Jiufen is a very popular tourist attraction in Taiwan. It is located in the hills of Northern Taipei. It is about 30 minutes of driving distance away from Taipei city. It is well known for its bright red lanterns lighting up at night and make people fall in love in this anime like world. Jiufen can also be reached by taking public transit. People can take Taiwan railroad train from Taipei station and go to Ruifang train station, then take 10 minutes of bus ride to Jiufen. The food and scenery at Jiufen is an unforgettable experience for people.
We took the train from Taipei station around 3:30PM in the afternoon. By the time we got to Ruifang station, it was nearly 4:30PM. Then we just took a quick 5 minute taxi ride to Jiufen. When we got off the taxi, we were at the bottom of the Jiufen. We now took the stairs and walk upwards. We would see many latens hanging on the side of the street as we walked up the stairs but they are not lit during the days. We went all the way to the top of Jiufen and finally got to A Gan Yi Taro Ball. This was a must try dessert place when visiting Jiufen!
Afterwards, we went around the Jiufen Old Street to look around for interesting stuff. Most shops sell tea, souvenirs, and Taiwan street food. We also ran into many tourist groups from foreign countries such as Vietnam and Korea. We also saw few small Japanese tourist groups travelling by themselves. Many gift shops even accepted foreign currencies but at a higher exchange rate than usual. As we got to the end of the Jiufen Old Street, we got to a balcony where we could see the ocean on the far side over the mountains. Since we were at the top of the hill, the breeze from the wind felt really good during this hot day.
Since the day was still bright outside and we were waiting for the lanterns to lit up, we decided to go to the famous A-Mei Teahouse for a break and also to have a taste of its tea. It was not a big experience but a bit pricy. After the break, it was finally getting dark. We then headed to Skyline Teahouse for dinner. Skyline Teahouse was just across from A-Mei Teahouse and it offered the best viewing experience on Jiufen, but you must dine here else they would not allow you to just enter and take photo. Many people dine at Skyline Teahouse just so that they could take photos. The view from the top of Skyline Teahouse was breathtaking. The red lanterns at night were just as beautiful as people described. It was a very magical view.
As we exited Skyline Teahouse, there were still many people taking photos outside of the entrance. We had to squeeze through to get back the crowds. When we got to the bottom of Jiufen and wanted to take taxi back to Ruifang station, the taxi driver was trying to rip us off by raising the fare by 3x. We were so pissed off and decided to wait for the bus instead. The bus came after 10 minutes and we were happy with the decision.
We really loved Jiufen. We had a great time here and the view was magical. People said it is even more mythical during the winter time with fog covering Jiufen. Perhaps next time we will visit Jiufen during winter season.
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