5D4N Taiwan Trip Itinerary: Day 3 - Yang Ming Shan + Danshui + Xinbeitou Hotsprings + Ningxia Night Market

5D4N Taiwan Trip Itinerary - Day 3

Activity 1: Yang Ming Shan National Park

Formally established in 1985, Yang Ming Shan is one of the seven national parks in Taiwan that boasts various mountain formations, cherry blossoms and hot springs during the different seasons, making it one of the most visited tourist attractions. Located within an hour's reach from Taipei city, why not head there to enjoy some sight-seeing and witness the beauty of God's creations.

For more information on Yang Ming Shan National Park, do check out their official website (english): http://www.ymsnp.gov.tw/HTML/ENG/INDEX.ASP

Activity 2: Danshui Lover's Bridge and Fisherman's Wharf

Danshui (淡水, or commonly known as "Danshuei"/"Tamshui") is a small fishing city located at the northern tip of Taiwan. Surrounded by peace and transquility, this beautiful paradise is often filled with foreign and local travellers, especially lovey-dovey couples who came to watch the romantic sunset and stroll along the prominent Lover's Bridge. Strongly recommended by my friends, I see no reasons not to visit this particular quainty side of Taipei.

Affectionally named by the former president, Chen Shui Bian, the Lover's Bridge is approximately 196 metres and takes 2-3 minutes to walk from one point to the other. This "cable-stayed" bridge is probably the star attraction of the whole of Danshui, so do not ever say you have been here unless you've walked the bridge.

If you managed to stay till late evening, when the night falls, you will witness a spectrum of colours that lit up the Lover's Bridge. The colours of the bridge change every minute or so, representing the different elements of love (I guess.)

Activity 3: Danshui Old Street and Museum of the Strange

If you are looking for authentic Taiwanese street snacks, old school arcade games or souvenirs to bring home, Danshui Old Street is the place that you want to slot into your itinerary. Located alongside the shore of Northern Taiwan, this charming old street is always bustling with crowds, both young and old who came to chill out amidst the nicely preserved Japanese colonial buildings.

Besides the gastronomic part of this journey, why not drop by the Museum of the Strange which is located near the mouth (from MRT station) of Danshui Old Street? It is hard to miss with its huge signage and quirky entrance. Admission fee is priced at only NT$70 per person.

Activity 4: Xinbeitou Hotsprings

Wash your tiredness away with a relaxing bath at one of Taiwan's favourite hotspring spots - Xin Beitou. Prior to research, we chose Sweetme Hotspring Resort, which is located approximately 3-minute walk from Xin Beitou MRT station. There are a lot other private hotsprings (such as Spring City, Beauty Age Hotel etc) as well, so remember to do your research.

For NT$1100, we have a spacious and private room to ourselves, with two baths providing hot, cold and spring water. The room is also equipped with basic toiletries, towels and hair-dryer etc.

If you are looking for public baths, it is advisable to come during mornings or afternoons, as they close when the skies turn dark. Moreover, if you visit Beitou in the day, do make a trip down to their thermal valley, public library and hotsprings museum as well.

Activity 5: Ningxia Night Market

Besides the famous Shilin Night Market, do give a visit to the minor and less "advertised" ones such as Ningxia night market (寧夏夜市) where nearly 90% of the crowd is made up of its local people. Although not as decorated and crowded with tourists, it does however offers an array of delicious street snacks, souvenirs and classic carnival games. On top of that, Ningxia was one of the cleanest and organized night market I had observed in Taipei.

5D4N Taiwan Trip Itinerary: Day 2 - Jin Gua Shi + Jiufen Old Street + Shifen

5D4N Taiwan Trip Itinerary - Day 2

For a more updated itinerary for Jiufen, click here.

On the second day of the trip, we will be venturing outside Taipei to visit the Gold Ecological Park at Jinguashi, the bustling Jiufen Old Street as well as the rural beauty of Shifen. Fortunately, these 3 places are easily accessible by taking the Taiwan RailwayAdministrationn (TRA) at Taipei Main Station. Just approach any counters, or if you are familiar with the ticketing system, skip the queue and use the self-service machines. The friendly staff (donned with blue vests) are there if you have any purchasing enquiries. For Jinguashi/Jiufen, buy a ticket heading eastward towards Ruifang Station.

TRA counters in Taipei Main Station

Getting a TRA bento box (NT$100) is recommended if you haven't had breakfast, as the train ride would take approximately 40 minutes. They can be consumed at the train stations, as well as inside the train. Anyway, the bento box which consists of chicken cutlet, vegetables, pickles and braised egg was really good.

Upon reaching Ruifang station, head towards the bus stop which is located just outside Wellcome mart (see picture below) and take a bus heading to Keelung. Again, do not hesitate to ask the bus driver if you are unsure.

Note: Jin Gua Shi is located AFTER Jiufen Old Street.

Activity 1: Gold Ecological Park at Jin Gua Shi

Located within the mountains in the Rueifang District, and once a flourished gold and copper mining town, Jin Gua Shi was named a potential World Heritage site in 2002 for its rich historical, cultural and natural resources. It is opened to public since 2004.

Known as Kinkaseki in Japanese, Jin Gua Shi is used as a prisoners-of-war (POWs) camp during the world war. Although the minerals have been depleted, this nostalgic old town still attracts vistors from all around the world to experience a journey back to its former glory. Take the similar buses back towards Jiufen Old Street.

Activity 2: Jiufen Old Street

Originally housed with only nine families in the 1800s, the villagers would purchased nine pieces of the same item in one reservation (hence the name, meaning nine parts/pieces) as roads were not built yet and materials were brought in mainly by ships. Located only minutes away from Jin Gua Shi (金瓜石), it was not long before someone struck gold at this rural village. Words leaked out and the village was soon swarmed with thousands of prospectors hoping to strike rich. The gold mines eventually exhausted and like its faded counterpart, Jiufen suffered the same fate.

Time passes and today, Jiufen is one of the most popular tourist attraction visited by travellers from all over the world to experience its former glory and well, its current glory of being a prosperous old street which offers nostalgic teahouses and the best Taiwanese cuisine, such as popular yam dishes, glutinous rice balls (粉圆), beef noodles, fish balls, herbal eggs, sun cakes (太陽餅) and the list goes on infinitely.

Activity 3: Shifen

From Ruifang station, purchase a train ticket heading to Shifen. Train ride takes about 15-20 minutes.

Located amidst the mountains of Taiwan, and similar to how Jiufen derives its name, Shifen is a scenic rural town built by ten families a long time ago and is most well-known for the railway tracks and the majestic Shifen Waterfall 十分瀑布.

Shifen is also famous for its traditional sky lanterns, which wishes are written on it and sent into the high heavens. The best time to launch the sky lanterns is at dusk or during the sky lantern festival, but you can see people sending their wishes as early as in the morning.

Additional Notes:

If you are visiting Shifen in late autumn or winter season, it is strongly advisable to do so during the morning or afternoons as the entrance to the waterfall closes at about 5pm.

Danshui Lover's Bridge and Fisherman's Wharf @ Taiwan

Danshui (淡水, or commonly known as "Danshuei"/"Tamshui") is a small fishing city located at the northern tip of Taiwan. Surrounded by peace and transquility, this beautiful paradise is often filled with foreign and local travellers, especially lovey-dovey couples who came to watch the romantic sunset and stroll along the prominent Lover's Bridge. Strongly recommended by my friends, I see no reasons not to visit this particular quainty side of Taipei.

Directions to Danshui Lover's Bridge and Fisherman's Wharf

1. Take the MRT to the terminal station - Danshui. It takes approximately 40 minutes to reach from Taipei Main Station. From Danshui MRT, take Bus Red 26 - a 15 minutes bus ride to terminal station, Fisherman's Wharf.

2. Take a ferry ride from Danshui Ferry Pier to Fisherman's Wharf. It will pass by the island of Bali as well. 

Till now, Danshui still holds its functionality as a harbour for fishing boats, and of course, a popular tourist spot. The best time to visit Danshui is obviously in the evening, when the sun goes down and the stars unveil itself. Do also take note that the sun-set timings in winter (Nov-Feb) is earlier.

More often than not, there are stage performers who bring sparkles of life to Danshui. At the point of visit, there was a Chinese guy rendering some of the best mandarin covers I've ever heard. Pretty impresssive.

Affectionally named by former president, Chen Shui Bian, the Lover's Bridge is approximately 196 metres and takes 2-3 minutes to walk from one point to the other. This "cable-stayed" bridge is probably the star attraction of the whole of Danshui, so do not ever say you have been here unless you've walked the bridge.

Pretty sleek design eh? But again, I didn't expect President Chen to be so filled with "sentimental romance." 

Besides feasting for the eyes, the restaurants along the harbour will satisfy your hunger as well. Here we had a Beef Hotpot (NT$360) at a what-seemed-to-be an atas restaurant called Water Bay. Nothing beats having a good bowl of broth filled with delicious slices of beef on a cold weather.

  

If you managed to stay till late evening, when the night falls, you will witness a spectrum of colours that lit up the Lover's Bridge. The colours of the bridge change every minute or so, representing the different elements of love (I guess.)

The Tamsui Museum of Fishiegoodies 鱼藏文化馆 contains exhibitions on the culture of Danshui and offers tourists to bring back a piece of this fishing town for memories.

 

I strongly recommend you to include Danshui into your itinerary if you're planning a trip to Taiwan, especially with your significant other, but again, one can also enjoy the beautiful sceneries and architectures there as well.

Yang Ming Shan National Park 陽明山國家公園 @ Taiwan

Formally established in 1985, Yang Ming Shan is one of the seven national parks in Taiwan that boasts various mountain formations, cherry blossoms and hot springs during the different seasons, making it one of the most visited tourist attractions. Located within an hour's reach from Taipei city, why not head there to enjoy some sight-seeing and witness the beauty of God's creations.

Directions to Yang Ming Shan

1. From Shilin MRT, take Bus 260 or Red 5 at Exit 1 to Yang Ming Shan station.

Note: From there, you might want to get the unlimited-ride pass (NT$60) for Bus 108 that goes around the park.

There are a handful of roadside stalls nestled nearby the entrance (Yang Ming Shan station). A light meal and a bottle of water are encouraged to have before you plan to conquer the mountain.

Bee-Hoon with Yam cubes (NT$50) was appetizing and the roasted yam added a delectable crunch to this noodle dish.

I love their Fishball Soup (NT$40 for 5pc). The piping hot broth which comes with elongated fishballs filled with juicy minced meat is such a delight to eat in a cooling weather.

The weather grew unexpectedly warm, so we decided to get a couple of home-growned oranges  to quench our thirst. Prices varies accordingly to weight (usually they sell 3-4 for NT$100). Besides oranges, they sell other harvests such as pumpkins, gingers and carrots which they claimed were free of chemicals (pesticides etc.)

The owners told us that bigger, the sweeter the oranges will be, but apparently with reference to my knowledge, it is the opposite. Anyway, the oranges are fragrant, but not that sweet and not as juicy as expected.

Acting cute. (I mean the orange)

Besides the usual hiking and exercising, Yang Ming Shan also features attractions like Seven Star Mountain, Siao You Keng, Flower Clock and waterfalls etc. Feeling adventurous and a need to burn off the calories from all the sinful street food, we decided to follow a hiking trail and hiked up one of the mountains.

Roads, stairs and more stairs

We were welcomed at the summit with a beautiful pavillion, which provided a panaromic view of the surroundings. There were a few elderly people having their afternoon talk at the pavilion whom I guessed were residing at the moutain houses, not to even mention how fit they are to trek all the way up here!

Generally, Yang Ming Shan is a good place to visit especially during the blossom season or hotsprings seasons, when one can truly enjoy a good walk or hot soak amongst the beautiful nature. However, it was a tad disappointing as we thought it would be cool during mid-November and it turned out to be humid and hot instead.

For more information on Yang Ming Shan National Park, do check out their official website (english):

http://www.ymsnp.gov.tw/HTML/ENG/INDEX.ASP