New Taipei City Travel

"Tamsui is an ancient city incorporated with history, humanities, beautiful scenery and cuisine. New discoveries that differ from time to time are always ready for the tourists with more fun to enjoy!" Take the MRT to Tamsui Station and rent a YouBike. Starting from the "Gold Coast Bikeway", enjoy the beautiful scenery along the river bank while sampling the foods sold by vendors along the seashore. Ride down the way and you should pass the art sculpture built to commemorate the arrival of Priest Mackay. There are 8 hundred-year-old Chinese banyan trees for people to enjoy a cool break and overlook the Tamsui River scenery and the "Gold Coast" with its beautiful sunset, Besides, there are newly built large art installations that use recycled objects like the "Iron Horse King Kong" and "Customs Wharf." Then, you can visit Taiwan's first western-style hospital in northern Taiwan to understand Dr. Mackay's profile and the medical environment at that time. One of the top five companies in Tamsui, the "Douglas lapraik & Co." has great significance in Tamsui’s sailing history. Next, drop by Taiwan's first private house that is equipped with tap water equipment, the "former residence of Takada Eikichi, which is a rare well-kept Japanese construction built with Taiwan red cypress. Then move forward to the artist's favorite, the world famous "Tamsui Wenhua A gei" where it is recommended to order a serving of a gei and a bowl of fish ball soup for a snack. Then, continue the trip to the "Little White House," a Spanish-style white construction which newlyweds enjoy as the shooting site of wedding photos; then go to the "Fortress San Domingo" and the "Former British Consulate", both of which feature western constructions with their display of relics. Afterwards, visit "Oxford College", which was built by Mackay in an integrated style of eastern and western culture and the "Presbyterian Church," a Gothic architecture. The last stop of the trip is to observe the beautiful sunset at Tamsui Fisherman's Wharf, then take a boat back to Tamsui MRT Station as the ending of a one-day ancient city small tour that is both productive and cultural.

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.