Jiufen and Pingxi Day Tour
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HIGHLIGHTS
- • Release sky lanterns in Shifen, Pingxi, home to Taiwan’s lantern festival
- • Sip tea in the mountainous, anime-like village of Jiufen
- • See the unique “Yin-Yang Sea” in the old mining town of Ruifang
- • Visit the spectacular Golden Waterfall
Take a step back in time with a full day tour of Taiwan’s northern villages renowned for their charm, history, and culture: Jinguashi, Jiufen, and Pingxi. Jinguashi is a quaint, coastal town famous for its former gold mines. Tour the Thirteen Ruins, an abandoned refinery high up in the mountains overlooking the gold and blue Yin Yang Sea of Ruifang. The coastal town of Jiufen is said to be the inspiration for the Miyazaki classic Spirited Away, so expect to be similarly enchanted as we wander the narrow cobblestone streets and the Japanese-style Amei Teahouse. Finally, cast your wishes into the heavens with the help of lanterns in Shifen, Pingxi, Taiwan’s lantern festival capital. Just a stone’s throw away from bustling Taipei, this day tour will allow you to bask in the different old world atmospheres of three beautiful towns, take in astounding scenery and learn about Taiwan's cultural heritage.
**Please note: This tour requires a reasonable degree of physical fitness**
Related Article: Waterfalls and Sky Lanterns: A day tour to Shifen and Pingxi
▴ Visit the spectacular Golden Waterfall
▴ Jiufen is said to be the inspiration for the Miyazaki classic Spirited Away.
▴ Pingxi is where Taiwanese people go to send their wishes into the heavens.
▴ Create and launch your sky lantern.
▴ Be spirited away in the magical village of Jiufen
ITINERARY
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09:00 Pick up from your accommodation -
10:00 Learn about the history of Jinguashi -
10:30 Explore the ruins of the Jinguashi mines
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10:50 See the Golden Waterfall and Yin-Yang Sea
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11:30 (Hidden spot with best view of Jinguashi)
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12:00 Exploring Jiufen (lunch at guest's expense) -
14:30 Visit Shifen old street in Pingxi
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15:00 Create and launch your sky lantern
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17:00 Drop off at your accommodation
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Meal :
Breakfast : X | Lunch : X | Dinner : X -
Duration :
09:00 - 17:00 (8hrs) -
Pick-up :
Your accommodation in Taipei City
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Drop-Off :
Your accommodation in Taipei City -
Group Size :
2-14 people -
Language :
English
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DETAILS
Inclusions
- •Pick-up and drop-off at your accommodation in Taipei City
- •A professional English speaking tour guide
- •Lesson in sky lantern creation
- •Local history lessons
- •5-seater sedan / 9-seater van / 21-seater mini bus
Exclusions
- •Food and drinks
- •Gratuity
Cancellation Policy
Tour requires a minimum of 2 guests.
We will do our best to accommodate individual travelers by placing them on tours with other guests. In the event an individual traveler cannot be so accommodated, guests will be offered an alternative tour of equal value or full refund.
Cancellations are permitted up until 48 hours before departure with a full refund.
Cancellations made 48-24 hours before departure will receive a 50% refund.
Cancellations made less than 24 hours before departure are non-refundable.
We will do our best to accommodate individual travelers by placing them on tours with other guests. In the event an individual traveler cannot be so accommodated, guests will be offered an alternative tour of equal value or full refund.
Cancellations are permitted up until 48 hours before departure with a full refund.
Cancellations made 48-24 hours before departure will receive a 50% refund.
Cancellations made less than 24 hours before departure are non-refundable.
There will be a 100% charge for no-shows. No-shows are defined as (1) Arriving 15 minutes late for Day Tours; (2) Arriving 1 hour late for Multi-day tours and custom tours.
REVIEWS
June 2019
United Kingdom / Matt
May 2019
Philippines / Juvyann
Awesome Day Tour
This tour is one of the best experience of Taiwan we've had, made more memorable by our guide Lucy, whose love and passion for her country shows through her tours. My boys were especially engaged with the lantern making and anxious to if our's would really fly. Highly recommended!
December 2017
Australia / Qing Lu
Wonderful Trip in Taiwan
Our tour guide Amanda gave us very nice suggestions. The Jiufen town is antique with yum food. The waterfall is grand and the experience with Sky Lanterns in Pingxi is amazing. Highly recommended.
December 2017
Hong Kong / Hairuo Li
5 stars for this!!
All places we went are amazing, able to land me a lot of cultural and historical background of this place. Jessica is very adorable and passionate, giving us chances to explore places that few people have been to.
September 2017
Philippines / rrs425
Summer was a wonderful tour guide
I had a wonderful time at Jiufen and Pingxi. Summer was a wonderful tourguide. She was really happy with what she was doing. Transportation was comfortable as well. Summer made sure we were all comfortable and well informed. I already recommended this tour in my blog site and to my family as well.
July 2017
United States / Maria
Definitely recommend the company
Will definitely recommend your company to my friends. We had a nice time with Ting, Kylie and Iris. (We were a group of 15). Thank you so much for making out trip memorable and fun.
January 2017
United Kingdom / Lynette
Highly recommended and will book again next time.
Fantastic tour! Well organised. Meeting place easy to find. Tour guide JC was fun and informative. The restaurant he recommended to us in Jiufen had a spectacular view of the ocean. It was not very obvious from the main entrance but we were taken to the third floor and the view was just lovely. The food portion served was huge. So might be a good idea to share. We had to waste good food as we did not expect the amount of foods involved. We had fun making our sky lantern in Pingxi. Also the retired miner was very informative. Would have been nice if we know Chinese or he speaks English. Thanks to the driver also for dropping us off Taipei 101 tower. Highly recommended and will book again next time.
January 2017
Malaysia / Michael
Thank you My Taiwan Tour
The tour was relaxed and enjoyable. JC was a terrific guide. Our kid enjoyed the making of the lanterns. And we had the best bubble tea at Ping Xi!
December 2016
Chile / PAUL R
Great package tour
Great package! Tour began at 10am and ran until app. 6pm with drop-off at participants and #39; hotels. Jiufen was incredibly packed with tourists, but that seemed to be part of the draw: seeing how many people fit in the windy narrow streets. Releasing a sky lantern was a fun, unique experience.
December 2016
Australia / kyliet
A fantastic day with our small group
We had a fantastic day with our small group of 5 people on this tour. On the way to Jiufen we saw the 2 colour sea and a beautiful waterfall then walked through the famous Jiufen town and tasted some local food and had lunch with a beautiful view. Drove to another amazing waterfall and short walk then onto Pingxi for the lantern release which was a unique experience,especially when the train comes through! Train ride to Jingtong and a walk through the old quaint station shops then headed back to Taipei.We were lucky to have Laura as our tour guide who was so friendly and did a wonderful job.I Highly recommend this tour.
December 2016
United Kingdom / VforVera
Friendly and accommodating
This was a lovely tour of Jinguashi, Jiufen and Pingxi. We had to weather the patches of rain, but Billy, our tour guide was very friendly and accommodating. First stop was Jinguashi, where we got to meet an 80 year old retired miner ah-bei who was a local resident and native of Jinguashi. Learning about they glory days of Jinguashi's gold mining industry and exploring Jinguashi with the ah-bei was very insightful. He gave us insight on how the area had changed throughout the decades. It was a very thoughtful and personal touch to the Jinguashi experience. I really enjoyed meeting the ah-bei. If I had a suggestion, it'd be to help smoothly translate the Taiwanese to English between the ah-bei and non-Taiwanese speakers. Second stop was exploring Jiufen, which is fun as always. Third stop was Pingxi. The sky lantern making class was such a fun experience. I really loved this part of the tour. The class was taught by a local elderly couple of Pingxi who have had their sky lantern class making shop for multiple generations. It was nice to learn from the ah-ma who taught us. If there was a suggestion I had for this part of the tour, it would be to allow us to decide if we wanted to make our own lanterns or to buy ready-made lanterns so that we could explore the rest of Pingxi. Leaving immediately after the sky lantern making class was a bit wanting and it would have been great if we could have an extra 15 to 20 minutes after the class to look around Pingxi. Otherwise, this was a lovely tour and highly recommended if you wanted to spend a day around Jiufen and Pingxi.
December 2016
Austria / uheintz1
Highly recommend it.
Great tour but very rainy. Would have been even nicer if the weather would have been better. Nobodies fault Kelly the tourguide was funny and very entertaining. Great personality. Loved the places we visited, the waterfalls, Jiufen, Grandpa a former employee of a Japanese mining company in Jiufen, then of course Pingsi were we made our own lantern and let it fly. Would do this tour again and highly recommend it.
December 2016
Italy / g.dangeli
Giornata bellisima!
Uno dei tour giornalieri più intensi e originali, tantissimi i posti visitati e vissuti. Guida professionale, simpaticissima, disponibile e attenta. Giornata bellisima!
December 2016
United States / Stephanie C
Nice small group
One of the huge highlights of my trip. If you splurge on a tour while in Taiwan, this one is worth it. Nice small group that all spoke English. The lanterns were exciting to set off even during the day time. Jiufen was great and our guide led us to all the good cheap places to eat. Definitely worth the money as you have a air-conditioned van that will pick you up and drop you off. Tour started at a reasonable time and we returned just in time for dinner and night market activity. Our guide Tina was so great. She was enthusiastic and I enjoyed everything she talked to us about when going to Pingxi and Jiufen. She was genuinely excited to show us around and was very helpful explaining and giving us recommendations on what to eat. I think she really made the tour.
December 2016
United States / Jolanda G
Absolutely fabulous
Absolutely fabulous. Claire and Mark were the best! Was the best tour ever.
December 2016
Singapore / wanderboy
Jiufen and Shifen
Tina provided us an excellent tour of Jiufen and Shifen. The tour was actually more than I expected. Definitely a must go if youre a solo traveller who wants to cover lots of places in one day!
December 2016
United States / Lesley R
Lovely itinerary
If you want a day full of variety then I recommend this tour. Beautiful scenery of greenery and sea together with the hussle and bussle of a very busy Jiufen. Releasing the sky lantern was also a really cool experience. Our tour guide, Steven was very helpful and efficient - making sure we covered everything in the itinerary.
December 2016
Maxico / Yesenia A
our favorite day from our Taiwan trip
My husband and I really enjoyed this tour, it was our favorite day from our Taiwan trip and well worth the money! We had our 8 month old son with us and Viator provided a car seat and were very accommodating to our family. Our tour guide, Tina, was extremely kind and knowledgeable! Our only suggestion for this tour would be to think about adding an hour, as some areas felt a little rushed, but definitely not a deal breaker. Two friends of ours recommended this tour and we will definitely recommend it to our friends as well.
October 2016
Indonesia / Danya
5 star family trip with my taiwan tour
I did this tour today with my 3yr & 5yr old girls... Ms. Claire (our guide) & Mr.Young (our driver) we AMAZING!!! We had the best day, saw all the sights & had so much fun. Claire went above & beyond & is one of the best tour guides I have ever experienced! This tour is a must if you come to Taipei... it is so beautiful & a once in a life time experience. I would definitely book with this company again! They have fantastic customer service & great prices for the tour you receive. Overall it was a Win/Win in every way. 5+ stars!!!!!
October 2016
Japan / Tiffany M.
Jiufen's old street is GORGEOUS
LOVED LOVED LOVED THIS TOUR!!! Definitely a MUST for everyone traveling to Japan! This was literally everything I had hoped for and more. One of my friends from Taiwan mentioned taking a tour for these cities would be a good idea because it could be difficult to get to "on your own". We were picked up by a comfortable 8 seater van and they provided water bottles for us. The van even had wifi (ooo lala)! Jiufen's old street is GORGEOUS and we were pretty much able to find 100% of our souvenirs here for an amazing price. We LOVE mango and Jiufen's old street had plenty to offer us (*drooling as I think of it*). There are also plenty of super fun, delicious, cheap lunch options available throughout the street . Pingxi is where we released a sky lantern into the air (like the disney movie Tangled), but we did it in a rustic town on a train track; bucket list check. There were some other sites on the way to Jiufen that were super fun such as Shifen waterfall (the Niagara falls of Taiwan), the Yin-Yang sea, and a temple on a mountain that were all beautiful and incredibly worthwhile to visit. I also have to give a shout out to Jett Lai! He was SO nice and knowledgeable; It was a pleasure to have him as our tour guide in this amazing experience. I HIGHLY recommend this tour to anyone traveling to Taiwan!
September 2016
United States / Nick
A private tour to Pingxi
I recently went on the day tour to Jiufen and Pingxi with my girlfriend. We originally thought the tour was a mini-group but when our guides Shaun and Steven picked us up we were informed it would be a private tour. Both Shaun and Steven were simply amazing. They provided us with an in-depth insight of the areas, cultural knowledge, showing us local foods and even went out of their way finding our sky-lantern when it fell out of the sky. Jiufen really did live up to its' name of being the Santorini of Taiwan and we were simply blown away by the whole experience. We highly recommend this tour to anyone that has a day to spare in Taiwan as Jiufen and Pingxi are both two areas that should not be missed. Once again, Shaun and Steven were both simply outstanding and we cannot thank them enough for the day they gave us.
September 2016
Vietnam / Joey Nguyen
Unforgettable tour experiences
I had a totally great day in Jiufen and Pingxi even though it rained because of the typhoon. And thanks Bill so much for your caring and your knowledge (especially the beef noodle part :)) We thought we weren't able to release lanterns and even Shifen waterfall but we made it and it was unforgettable. I will recommend this tour for my friends and hope to go with you guys next time when I travel to Taiwan again.
May 2016
Singapore / Patricia Tan
Our family tour
Our family of 3 were picked up punctually at 10.00am from our hotel by our guide Steven. He is very knowledgeable about the places we visited. I found him very patient, helpful and polite. He even shared with us a a short history of Taiwan on the way to Juifen . I would highly recommend him to anyone visiting Taiwan.
April 2016
United States / Pingxi and Jiufen Day Tour
Pingxi and Jiufen Day Tour
Tour guides Bill and Spencer were great! Did not do the train ride but were compensated with a side visit to the quirky Cat Village which was fine. Both guides full of varied and interesting information and a great sense of humour - it made the tour. Did the old gold mining area, the narrow alleys of Jiufen, Houtong Cat Village, the Golden waterfall just outside of Shifen and finished with the Lantern experience. As there were only 2 of us on tour this day had private car journey the whole day! Great itinerary and money well worth spent here. Highly recommend this tour- 1
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A excellent one day adventure with Lucy to Pingxi and Jiufen!
An excellent tour to Pingxi and Jiufen with the opportunity to assemble, write on, and launch a Sky Lantern on the famous train line. It was an amazing experience from start to finish, Lucy arrived at the hotel on time and as a small group we had a luxury mini bus to take us around the different locations. There was complimentary water and Lucy provided many facts and historical observations en route. There were several different stops at the locations you will see in the many photos other visitors have uploaded. Plenty of time for photos, history, and interesting background like how to tell the difference between Buddhism and Taoism temples. In Jiufen (the inspiration for the film, Spirited Away) you are left for just over an hour for lunch and to explore the little stores down the side roads. This was just enough time for our group. We walked up the long staircase to just under the Elementary School where we had Pork Buns and Dumplings at a great restaurant with a small balcony overlooking the stairs (photo attached), the staff spoke English and there was a mixed language menu board. The final highlight was to be able to actually make the Sky Lantern at a shop which have been doing this for many, many, years. After you have launched your lantern, there is the chance to explore the village along the train line, and the old bridge at the far end near the station. The shop staff were really friendly and had a real love for what they were doing. Lucy is a true advocate of Taiwan, and as a seasoned traveller herself, has lots of great stories to tell. I fully recommend this trip, it worked well for me as a solo traveller too.