New Taipei City (新北市) is a separate city from Taipei City (臺北市), and it surrounds it on almost every side. It is where most of the classic "day trips from Taipei" actually are: Jiufen, Shifen, Tamsui, Wulai, Yehliu and Yingge are all in New Taipei. It also has busy districts of its own just across the river, a short MRT ride from the center. Here is everything we cover, grouped by where it is, with how to get there without a car.
- Not to be confused with Taipei City, in the middle, or Keelung, a city of its own on the northeast coast
- By MRT Tamsui, Bitan, Banqiao, Zhonghe and Yonghe, Sanchong and Luzhou
- By train Ruifang for Jiufen, the Pingxi Line, Houtong, Fulong and Yingge
- By bus Jiufen, Wulai, Yehliu, the north and northeast coasts, Shenkeng and Pinglin
On the MRT: districts next door
- Blue LineBanqiaoThe Lin Family Garden, Nanya Night Market and the Christmasland lights.
- Circular and Orange linesZhonghe and YongheBurmese food on Huaxin Street, Hongludi's night view and Yonghe soy milk.
- Orange LineSanchong and LuzhouMetropolitan Park's giant playground, riverside cycling and the temple night market.
- Green LineBitan, XindianThe suspension bridge, swan boats and the Hemeishan trail, at the end of the line.
- Red LineTamsui and BaliThe old street, Fort San Domingo, the ferry across to Bali and the sunset.
Mountains, tea and old towns
- Hot springsWulaiAtayal culture, a hot spring river, the little trolley and the waterfall.
- CraftsYingge and SanxiaTaiwan's pottery town, then Sanxia's old street and Zushi Temple.
- FoodShenkeng and ShidingStinky tofu on Shenkeng Old Street, then Shiding's mountain village.
- TeaPinglinBaozhong tea country: the tea museum, the old street and the river.
Ruifang: gold-mining hills and railway villages
- HillsJiufen and JinguashiThe old street and teahouses, the Gold Museum and the coast below.
- RailPingxi Line and ShifenShifen Waterfall, sky lanterns and the old stations at Pingxi and Jingtong.
- RailHoutong and SandiaolingThe cat village and mining history, then waterfalls and an old railway tunnel.
The coasts
- North coastYehliu GeoparkThe Queen's Head and a cape of strange rocks, with Guihou's seafood nearby.
- North coastJinshan, Wanli, Shimen and SanzhiHot springs, Jinshan duck, the Juming Museum, Laomei's green reef and beaches.
- Northeast coastShen'ao to LongdongFishing harbors, the rail bike, Nanya's rocks and the Bitou Cape Trail.
- Northeast coastFulongThe beach, the Old Caoling Tunnel by bike and Sandiaojiao Lighthouse.
More local outings
Xinzhuang and Taishan
Xinzhuang Temple Street (新莊廟街) runs along Xinzhuang Road and goes back more than 300 years. Its temples include Guangfu Temple (廣福宮), a national historic site, and Ciyou Temple (慈祐宮), Wusheng Temple (武聖廟) and Wenchang Temple (文昌祠). In the evening it becomes a food street, open from 16:00 to midnight. → Xinzhuang Temple Street on NightMarket.tw. Xinzhuang is also home to a baseball stadium. → Baseball in Taipei
Next door, Taishan was once a doll-making town: Mattel opened a Barbie factory here in 1967 that grew to more than 8,000 workers before closing in 1987, and a small doll industry museum opened in 2004.
- MRT: Xinzhuang Station (Orange Line, O18) for the temple street.
Tucheng and Shulin
Tucheng's Chengtian Temple Trail (承天禪寺步道) climbs past tung trees to Tung Blossom Park on Tianshangshan, where New Taipei holds its Hakka Tung Blossom Festival, usually in April and May. In Shulin, Shanjia Station (山佳車站) is a historic railway station that once shipped coal, still a stop for local trains.
- Getting there: the Blue Line toward Dingpu, then a local bus to the Chengtian Temple trailhead (check the route before you go); Taiwan Railway local trains to Shanjia.
Xizhi
East along the Keelung River, Xizhi has easy nature outings from its train station: Xinshan Dream Lake (新山夢湖), a small lake at 325 m reached by community bus or a walk up Xiwan Road; Dajianshan (大尖山) with views toward Taipei 101; the trail around Jinlong Lake (金龍湖); and Starlight Bridge (星光橋) over the Keelung River, lit up at night. New Taipei suggests cherry blossoms in early spring, fireflies in summer and maples in late autumn.
- Train: Taiwan Railway to Xizhi Station.
Ideas by theme
- Hot springs: Wulai and the Jinshan and Wanli coast in New Taipei; Beitou inside Taipei; Jiaoxi in Yilan. → How the hot spring areas compare
- Old streets: Jiufen, Yingge and Sanxia, Shenkeng, Tamsui, and Jingtong on the Pingxi Line.
- Waterfalls: Shifen on the Pingxi Line, the trail at Sandiaoling, and Wulai.
- Beaches and sea views: Fulong, Baishawan on the north coast, and the northeast coast's cliffs.
- Sunset: Tamsui and Bali across the river mouth, or the night view from Hongludi in Zhonghe.
- With kids: the playground at Metropolitan Park in Sanchong, the cats at Houtong, making pottery in Yingge, and the swan boats at Bitan. → Taipei with kids
- Cycling: the riverside paths to Tamsui and Bitan, and the Old Caoling Tunnel at Fulong. → Cycling in Taipei
- Hiking: Guanyinshan, Teapot Mountain and more. → Hikes around Taipei
→ All day trips from Taipei · → Keelung (its own city, next to the northeast coast)
Sources: each page lists its own. For this page: New Taipei City Tourism on Xinzhuang Temple Street, Chengtian Temple and Tung Blossom Park, Shanjia Station, Xinshan Dream Lake and Xizhi; CNA on Taishan's Barbie factory (2023). Checked October 2026.