Visiting New Taipei City: How to Prepare for Your Trip

Understanding a city shaped by rivers, coastline and hills

New Taipei City is presented as a place shaped by the meeting of the Tamsui, Xindian and Keelung rivers. Taiwan's tourism authority describes its development as having gradually extended inland from the river mouth.

The same overview describes a landscape of coastline, weather-shaped terrain and low mountains. It offers a broad geographical picture but gives neither detailed administrative boundaries nor distances between areas.

The tourism overview highlights the city's varied cultural resources, including museums devoted to tea culture, pottery and ceramics. It also mentions a varied cultural programme but gives no calendar.

Choose visits to suit your interests: Tamsui, nature or heritage

Hongmao Castle is a historic site built by the Spanish in 1626 and later restored by the Dutch. Its name refers to the nickname Taiwanese people gave the Dutch.

Near Hongmao Castle are the former British consular residence, a garden and an observation platform. The platform is associated with views of the sunset at Shutai.

Other historic buildings near these sites in Tamsui include the former Oxford School, Dr. Mackay's residence and Tamsui College. These buildings are described as generally well preserved.

Tamsui Fisherman's Wharf is described as a recreational fishing port developed by the New Taipei City Government. It has floating pontoons, a large park, a boat-shaped bridge and a wooden waterfront walkway more than 300 metres long.

Tamsui Fisherman's Wharf is presented as a place to watch the sunset at the mouth of the Tamsui River. The listing also describes it as a place for a stroll, with breezes and scenery to enjoy.

The Tamsui River Mangrove Conservation Area is near Hongshulin metro station, before the Tamsui terminus. Its listing describes it as the largest contiguous area of shuibizai mangrove, also known as kandelia candel in Chinese.

The mangrove listing describes an estuarine environment adapted to saltwater brought in by the tides. It notes riverside birds, including egrets and snipes, as well as more than thirty types of crab.

The mangrove listing gives access via the conservation area on Lane 50 of Waiganjenlin, south of Hongshulin station. It also places a wetland ecology exhibition centre on the station's second floor.

The history of Tamsui Port Lighthouse is tied to commercial shipping: it was built to improve navigation facilities and reduce shipwrecks after the port opened to trade and foreign merchant ship traffic increased.

The lighthouse listing says the first lighthouse was established in 1796, funded by local donations and built from pebbles, with an oil lamp. It describes it as the oldest lighthouse on Taiwan's main island.

The present lighthouse is the result of several changes: a new Western-style tin lighthouse was built in 1888, and a steel-structure tower was relocated and rebuilt in 1969. The listing places the latter on the northern bank of Tamsui Port.

Houtong, Sandiaoling and Mudan are linked by the “Double-Centenary Loop,” which combines a century-old railway with the old Danlan Trail. The source presents this as a New Taipei City heritage route but does not specify the administrative districts of each locality here.

One of the San-Mu-Hou route's points of interest is the Ruisan coal preparation plant, restored using historical methods to evoke the mining era and display century-old objects.

The Sandiaoling Ecological Tunnel, another site on the route, was built to limit its impact on nature. The listing says Formosan leaf-nosed bats roost there.

The San-Mu-Hou route listing says visitors can arrive by TRA train and explore a combination of cultural history, mountain-town scenery and ecology on foot, by train or by bicycle. It provides no timetables or connections.

Get your bearings in the documented areas: Tamsui, Jiufen and San-Mu-Hou

Jiufen is in Ruifang District, New Taipei City. The tourism listing places the village in the hills of northeastern Taiwan, close to the mountains and facing the sea.

Tamsui Old Street is in Tamsui District, New Taipei City. It is located on Zhongshan Road. Tamsui was once called Huwei, a name linked to the term “Hoba,” meaning river mouth.

According to its listing, Tamsui's Golden Coast is a 1.5-kilometre stretch of developed riverbank behind Tamsui Old Street. Shops and European-style cafés line its renovated streets, with views towards Guanyinshan and the river mouth.

A greenway for walking and a tide-viewing area are described near Tamsui Old Street. The listing also notes eight century-old banyan trees at the local fishing port, where visitors can rest or fish.

The riverside park near the Golden Coast is another place to watch the sunset. An adjacent mangrove ecological conservation area, with cycling paths, is also mentioned.

Use known access information without assuming connections between areas

A boat connects Tamsui and Bali. The listing also mentions a Bali dish made with peacock clams but gives neither ferry times nor places to try it.

Tamsui transport listings show metro service: Tamsui station is listed 781 metres from Tamsui Old Street. For the wharf, they list Tamsui Fisherman's Wharf LRT station at a distance of 683 metres.

The Tamsui Old Street listing identifies Tamsui metro station as a nearby access point and also lists several nearby bus stops, including Mackay Garden (Passenger Wharf), 17 metres away. The published distances do not indicate whether the routes between stops and the site are accessible.

Explore local history through Jiufen and the San-Mu-Hou route

Jiufen's economic history was not limited to gold mining: the listing says that harvesting and processing camphor were the main activities before the mines took off. It links the village's name to nine units or sections used for processing.

Gold was discovered in Jiufen in 1890. The village, then poor, is said to have subsequently attracted prospectors from 4,000 families; the listing describes this period as a gold-related boom.

Jiufen was nicknamed “little Shanghai” or “little Hong Kong” during its mining boom. The listing also says the decline of gold mining was followed by a period of reduced prosperity.

Cinema helped revive interest in Jiufen's history. The tourism listing names “A City of Sadness,” which received an award at the Venice Film Festival, among the works filmed in the village.

Allow time for stops and leave room to verify practical details

Jiufen Old Street runs through much of the village and is its liveliest shopping area. The tourism listing notes that it gets busy but does not specify peak periods or times.

Shops along Jiufen Old Street sell, among other things, a local taro-based delicacy and a range of regional dishes. The listing gives neither shop names nor prices.

Tea houses are characteristic stops in Jiufen. The tourism listing also mentions views out to sea near Keelung but does not identify a specific viewpoint.

Residents offer accommodation in Jiufen. The listing mentions the possibility of staying overnight to see fishing lights and stars, but provides no inventory or booking conditions.

Tamsui Old Street follows the riverside and combines old buildings with shops. Specialities noted there include fish balls, Ah Gei—fried tofu stuffed with filling—and hard-boiled eggs.

Sources & verification

New Taipei City > Tourism Administration, Republic of China (Taiwan) ↗
eng.taiwan.net.tw · Retrieved 25 September 2026

Jiufen > Scenic Spot Search > Tourism Administration, Republic of China (Taiwan) ↗
eng.taiwan.net.tw · Retrieved 25 September 2026

San-Mu-Hou Double-Centenary Settlement > New Taipei City > Tourism Administration, Republic of China (Taiwan) ↗
eng.taiwan.net.tw · Retrieved 25 September 2026

Tamsui Old Street > Special Interests > Tourism Administration, Republic of China (Taiwan) ↗
eng.taiwan.net.tw · Retrieved 25 September 2026

Tamsui Fisherman's Wharf > New Taipei City > Tourism Administration, Republic of China (Taiwan) ↗
eng.taiwan.net.tw · Retrieved 25 September 2026

The Golden Coast of Tamsui > Special Interests > Tourism Administration, Republic of China (Taiwan) ↗
eng.taiwan.net.tw · Retrieved 25 September 2026

Tamsui River Mangrove Conservation Area > New Taipei City > Tourism Administration, Republic of China (Taiwan) ↗
eng.taiwan.net.tw · Retrieved 25 September 2026

Tamsui Port Lighthouse > New Taipei City > Tourism Administration, Republic of China (Taiwan) ↗
eng.taiwan.net.tw · Retrieved 25 September 2026