Jiufen and Shifen Day Trip from Taipei

Where Jiufen and Shifen are in Taiwan

Both towns sit in New Taipei City, the municipality around Taipei. Jiufen is in Ruifang District, on a hillside above the north-east coast; its main lane, Jiufen Old Street, is on Jishan Street. Shifen (sometimes spelled Shihfen) is in Pingxi District, inland, on the Pingxi railway line, and Shifen Waterfall lies “between Dahua Station and Shifen Station on the Pingxi Railway Line”, in the words of Taiwan’s Tourism Administration (14 November 2026). Yehliu Geopark is on the north coast.

The day trip, stop by stop

MyProGuide Inc.’s shared tour meets at MRT Taipei Main Station (R10/BL12) exit M3; the guide wears a yellow shirt. The group tour starts at 9:00 AM. The stops, in this order; the order and the return time can change with traffic and weather:

1. Shifen Old Street, 1 hour. Shops on both sides of the railway line. A sky lantern is optional and paid on the spot: about NT$200-250 a lantern depending on the colour, and one lantern can be shared by two to four people.
2. Shifen Waterfall, 50 minutes.
3. Jiufen, 2 hours. The lanes, the shops and the tea houses; food and a tea house visit are at your own expense. If you want a tea house, tell the guide on the day.
4. Yehliu Geopark, 70 minutes, with the ticket included.
5. Drop-off in Taipei City or at Raohe Street Night Market.

Included: a licensed guide, transport, the ticket to Yehliu Geopark and insurance. Not included: food and drinks, and lantern expenses. Bring comfortable shoes, rain gear and cash. It is a day with a lot of walking, and it is not suitable for people with high blood pressure, mobility impairments or heart problems. If Yehliu Geopark closes for bad weather or a typhoon, or the itinerary changes critically, you can have a full refund or move the date.

Check dates for the day trip

Private options. The same listing sells a private tour with hotel pickup within designated areas of Taipei, at 8:30 AM or 11:00 AM: US$279.00 for one person, US$299.00 for two (US$149.50 each), Yehliu ticket included (checked November 2026).

Jiufen: two hours on the hill

Now, there are many unique teahouses in Jiufen.

Taiwan Tourism Administration, Jiufen page

Jiufen was a camphor village before it was a gold town. The Tourism Administration’s page on Jiufen dates the change to 1890, when “someone struck gold near Jiufen”, and says the place was once called “little Shanghai” or “little Hong Kong” (14 November 2026). Today it is a hillside of narrow lanes, and New Taipei City gives the hours of the shops on Jiufen Old Street as 08:00-22:00 Friday to Sunday and 08:00-19:00 Monday to Thursday (page updated 11 October 2024). Jiufen Old Street has the street itself, how long tours stay and the weekend shuttle. The tea houses, and A-Mei Tea House in particular, have their own page.

Most shared tours reach Jiufen in the afternoon. To see the lanes lit, pick a tour that gets there in the evening: Jiufen at night lines up the departures that do.

Shifen: the railway street and the waterfall

The Pingxi branch line “was built in 1918 to transport coal; and in 1992 it was repurposed as a tourism route”, and the Tourism Administration calls Shifen Waterfall “Taiwan’s Niagara Falls” (14 November 2026). No entry fee or opening hours for the waterfall are published by either tourism body, so none is printed here. New Taipei City’s own page on the Pingxi line asks visitors to “follow traffic signs and not randomly cross the railroad tracks”.

On sky lanterns, New Taipei City writes that “Pingxi is the only area in Taiwan where sky lanterns can be released outside”, and that the city “holds a mountain cleanup activity and cultural tour after Sky Lantern Festival every year” (both 14 November 2026). The Tourism Administration gives the Shifen Scenic Area’s address as Pingxi District. On MyProGuide Inc.’s tour the lantern is your own purchase; on Edison Tours’ small-group day it is in the price, with three or four people to a lantern.

Yehliu Geopark: the fourth stop

Yehliu Geopark sells a full-price ticket at NT$120 and a concession ticket at NT$60 (eligible students, children aged 6 to under 12, visitors 65 and over), with free entry for children under 6 and visitors with disabilities. It opens 08:00-17:00, and 08:00-18:00 in summer, with the last ticket at closing time (the park’s own site, checked 14 November 2026). On MyProGuide Inc.’s shared and private tours the ticket is in the price, so the NT$120 is what the tour’s ticket is worth, not something you pay again.

Who should book which tour

The shared day is busy and fast. Its rating is 4.7 from 2,832 reviews on GetYourGuide, and the complaints in recent ones repeat: crowds (“Way too many people”, 20 September 2026; “Gerade in Jiufen war es irre voll”, in Jiufen above all it was crowded, 1 October 2026), a guide speaking three languages to one group (22 September 2026), and 40-50 minutes on the road between stops (17 October 2026). In a review of 9 November 2026, a Sunday group’s coach parked outside Jiufen and the group went in by shuttle bus, with waiting that cut into the time there.

• First visit, one person, a fixed budget: the Shifen, Jiufen, and Yehliu Guided Day Trip at US$45, with Yehliu.
• You want Jiufen after dark: MyProGuide Inc.’s Jiufen View and Shifen Day Tour, evening shared tour at 1:30 PM, US$39 per adult; no Yehliu.
• You want a smaller group and the lantern paid for: Edison Tours’ Yehliu, Jiufen, Shifen & Sky Lantern day, at most 25 guests, US$79 per adult.
• You would rather book on Viator: the operator of the day trip above sells the same three stops there as Full-Day Tour in Shifen, Jiufen & Yehliu of Taipei (Incl. ticket), from US$44 per person (checked November 2026), with departures at 09:00 and 12:00 on Viator’s schedule; 4.6 from 341 reviews on Viator and Tripadvisor together.
• Two or more, and you want quiet: the private options above, or a private car (see what a Jiufen and Shifen day trip costs).

Before you go

• Weekends in Jiufen. The Yehliu, Jiufen, Shifen & Golden Waterfall Day Tour includes the “required Jiufen shuttle bus fares during weekend or public holiday traffic controls”, and the Jiufen Village & Shifen Town join tour on Viator needs NT$30 in cash or on an EasyCard for the weekend and holiday shuttle (NT$15 each way). Expect a change of bus on a Saturday or Sunday.
• Rain. Bring rain gear.
• Cash. Lanterns, snacks and tea house tables are paid on the spot.
• Staying the night. The Tourism Administration suggests that if you are not in a hurry you “pick a nice inn and stay for the starlight and fishing lights at night”; where to stay in Jiufen weighs Jiufen against Taipei.