Jiufen Old Street
Jiufen Old Street in Ruifang, New Taipei City: the listed shop hours, how long day trips from Taipei stay, weekend shuttles, the tea houses and what to eat, in US$.
Jiufen Old Street is the main lane of Jiufen, a former gold-mining town on a hillside in Ruifang District, New Taipei City, east of Taipei. New Taipei City lists it on Jishan Street, with shops open 08:00-22:00 Friday to Sunday and 08:00-19:00 Monday to Thursday. Most visitors come on a day trip, and the one to book first is MyProGuide Inc.’s Shifen, Jiufen, and Yehliu Guided Day Trip: two hours in Jiufen inside a nine-hour day from Taipei, US$45 per adult (checked November 2026), Yehliu Geopark ticket included.
Where Jiufen Old Street is
New Taipei City gives the address as Jishan St., Ruifang Dist. (page updated 11 October 2024), and Taiwan’s Tourism Administration puts Jiufen in Ruifang District, with Ruifang Station 3.78 km away on its list of nearby stations (14 November 2026). Shuqi Road, a stairway of stone steps, crosses it. You will also see the town written Jioufen or Chiufen, older spellings of the same name.
What it is
The Tourism Administration tells the story in three lines: camphor first, then gold, “In 1890, someone struck gold near Jiufen”, and a town once called “little Shanghai” or “little Hong Kong”. When the mines declined, films shot there brought visitors back, among them A City of Sadness. Today “the most prosperous shopping district is Jiufen Old Street”, and “there are many unique teahouses in Jiufen”. For New Taipei City, the retro buildings and the landscape of sloping fields are what draw visitors from all over the country (both 14 November 2026).
The snacks to look for are taro balls, meatballs and mugwort rice cakes. Food is never in a tour’s price. Jiufen tea houses and A-Mei Tea House covers the tea houses.
The hours, and what they mean for a visit
New Taipei City lists the shops on the Old Street as open 08:00-22:00 on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays and 08:00-19:00 from Monday to Thursday. It is an open street, not a ticketed site: there is no entry fee, and the hours are the shops’. From Monday to Thursday the listed closing time is 19:00, which matters if you choose an evening departure; Jiufen at night sets the evening tours against those hours.
How long the day trips stay
| Tour (operator) | Time in Jiufen | Also visits | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| From Taipei: Shifen, Jiufen, and Yehliu Guided Day Trip (MyProGuide Inc.) | 2 hours, in the afternoon | Shifen Old Street, Shifen Waterfall, Yehliu Geopark | US$45 per adult |
| Taipei: Jiufen View and Shifen Day Tour (MyProGuide Inc.) | 2.5 hours; the 1:30 PM tour arrives in the late afternoon or evening | Shifen Waterfall, Shifen Old Street | US$39 per adult |
| From Taipei: Yehliu, Jiufen, Shifen & Sky Lantern (Edison Tours) | About 2 hours, with free time for lunch | Yehliu Geopark, Shifen Waterfall, Shifen Old Street, a shared lantern | US$79 per adult |
| Taipei: Jiufen Half-Day Trip with Guide (捷愛遊旅行社有限公司) | 2.5 hours of free time after the guided part | Jiufen only | US$24 per adult |
| Taipei: Jiufen and Shifen Half-Day Tour (Relax Go Taiwan) | 1.5 hours | Shifen Old Street, the Golden Waterfall, the Yin-Yang Sea | US$65 per adult (shared tour) |
Prices checked November 2026; the price for your date shows before you pay.
Reviewers of MyProGuide Inc.’s Jiufen and Shifen tour disagree on the time: “Two hours was perfect for Jiufen” (20 March 2026); “2h might be a little too much time in Jiufen” (10 March 2026). If a tea house matters to you, tell the guide on the day; the visit has to fit inside the stop.
Weekends and holidays
Expect a shuttle. MyProGuide Inc.’s Golden Waterfall day includes the “required Jiufen shuttle bus fares during weekend or public holiday traffic controls”, and its Jiufen and Shifen join tour on Viator asks every guest to bring NT$30 for the shuttle (NT$15 each way). In a review of 9 November 2026, a Sunday group on the shared day trip described its coach parking outside the town and a shuttle bus in, with waiting on both legs. Another reviewer’s verdict on Jiufen, on 1 October 2026: “Gerade in Jiufen war es irre voll” (in Jiufen above all, it was crowded).
A weekday departure avoids the weekend shuttle; the shops then close earlier, at 19:00 (New Taipei City).
Before you go
- Shoes. The Golden Waterfall day tour warns of walking and steps, “especially in Jiufen”.
- Cash for snacks and tea.
- The visitor centre. New Taipei City’s Jiufen Visitor Center is at No. 89, Qiche Road, Ruifang District.
- Staying the night. Where to stay in Jiufen weighs a night on the hill against a bed in Taipei.
Two Hours on Jiufen Old Street
MyProGuide Inc.'s shared day from MRT Taipei Main Station exit M3 gives Jiufen two hours, between Shifen and Yehliu Geopark, with a licensed guide and the Yehliu ticket. One person can book.
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