Jiufen Day Tour Taiwan: Old Street, Food, Tea & Travel Tips

After visiting Shifen and releasing a sky lantern, we headed towards Jiufen. Looking at photos of Jiufen, it looks absolutely stunning—especially at night. It was such a shame that we only had 1 hour and 45 minutes to spend there and had to leave by 4:45 pm. We missed the beautiful red-lantern-lit alleyways, but nevertheless, it was still a fantastic trip. I would highly recommend this place.

Jiufen is a nostalgic mountain town in northeastern Taiwan that was once a gold mining settlement. Our tour guide shared stories about the town and, most importantly, advised us on what to buy and what to avoid—for example, strawberry products, as they are not locally produced.

The narrow and hilly road leading to the “Old Street” market was not easy to walk. Our coach had to park quite far from the entrance, and walking down the steep road was quite challenging. Once we arrived, the street was filled with vibrant food stalls, traditional teahouses, and souvenir shops. At the end of the street, we were rewarded with scenic ocean views. This place is a major tourist hotspot—it gets very crowded, so be mindful of pickpockets.

Taiwanese oolong tea is world-renowned. This semi-oxidised tea is rich in antioxidants and is believed to boost metabolism, promote fat loss, and help regulate blood sugar. It’s definitely a must-buy here. However, shops selling very cheap oolong tea often do not source their tea from Taiwan. One well-known tea shop, Treasure of Taiwan – Chengyuan Famous Tea, has over 100 years of history and offers a wide range of high-quality Taiwanese oolong teas. As we were with a tour group, we were able to get a special price. The shop also sells one of the most expensive tea leaves, costing NT$490,000 (approximately £12,000) for 600g.

I also tried a variety of traditional Taiwanese foods, including rice cakes, the best tasty fish flakes, pancake ice cream, pork noodles, Taiwanese sausage, and peanut & coriander ice cream. I was too busy eating to take many photos! It is a beautiful destination for tourists, and I would highly recommend visiting—and allowing more time to explore.