New Taipei City Travel

If you don’t want to spend the weekend cooped up at home swiping mobile phones with the kids, come and take a stroll around Yingge! Here’s a fun-filled itinerary for the whole family – start the glorious morning by heading into the hills for the relatively short “Yingge Rock Trail.” As you and your children make your way up the gently sloping stairs, you pass through a relaxing forest and will arrive at Yingge Rock before you know it! According to legend, Koxinga was leading his troops through the region when they were blocked by poisonous miasma. A soldier was also eaten as well. Koxinga ordered his cannons to blow away the neck of Yingge Rock and the miasma was finally dispelled. Yingge Rock is the most famous local sight and gave its name to the town. Climbing a mountain makes people hungry so the next stop is “Yingge Old Street” to check out the specialty ceramic stores and enjoy the local delicacies. We now come to the highlight of the day – “The Shu’s Pottery.” Here you and the kids can try your hand at pottery and DIY ceramics. The experience not only improves children’s hand-eye coordination but also strengthens family bonds. If you still have the energy, go for an evening bicycle ride to admire the sunset at “Sanying Longyao Bridge.” As the night falls, the light sculpture on the bridge comes on and creates a magical atmosphere. The giant clay models scattered throughout the grounds of “SanYing Waterfront” offer a perfect place to take snapshots of precious family time together.

As the train enters Yilan Line from Ruifang, we will arrive at Houtong and enter Pingxi Line from Sandiaoling. This railway line stretches amidst the verdant and lush mountainous area of Northern Taiwan, was built due to past prosperous coal mining industry, and is still operating. Besides transporting passengers, this is a popular route for railway trips in which it starts from Houtong. The magnificent achievements of the mining industry can be seen throughout the place in which they brought about railways and the prosperous development of towns along the way. Coming to Shifen, the origin of Sky Lantern and the largest station along the Pingxi Line, this is a major train intersection station. Looking back at the mining history of Pingxi, Shifen is the earliest and largest settlement developed. Its greatest feature is that the old street stands side-to-side with the railway track and presents the unique railway scenery of “the train passes through your front door”. Although the coal mining industry is a thing of the past, countless coal mining relics still remain along the Pingxi Line. It is rich with scenery and culture, in which visitors can seek tranquility at small unmanned stations, or enjoy traditional gourmet foods, visit grocery stores and hardware stores dating back to your grandparents’ days at bustling old streets. You can also get a Happiness Stamp at the station or fly a Sky Lantern written with your wishes for this year. You can enjoy a spectacular day and this is the branch line you cannot dare to miss.