My fiance and I spent two weeks traveling down the west coast of Taiwan, with five days spent in Taipei. When it comes to what to do and see, Taipei is not short of options and has something for every kind of traveler to enjoy. Tapei is actually ranked one of the world’s 13 best cities for nightlife.
Part of Taipei’s charm is how easy it is to step away from the hustle and bustle of city life and venture into the slower-paced nature of neighboring towns. One of the best day trips tourists and locals can take is a Jiufen and Shifen day trip, both approximately an hour away.
Having missed Dogo Onsen, the bathhouse that inspired Spirited Away, on my last trip to Japan, I made it a priority to visit Jiufen, Taiwan’s “real-life Spirited Away” town, on this journey. And with how close Shifen is to Jiufen, I figured why not visit both towns on the same day?
Below I recap my Jiufen and Shifen day trip, sharing tips and ideas for your next getaway!
About Shifen
When talking about Shifen, people are most likely referring to “Shifen Old Street.” Shifen is part of the Pingxi District of New Taipei City. It’s a stop along the Pingxi Branch Rail Line, which actually runs through the town.
Shifen is famed for its sky lantern releases and the Shifen Waterfalls, often called Taiwan’s “Niagara Falls,” located just a few miles from Old Street.
About Jiufen
Jiufen, also spelled Jioufen, is a seaside mountain village located in New Taipei City’s Ruifang District, about 45 minutes away from Shifen. It is best known for supposedly inspiring the animated film Spirited Away. In actuality, Hayao Miyakazi denies this claim. However, because of the striking similarities found between the town and the film’s setting, it’s a belief that is continuously perpetuated by tourists and fans. You’ll even find Spirited Away-inspired merch throughout Jiufen! Jiufen also has a rich history of being a gold mining town.
Which Town Should You Visit?
You can visit both towns in a single day. While both Shifen and Jifuen are small towns, I feel that Jifuen has much more to do and see.
If you prefer to avoid large crowds, visit Jifuen first thing in the morning as it starts getting busy around 12 PM onwards. If you prefer to experience the Spirited Away vibe, visit Shifen first and end your day at Jiufen. This will give you the opportuntiy to see those famous red lanterns switch on as the sun sets.
We opted to end our day in to spend more time leisurely exploring all its nooks and crannies.
Tip!
If you want to make the most of your time, it is highly recommended to visit both towns during the week, instead of the weekend, because it can get extremely crowded. We visited both towns on a Friday, which we felt was “busy enough” without feeling overwhelmingly crowded.
Arriving At Shifen Old Street
Our day started at 11 AM when our private driver picked us up from our hotel. We arranged the service through the Klook app where we were assigned an English-speaking driver for an 8-hours. The cool thing about this service is that they can take you to as many destinations as you’d like (from an existing list) within your 8-hour window. Throughout the drive, our driver shared some fun facts and history about Taipei.
When we arrived at Shifen Old Street at 12 PM, our driver shared recommended some activities and foods to try. He noted that most people spend about an hour exploring Old Street, but we were free to take more or less time as we wished. Shifen Old Street is a small village about 300 meters long so an hour of exploring made sense to us.
As I mentioned earlier, the train runs right through the town. When it’s not passing through, the tracks come alive with people gathering to light lanterns, inscribed with their wishes, and release them into the sky.
We spent about 50 minutes exploring Old Street which included walking from one end of the village and back in a loop, souvenir shopping, taking pictures, admiring the sky lanterns, and indulging in deboned-stuffed grilled chicken wings.
What To Do In Shifen Old Street
- Write your wish on a sky lantern and release it into the sky
- Multiple stalls sell sky lanterns with prices ranging from 100 -150 NTD. Some sell environmentally friendly lanterns which you can ask if they.
- Eat
- There are plenty of food stalls. We ordered the deboned chicken wings which were so flavorful. It’s a wing stuffed with rice, diced chicken, and other spices. They were going for 70 NTD each. I also purchased Taiwanese Snowflake nougats in several flavors including sesame and matcha as souvenirs for my sister.
- Walk the railroad tracks
- It was an interesting sight to see people casually hanging out on the train tracks so I had to try it out myself! If you’re concerned about safety, guards are vigilant about ordering people off the tracks in advance of an approaching train. Walking the tracks makes for a cool photo opportunity. Stalls line both sides of the tracks so it’s also a unique way to explore this small village.
- Walk across the Jingan suspension bridge
- We did not do this but it’s another great photo opportunity. You can also view the village from a higher vantage point.
- Shop
- You’ll find the typical tourist souvenirs, along with many lantern-themed items. I ended up purchasing a unique boba packet postcard you can actually drink.
Admiring Shifen Waterfalls
Next, our driver took us 5 minutes down the road to admire the Shifen Waterfalls. Reaching the falls takes about 20 minutes from the desginated parkining lot. It’s an easy trek where you take a paved trail along a river that continues over a suspension bridge. One of the highlights of visiting Shifen Falls is that the trail is wheelchair accessible. The elevated ramps and elevator on-site makes it easy to access the several look-out areas to admire the falls.
There are also two main food areas before you reach the falls. You can grab a bite, simply sit and admire the scenery, and even feed the koi fish. (I couldn’t resist feeding the koi fish)!
We spent an hour at Shifen Falls which included the walk to the falls, exploring all the lookouts to take photos, resting to eat, and walking back to meet our driver.
Arriving at Jiufen Old Street
After a morning of “hiking,” I was so excited to head over to Jiufen to unwind for the rest of the day. After about 45 minutes later up a windy mountain road that overlooked the ocean, we arrived at Jiufen.
Be warned that there are lots of stairs in Jiufen. The good news is you can get around climbing upstairs if you prefer.
There are two main entrances into Jiufen. Our driver dropped us off at the entrance at the top of Old Street, right next to a 7/11. Use this entrance to follow a paved path through Old Street with ease. You’ll find several alleyways that branch off from the main street you can wander down.
The “bottom entrance” is where local buses stop. (I am not sure what the name of the stop is on Google Maps). This is where you will encounter the many flights of stairs leading up to Old Street. It’s also a popular place to start because the famous A-Mei Tea House is close to the entrance.
Tip
If you don’t want to walk up flights of step stairs, walk over to the 7/11 entrance. Your knees will thank you.
Exploring Jiufen Old Street
Jiufen Old Street is packed with food stalls, souvenir shops, traditional tea shops, and more. My best advice is to take it all in slowly and allow yourself time to wander.
We spent three hours in total at Jiufen and wished we could have stayed longer! Because we arrived at 2:45 PM, our driver mentioned that we had to head out no later than 6PM PT so we could make it back within our 8-hour window due to rush hour. Keep that in mind if you’re visiting multiple places in a day with a private driver!
What To Do In Jiufen Old Street
Eat
- There is so much to indulge in. Some iconic foods are the Ah-Zhu Peanut Ice Cream Roll and taro balls. We came across Jiufen Jie Jiao Traditional Diner, a fantastic lunch spot with scenic views of the ocean, and a larger variety of flavored beers. We ordered xiaolongbao, edamame, smoked cherry duck, and braised pork rice.
Have a tea ceremony at the A-Mei Teahouse
- This is the teahouse you’ve likely seen on postcards or Google search for Jiufen. It is extremely popular so if you want to get in, you should arrive early in the day to secure your spot because they don’t take reservations in advance, We didn’t have the opportunity to go inside but we did enjoy another tea house close by.
Visit other tea houses
- Again there are several tea houses worth visiting in Jiufen that are less crowded. We enjoyed wine and tea at the Old Window Oceanview Restaurant and watched the sunset.
Take pictures with cats!
We saw so many cats hanging around all over the mountain.
Visit the Jiufen Goldore Museum
While I did not have the time to visit the museum myself, I’ve read it’s a great spot to take a break from the touristy charm of Old Street where you learn more about the town’s history.
Final Thoughts
Jiufen and Shifen made for the perfect day trip to escape the hustle and bustle of Taipei. The dramatic shift in scenery felt like stepping into an entirely different world, while their close proximity to the city kept the journey easy and manageable.
I hope to visit again so I can light a sky latern and enjoy tea at A-Mei Teahouse!
Want to see more behind the scenes? Check out my reel of me journaling my recap to Jiufen!
FAQs
How can I visit Shifen?
- Shifen can be visited by public transport via train or bus. The train takes roughly 1.5 hours while taking a bus will be around 2.5 hours. I highly recommend reviewing this blog post with more details about where and how to take the train or bus since I did not take public transport.
- If you’re willing to splurge, you can also book a private driver via Klook.
- You can also drive a car to Shifen since there is a parking lot at Shifen Old Town and the falls.
How much does it cost to visit the Shifen Waterfalls?
- Zero NTD. It’s free to enter!
How can I visit Jiufen?
- Jiufen can be visited by bus. This detailed post covers public transport thoroughly!
- If you’re willing to splurge, you can also book a private driver via Klook.
- I don’t recommend taking a car only because of how congested the mountain is (parking seemed more ample for buses than cars), on top of traffic.
Are there hotels in Jiufen?
- Yes! I recommend checking out this blogger’s post with a list of accommodations and ratings.
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