Taipei 7-Day Itinerary: Jiufen, Pingxi and Tamsui Trips

What is the best 7-day itinerary for Taipei?

Spend two easy days in the city, with Dadaocheng and the National Palace Museum, then take three day trips: Jiufen and Houtong, the Pingxi Line to Shifen Waterfall, and Beitou with Tamsui on the red line. Finish with Taipei 101 and the Maokong Gondola, and a bag-free last day after in-town check-in.

The Taipei 3-day itinerary fits the museum, three night markets, Taipei 101 and Maokong into three busy days. This plan keeps the best of that, spreads it out, and adds what a short trip cannot: the hill town of Jiufen, the old coal railway of the Pingxi Line, Beitou’s hot springs and the riverside at Tamsui.

All three day trips start from Taipei by public transport. Jiufen and Pingxi are in New Taipei’s Ruifang and Pingxi districts, served by Taiwan Railway and the Taiwan Tourist Shuttle, while Beitou and Tamsui are on Taipei Metro’s red line. One hotel near the red or blue line works for the whole week.

Choose that base with where to stay in Taipei, and check the best time to visit Taipei before committing to day trips in typhoon season.

What does the week look like at a glance?

City days and day trips alternate so you are never out of town two days running without a rest. The table gives official hours and closed days, what to book and a swap for bad weather. Avoid Mondays for the National Palace Museum, Thermal Valley and the Maokong Gondola, and swap days to fit.

Hours for Jiufen, Shifen and Tamsui come from New Taipei City Travel; Taipei sights from Taipei Travel and the operators. Day trips depend most on the weather, so if heavy rain or a typhoon is forecast, swap a day-trip day with day six or seven rather than dropping it.

Holiday weekends change the feel of the day trips. If your week overlaps Lunar New Year, 4–10 February 2027, or one of the 2027 long weekends, go to Jiufen and Shifen on weekdays and book rooms early.

How should you spend the first two days in the city?

On day one, take the Airport MRT to Taipei Main Station, check in, and spend the afternoon in Dadaocheng’s Dihua Street before Ningxia night market. On day two, give the National Palace Museum, closed on Mondays, a long morning, then rest before Shilin night market, which runs 16:00–00:00.

Taoyuan Metro’s express trains from the airport stop only at A12 or A13, A8, A3 and A1 Taipei Main Station, with departures about every 15 minutes from early morning (Taoyuan Metro timetable). Dihua Street, in the old Dadaocheng trading district, sells tea, Chinese herbs and fabric, and is packed in the days before Lunar New Year.

Ningxia Road night market opens 17:00–23:30. The National Palace Museum opens 09:00–17:00 and closes on Mondays, and Shilin night market is reached from Jiantan and Shilin stations on the red line.

How do you spend day three in Jiufen and Houtong?

Head east to Ruifang district. Walk Jiufen Old Street, in a hillside former mining town full of tea houses and snack stalls, and learn the mining story at the Gold Museum. In the afternoon, take a local train from Ruifang to Houtong, a former coal town known for its resident cats, before heading back to Taipei.

New Taipei City Travel lists Jiufen Old Street as open 08:00–19:00 from Monday to Thursday and 08:00–22:00 from Friday to Sunday, and its Ruifang district page recommends tea houses on the old street and the Gold Museum for mining culture. From Ruifang railway station, trains run on to Houtong.

Houtong Cat Village is a former coal-mining settlement, open all year and known for its resident cats; the district page adds that Houtong station now promotes cat tours. To reach the area, use Taiwan Railway to Ruifang (Taiwan Railway) or the Taiwan Tourist Shuttle’s Gold Fulong route, which serves Jiufen and Jinguashi (New Taipei City Travel).

Weekend evenings in Jiufen run later, until 22:00, which suits travellers who want the lanes after dark. On a weekday, plan to be back in Taipei for dinner.

How do you spend day four on the Pingxi Line?

Ride the Pingxi Line, a 12.9-kilometre branch railway built for coal, to Shifen, its largest station, where trains pass close to the shopfronts and visitors release sky lanterns. Visit Shifen Waterfall, open from 09:00, then continue to Jingtong’s wooden station at the end of the line before returning in the late afternoon.

New Taipei City Travel says the Pingxi Line runs 12.9 km from Sandiaoling to Jingtong, recommends a day pass for hopping between its old streets, and describes Jingtong’s wooden station as a step back to the Japanese colonial period. The branch line opened in 1921 to carry coal and became a tourist line in 1992, with seven stations and about 40 minutes end to end (Shifen Station).

Shifen Waterfall opens 09:00–17:00 from October to May and 09:00–18:00 from June to September, with last entry 30 minutes before closing, and closes only on Lunar New Year’s Eve. If you release a sky lantern at Shifen, follow the shopkeepers’ instructions. The Taiwan Tourist Shuttle’s Muzha Pingxi route also serves the area (New Taipei City Travel).

How do you spend day five in Beitou and Tamsui?

Take the red line north to Beitou, change for the short branch to Xinbeitou, and see Thermal Valley, closed on Mondays, before a soak in a public bath or spa. After lunch, continue to Tamsui at the end of the red line for the old street, Fort San Domingo and a short ferry across to Bali.

Taipei Travel describes the Xinbeitou hot-spring area as a route linking the Beitou Museum, library and Hot Spring Park, with spa hours that vary, and suggests October to February as the best months. Thermal Valley, where water reaches 80–100°C, opens 09:00–17:00 and is closed on Mondays; bathing happens in spas, not in the valley.

In Tamsui, New Taipei City Travel highlights Fort San Domingo, the old street’s snacks and the ferry to Bali, and notes that the Danhai light rail connects Hongshulin, Tamsui and Kanding (local transport). Stay for the evening on the waterfront before the MRT back.

How do you spend day six in Xinyi and Maokong?

Go up Taipei 101 in the morning, when the observatory opens at 10:00, and spend lunch in Xinyi. In the afternoon, take the brown line to Taipei Zoo and ride the Maokong Gondola, closed on most Mondays, for the hills and the city lights at dusk. End at Raohe night market, open until midnight.

The Taipei 101 Observatory opens 10:00–21:00 every day, across floors 89, 91 and 101. Taipei Travel calls the surrounding Xinyi Shopping District the Manhattan of Taipei, with malls, a large bookshop and cinemas served by Taipei 101/World Trade Center, Xiangshan and Taipei City Hall stations.

The Maokong Gondola runs 09:00–21:00 on weekdays and to 22:00 on holidays, and closes on Mondays for maintenance except national holidays and the first Monday of each month. Its Taipei Zoo station is about 350 metres from the MRT (gondola stations). Raohe Street night market opens 17:00–00:00.

How should you spend your last day before flying?

Check in at Taipei Main Station’s A1 in-town counters in the morning if your airline offers it, then spend the day bag-free: lunch around Yongkang Street and a last walk at Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, open daily. Leave for Taoyuan on the Airport MRT express with time to spare.

In-town check-in at A1 runs 06:00–21:30 on level B1 for same-day flights from Taoyuan and closes three hours before departure; China Airlines, Mandarin Airlines, EVA Air, Uni Air, Cathay Pacific and Starlux offer it (Taoyuan Metro).

The Yongkang Street area, reached from Dongmen or Daan Park stations, is known for dumpling houses and teahouses, with listed hours of 10:30–21:30, and Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall opens 09:00–18:00 every day.

What about typhoons, rain and a trip to Taroko?

Taipei sees rain on 12 to 16 days in every month, and typhoons are possible from July. Keep two city days movable so a wet day trip can swap with them. Taroko Gorge, in Hualien, is too far for a relaxed day trip on this plan; add an overnight and check trail access on the national park’s site first.

The Central Weather Administration’s normals record rain on 12 to 16 days a month in Taipei, and its 2025 outlook says Taiwan enters typhoon season in July. On typhoon days, the DGPA publishes work and school suspensions, and the Maokong Gondola stops when a land typhoon warning covers Taipei.

The FCDO warns that earthquakes are a risk in Taiwan and that roads can be blocked by landslides after typhoons. If Taroko is on your list, check the Taroko National Park site for current access and plan the trip around the weather rather than a fixed date.

What should you book before a week in Taipei?

Book one hotel for the week, Taipei 101 Observatory tickets online and, if you prefer not to manage trains, a guided Jiufen and Pingxi day. Complete Taiwan’s online arrival card in the three days before landing. Around Lunar New Year, 4–10 February 2027, book rooms and tours early.

The FCDO says UK passport holders can visit Taiwan without a visa for up to 90 days and must submit the Taiwan Arrival Card online within three days before arrival. Long weekends in 2027 follow the calendar approved in May 2026 (DGPA).

Compare Jiufen, Shifen and food tours across platforms with GetYourGuide vs Viator vs Klook, shortlist hotels on our Taipei hotels page, and see things to do in Taipei for swaps.