Jiufen Old Street Private Tour with Driver: How to Get to Jiufen by Car

Jiufen Old Street by car: what to expect before you book

Jiufen is a place you drive toward and then climb through. The old street runs down a steep hillside in Ruifang District, in the northeast of New Taipei City, with the sea visible between the buildings. The narrow lanes were laid out long before cars, and the New Taipei City tourism site describes the street as narrow, twisting and following the hill. A Jiufen Old Street private tour with driver works well because the road up is the awkward part, and the day is much easier if the person at the wheel knows the mountain road, the parking points and the hour when the crowds arrive.

What follows is a plain account of how the drive works, what the official sources say about opening hours and nearby sights, and how to fit Jiufen into a day that also includes Taipei.

How far is Jiufen from Taipei, and how long does the drive take?

Treat these as planning ranges. Weekend mornings and holiday afternoons are the slow periods on the approach, and the last stretch of mountain road can move at walking pace when the town is full. The desk tracks your flight and your plan, and builds a buffer for the hill.

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Why the car stops short of the old street

The honest answer to "can the car go right there" is: not to the lanes themselves. The street is described by the official New Taipei City guide as mostly stairs, so visitors with luggage are advised to leave it behind. The layout follows three alleys: Qingbian Road and Jishan Street run across the slope, and Shuqi Road runs up and down it. The shopping and eating are concentrated on those lanes, and the lanes are for walking.

Cars use the roads above and below the old street. The New Taipei tourism listing for Jiufen Old Street shows a bus station, a public restroom, a parking lot and a police station among its facilities, so there is infrastructure at the edge of the lanes. On busy days traffic control can limit how close vehicles may stop, and the practical arrangement is to be dropped at a safe point on the road, then walk in. Your chauffeur will tell you which point is workable on the day and where to meet afterwards. Agree the pickup before you walk in, because mobile signal can be patchy in the narrow lanes and the pickup point may not be where you started.

Opening hours from the official listing

The street is a public place, so there is no gate. The New Taipei tourism listing for Jiufen Old Street gives opening hours of 08:00 to 22:00 on Sundays, Fridays and Saturdays, and 08:00 to 19:00 from Monday to Thursday. In practice, individual shops and tea houses keep their own hours, and many close earlier than the street's listed times, so a late dinner is not guaranteed.

The listing also gives the address as Jishan Street in Ruifang District and mentions that the street looks different in the morning, at night and across the seasons, with the night lights as a highlight. Nearby attractions it names are Teapot Mountain and the Yinyang Sea.

The Taiwan Tourism Administration's page on Jiufen adds the history: the area was once a camphor-processing district, became a gold-mining center after a strike in 1890, and drew attention when the film A City of Sadness was shot there and won a prize at the Venice Film Festival. It also suggests staying overnight to see the night views, which is sound advice if your schedule allows it.

Shengping Theater and the other stops worth timing

The one building on the street with published hours is Shengping Theater, at No. 137, Qingbian Road. The New Taipei City listing for Shengping Theater gives these times:

The listing says the theater's origins go back to 1916, that it was rebuilt on its present site in the 1930s, that it closed in 1986 after typhoon damage and that it reopened in 2011. It is a short stop, but it explains the town: Jiufen was rich enough in the mining years to support the biggest theater in northern Taiwan.

Jinguashi: a second stop on the same ridge

Many visitors add Jinguashi, the mining village a short drive up the ridge, about 4 km (2.5 miles) and 10 to 15 minutes from Jiufen. The Gold Museum at No. 8, Jinguang Road is the usual reason. The New Taipei City listing for the Gold Museum gives hours of 09:30 to 17:00 from Monday to Friday and 09:30 to 18:00 on Saturday and Sunday, with admission listed at NT$80 per person as of 2026, excluding DIY activities. Other listings mention an earlier last-entry time and extra closing days, so confirm on the day before you rely on a late arrival.

If you have only half a day, Jiufen alone is enough. If you have a full day, Jinguashi adds the industrial heritage that explains why the town exists. Some mining-era trails and tunnels in the area have been closed for periods, so ask the desk to check the current status instead of planning around them.

Getting there: car, bus or train

Jiufen is served by a car-free alternative that works well for solo travelers. Intercity buses run from Taipei, and the Taiwan Railway line reaches Ruifang Station, from which local buses climb to Jiufen. The New Taipei tourism page lists Ruifang Station about 3.8 km (2.4 miles) from the street and Houtong about 3.0 km (1.9 miles), and the high-speed rail stations at Taipei and Nangang are 33.6 km and 24.6 km away in a straight line. The railway's own site, Taiwan Railway, has the timetable search.

The public routes are good value, but they are crowded in the late afternoon on weekends, and the walk from the bus stop is part of the day. The car removes the queue, the transfers and the guesswork about the last bus.

A half-day or full-day plan with a chauffeur

Half day, from Taipei:

1. 08:30 Pickup from the hotel in Taipei.
2. 09:45 Arrive at the road above the old street while shops are opening and the lanes are quieter.
3. 10:00 to 12:00 Walk the three lanes, stop at Shengping Theater when it opens at 09:30 and have tea or a snack.
4. 12:15 Car to a lunch stop on the coast or back in Taipei.
5. 14:00 Return to the hotel or continue to the city for the afternoon.

Full day with Jinguashi: add the Gold Museum after the street, plan lunch in Jinguashi or on the coast, and keep the last hour for the drive back, since the descent is slower in the evening.

Jiufen at night: go late in the afternoon, stay through the lights and be driven back after dark. This is the version most photographs are taken for, and it is also the busiest, so agree the pickup street in advance.

Our Taipei 101 guide fits well as the second half of a day: Jiufen in the morning, the tower at dusk. For a longer plan across the island, the private tours with driver page explains how a day booking works, and the Asia-Pacific directory lists the other cities where we operate.

If you arrive by cruise ship at Keelung

Keelung is the nearest cruise port, about 20 km (12 miles) from Jiufen. Shore time is short, so the main enemy is the clock. A pre-arranged car from the pier can reach the old street in 30 to 45 minutes, leave you two hours to walk and eat, and return you to the ship with a margin. Tell the desk the ship's all-aboard time at booking. Our cruise ports directory covers how port transfers work, and a chauffeur is the sensible choice here because a missed bus means a missed ship.

Weather, crowds and what to wear

The slopes of Jiufen make their own weather. Mist and rain are common on the northeast coast, the stairs are slick when wet and the tea houses fill with people sheltering. Bring a light waterproof, wear flat shoes with grip and carry a small bag. Weekday mornings are the calmest, and arriving soon after the shops open gives you the lanes before the tour groups reach them. If your schedule is flexible, check the forecast two days ahead and pick the clearer morning. Weekend afternoons and public holidays are the most crowded and the slowest on the road. The street is lit at night, so an evening visit is worth it, but make sure you have a return plan for when the last buses are full.

If the weather is poor, indoor options include the theater, tea houses and the Gold Museum. A typhoon warning means leaving the mountain for another day; the desk will rebook rather than send you up a closed road.

Accessibility, comfort and etiquette

The old street is steep, with long runs of steps, and it is hard going for wheelchair users and anyone with limited mobility. If someone in your group cannot manage steps, consider a drive-through of the viewpoints on the road, the Jinguashi museum area, or a tea stop at a venue near the road edge. Child, toddler and booster seats are available on request at booking, and most vehicles carry water and phone chargers. Leave luggage in the car, which is the practical reason to hire one. If you are flying out the same evening, the vehicle can hold your bags for the whole day, so you never carry a suitcase up a flight of steps.

Jiufen is a living town as well as a visitor attraction. Residents live above and behind the shops, so keep voices low in the evening and do not block doorways to photograph. Ask before photographing people at work. Carry some cash for small stalls. Bins can be scarce in the lanes, so carry your wrapper to the next one. If you visit a tea house, take time over it; the seats are part of the reason to come, and a pot of tea is the easiest way to rest your legs between flights of steps.

For comparison with other old districts, the Bukchon Hanok Village guide covers a residential heritage area in Seoul, where a similar rule of respect for residents applies. The attractions hub lists the rest of our guides.

Ways to reach Jiufen compared

If you are traveling alone and do not mind crowds, the bus is the lowest-cost way up and a perfectly good one. A chauffeur is the better choice when you have a group, a fixed deadline, a late return or a day that links Jiufen with the airport, Taipei 101 or a cruise ship.

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