Planning to visit Jiufen? Check out here the super-easy, step-by-step guide (with pictures) to get to Jiufen from Taipei Main Station
If you’re visiting Taipei for more than a few days, you should definitely also pay a visit to Jiufen.
Once famous for gold mining, this picturesque village is located around 40 km northeast of Taipei. With its gorgeous panoramic sceneries, this mountainous town is very much loved by tourists, especially those looking for delicious street foods and seeking a bit of tranquility away from bustling Taipei.
One of the fastest and easiest ways to reach Jiufen is to take a train (TRA) from Taipei Main Station.
BUT HERE IS THE CATCH! Although every travel guides say it’s very easy to do, unfortunately in practice it’s not really the case.
The combination of confusing signs and lack of clear guides in English at Taipei Main Station make it very tricky, even for the most seasoned travelers. It took me even almost half an hour to figure out how to buy a ticket at Taipei Main Station!
But fear no longer! In this post, I will provide you with an easy step-by-step guide (with pictures) how to navigate your way from Taipei Main Station to Jiufen, starting from buying a train ticket until you arrive in Jiufen.
Hopefully, this guide will make it really super easy for you to reach Jiufen from Taipei!
How to easily get to Jiufen from Taipei Main Station
To make this guide crystal-clear for you, I will break the journey down into 2 parts: (1) from Taipei Main Station to Ruifang Station (by TRA train); and (2) from Ruifang Station to Jiufen (by bus).
The whole journey from Taipei Main Station to Jiufen will take approximately 1 hour (40 minutes to get to Ruifang by train, and another 20 minutes from Ruifang to Jiufen by bus).
From Taipei Main Station to Ruifang Station
#1 – Purchase a TRA train ticket to Ruifang Station
Once you arrive at Taipei Main Station, follow the sign to TRA. After that, you can purchase a TRA ticket to Ruifang Station through the ticket machine.
The ticket machine is located at the far right of the hall, next to the ticket counter. It looks like the one below.
PRO TIP #1: THE TICKET MACHINE ONLY ACCEPTS COINS AND DOES NOT ACCEPT EASY CARD. If you don’t have any coins, there is a coin exchange machine available (colored in blue seen in the image above), where you can exchange your paper money for coins. For your information, the price for Local Train (the cheapest train) is 49 NTD. So you will need a 50 NTD coin to buy the ticket.
PRO TIP #2: USE THE MACHINE WHERE RUIFANG IS LISTED AS DESTINATION. In my experience, there are only 2 machines available that have “RUIFANG” listed as a destination. The first one is the machine located at the most right, and the second one is the third machine from the right.
To purchase the ticket, perform and select the following on the buttons of the machine:
1) Insert your coins
2)
3) Select “LOCAL” as Train Type
4) Select “FULL FARE” as Ticket Type
5) Select “RUIFANG” as your destination
So there you go, congrats! By now you would have successfully purchased your train ticket to Ruifang! Don’t forget to take your tickets with you and go to the platform.
UPDATE 05/10/2018: Now you can use your Easy Card to take the TRA train to Ruifang, so you don’t have to buy a ticket from the ticket machine.
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#2 – Go to platform 4 and wait for the train
After purchasing your ticket, head to platform 4, from where all the northbound trains will depart.
Once you get off the elevator, you will immediately see a sign in front of you indicating where you can wait for the Local Train.
PRO TIP #3: MAKE SURE YOU CHECK ON THE ELECTRONIC SIGNBOARD FROM WHICH SIDE YOU CAN BOARD THE NEXT FIRST LOCAL TRAIN. For your information, platform 4 has 2 sides: 4A and 4B. In my case, the next first Local Train is going to depart from the 4B side.
Be very careful though. Make sure you don’t board the wrong trains (Chu-Kuang or Tze-Chiang Express trains). You will either go towards wrong direction (Keelung) or get fined heavily!
#3 – Get off the train at Ruifang Station
Once you are on the train, you can sit back, relax and enjoy the view of northern Taiwan’s landscape out of the window.
Occasionally, just keep an eye on the sign on top of the train door to check when you need to get off at Ruifang Station.
Ruifang Station to Jiufen
#4 – Take the bus from Ruifang Station to Jiufen
Once you arrive in Ruifang Station, take the EXIT WEST to get to the bus to Jiufen. The bus station at Ruifang is not located outside of the station, but a bit further away down the road.
After exiting the station and facing the Wellcome supermarket, take a left and walk 250 meters down the road until you see the police station on your right. The bus stop to Jiufen is located NEXT TO this police station.
The bus ride from Ruifang to Jiufen will cost you 15 NTD, and you can pay using your Easy Card.
Police Station Ruifang Bus Stop to Jiufen, next to the Police Station
#5 – Get off the bus at Jiufen Old Street
The first stop from Ruifang Station will be at Jiufen Old Street. This is also where the majority of the crowds will get off.
From the bus stop, just walk uphill about 100 meters towards the entrance gate of Jiufen Old Street. Enjoy your time at Jiufen!
Are there any alternatives to get to Jiufen?
You can also take the bus directly from outside of the MRT station Zhongxiao Fuxing to Jiufen (Keelung bus 1062). Although the route may be more scenic, however, it takes FOREVER to arrive in Jiufen.
Instead, I would recommend taking the bus on the way back to Taipei from Jiufen. Take bus 1062 from Jiufen to Taipei, and stop at Songshan station, where you can visit the nearby Raohe Night Market.
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So there you go! I hope that this guide will make it super easy for you to visit Jiufen from Taipei.
Please let me know if this post is helpful for you, and do not hesitate to share your experience. Also, if you feel that there is something unclear from this guide, just let me know.
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Hi,
You can now use your Easy Card to take TRA line. More convenient now.
Hi Anj, thanks for the information, that’s great to hear! I will update the article.
Can you use three day pass to get to Jiufen the same you can use the easy card?
Hi Michael, sorry for my late reply. I don’t think that you can use it, but you have to check if that three-day pass includes the TRA train at the Taipei Main Station.
We’re here because of these steps.. Thank U so much 😘
Thank you for the kind words, Lawrence! Hope that you enjoyed your trip to Jiufen!
Hi, this article is really helpful. Btw, how to get the easy card?
Hi Zerah, thank you! I’m glad that it’s helpful for you. You can get an Easy Card at the counter of any Metro (MRT) station, including one at the airport. Enjoy your trip!
Thank you so much. Well explained.
Thank you, Nissa!
Hi. What is the travel time to and from Jiufen? We are planning our trip for next year. Thank you! 🙂
Hi Kat, the trip will take approximately an hour. The train ride from Taipei to Ruifang takes about 40 minutes, and the bus from Ruifang to Jiufen takes about 15-20 minutes. The return trip will take approximately the same. Enjoy your trip to Taiwan, it’s an amazing country and you’d love it. Please let me know if you have further questions!
Thanks to this guide, in Amei teahouse I was able to propose to my girlfriend of 10 yrs.
Keep up the good work!
Wow, that’s awesome. Congrats Jin! Thank you for your kind word!
Is it true that if u use your easy card to get from Taipei to Ruifang u can’t get a seat ?
Hi! How do you go back to Taipei Main Station from Jiufang?
Hi Kai, you can go back to Taipei Main Station by taking the same bus from Jiufen to Ruifang station, and take the train back to Taipei Main Station. Hope that this helps!
Wow. This is so helpful with the pictures and all. Thank you!
Hi Rina, many thanks! Glad that it is helpful for you!
Thanks for sharing great insights on going to Jiufen. They are very useful pointers.
Would like to know hat bus number should we be taking at Ruifang Station and how long is the journey?
And on the return leg, what bus should we be taking back to Ruifang Station?
Hi Fred, you can take bus 1062 from Ruifang Station to Jiufen, and back. There are also other buses, but I forgot the bus numbers. The buses are quite frequent, and you just need to ask people around. Hope that this helps!
The bus stop (next to the police station) in Ruifang has a sign that shows the bus numbers that go to Jiufen. In your picture above the two guys with backpacks are standing in front of it. Thanks for the explanation, Chris. Simple!
what time does the last 1062 leave from jiufen to songshan?
Hi Carolina, in my experience, bus 1062 leaves once in 15-20 minutrs from Jiufen to Taipei.
Hi Carolina, in my experience, bus 1062 leaves once in 15-20 minutes from Jiufen to Taipei.
How much does it cost?
The cheapest TRA train costs 49 NTD at that time.
Such a great tutorial! Very helpful thank you!
Thank you, Grace! Glad that it is helpful for you
there’s a new bus route (#965) that just opened last year, picks up at a few mrt stations (Ximen, Beimen) and goes directly to Jiufen Old Street:
http://www.tpebus.com.tw/image/lineimage.php?imagetest=9650
Bus #965 only takes about 60-70 min so it might be a lot more convenient than train+bus
Hi Josh, thank you for your input, much appreciated! I will update the article with this new information.
This article was very helpful! Thank you 🙂
HEY
I HAVE A QUESTION , I AM CONFUSED
THINKING TO FOLLOW YOU OR TAKE THE BUS TOUR . HOWEVER WE GOT SA UNLIMITED FUN PASS WHICH INCLUDES TRANSPORT DOES IT INCLUDE THE RAILWAY YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT ? PLEASE SUGGEST
HEY
I HAVE A QUESTION , I AM CONFUSED
THINKING TO FOLLOW YOU OR TAKE THE BUS TOUR . HOWEVER WE GOT SA UNLIMITED FUN PASS WHICH INCLUDES TRANSPORT DOES IT INCLUDE THE RAILWAY YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT ? PLEASE SUGGEST
Hi Sania, I don’t think that Unlimited Fun Pass includes the TRA train to Jiufen. Please ask the customer service of Unlimited Fun Pass if you can also use it to travel outside Taipei (i.e. Jiufen)