Pinglin: A Day Trip from Taipei

Pinglin (坪林) is a mountain district of New Taipei City, on the Beishi River halfway along the old road from Taipei to Yilan. Tea is its main industry, and above all Baozhong tea (包種茶), a type of oolong. A day here means the Pinglin Tea Museum, a walk down the short old street of tea shops, a meal cooked with tea, and an easy riverside path. It is a calm, green day out, best for tea lovers and anyone who wants a slower trip than the coast.

• Where Pinglin District, New Taipei City
• MRT Xindian Station (Green Line, G01)
• Bus 923 (via National Freeway 5) or Green 12 (via the Beiyi Highway) from Xindian Station to Pinglin
• Best for Tea, a quiet old street, river walks and cycling
• Time A full day

How to get to Pinglin from Taipei

Bus from Xindian

Take the Green Line (Songshan-Xindian Line) to the end, Xindian Station (G01). Two Xindian Bus (新店客運) routes run from there to Pinglin, both from the Xindian Station stop on Xindian Road (捷運新店站(新店路)):

• 923 takes National Freeway 5, the faster way. On the weekday timetable we checked, buses left Xindian Station at 05:50, 06:20, 07:00, 07:30, then hourly from 08:30 to 11:30 and from 13:30 to 20:30, with no bus at 12:30. Weekend buses start at 06:30. For the Tea Museum, get off at Pinglin Junior High School (坪林國中).
• Green 12 (綠12) takes the winding Beiyi Highway through the hills, slower but more scenic. It runs about a dozen times a day each way, from 05:45 or 06:15 to 19:15, with a gap of over two hours around midday. It ends at Pinglin Station (坪林站), and also stops at the Pinglin Visitor Center (坪林遊客中心) by the suspension bridge.

Tap your EasyCard; 923 is a two-section fare. Buses are not frequent, so check the timetables on Taipei's bus information site and plan your ride home before you set out.

By car

Drive Provincial Highway 9 (the Beiyi Highway) from Xindian, or take National Freeway 5 to the Pinglin interchange. On long holiday weekends the Freeway Bureau sometimes closes or limits Freeway 5 ramps, including at Pinglin, so check the 1968 freeway app before you go.

---

What to see

Pinglin Tea Museum (新北市坪林茶業博物館)

The tea museum opened in 1997 beside the Beishi River, in a courtyard building modeled on the architecture of Anxi in Fujian. It covers Taiwan's tea industry and tea cultures from around the world, and walks you through how tea is made: picking, withering in the sun and indoors, pan-firing, rolling and drying. There is an exhibition hall, a hands-on hall and a tea classroom, plus changing special exhibitions.

• Where: No. 19-1, Shuisongqikeng, Shuide Village, Pinglin District (坪林區水德里水聳淒坑19-1號).
• Hours: 09:00 to 17:00 on weekdays, 09:00 to 17:30 at weekends. Tickets stop 30 minutes before closing.
• Closed: the first Monday of each month (if that Monday is a national holiday, it opens and closes the next day instead), Lunar New Year's Eve and Lunar New Year's Day, and days when the government closes offices for a typhoon or other natural disaster. The next first-Monday closures are 2 November and 7 December 2026.
• Entry: NT$80. The free-entry list is mostly for New Taipei residents and Taiwanese citizens in certain groups (such as citizens under 12 or 65 and over, and students at schools in Taiwan), with photo ID, so most overseas visitors should plan on paying.
• Getting there: bus 923 from Xindian Station (Green Line, G01) to Pinglin Junior High School (坪林國中), or Green 12 to Pinglin Station (坪林站).

Pinglin Old Street (坪林老街)

Before the freeway opened, Pinglin was an important stop between Taipei and Yilan. The old street is only about 200 meters long, centered on Baoping Temple (保坪宮), built in 1862. Look up at the century-old stone houses, built from river stone from the Beishi River, and the swallows nesting under the eaves. The street is full of tea shops selling Baozhong tea, and several places now cook with tea: tea rice cakes, tea buns, tea oil noodles, tea mochi, tea ice cream and tea eggs, plus tofu made with mountain spring water.

• Where: Pinglin Street (坪林街), Pinglin District.
• Getting there: bus Green 12 to Pinglin Station (坪林站), or 923 to Pinglin Station or Pinglin Junior High School.

Good to know: Baozhong is the tea to buy here. Ask a shop to let you smell or taste before you choose, and compare a few. → Tea and coffee in Taipei, for how Taiwan's teas differ

River walks and cycling

Pinglin is at its best on foot or by bike along its rivers. The district protects the fish in the Beishi River by closing it to fishing, which is why the paths here are called fish-watching trails.

• The fish-watching trail (坪林觀魚步道) starts at the Pinglin Waterside Suspension Bridge (坪林親水吊橋) by the visitor center. The easiest piece is the Beishi River loop, about 1.8 kilometers and 35 minutes on foot. A longer path follows the Jiyugu River (𩻸魚堀溪); from the bridge to Dalin Bridge (大林橋) is about 1.3 kilometers, 30 minutes one way.
• The Jinguaoliao Creek bike path (金瓜寮溪自行車道) also starts at the suspension bridge and runs up the valley to Jiuqionggen Waterside Park (九芎根親水公園), about 22.1 kilometers there and back. It is free and open at all hours. The way out climbs, some stretches are shared with cars, and there are toilets and parking along it. Bring water and a snack.

New Taipei City says you can rent bikes along the route, but we could not confirm a rental shop, hours or prices from an official source, so ask at the visitor center when you arrive. → Cycling in Taipei

---

A plan for the day

1. Morning bus. MRT Green Line to Xindian Station (G01), then an early 923 to Pinglin Junior High School.
2. Tea Museum. Give it an hour or two.
3. Lunch on the old street. Try a dish made with tea and pick up some Baozhong.
4. Afternoon by the river. Walk the Beishi River loop from the suspension bridge, or a stretch of the bike path.
5. Home. Green 12 from the visitor center or Pinglin Station, or 923 from Pinglin Station, back to Xindian. Check the time of the last bus.

Short on time? Maokong has tea houses and tea fields inside Taipei, a gondola ride from the zoo. → Maokong Gondola and tea

Timing tips

• Avoid the first Monday of the month, when the Tea Museum is closed.
• Mind the midday gap. There is no 923 from Xindian at 12:30 on weekdays, and Green 12 has a long gap around midday too.
• Watch the weather. The museum closes on typhoon days, and mountain roads can be affected by heavy rain. → Best time to visit Taipei
• Bring cash for the tea shops and small restaurants.

→ All day trips from Taipei

→ More of New Taipei City

Sources

Bus routes, the Pinglin overview and driving routes from New Taipei City's Pinglin travel page and the Tea Museum's directions. Timetables and stops for 923 and Green 12 from Taipei's bus information site. Museum hours and closures, tickets and address from the museum; its history, building and exhibits from New Taipei City's museum page. Pinglin Old Street from its old street page, the fish-watching trail from its trail page and the bike path from its bike path page. Freeway 5 holiday ramp closures from the Commercial Times. Checked October 2026.