cats. They sleep on stairways, rooftops and the footbridge over the tracks. Cat lovers can happily spend an hour here, but honestly, if time is tight, skipping it to reach Jiufen earlier is the better call — walking Jiufen before dark without rushing is the heart of the whole day.

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Jiufen at dusk, when the red lanterns come on

Jiufen clings to a steep hillside facing the sea, its houses stacked in terraces. The highlight is Shuqi Road, a narrow stepped lane lined with multi-storey wooden teahouses hung with red lanterns — a scene many people say recalls a town from a Japanese animated film. As the sky darkens, find a high spot on the steps and look down: you'll see the lanterns cascading all the way towards the distant sea. If you want to sip tea in a teahouse with a sea-view balcony, arrive a little before sunset, because the window tables fill up fast.

Jishan Street: what to eat on the way up

Before you reach Shuqi Road, the main path is Jishan Street, a narrow, partly covered lane packed with food stalls on both sides. Must-tries include chewy taro and sweet potato balls served in syrup or over shaved ice; the peanut ice cream roll — ice cream wrapped in a thin crêpe with shaved peanut brittle and a few coriander leaves, which sounds odd but works surprisingly well; and fish balls in clear broth. Personally, we prefer the taro balls hot on a drizzly day rather than iced, because Jiufen is noticeably windier and cooler than the city.

Rain, mist and the queue home: three things to plan for

Jiufen sits in Taiwan's northeast, which gets rain more often than Taipei, especially from late in the year into the early months. Always pack a folding umbrella and shoes with good grip — wet stone steps are extremely slippery. Second, weekends and long holidays make Jishan Street so crowded you can barely move, so pick a weekday if you can. Finally, the ride back: the evening queue for buses down the hill can be very long. The fix is to share a taxi to Ruifang with fellow travellers, or stay a night in Jiufen and walk its silent lanes early the next morning — an experience day visitors never get to see.

Base yourself in Taipei and plan the rest of your stay

For most visitors, staying in Taipei and heading out for the day is the easiest option. A hotel near Taipei Main Station makes the train to Ruifang simple with no complicated transfers. If you haven't planned your other days in the city yet, have a look at our first-timer's guide to Taipei, then tap Book a stay in Taipei to compare rooms near the station on Trip.com before you go.