Why this is the classic day trip from Taipei
Ask any Taipei local where to send a first-time visitor for a single day outside the capital and the answer is almost always the same: Jiufen and the Pingxi Line. In one loop through the misty hills of Ruifang District you get a former gold-mining town clinging to a mountainside high above the Pacific, a narrow-gauge railway where paper lanterns rise straight from the tracks, a waterfall nicknamed the little Niagara of Taiwan, and a village quite literally ruled by cats. All of it lies within roughly an hour of Taipei by ordinary train, which makes this the most rewarding single day you can spend outside the city.
Jiufen: gold-rush lanes, teahouses and red lanterns
Jiufen was a sleepy hillside settlement until gold was discovered nearby at the end of the 19th century. Within a few years it exploded into a boom town of miners, merchants and teahouses stacked on top of each other along impossibly steep stone stairways. The gold ran out decades ago, but the town kept its dense, vertical character - and that is exactly what draws people today.
The heart of it all is Jiufen Old Street, a covered lane barely two metres wide that snakes along the hillside. Stalls sell peanut ice cream rolls, fish balls, grilled mushrooms and the local signature: taro balls, chewy spheres of taro and sweet potato served hot or over shaved ice. Several shops have terraces where you can eat your bowl while looking straight down at the ocean far below.
The most photographed building in town is the A-Mei Teahouse, a wooden, lantern-covered tower on the Shuqi Road stairs. After dark, when hundreds of red lanterns glow against the black hillside, it becomes one of the most recognisable images of Taiwan. Many visitors associate the scene with the animated film Spirited Away; Hayao Miyazaki has officially denied that Jiufen inspired the film, but the resemblance is so strong that the association simply refuses to die - and honestly, standing on those stairs at dusk, you will understand why.
One important tactical note: Jiufen gets extremely crowded in the middle of the day, when tour buses arrive. The town is at its best from late afternoon onwards - come for golden hour, stay for the lanterns, and walk the Old Street after most day-trippers have left.
Shifen: sky lanterns launched from the tracks
The Pingxi Line is a short branch railway built a century ago to haul coal out of the Keelung River valley. Today its single track runs so close to the houses of Shifen that the shopfronts practically touch the passing carriages. In the gaps between trains, visitors stand on the rails, paint their wishes on large paper sky lanterns and let them rise into the valley - when the bell rings and the train crawls through the middle of the crowd, everyone calmly steps aside and the ritual resumes.
A twenty-minute walk from the station brings you to Shifen Waterfall, a broad, horseshoe-shaped cascade often called the little Niagara of Taiwan. The trail is easy, well signposted and free, and the viewing platforms give you several different angles on the falls.
Houtong, Pingxi and Jingtong
Houtong, one stop before the branch line begins, was once a coal-mining settlement; when the industry died, the village slowly emptied until only the cats remained. Locals began caring for them, and today Houtong Cat Village is home to well over a hundred friendly cats lounging on roofs, staircases and a dedicated cat bridge over the tracks. It is a strange, gentle, slightly melancholy place and cat lovers should not skip it.
At the far end of the line, the villages of Pingxi and Jingtong offer quieter old streets, a preserved wooden Japanese-era station and hillsides full of hiking trails. If Shifen feels too busy, launch your lantern here instead.
How to get there and combine everything
Take a TRA local or express train from Taipei Main Station to Ruifang - trains run every 15 to 30 minutes, the ride takes 40 to 50 minutes and costs NT$49 to NT$76 depending on train type. At Ruifang you have two options: bus 788 or 965 up the hill to Jiufen (about 15 minutes, NT$15 to NT$30), or the Pingxi Line branch trains towards Houtong, Shifen, Pingxi and Jingtong. A one-day Pingxi Line pass costs NT$80 and allows unlimited hop-on hop-off along the branch; trains run roughly once an hour, so plan around the timetable posted at every station.
The route that works best in practice: leave Taipei in the morning, ride the branch line first - Houtong for the cats, then Shifen for lanterns and the waterfall - and return to Ruifang in mid-afternoon. Then take the bus up to Jiufen, catch the late-afternoon light over the coast, and stay until the lanterns come on. Direct buses (965 to Taipei, 1062 to the MRT) run late into the evening.
Practical tips
Bring cash: most food stalls, lantern shops and teahouses do not accept cards, and ATMs are scarce. An EasyCard covers every train and bus on this route. Check the weather before you go - the Ruifang hills are among the wettest places in northern Taiwan, and from June to October typhoons can shut the whole area down; a light rain jacket is useful in any season. Weekdays are dramatically calmer than weekends. Finally, wear proper shoes: Jiufen is essentially one long staircase, and the stone steps get slippery when wet.