The north coast runs from Tamsui around the top of Taiwan to Jinshan and Wanli, all in New Taipei City. Along Provincial Highway 2 you pass through four districts: Sanzhi (三芝), Shimen (石門), Jinshan (金山) and Wanli (萬里). There are sandy bays, the island's northernmost cape, a large outdoor sculpture museum, an old street known for its duck, and hot springs. Pick two or three stops rather than all of them: the buses are slow and, outside summer, not frequent.
- Start MRT Tamsui Station (Red Line, R28), then a bus along the coast
- Shuttle Taiwan Tourist Shuttle 716: daily May to October; weekends and national holidays only November to April
- Best for Beaches, sculpture, seafood, hot springs, a coast drive
- Time A full day; more if you stay over in Jinshan for the hot springs
How to get to the north coast from Taipei
There is no MRT or train along this coast. The usual way is the MRT to Tamsui, then a bus.
Taiwan Tourist Shuttle 716
The Taiwan Tourist Shuttle 716 (Crown North Coast line, 台灣好行皇冠北海岸線), run by Tamsui Bus (淡水客運), goes from MRT Tamsui Station to Yehliu Geopark along the coast. Its stops include the Sanzhi Visitor Center, Qianshui Bay (the Daku stop, 大崛), Baishawan Visitor Center, Fugui Cape Lighthouse, Shimen Cave, Zhongjiao Bay, the Juming Museum, Jinshan Old Street (the Jinshan District Office stop, 金山區公所), the Jiatou hot spring area (加投里) and Yehliu Geopark.
- When: every day from May to October. From November to April it runs only on Saturdays, Sundays and national holidays.
- Where to board: leave Tamsui Station by Exit 1 or 2, turn right and walk about 100 to 130 meters to waiting bay 5.
- Fare: charged by section, six sections over the whole route. A full fare is NT$15 a section (NT$12 for students, NT$8 for the reduced fare). Pay cash or tap an EasyCard, and tap both on and off.
- Note: the route uses midsize buses and low-floor buses, and the low-floor buses don't stop at the Juming Museum. Wave the bus down at the stop.
Weekday buses from Tamsui
On weekdays, the shuttle's own page points you to New Taipei city buses 862 and 863 for the coast stops: Qianshui Bay, Baishawan, Laomei, Shimen Cave, Zhongjiao Bay and Yehliu. Taiwan's Tourism Administration lists 862 and 863 from MRT Tamsui Station to the Baishawan Visitor Center stop. Check times on the New Taipei bus site before you go.
From Taipei to Jinshan direct
Kuo-Kuang Bus 1815 runs from Taipei to Jinshan along the freeway, the same route that stops at Yehliu. Its Taipei boarding point has moved in recent years, so check the current one with Kuo-Kuang. → Buses to Yehliu and Jinshan
By car or scooter
Provincial Highway 2 (台2線) follows the whole coast from Tamsui to Jinshan and on to Keelung.
What to see: Sanzhi and Shimen
Qianshui Bay (淺水灣)
A beach in Sanzhi District, about 16 km from Tamsui along the coast road. It has a wide, flat beach and a path lined with cafés and simple restaurants, which makes it a good sunset stop. About five minutes' walk away along the park path is the Zhilan Park sea-view platform (芝蘭公園海上觀景平台), a 57-meter walkway over the water rebuilt in 2021, open at all hours.
- Getting there: Taiwan Tourist Shuttle 716 to the Daku (Qianshui Bay) stop, or bus 862 or 863 on weekdays.
Baishawan Beach (白沙灣)
A half-moon bay in Shimen District between the Linshanbi and Fugui capes, with about a kilometer of white shell sand. It has been a swimming beach since the Japanese era, and people come for swimming, fishing and windsurfing in summer. The North Coast and Guanyinshan National Scenic Area's Baishawan Visitor Center is here, with exhibits on the coast and its tide pools, and a good place to start if it rains.
- Beach hours: 09:00 to 17:00 in May, June and October; 09:00 to 18:00 in July to September. No other months are listed, so treat it as a summer beach.
- Visitor center: 09:00 to 18:00 from May to September, 09:00 to 17:00 from October to April.
- Getting there: bus 862 or 863, or the 716 shuttle, to the Baishawan Visitor Center stop (白沙灣遊客中心). The 862 and 863 run accessible buses on the whole route.
Laomei Green Reef (老梅綠石槽)
A stretch of volcanic reef in Shimen cut into long grooves running out to sea. For a few weeks in spring, seaweed covers the grooves and the shore turns bright green. New Taipei City says this usually happens from mid-March to early May, at its best around Qingming in early April. It depends on the weather and the sea, so the green is never guaranteed, and for the rest of the year the reef is bare rock. Go near low tide and watch your footing on the wet rock.
- Hours: open at all hours.
- Getting there: bus 862 or 863 serve Laomei on weekdays.
Fugui Cape Lighthouse (富貴角燈塔)
Fugui Cape (富貴角) in Shimen is the northernmost cape of Taiwan. A gentle coastal path leads past wind-carved rocks and wind-bent trees to a viewing deck, and the black-and-white octagonal lighthouse, finished in 1897, stands at the end. In April and May, native lilies flower along the path.
- Lighthouse: the Maritime and Port Bureau closed the lighthouse grounds for repairs from 15 January 2026 and said they could reopen as early as May. We couldn't confirm a reopening, so check before you go. When open, New Taipei City lists 09:00 to 18:00 from April to October and 09:00 to 17:00 from November to March.
- Getting there: Taiwan Tourist Shuttle 716 to the Fugui Cape Lighthouse stop.
What to see: Jinshan and Wanli
Zhongjiao Bay (中角灣)
A sandy bay in Jinshan that catches the north wind swell all year, and one of the best surf beaches in northern Taiwan. Several surf clubs rent boards and teach beginners. The shallows are wide and the sand has few stones, so it suits families in summer too. There is a visitor center, a surf center and paid hot and cold showers, and from the beach you can see the twin Candlestick Islets (燭臺雙嶼) offshore.
- Hours: the visitor center and surf center open 09:00 to 17:00.
- Where: around kilometer 39 of Provincial Highway 2, Jinshan District.
- Getting there: Taiwan Tourist Shuttle 716 to the Zhongjiao Bay stop, or bus 862 or 863 on weekdays.
Juming Museum (朱銘美術館)
The sculptor Ju Ming (朱銘) built this museum in the hills above Jinshan and opened it in 1999. It covers 11 hectares, 8 of them open to visitors, with large works set outdoors, indoor galleries and a children's art center. Leave plenty of time and bring a hat: it is big, and much of it is outside. From May to October you can walk on the lawns; from November to April they are resting, so keep to the paths.
- Hours: 10:00 to 17:00, last tickets at 16:00.
- Closed: Mondays, unless the Monday is a national holiday. In 2026 it is also closed from 21 to 25 December to change exhibitions, with a new exhibition opening on 26 December.
- Entry: NT$350. NT$320 for students and people 65 and over; NT$160 for people with a disability card and one companion; free for children 6 and under (bring ID). Tickets can also be bought online through the museum's website.
- Where: No. 2, Xishihu, Jinshan District.
- Getting there: Taiwan Tourist Shuttle 716 to the Juming Museum stop (but not on the low-floor buses). Otherwise, take a bus to the Jinshan District Office stop and a taxi up the hill, as the museum suggests.
Jinshan Old Street (金山老街) and Jinshan duck
Also called Jinbaoli Street (金包里街), this is the only Qing-era old street left on the north coast. It was once the market for the area's fish and farm produce, and because the main road moved away, it kept its old barbers, rice shops and grocers. The famous stop is the duck stall in front of Guang'an Temple (廣安宮), Jinbaoli Duck (金包里鴨肉), where diners carry their own dishes to the table. Other old shops sell candied sweet potato (拔絲地瓜), mahlao puffed rice sweets (蔴粩) and handmade egg rolls.
- Hours: the street is always open; shops keep their own hours.
- Getting there: Taiwan Tourist Shuttle 716 or Kuo-Kuang 1815 to the Jinshan District Office stop (金山區公所).
Jinshan and Wanli hot springs (金山萬里溫泉)
Jinshan and Wanli sit on the Datun volcanic geothermal belt, and New Taipei City lists four kinds of spring water here: sea-sand springs, sulfur springs, carbonated springs and iron springs. The hot spring area at Jiatou (加投里) has its own stop on the 716 shuttle.
Jinshan also has free public bathhouses. The best known is the Huanggang public bathhouse (磺港溫泉公共浴室) beside Huanggang Bridge, where the iron-rich water turns golden brown in the air. The men's and women's baths are separate and nude, and there is an outdoor foot bath for everyone. We couldn't find opening times on an official page, and press reports differ, so check locally before you plan around them. Keep soaks short, under 15 minutes, as the district office advises.
Guihou Fishing Harbor (龜吼漁港)
A small fishing harbor in Wanli District, near Yehliu, where local boat owners sell their own catch at a fish market and stalls will cook what you buy. It is best known for Wanli crab (萬里蟹), New Taipei's brand for crabs landed in Wanli, which brings the biggest crowds from September to November.
- Hours: 10:00 to 19:00; each stall keeps its own hours, so ask.
- Where: No. 85-3, Yu'ao Road, Wanli District.
Combining with Yehliu and Tamsui
The 716 shuttle ends at Yehliu Geopark, so a full day can start in Tamsui, take in one or two coast stops, and finish at Yehliu or in Jinshan, with a bus back to Taipei from there. → Yehliu Geopark · Tamsui
Timing tips
- Check the day. From November to April the 716 runs only at weekends and on holidays; on weekdays use buses 862 and 863.
- Start early. Buses are spaced out, and the Juming Museum stops selling tickets at 16:00.
- Avoid Mondays for Juming. It is closed unless the Monday is a national holiday.
- Spring for Laomei, summer for beaches, autumn for crab. The green reef is a March to May thing; Baishawan and Zhongjiao are summer beaches; Wanli crab season is September to November.
- Winter is windy. The northeast monsoon makes the coast cold, windy and wet in winter, which is when a hot spring in Jinshan makes the most sense.
- Kids and rain. The Juming Museum has a children's art center, and the Baishawan Visitor Center is indoors.
Sources
The 716 route, stops, season, boarding point, fares and weekday buses from the Taiwan Tourist Shuttle's Crown North Coast line page. Juming Museum hours, closures and tickets from its hours and tickets page, buses from its transport page, and its history from About the museum. From New Taipei City's tourism site: Jinshan Old Street, Zhongjiao Bay, Guihou Fishing Harbor, Laomei, Fugui Cape and the Zhilan Park platform; the hot spring types from its January 2025 press release; and its closures list (16 October 2026). Baishawan from Taiwan's Tourism Administration (beach, visitor center), and Qianshui Bay from its north coast route. The lighthouse closure from Commercial Times (January 2026), and the Huanggang bathhouse from ETtoday. Checked October 2026.