Tamsui (淡水) is the easiest day trip from Taipei: you ride the Red Line to the last stop and step out by the river. It was an old port town, and its riverside promenade, snack-filled old street and the red-brick Fort San Domingo make a relaxed afternoon. Time it to end with the sunset over the river mouth, which is what most of Taipei comes out here for.
- MRT Tamsui Station (Red Line, R28)
- Ride 40 minutes from Taipei Main Station, NT$50
- Best for A riverside walk, snacks, history, sunset
- Time An afternoon and evening
How to get to Tamsui from Taipei
Take the Red Line (Tamsui-Xinyi Line) north to the end, Tamsui Station (R28). From Taipei Main Station (R10) it is 40 minutes and NT$50; from Zhongshan (R11), 38 minutes. Trains run often, so there is no need to check a timetable. The old street and the river are right outside the station.
What to see
Tamsui Old Street and the riverside (淡水老街)
From the station, walk along the riverside promenade or the parallel old street, Zhongzheng Road, for snacks, old shops and temples, and graze slowly toward the fort.
Fort San Domingo (紅毛城)
The red fort on the hill above the river was built by the Dutch in 1644 and leased by Britain as its consulate from the 1860s, when the consul added a Western-style residence beside it. It is the heart of the Tamsui Historical Museum, and one ticket also covers the Little White House (the former customs officer's residence) and Hobe Fort.
- Hours: 09:30 to 17:00 Monday to Friday, 09:30 to 18:00 on weekends and national holidays. Ticket sales stop 30 minutes before closing.
- Closed: the first Monday of each month (the next day if that Monday is a national holiday), Lunar New Year's Eve and New Year's Day.
- Entry: NT$80, covering Fort San Domingo, the Little White House and Hobe Fort on the same day.
Tamsui Fisherman's Wharf (淡水漁人碼頭)
Further out toward the river mouth, the wharf has a long boardwalk and the Lover's Bridge, and is the classic sunset spot. Take bus Red 26 (紅26) from MRT Tamsui Station, or the Danhai Light Rail (淡海輕軌), which starts at Hongshulin (R27, one stop before Tamsui on the Red Line) and has a Tamsui Fisherman's Wharf station (V26).
Timing tips
- Come after lunch. See the fort before it closes, then walk the river as the light softens.
- Pick your sunset spot. The riverside near the old street is easy; the wharf is the classic.
- Avoid the first Monday. The fort and the other historic sites close.
- Weekend evenings are busy. The trains back to the city are crowded right after sunset, so linger over dinner.
Make it a north coast day: the Taiwan Tourist Shuttle 716 (Crown North Coast line) runs from Tamsui to Yehliu Geopark. → Yehliu · All day trips
Sources
Ride times and fares from Taipei Metro's fare and travel time search. Fort San Domingo history, hours, closures and tickets from the Tamsui Historical Museum (history, opening hours, tickets). Bus Red 26 to Fisherman's Wharf from New Taipei City Government (August 2026); the light rail stations from New Taipei Metro. The 716 shuttle from the Yehliu Geopark. Checked October 2026.