How To Get To Jiufen From Taipei: 4 Easy Ways

Taipei is a beautiful and vibrant city to explore, but if you’re looking for a change of scenery and some breathtaking views, then Jiufen is the place to go! Located just an hour away from Taipei, Jiufen is one of Taiwan’s most popular tourist destinations.

From the winding streets lined with traditional tea houses, to the stunning mountain views on offer; Jiufen is an experience not to be missed!

Getting to this charming mountain village from Taipei is both easy and affordable. In this article, I’ll explain how to get to Jiufen from Taipei so that you can make the most of your day trip adventure.

This post may contain affiliate links. You won’t be paying a cent more, but in the event of a sale, the small affiliate commission I receive will help keep this blog running/pumping out useful and free content. Thanks a lot!

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Essential Tips For Visiting Jiufen

Here are a few tips and things you should be aware of before you head off to Jiufen from Taipei:

• If you plan on using the internet for Google Maps, and even random internet searches when there’s no WiFi around, I’d highly recommend picking up a Taiwan prepaid SIM card OR an eSIM via Airalo. I did Taipei without a SIM card (just used T-Mobile’s free international roaming) and while Google Maps worked fine, even basic Google searches would take ages to load. Local SIM card = super fast internet!
• You should get a contactless IC card (EasyCard) or a pass that provides unlimited transportation (like the Fun Pass for tourists). These will save you the hassle of needing to purchase individual tickets and with the EasyCard, it’ll even save you money as the fare is discounted when you use an EasyCard.
• Make sure to download Google Maps and Google Translate on your phone. That way, you can check bus/train schedules, access maps, navigate to your stops on foot, and read food menus easily.
• If you want to hike the popular Teapot Mountain Trail first thing in the morning before you explore Jiufen Old Street, pop Jinguashi Gold Ecological Museum into your Google Maps. The Teapot Mountain Trail starts right behind the Gold Museum.
• Check the weather forecast before you head to Jiufen. You’ll want to go on a clear and sunny day. If it’s rainy, chances are the fog will roll in, which will get in the way of all the great scenic views of the area! Plus, it’ll be wet everywhere, even in the little alleyways, which is no fun at all.
• The weather in Jiufen can be quite unpredictable, and rain is not uncommon. Make sure you pack a lightweight travel umbrella when visiting.
• Make sure to wear comfortable walking shoes as some parts of Jiufen can be hilly, especially if you want to explore outside of Jiufen Old Street.
• The travel distance to Jiufen will be about 1 hour from Taipei.
• Don’t forget to bring some cash with you as some of the small vendors don’t take credit card or EasyCard payments.

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How To Get To Jiufen From Taipei: Opt For A Day Tour

This is by far the most hassle-free way to experience Jiufen and its neighboring towns and landmarks!

There are a few different options depending on what your interests are:

Taipei: Yehliu Geopark, Jiufen, Shifen, and Golden Waterfall Day Tour : 8-hour full day tour, departs from Taipei Main Station. They also have tour options if you want to just see Shifen and Juifen during the day or even at night!

Jiufen Old Street & Northeast Coast Tour : 3.5-hour tour with a little bit of Juifen and a little bit of hiking and natural scenery too.

Private Car Charter: Jiufen, Pingxi, and North Coast : book this private 8-hour car charter if you want to truly customize your sightseeing route as you see fit! It’s so convenient; you’ll be picked up from your hotel by your private driver. Have no idea where to go? Pick the Classic Route around Taipei and let the driver tour you around.

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How To Get To Jiufen From Taipei: By Public Transportation

If you’re not feeling the day tour or private driver option, there are several other ways to go to Jiufen from Taipei.

Besides calling an Uber or taxi, which is probably the most convenient but also the most expensive option, there are three other simple ways of getting to Jiufen via public transportation.

• Take the 1062 bus from Taipei to Jiufen – the easiest and most direct way
• Take the 965 bus from Taipei to Jiufen – also easiest, but this bus comes less frequently
• Take a Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) train to Ruifang and catch a local bus to Jiufen.

The most convenient public transportation option for you will depend on:

• where you’re catching the bus/train in Taipei
• what type of transportation payment method you have (EasyCard vs Fun Pass vs cash)

My recommendation would be to type in your starting address into Google Maps and route to Jiufen Old Street. Depending on where your hotel/accommodation is, the recommended route will pop up as the first entry.

Here are a few examples based on popular neighborhoods in Taipei:

• If the starting point is Ximending District: take bus 965 directly to Jiufen.
• If the starting point is Shilin District: take a bus to get to either the 965 or 1062 bus line. (1 transfer)
• If the starting point is Da’an District: take a bus or a shuttle to reach the 1062 bus line. (1 transfer)
• If the starting point is Datong District: take a bus to reach the 965 bus line. (1 transfer)
• If the starting point is Zhongzheng District: take either bus 965 or 1062.

Bus 1062

Bus 1062 travels from MRT Zhongxiao Fuxing Station to Jiufen Old Street bus stop.

In order to take this bus, take the MRT from wherever you are in Taipei to MRT Zhongxiao Fuxing Station. You can reach this station via the Bannan Line (blue) or Wenhu Line (brown). Take Exit 2 to leave the metro station and reach the 1062 bus stop.

• Trip Duration: This route takes about 1 hour 10 minutes.
• Frequency: During peak hours, buses come every 5-15 minutes and every 10-20 minutes during off-peak hours.
• Cost: NT$101
• Takes EasyCard? : Yes
• Takes Taipei Fun Pass? : No

Bus 965

Bus 965 travels between Banqiou and Jinguashi.

The major stops where you can hop on/off include Banqiao Bus Station, Wanhua Railway Station, MRT Ximen Station, MRT Beimen Station, Ruifang Railway Station, and Jiufen Old Street.

• Trip Duration: Depending on where you get on, the journey takes anywhere from 50 to 80 minutes.
• Frequency: During peak hours, buses come every 30-40 minutes and every 40-60 minutes during off-peak hours.
• Cost: NT$90
• Takes EasyCard? : Yes
• Takes Taipei Fun Pass? : Yes

TRA Train To Ruifang + Bus Option

This route requires a transfer from a TRA (Taiwan Railways) train to a bus to get the Jiufen. If you enjoy taking the train over the bus, this last option could be good for you.

Do note that you cannot go directly from Taipei Main Station to Jiufen via the train. The train only goes to Ruifang Station. From Ruifang Station, you will then have to transfer to a bus to complete your trip to Jiufen.

These are the buses you can take from Ruifang Station to Jiufen: Bus 788, Bus 965, and Taiwan Tourist Shuttle 856 (Golden Fulong Shuttle).

• Trip Duration: ~47 minutes for train + 20 minutes for local bus
• Frequency: Trains to Ruifang depart every 20-50 minutes or so from Taipei Main Station. Tickets cost NT$76 or less, depending on the train you take.
  • TZE Express Trains: These leave from Taipei Main Station to Ruifang roughly every hour. The first train departs around 6 am and will run until about 8 pm. The ride can take anywhere from 35 to 50 minutes. While this train does get you to Ruifang a bit faster, it does cost a bit more (NT$76).
  • Fuxing Shuttle Trains: These leave from Taipei Main Station to Ruifang more frequently, but travel time is slightly longer. Trains come every 20-50 minutes and cost NT$49.
• Cost: NT$49 – $76 for the train portion, NT$15 for the bus portion
• Takes EasyCard? : Yes
• Takes Taipei Fun Pass? : NO for the train portion, YES for the bus/shuttle portion.

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Best Way To Get To Jiufen With EasyCard

If you have an EasyCard (pay-as-you-go IC card), you can get to Jiufen using any of the above methods and your card will work. You’ll just simply need to pay the bus/train fares as you go.

You can buy an EasyCard online here, or at any MRT station in Taipei.

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Best Way To Get To Jiufen With Taipei Fun Pass

If you’re thinking about buying a Fun Pass for your trip to Taipei or you’ve already purchased one, then the options for getting to Jiufen with your card are a bit more limited. It’s still doable though!

BY CITY BUS: As the Taipei Fun Pass is not valid for travel on public buses with 4-digit route numbers, you can take bus #965 to Jiufen Old Street, Gold Museum, or wherever your first destination in Jiufen will be.

BY TOURIST SHUTTLE BUS: You can also use the Fun Pass on the government-run Taiwan Shuttle Buses to Jiufen.

Taipei Fun Passes can be used on Golden Fulong Shuttle buses (Jiufen, Gold Museum, Gold Waterfall, Nanya, Bitou, Longdong, and Fulong are all along this bus route). You can catch the Gold Fulong Shuttle bus (#856) from Ruifang Train Station.

Note on the tourist shuttle bus: In order to use your Fun Pass for free transportation, you’ll still need to take bus #965 from Taipei to Ruifang Station.

My recommendation? Take the Golden Fulong Shuttle only if you want to see sites that you cannot walk to within the Jiufen area, but take bus 965 to get to and from Taipei.

You can buy a Taipei Transportation Fun Pass here on Klook.

Haven’t decided which pass is best for you? Read this: Transportation in Taipei: EasyCard or Taipei Fun Pass?

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How To Get Back To Taipei From Juifen

When you leave Jiufen to Taipei, catch any of the following buses at the Jiufen Old Street bus stop, just a bit up the hill from where you were dropped off.

These buses should sound familiar to you, as we’ve covered them above:

• Bus 1062: take from Jiufen Old Street bus stop to TRA Ruifang Station or MRT Zhongxiao Fuxing Station
• Bus 965: take from Jiufen Old Street bus stop to TRA Ruifang Station or any of the stops in Taipei (such as MRT Ximen Station or MRT Beimen Station)
• Bus 788, 802, 827, 825, or 856 Tourist Shuttle: from Jiufen Old Street bus stop to TRA Ruifang Station.

If you happen to be leaving in the late afternoon or at night, chances are there will be a ton of other people leaving as well. The local buses can only fit so many people, so be prepared to wait for a few different buses as they fill up with other visitors.

Just get in the bus line and be prepared to wait. Lots of buses leave Jiufen, so there’s no need to worry about not getting on one.

As long as you plan to leave Juifen by 9pm, you’ll be able to catch a bus back to Ruifang Station or back to Taipei. The last 1062 bus leaves around 9:30 pm while the last 965 bus leaves at around 9 pm.

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How To Get From Juifen To Shifen

As a savvy traveler, you might be considering combining visits to Jiufen and Shifen in the same day trip while you’re out east.

While it’s a popular option for many travelers, it does require some extra effort as there are no direct trains or buses from Juifen to Shifen.

The easiest way to see both Jiufen and Shifen in one day is to join an organized tour that’ll take you to these iconic spots and a couple of other places.

These tours really take the hassle out of needing to plan out the logistics of which train/bus to take and when to take them. In a more rural destination like Shifen and Jiufen, the value and convenience of these tours really shine.

Having said that, I totally get that tours are not for everyone and many travelers like exploring at their own pace (myself included).

If you wanted to visit Shifen after Jiufen on the same day on your own via public transportation, you will have to get back to Ruifang Station, then take the train to reach Shifen.

You can take any of the buses I noted above (788, 827, 965, the Gold Fulong Shuttle bus 856, etc.) back to Ruifang. From there, catch the Pingxi train over to Shifen Station. The train ride from Ruifang takes about 30 minutes and costs NT$20.

Now, this part takes a bit more pre-planning, so read carefully! The train from Ruifang Station to Shifen comes way less frequently than any of the trains you’ll encounter during your trip. They come once every hour.

This means you’ll want to time your exploration in Juifen to make sure you don’t miss the train you want or show up too early for the next train to avoid having to sit there for nearly 1 hour. (Of course, you could always explore Ruifang a bit, grab a drink at a cafe, or do something else to kill time while you wait.)

If you’re visiting on the weekend, expect these Pingxi trains to be packed! I recommend trying to visit on a weekday if possible.

Tip: For the more complicated portions of the trip, you could always call a taxi to cut out unnecessary back and forth and have a more streamlined day trip. There is a taxi stand near the Jiufen Old Street main entrance, so finding a taxi won’t be too difficult.

Read Next: Your Guide To An Epic Day Trip To Jiufen And Shifen

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Taiwan Travel Insurance

This is a no-brainer. When traveling internationally, be sure to get yourself some travel insurance.

I’ve heard of too many unfortunate experiences where friends and family have had baggage lost/stolen, hotels canceled, or have had unexpected medical emergencies while traveling where they’ve had to cut their trips short.

True story alert — in 2022, my partner even had his shoulder completely dislocated while surfing in Mexico, resulting in a $950 USD emergency room bill that we had to pay out of pocket for! Not fun and not cheap.

Without travel insurance, you would have to pay out of pocket for these mishaps. This is why I get travel insurance for all my international trips now!

One of the best budget-friendly travel insurances for those traveling outside their home country is SafetyWing.

SafetyWing Insurance provides coverage for unexpected illness or injury, including eligible expenses for hospital, doctor or prescription drugs. This means that if you get ill or injured, they will cover the medical expenses.

In addition, it provides emergency travel-related benefits such as emergency medical evacuation (much needed if you like to go hiking / trekking in the wild), travel delay, and lost checked luggage.

Click here to price out how much travel insurance would be for your trip.

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Looking for more Taiwan travel tips? You may also like:

Your Guide To An Epic Day Trip To Jiufen And Shifen

Transportation in Taipei: EasyCard or Taipei Fun Pass?

Taipei Fun Pass: Is It Worth The Money?

The Perfect 5 Days In Taipei: What To See, Eat, and Do

3 Days In Taipei: Travel Itinerary