Full-Day Taipei Tour: Shifen, Jiufen & Yehliu with Lantern
You write a wish on a paper lantern and watch it rise into the sky above Shifen.
A nine-hour guided tour from Taipei to three sites on the northeast coast: Shifen, where you create and release a Chinese lantern; Jiufen, a historic hillside village with local food and cobblestone streets; and Yehliu Geopark, a natural formation of rock shapes carved by geological movement over millennia. The tour includes park admission, a professional English-speaking guide, driver, transport and insurance. Walking is substantial throughout the day, and the itinerary adjusts for weather or traffic.
Step-by-step itinerary
Explore Shifen, Jiufen, and Yehliu
- Visit Shifen town and create lantern
- Enjoy Shifen Waterfall and rainbow
- Stroll Jiufen old cobblestone street
- Eat local food in Jiufen
- Visit Yehliu Geopark geological formations
- Pingxi Branch Rail Line 1h
- Shifen Waterfall 50m
- Yehliu Geopark Entry included 1h 10m
What’s included
- Yehliu Geopark admission (TWD 120 per person).
- professional English-speaking guide.
- transportation between all three sites.
- professional driver.
- and travel insurance.
Times
- Every day 09:00 12:00
Before you book
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The experience
Nine hours takes you through three distinct stops on Taipei's northeast coast, each one a different piece of Taiwan's culture and landscape. A professional guide and driver handle the route and timing, so you move between them without arranging transport yourself. The day starts in Shifen, a town built around the Pingxi Branch Rail Line, where you create a Chinese lantern (天燈): write a wish on the paper, light it, and release it into the air. After that comes Shifen Waterfall, where the water and light sometimes create a rainbow.
Jiufen sits on a hillside and fills with the smell of food and the sound of vendors. You walk the old cobblestone streets, taste local dishes, and move through the layers of the town's history without a schedule dictating when. The final stop is Yehliu Geopark, a natural classroom where the rock has been shaped into bizarre formations: the mountain juts out of the ocean, and the stone shows the work of thousands of years of geological movement. The park admission (TWD 120) is included in your ticket.
The tour covers a lot of ground on foot, so physical condition matters. If the Shifen Waterfall suspension bridge is closed for annual maintenance, the guide takes an alternative route that may add walking. Bad weather or typhoons can close Yehliu Geopark, in which case the itinerary shifts. Traffic and weather also adjust the total time. A licensed guide speaks English and Chinese, and the driver is professional. Insurance is included.
Is this one for you?Most northeast coast tours from Taipei stop at one or two sites and leave the lantern release as an add-on. This one builds the lantern into the day itself, so you create and release it as part of the experience rather than as an extra you arrange separately. The guide and driver handle all the logistics and transitions, which matters on a day with this much ground to cover on foot.
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Top questions
What languages is the tour guided in?
Live guide in English, Chinese and Chinese.
Can children come?
Yes. Ticket types: Infant (under 4).
What happens if it rains?
It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.
What exactly do I do with the Chinese lantern in Shifen?
You create a paper lantern (天燈), write a wish on it, light it, and release it into the sky above Shifen. The lantern itself costs TWD 200 per single color and is not included in the tour price.
How much walking is involved in this tour?
The tour includes substantial walking throughout the day: at Shifen around the town and waterfall, through Jiufen's cobblestone streets, and around Yehliu Geopark. If the suspension bridge is under maintenance, an alternative route may require additional walking. The operator recommends measuring your physical condition beforehand.
What is Yehliu Geopark and why is it worth seeing?
Yehliu Geopark is a natural formation where rock has been shaped into bizarre terrain by thousands of years of geological movement, with the mountain jutting out of the ocean. It is called a natural classroom because the stone formations show the geological history of the region. Park admission is included.
What happens if there is bad weather on the day of my tour?
If typhoons or bad weather occur, Yehliu Geopark may close and the itinerary will change. The guide will adjust the route on the day to work around weather conditions and any closures.
Does the tour include meals?
Meals are not included in the tour price. You eat local food when you walk through Jiufen's streets, but you pay for the food yourself. The tour does include Yehliu Geopark admission and transport between all three sites.
Full-Day Taipei Tour: Shifen, Jiufen & Yehliu with Lantern
9h · EN +2
from US$ 44 per person
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