Ruifang District

Our guide Florence Tsai was excellent in switching between mandarin and English, helping us to appreciate Taiwanese culture, food and history. The itinerary is a little rush but it’s good opportunity for us to recce the locations so that we can consider where to invest more time when we return to Taipei again. The bus was comfortable and safe despite the winding roads up and down Jiufen on a rainy day. Kudos to the driver Mr Huang! My kids 6 and 9 years old napped comfortably on the bus! Many food, sightseeing and activities during the trip like “walking on Mars” in Yehliu, raising a lantern in Shifen, feeding cats in Houtong and enjoying tea and street food in Jiufen. Never a dull moment. Highly recommended!

The location is a bit high up, but it's not hard to find! Once you find the shop, you can buy online and redeem instantly, which is very convenient! There are many seats, and the elevated position allows you to eat at your own pace. It's cheap and delicious!

We set off from Taichung, and it started drizzling as we approached Taipei, meaning we had to use umbrellas to see the Yin-Yang Sea and Golden Waterfall. By the time we reached Jiufen, we were already wearing raincoats. Little did we know that Shifen would be even more spectacular – our shoes were completely soaked! 😂😂😂

I enjoyed Taiwanese tea on the terrace and the night view to my heart's content. It was a little pricey, but it was worth the experience. At the beginning, they taught me how to enjoy tea, and I drank hot tea over and over again.

We were blessed with perfect weather and were able to tour efficiently. We traveled in a minibus with six people, which was spacious and smooth. The guide also explained a lot, but I felt like I could have understood more if my Japanese level had been a little higher. It was difficult to understand the historical parts... Still, it was a tour worth going on.