How to Get to Jiufen?
From Taipei city, there are different ways to get to Jiufen. The most convenient one would be to take a bus.
First, go to Songshan metro station at the end of the green line, get out of the station and take bus number 1062.
From Songshan station to Jiufen old street takes approximately 50 minutes.
Heres Jiufen on the map, just click on it and follow Google map’s directions on how to get there.
About Jiufen, Taiwan.
- Jiufen is a seaside mountain area in Ruifang District, New Taipei city. During the times of the Qing dynasty, it used to be an isolated village consisting of only nine families.
- In 1893 a rich concentration of gold was discovered sending the small village into full town development as everybody wanted to be there to get some of the gold.
- Gold mining activities started declining around in the late ’60s and the mine was finally shut off in 1971 and for a while became a forgotten town.
- In 1989 a City of Sadness -filmed in Jiufen- put Jiufen back in the spotlight as the film was acclaimed around the world.
- Year 2001, spirited away by Ghibli Studio was released, its downtown scenery resembles a lot that of Jiufen, making the old gold mining town a must-visit for Japanese tourists.
At Jiufen you’ll find countless stores selling all sorts of souvenirs, drinks, traditional food, gift boxes, clothes, tea and also many hotels and restaurants.
You’ll also get to see one of the most beautiful sea views in Taiwan. Also many beautiful lanterns all over the place.
Here are some photos that for sure will make you want to visit Jiufen ASAP.
Is Visiting Jiufen Expensive?
Doing a one day trip to Jiufen is not expensive at all. By taking public transportation you’ll spend around 130 NTD going there and 130 NTD coming back to town.
Having something like a mango smoothy will cost around 100 NTD. Having lunch, something like fried rice will cost you between 150 NTD to 300 NTD depending on the restaurant you decide to go into.
As for souvenirs and other products, well, there are so many that it all depends on how much you want to spend. You can spend 50 NTD on a simple fridge magnet or 2,000 NTD on a piece of Jade.
Can I Book a Hotel in Jiufen?
Definitely, and I think is something worth doing. During the day you don’t get to see all the lanterns lit up.
If you ask me which is the best hotel to stay at, I’d say that’s Chiu Chu Dint B&B. The location is perfect, you’ll be right at the center of the old street and you’ll have an amazing view.
Hope you enjoyed this post, below I’ll leave some links that might be of interest to you.
- How To Find the Best Deal for International Flights
- Tourist Visas, a Guide for Beginner.
- A List of 11 Travel Movies that will Make You Want To Pack Your Bags and Go.