Jiufen (九份) is a hillside town above the northeast coast that boomed with the gold miners and went quiet when the mines declined. Its steep lanes of old shops, tea houses and red lanterns came back to life after the film A City of Sadness was shot here, and today it is the most popular day trip from Taipei. Go for the views over the sea, the snacks and the tea, and stay until the lanterns come on. Next door, the old mining village of Jinguashi has the Gold Museum.
- Bus Keelung Bus 1062 from Zhongxiao Fuxing Station (BL15, BR10), Exit 2
- Train Taipei Main Station to Ruifang, then Keelung Bus 788 up the hill
- Best for Old streets, sea views, tea, snacks
- Time A half day for Jiufen, a full day with Jinguashi
How to get to Jiufen from Taipei
Bus 1062 (the direct way)
Take the MRT to Zhongxiao Fuxing Station (Blue Line BL15, Brown Line BR10); it is 5 minutes and NT$20 from Taipei Main Station. Go up Exit 2 to the Keelung Bus (基隆客運) 1062 stop on Fuxing South Road, by No. 180, Section 1. The bus runs out via Ruifang, climbs through Jiufen and ends at Jinguashi. Get off at Jiufen for the old street, or ride on to Jinguashi for the Gold Museum. Tap your EasyCard on and off. It is a long, winding ride, and at weekends you may have to let a full bus go and wait for the next.
Train to Ruifang, then a bus
Take a Taiwan Railway train from Taipei Main Station toward Yilan or Hualien and get off at Ruifang (瑞芳). On the weekday timetable we checked, the ride took 35 to 68 minutes, NT$73 on a local train or NT$114 on a Tze-Chiang express. From Ruifang Station, walk about 100 meters to the plaza beside Ruifang Police Station and take Keelung Bus 788, which goes up through Jiufen to Jinguashi. The train is the better choice if you are pairing Jiufen with the Pingxi Line, which also starts at Ruifang.
Driving
Don't. The museum itself asks visitors to come by public transport, roads are restricted on national holidays and during events, and parking is scarce.
What to see
Jiufen Old Street (九份老街)
The main lane, Jishan Street (基山街), runs along the hillside, packed with snack stalls, tea shops and souvenir stores; the long stairway of Shuqi Road (豎崎路) drops down through it, lined with tea houses and lanterns. Try the taro balls and the local snacks, find a tea house with a sea view, and go slowly: it is all steps. New Taipei City's tourism site lists the shops opening from 08:00, and closing around 19:00 Monday to Thursday and 22:00 Friday to Sunday.
- Where: Jishan Street, Ruifang District, New Taipei City.
- Entry: free.
Shengping Theater (昇平戲院)
An old theater where Shuqi Road meets Qingbian Road, which New Taipei City's tourism site describes as the first theater in northern Taiwan. Its first stage dates from the Taishō era of the 1910s and 1920s. It is run by the Gold Museum.
- Where: No. 137, Qingbian Road, Jiufen, Ruifang District.
- Hours: 09:30 to 17:00 on weekdays, 09:30 to 18:00 on weekends.
- Closed: the first Monday of each month (the next day if that Monday is a holiday), Lunar New Year's Eve and New Year's Day.
The Gold Museum at Jinguashi (黃金博物館)
A few minutes further along the 1062 or 788 route, at the end of the line, the old mining village of Jinguashi (金瓜石) has the New Taipei City Gold Museum, which tells the story of the gold mines that built both towns, in a valley that feels far from Jiufen's crowds.
- Hours: 09:30 to 17:00 Monday to Friday, 09:30 to 18:00 on weekends and national holidays.
- Closed: the first Monday of each month (the next day if that Monday is a holiday), Lunar New Year's Eve and New Year's Day, and on days the government closes offices for natural disasters.
- Entry: NT$80. Some hands-on activities cost extra.
Timing tips
- Go on a weekday. At weekends the lanes are shoulder to shoulder and the 1062 line is long.
- Do Jinguashi first, Jiufen last. Ride to the end of the line for the Gold Museum while it is open, then walk or bus back to Jiufen for the late afternoon and stay for the lanterns at dusk.
- Bring a light jacket and an umbrella. This is the rainy northeast, and the hillside catches the weather.
- Check the first Monday. Shengping Theater and the Gold Museum close on the first Monday of the month.
Pair it with the sky lanterns and waterfall on the Pingxi Line. → Pingxi and Shifen · All day trips
Sources
Bus 1062 and 788, the train to Ruifang and driving advice from the Gold Museum's transportation page. Train times and fares from Taiwan Railway's timetable search (a weekday in November 2026). The MRT ride from Taipei Metro's fare and travel time search. Jiufen Old Street and Shengping Theater descriptions and the street's hours from New Taipei City's tourism site (Jiufen Old Street, Shengping Theater). Shengping Theater hours from the Gold Museum. Gold Museum hours and admission from its admission and opening hours page. Checked October 2026.