Jiufen & Shifen Day Trip from Taipei by Public Transport

Last verified 25 Oct 2026

The route in one view

New Taipei City tourism calls Ruifang Station “an important transfer station for entering the Golden Mountain Town (Shuinandong, Jinguashi, Jiufen)”, and it also links to the Pingxi Line. Almost every DIY plan goes through it.

Step by step

1. Get to Ruifang. Take a Taiwan Railway train from Taipei. Use the official timetable query for trains and the fare.
2. Buy the Pingxi/Shen’ao day pass if you will ride more than a couple of times. It is sold at Banqiao, Taipei, Songshan, Keelung, Badu, Ruifang, Houtong, Yilan, Luodong, Pingxi, Jingtong and Shifen stations. Buying it at Ruifang is the simplest. The pass is only good on the day of sale and the date stamp must be on it.
3. Ride the Pingxi Line to Shifen. The line runs 12.9 km from Sandiaoling to Jingtong in about 40 minutes. Shifen Old Street and Jingan Bridge are next to the station. With the pass you can get on and off at any station in the section as often as you like.
4. Come back to Ruifang. If you went on to Jingtong, the return is the same line toward Ruifang. Then switch to the bus for Jiufen.
5. Take the 856 to Jiufen. The Gold Fulong 856 stops at Residents’ Square (Ruifang Station), then Jiufen Police Station, then Jioufen Old St. Get off at the Jiufen Police Station stop for the Visitor Center, which is in the east wing of the police station.
6. Return to Taipei. The 856 runs back to Ruifang Station. From there take a train toward Taipei.

You do not have to do Shifen first. Doing Jiufen first works too, but check the last buses and trains for the way back, because the day pass and the bus stop at different times.

Costs and what each ticket covers

The train from Taipei to Ruifang is not covered by the day pass, which is limited to the Badouzi to Jingtong section. Pay that fare separately, or with an EasyCard. If you are starting from the MRT, see the Taipei MRT guide for getting to the main station.

Bus options to Jiufen

• Gold Fulong 856 is a Taiwan Tourist Shuttle route. The scenic area page lists the stops in order, including Jiufen Police Station, Jioufen Old St. and Jinguashih. It does not list timetables, so check the Taiwan Tourist Shuttle site or call the Keelung Bus line at 02-24323185.
• Taiwan Tourist Shuttle 965 (Jiufen-Jinguashi) was launched by New Taipei City in August 2024. It picks up at Banqiao and Wanhua stations, Ximen and Beimen MRT stations and Ruifang Station, and serves Jiufen Old Street and the Gold Museum in Jinguashi. The Taiwan Tourist Shuttle site still lists it as a New Taipei route. The official release gives no fares, so confirm them on the shuttle site.
• Muzha-Pingxi 795 goes from Muzha toward Pingxi and Shifen. New Taipei tourism points to it as a way back to Muzha MRT from Jingtong.

For the trip from Taipei, these are DIY options. The 965 route also has tour packages sold by travel platforms. Prices are not listed on the official page, so this guide does not compare costs.

Sky lanterns at Shifen

New Taipei City says Pingxi is “the only area in Taiwan where sky lanterns can be released outside” under current regulations. At Shifen, shops let you write a wish on a lantern and release it, and you follow the shopkeeper’s instructions. The official Shifen Station page lists no lantern prices, so ask before you pay.

The big organised release events are separate. There are two a year, on Lantern Festival day and one weekend before it, and they have their own registration. Do not assume a day-trip release is part of those events.

Stay off the tracks. New Taipei’s guidance for Shifen is to obey traffic signs and not cross the railway at random.

Common mistakes

• Assuming the day pass covers the bus. It does not. The 856 has its own fares.
• Buying the pass for a trip with only one train ride. The pass is for repeated getting on and off. Compare it with single fares on the timetable page first.
• Forgetting the date stamp. The pass is invalid without it, and it cannot be used on another day or refunded.
• Leaving the return too late. Look up the last Pingxi Line train and last 856 bus before you commit to an order for the day.
• Going on a lantern festival day without checking. The two organised releases a year fall on Lantern Festival day and a weekend before it. Look for Taiwan Railway notices on Pingxi Line train changes first.

Check before you go

Timetables, fares and bus routes change. Check Taiwan Railway and the Taiwan Tourist Shuttle site on the day. Taiwan Railway customer service is 0800-765-888 (landlines) or 02-2191-0096. The Taiwan Tourist Shuttle hotline is 0800-011765, open 24 hours. For season and rain planning, see best time to visit Taiwan.

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