Jiufen and Pingxi Day Tour

56 Reviews | 85303
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 at Jiufen Old Street with stairs 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

▴ Visit the spectacular Golden Waterfall

Jiufen is said to be the inspiration for the Miyazaki classic Spirited Away.

▴ 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.

▴ Pingxi is where Taiwanese people go to send their wishes into the heavens.

Create and launch your sky lantern.

▴ Create and launch your sky lantern.

Be spirited away in the magical village of Jiufen

▴ Be spirited away in the magical village of Jiufen

ITINERARY

  • Pickup
    09:00 Pick up from your accommodation
  • Point
    10:00 Learn about the history of Jinguashi
  • Point
    10:30 Explore the ruins of the Jinguashi mines
  • Point
    10:50 See the Golden Waterfall and Yin-Yang Sea
  • Point
    11:30 (Hidden spot with best view of Jinguashi)
  • Meal
    12:00 Exploring Jiufen (lunch at guest's expense)
  • Point
    14:30 Visit Shifen old street in Pingxi
  • Point
    15:00 Create and launch your sky lantern
  • Pickup
    17:00 Drop off at your accommodation
*In the event of inclement weather or other unforeseen circumstances, MyTaiwanTour reserves the right to alter tour itinerary.
  • Meal :
    Breakfast : X | Lunch : X | Dinner : X
  • Duration :
    09:00 - 17:00 (8hrs)
  • Pick-up :
    Your accommodation in Taipei City
  • Drop-Off :
    Your accommodation in Taipei City
  • Group Size :
    6-14 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 6 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.

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

August 2023
United States / Judy Y
Magical Taiwan! Thank you, Mark!
Mark Chou is an excellent tour guide. He’s super thoughtful, responsive, and a wonderful storyteller! My mom, teens, & I enjoyed our time together! So much fun & highly recommended ?
July 2023
United States / alexcw228
Day trip to Yehliu Geopark, Jiufen, and Shifen
First time in Taipei for me and my family and what an incredible experience it was. Although it was only a 1-day tour, Mark was still able to show us how beautiful the landscapes of Taiwan are; we travelled to Yehliu Geopark, Jiufen, and Shifen where we wrote Chinese calligraphy on a paper lantern to light into the sky. Mark's sheer knowledge of the history of Taiwan combined with his open nature and fluency in multiple languages made the tour evermore special. His passion for adventure was clear throughout the trip and talking to you/asking questions always felt natural. Highly recommend visiting Taipei/Taiwan and allowing Mark to lead the way!
July 2023
United States / Trek321491
Incredible one day tour of Taipei!
We only had a few short days in Taipei and decided on a one day private day tour of the surrounding areas outside of Taipei. Gorgeous!! We were lucky to have Mark as our Tour Director who gave us not only a day to remember in Yehli, Jiufen and Pingxi; and, a wonderful rich history lesson of the area. We even ended our tour with a special lantern experience. Mark was highly conversational, caring and very knowledgeable. We weren’t sure if we could fit it all in on our 8-hr tour but Mark made it work and we saw everything we wanted to, along with some very instagrammable pics! Ask for Mark, you won’t be disappointed! Fluent in English, Mandarin and German which was a bonus for us! Thank you for the incredible day tour. It was unforgettable!
June 2023
United States / Alison1219
Great day!!
This was a very fun and informative tour. We enjoyed every part but it was mostly made special by our guide, Andy. Andy was kind and knowledgable. Our ten year old asked him tons of questions and Andy was always ready with an answer… he never seemed annoyed with all of the questions. Andy offered good suggestions and was always there to help us. The lantern release was a real highlight. Great day overall. Thank you, Andy!!
May 2023
United States / popiah62
Ping Xi Lantern
Went with Sister. Half day trip, booked with Klook. Got an English guide, nice man. We enjoyed the trip. Whilst release my the lantern saw 2 trains when by.
April 2023
Japan / TETSUYA
初めてのランタン飛ばしツアー
ガイドさんが優しくて丁寧に説明してくれて凄く良かった。 ツアー先も見所満載で、時間的にも希望通りのツアーでした。天気が良ければ言う事なかったけど…また次回も利用したいと思う
March 2023
United States / annabelles997
The perfect day trip!
A really great day trip! Our guide Jessie was super knowledgeable and friendly and spoke perfect English. The trip to each of the towns was very thorough with lots of chances for questions and photos and the sky lantern experience was really well organised! If I could give this tour more stars I would! The pick up at the hotel was also perfect with a WhatsApp message the day before to confirm all the details so that I was ready to go.
March 2023
United States / Collingwooder
Launching lanterns at Pingxi
This was our second tour with MyTaiwanTours. Our tour yesterday (Ultimate Taipei Tour) was great so we booked this tour. We had Jett Lai (?) for both tours and he is great. The best part of having Jett as our guide was that he was able to give us great insight not only to the place we were visiting but also to the customs and opinions of the Taiwan people and also the history of the island. Making and launching the lanterns was fun. We were there during the day. I expect that it would be even better at night time
March 2023
United States / Definitely worthwhile day trip
Definitely worthwhile day trip
This was a fun and interesting day trip. We were so lucky to have three guides, Gordon, Gary and Manuel. They shared their knowledge and good company. Nice way to see how the Taiwan people live now and understand how people lived here decades ago.
March 2023
United States / CHRISTINE_S
Very happy experience
Will definitely recommend to friends for this tour. Very convenient pick up and drop off from hotel. Guide and driver are warm and friendly and give good recomendation information.
February 2023
United States / Djovan_R
Awesome Tour
Awesome experience! Our tour guide, Kylie Hung, was the BEST!!! Thank you for sharing some historical facts of Taiwan?
February 2023
United States / Andrew_c
Kylie best tour guide,...
Kylie best tour guide, great experience even though weather not nice. Just imagine how it would be on a nice day!!
January 2023
United States / Aki L
Don’t miss this.
Hiroshi Lin wax the most thoughtful, patient and wonderful tri-lingual host ever! This is a day that you shouldn’t miss in Taiwan. Honestly, there is more covered than just the explanation. History and amazing Taiwanese temples too. There is a lot of driving on winding mountain roads, but there’s no other way to see these areas. Highly recommend this !!
January 2023
United States / Sooky_C
Great experience, nice...
Great experience, nice tour guide. Thkxx Carol hope you enjoying YOU HOMETOWN TAINAN.
June 2019
United Kingdom / Matt
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.
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.
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Adults
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Children (Age 3 - 12)
0
Infants (Age 0 - 2)
0
Original: US$
Subtotal: US$
* Tour requires a minimum of 6 guests
* Book 2 days in advance (GMT+8 09:00)
* Departs daily
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