Taipei can easily fill several days, but some of my favorite moments in northern Taiwan came from leaving the city behind for a few hours. That is why day trips from Taipei are so worthwhile: hot springs, old hillside towns, wild coastal landscapes, and tea-covered hills are all surprisingly close.
After exploring the area myself, though, I would not treat every popular excursion as equally worthwhile. Some make for a genuinely memorable contrast with Taipei; others look better on a map than they feel in practice. The real question is which ones deserve your limited time.
Which Day Trip from Taipei Should You Choose?
For most first-time visitors, Jiufen, Shifen and Yehliu is the best all-round choice because it gives you the biggest contrast with Taipei in a single day. Pick Beitou for hot springs and a slower pace, Tamsui for an easy waterfront outing, or Maokong for tea, hills and a quieter half-day escape.
Jiufen, Shifen & Yehliu
The classic northern Taiwan day out, combining Jiufen’s hillside lanes, Shifen’s old railway atmosphere and Yehliu’s surreal coast.
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Beitou
The easiest choice for hot springs, greenery and a slower day. Combine Beitou with Yangmingshan if you want a fuller excursion.
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Tamsui
A low-pressure waterfront escape with old streets, river views and sunset atmosphere without committing to a long excursion.
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Maokong
Tea houses, green hills and a scenic gondola ride make this the best choice for a quieter and more flexible escape from Taipei.
Check tour & availabilityMy recommendation: choose Jiufen, Shifen and Yehliu if you only have time for one full day trip from Taipei. Pick Beitou if you want to slow down, Tamsui for an easy waterfront outing, or Maokong for tea, hills and a scenic half-day escape.
Table of Contents
Jiufen, Shifen, and Yehliu
If you want the classic day trip from Taipei, this is the one.
It is popular to the point of feeling almost unavoidable when you start planning Taiwan, but in this case the popularity makes sense. Jiufen gives you the narrow lanes, red lanterns, stairways, and mountain-town atmosphere that people come looking for. Shifen adds the old railway setting and sky lantern experience. Yehliu gives you something totally different again, with weird coastal rock formations and a landscape that barely looks real in places.
The reason this day works so well is not that each stop is equally deep. It is that together they make a satisfying contrast. You get hills, coastline, old streets, and something that feels distinctly northern Taiwan rather than just “more Taipei.”
You can do this independently, but I think this is one of the few trips where a tour can genuinely make sense, especially if your time is short. It is not hard exactly, but it is more annoying than it first appears once you start piecing together trains, buses, and timing.
If you only take one full day trip from Taipei, this is probably the one I would suggest first.
Beitou
Beitou is the day trip I would choose if you want a slower pace. It is easy, close, and a completely different mood from central Taipei. After a couple of days of temples, traffic, museums, markets, and MRT rides, Beitou feels like a reset.
The whole area is built around hot spring culture, and even if you are not especially interested in bathing, it still works as an outing because the atmosphere is calmer, greener, and less intense than the city center.
This is also one of the easiest trips to do on your own, which is part of the appeal. You do not need to turn it into a big excursion. You can go up there, walk around Thermal Valley, visit the hot spring museum if that interests you, soak in a private bath, and ease into the day without rushing.
If Jiufen is the obvious “see more” day trip, Beitou is the obvious “slow down a little” one.
Tamsui
Tamsui is a good choice if you want something easy and atmospheric without committing to a long day. What I like about it is that it does not feel like a high-pressure excursion. You go for the waterfront, the old streets, the river views, and the softer pace. It is the kind of place that works best when you let it unfold instead of treating it like a list of attractions.
This is not the most dramatic day trip from Taipei, and that is exactly why some people end up enjoying it so much. It gives you air, space, and a different rhythm. Go in the later afternoon and stay into sunset, and it can end up being one of the most pleasant outings of the trip. I would choose Tamsui over one of the more famous excursions if you are the kind of traveler who likes wandering more than checking off must-sees.
Maokong
Maokong is the day trip for tea, hills, and views. The gondola ride is part of the experience, but the real reason to go is the shift in atmosphere once you get there. Taipei suddenly feels far away. The pace slows down, the air feels different, and the whole outing becomes less about sightseeing and more about enjoying where you are.
This is a very good choice if you want a scenic half-day that does not feel too structured. It is also a nice counterbalance to the denser parts of a Taipei itinerary. Instead of another temple or another neighborhood, you get tea houses and greenery.
I would not force it into a packed trip, but if you have the time, it is one of the most pleasant escapes from the city.
Final Thoughts
What I liked most about taking day trips from Taipei was how quickly the city seemed to change character once I left it behind. Within a fairly short distance, the dense urban rhythm gives way to hot springs, old railway towns, coastal scenery, tea hills, and much quieter neighborhoods.
That contrast is also why I would not try to cram too many excursions into one visit. Taipei itself deserves time. On my own trip, the days felt more rewarding when I treated these places as a way to broaden the experience rather than as another checklist to complete.
If you are still planning the city part of your trip, my Taipei 3-day itinerary shows how I would organize a first visit after seeing what worked in practice. I also have a separate guide to where to stay in Taipei if you are deciding on a base, and my guide to the best tours in Taipei covers the experiences I think add something inside the city itself.
And if Taipei is only the beginning, my 2-week Taiwan itinerary shows how I connected it with the rest of the island without turning the trip into a race.
Last Updated on 15/09/2026 by Panos
