The Maokong Gondola (貓空纜車) lifts you from the end of the Brown Line up over the forested hills of Wenshan to Maokong (貓空), a ridge of tea gardens and tea houses with a view back over the city. The ride itself is half the fun: 4.03 km, four stations, and about 20 to 30 minutes one way.
- Hours Weekdays 09:00 to 21:00; weekends and public holidays 09:00 to 22:00
- Closed Mondays for routine maintenance (a few Mondays are announced as operating days), plus an annual inspection closure of several weeks and stops in bad weather
- Fare NT$180 single trip; NT$300 day pass
- MRT Taipei Zoo Station (Brown Line, BR01)
Fares
| Ticket | Price |
|---|---|
| Single trip, standard cabin | NT$180 |
| Day pass, unlimited rides | NT$300 |
| Crystal Cabin (水晶車廂) upgrade, glass floor | +NT$50 per person, per trip |
| Private cabin | +NT$600 per cabin, per trip |
You can tap an EasyCard (or iPASS or icash) at the gate. The first tap of the day takes NT$180, the second NT$120, and every ride after that is free, so a round trip on a card works out at the day-pass price. Children under 6 ride free with a paying adult, up to two per adult. The NT$50 and NT$100 concession fares are for Taiwanese nationals only.
The Crystal Cabins, which the operator calls the Eyes of Maokong (貓纜之眼), have a floor of toughened glass and take up to five people. They are worth it if you like looking straight down at the treetops.
Closed days
This is the thing to check before you go. The gondola does not run on Mondays, which are its routine maintenance days, except for a few Mondays announced on the official site. Each year it also closes for several weeks of annual inspection (in 2026, 8 to 28 June) and for cable work, and it stops in bad weather. If you are going on a holiday weekend or the weather looks unsettled, check gondola.taipei on the day.
The stations
- Taipei Zoo (動物園站): the bottom station, a short walk from Taipei Zoo MRT.
- Taipei Zoo South (動物園南站): the gondola makes a big turn here, with a wide view of the valley.
- Zhinan Temple (指南宮站): for Zhinan Temple (指南宮), a hillside Taoist temple built in 1890 and dedicated to the immortal Lu Dongbin. After this stop the line crosses a steep V-shaped gully, the most dramatic part of the ride.
- Maokong (貓空站): the top, among the tea farms.
Tea in Maokong
Maokong is tea country. The teas to order are Muzha Tieguanyin (木柵鐵觀音) and Wenshan Pouchong (文山包種茶). Tea houses line the roads from the top station; the classic visit is a pot of tea, a few dishes, and the view over the Taipei Basin as the lights come on. Hours vary from house to house, so check before you head up late.
To learn about the tea itself, walk to the Taipei Tea Promotion Center for Tie Guanyin and Baozhong Tea, a city-run center with displays on how the tea is grown and made, a small tea garden, and free weekend tours by volunteers. It opens Tuesday to Sunday, 09:00 to 16:30, and closes on Mondays and some holidays.
The gentle Zhangshu Trail (樟樹步道) is a pleasant walk among the farms if you want to stretch your legs between cups.
Good to know: Taipei's tourism office picks three best times to ride: in the mist just after rain, at sunset, and at night with the city lit up below. Ride up in daylight and down after dark and you get two of them.
→ Tea and coffee in Taipei · The EasyCard · Things to do
The gondola leaves from right beside the zoo, so the two make an easy family day. → Taipei Zoo
Sources
Hours, closures, fares and card deductions from the official Maokong Gondola site: operating hours, fares, ticket types, route and stations and Crystal Cabin. Ride time, the views, the teas, Zhinan Temple, the tea center and the trail from Taipei Travel (Maokong Gondola, Zhinan Temple, Tea Promotion Center, Zhangshu Trail). Checked October 2026.