Taiwan offers two of Asia’s most distinctive walking experiences within an hour of each other: the misty hillside teahouse lanes of Jiufen and the steep trail up Elephant Mountain above Taipei for skyline views of Taipei 101. This taipei walking tour companion is paired with “New Taipei, TAIWAN – Jiufen Old Street 九份 4K Walking Tour” — a comprehensive walk through the gold rush town’s stepped lanes, teahouses, and Pacific Ocean viewpoints that have made Jiufen one of Northeast Asia’s most atmospheric destinations.
About This Walking Tour
This 4K walking tour covers Jiufen Old Street — the hillside stepped-lane district in Ruifang District, New Taipei City, that developed as a gold mining boomtown in the 1890s and became internationally famous through its lantern-lit teahouses and atmospheric lanes. The video covers Shuqi Road (the main teahouse lane with views over the Pacific), the A-Mei Tea House with its multi-level terrace, Jishan Street (the main food vendor lane), and the Jiufen Xiahai City God Temple.
The footage captures the characteristic visual quality that has made Jiufen famous internationally — narrow stone-stepped alleys between traditional two-storey buildings, red lanterns hanging at every interval, and the Pacific Ocean and the port town of Jiufen village visible in breaks between the buildings. The video notes the A-Mei teahouse’s position and the famous bay views that draw visitors specifically to photograph this vantage point.
The wider Taipei walk includes Elephant Mountain (Xiangshan) — a 30-minute steep trail above the Xinyi business district that culminates at four rocky viewpoints with the Taipei 101 tower framed in the valley below — and Longshan Temple (1738) in the Wanhua district, the most visited temple in Taiwan.
Highlights of Jiufen and Taipei
Jiufen’s Shuqi Road is the heart of the teahouse district — a stone-paved lane built into the hillside where traditional tea houses occupy the upper floors with views over the rooftops and sea. The A-Mei Tea House, among the most famous, occupies multiple levels of a traditional building and is widely photographed for its exterior appearance at dusk when the lanterns are illuminated. Hayao Miyazaki has officially denied that Jiufen inspired the bathhouse in Spirited Away (2001), though the visual resemblance has made the town a pilgrimage destination for fans of the film globally.
The Jinguashi Gold Ecological Park, a short walk or minibus ride from Jiufen, occupies the site of what was one of Asia’s most productive gold mines. The park preserves the mine infrastructure alongside a memorial to Allied POWs who were held here during the Japanese occupation of World War II. The Yin Yang Sea visible from above the area — two-toned water created by iron oxide runoff from the mines — is one of Taiwan’s most striking natural phenomena.
In Taipei itself, Elephant Mountain (Xiangshan Trail) is one of the city’s most accessible hikes — less than 30 minutes from the MRT Xiangshan station to the first viewpoint. The four rocky peaks offer different angles on Taipei 101, which at 509 metres held the world’s tallest building record from 2004 until 2010. Longshan Temple, founded in 1738 and rebuilt after bombing in 1945, is a three-hall complex combining Buddhist, Taoist, and folk religion in a courtyard garden setting.
A Brief History of Jiufen and Taipei
Gold was discovered near Jiufen in 1893 during the late Qing Dynasty and the town grew explosively during the subsequent decade. Japanese colonial rule (1895–1945) expanded the mining infrastructure and shaped the town’s architecture. When the gold ran out in the mid-20th century the town declined, leaving its traditional buildings largely intact. The 1989 Taiwanese film A City of Sadness, set partly in Jiufen, revived interest in the town and attracted literary tourism; international recognition followed from the Spirited Away association.
Taiwan was under Japanese colonial rule from 1895 to 1945, when it was returned to China following Japan’s defeat. In 1949, the Chinese Nationalist government retreated to Taiwan after losing the civil war to the Communists, bringing mainland Chinese culture that merged with existing Taiwanese and Japanese colonial influences. Taiwan’s democracy, established in the 1990s, and its technological and economic development have produced one of Asia’s most dynamic societies.
Practical Tips
Bus 1062 from Taipei Main Station to Jiufen takes approximately 90 minutes; limited parking makes public transport the practical choice. Taiwan uses the New Taiwan dollar. Jiufen is extremely crowded on weekends, particularly on afternoons from 2–6pm; weekday mornings offer a calmer experience. Elephant Mountain is accessed from MRT Xiangshan Station (Xinyi Line); the trail is steep with concrete steps. Longshan Temple is at MRT Longshan Temple Station (Blue Line).
Best Time to Visit
October through December offers clearer skies and cooler temperatures. Jiufen is atmospheric in misty or drizzly weather too — the moisture intensifies the lantern glow. Typhoon season (July–September) can disrupt hillside visits. Longshan Temple is most atmospheric at lunar new year.
Watch & Explore More
Watch the full 4K Jiufen Old Street walk above. Browse more East Asian content at the @walkingtoursvideoscom channel. Related posts: Hong Kong’s Central to Kowloon walk and Kyoto’s Gion and Fushimi Inari walk.