New Taipei City Travel

Rumor has it that the name “Canguangliao” (“canguang” means shining light in Chinese) comes from the scenery when mountains, full of yellowish and white silver grass in fall, give spectacular light rays formed under the sun beams, making Canguangliao Historic Trail a “golden shining” scenic route! From Mudan Train station, take a bus to Shisanceng Old Tree Stop and walk for 10 minutes, and you will arrive at “Canguangliao Historic Trail Entrance”. Along the Trail, visitors will pass by the historic site of Jinguashi Water Pumping Station, small waterfalls, historic site of old grocery store, Jinshan Fude Temple, and more, and they will ultimately arrive at Shumeiping Observation Deck. The total distance is nearly 5km with a walking time of approximately 3 hours; the level portions of the Trail are constructed with stairs of relatively lower difficulty level for walking. Moreover, Canguangliao Mountain is the highest amongst Keelung Volcano Group, so visitors can even look over to Taipei City and Northeast Coast when there is nice weather with an expansive view. After exiting the Trail, follow County Route 102 to Jinguashi Geological Park, where was previously Benshan Mine. Visitors here will have the opportunity to observe traces of the most original mining sights. Then continue traveling to the nearby Jinguashi Shinto Shrine, which was built during the period of Japanese rule in response to the mining development. Even though it is all abandoned now, visitors can still have a glimpse of the sacred and solemn ambiance from the remains of the historic site. If you are interested in having more in-depth experiences of Jinguashi’s golden age, you can continue walking down to the Gold Museum, which is a museum campus transformed from the gold mining areas in the old days. Activities here will include learning about the mining history, the gold culture, and experiencing gold panning; spending a whole afternoon here will be no problem at all. At the end of the journey, visitors will connect to Jiufen Old Street, where they are recommended to order a bowl of cold or hot taro balls or to find a tea place and enjoy a cup of good tea, taking some time to savor this “golden” journey as they take a rest.

The completion of the Light Rail allowed weekend jaunts with an additional region for exploration! Set out from Xinshi 1st Rd. Station (V06) with friends and family, where one will be attracted by Jimmy’s public art at Danhai Light Rail upon exiting the station, there are also different splendid installations along the light rail platform!You can then walk to the Little River Hot Pot restaurant in the periphery, where the clean and comfortable in-store dining ambience together with the food ingredients directly delivered from the place of production in collaboration with small farmers in Taiwan allow one to eat healthy without concerns. After the meal, take a walk to the Beitouzi River Cherry Blossom Wood Trail, where close to a hundred Yoshino Cherry trees flourish prosperously in March of every year, often attracting visitors here to take photos and the trail without cherry blossoms is also the first choice of the neighboring residents for taking a walk.You can then follow the road to arrive at the New Town characteristic Children’s Park, where children can have fun with the playground equipment and spend their energy, while adults can also use the exercise facilities on the side with added fun! Afterwards, you can ride on the Light Rail to arrive at the Gongqi Nature Park, where you can picnic and enjoy a simple afternoon tea on the large grasslands. After taking a small break, you can then head for the Cheng Family Abode in the vicinity, follow the traces of the traditional house, feel the changes of time to experience loads of memories.In the end, wrap up the day with the two popular tourist attractions of Huwei Fort Park and the Little White House, where a vast field of vision and magnificent sceneries can be enjoyed when looking far into the Tamsui River from the Little White House. This will be a productive and splendid day regardless of the distances walked!