Taipei – Delicious local food, dynamic night markets, a cool café scene, and vibrant creative parks are probably some of the few things that first come to mind when I visit Taipei.

I may add Taipei’s historic buildings and colonial heritage as my fifth pick, until on my last visit we signed up for the “Instagram North Coast Tour”, and discovered there are also some interesting and beautiful, both natural and man-made spots along the north coast of Taiwan.

While I have shared about some must-see art spaces; including the latest trendy cultural spaces in Taipei. The north coast area extends from Taipei to Keelung, and it is impossible to visit them all in one day.

The itinerary covers Instagram-worthy spots, and you are welcome to plot your route!

I will let the photos do the talking and you may also find the map at the end for some inspiration. However, if you are not that much into taking “Instagram-worthy” photos; you can still appreciate some unique and breathtaking sites and the dramatic coastline and landscapes. To make your excursion easier, join the Jiufen Village and Northeast Coast Tour, or the Yeliu Geopark and Keelung Harbor Tour.

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Taiwan’s North Coast

As you can see on the map at the end of this post, the North Coast includes areas of Sanzhi, Shimen, Jinshan, Zhongzheng, Ruifang, and Keelung districts, just to name a few. If you want to cover all these outskirt areas it will take at least a few days, not to mention the most famous Jiufen and Shifen areas.

There is so much more than taking photos because the entire area has quite a lot to offer. I just talked about Jiufen, a mountain town known for its narrow alleyways, teahouses, souvenir shops, and intimate homestays. It is a popular short getaway for not only foreign visitors but also the Taipei locals. Shifen Old Street has been featured in many movies and cultural scenes and releasing sky lanterns is a popular activity. Today, they offer eco-friendly sky lanterns to eliminate the damage to the environment while keeping this tradition alive.

The rich tradition and history of Taiwan’s North Coast were partly connected to its mining industry, which was operated for hundreds of years. Sulfur was an important resource extracted from Taiwan at the early stage, and then business expanded to coal mining in the 19^th century when the demand from foreign trade increased.

Many coal mines retired as the coal mining industry diminished. Some of the Instagram spots we explored are the ruins and abandoned facilities of mining. Traces of the operation could still be found here and there as we were traveling on the road. An abandoned coal mine in Pingxi District is now converted into the Taiwan Coal Mine Museum, and the other coal mine in Houtong is transformed into Houtong Cat Village.

No visit to Taiwan is complete without taking a night walk through the bustling night markets. There are many choices in Taiwan, and the small towns in North Taipei have no lack of night markets for visitors to go to. Keelung Night Markets is one of the most popular among the bunch, and don’t forget to stop by the nearby fishing villages for some fresh seafood and nostalgic old Taiwan charm.

For active travelers, Taiwan’s North Coast is also known for its surfing and diving spots on rocky shores. To enjoy a quiet moment, soak up some sun on one of the white-sand beaches. You may be surprised by the dramatic landscape and rock formations sculpted by Mother Nature. Take a hike in the many Geoparks in the area, from Nanya Rock, Keelung Mountain, Jinguashih, Baoshishan to more.

Note that some of these locations should be visited at a specific time, like the Laomei Green Reef turns green from March to May. This phenomenon occurs when the tide lowers following the northeast monsoons and algae such as sea lettuce and green hair grows on the reef.

One-day excursion

For a one-day excursion from Taipei, it is impossible to cover all the highlights listed above. That’s why we themed our day tour as an Instagram tour, having a taste of the breathtaking landscape and scenic spots along the coast of North Taipei.

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Even so, visitors should make some choices as these spots are not exactly nearby. The best way to get around is to hire a driver or join a local tour. We decided to hire a driver because as a group, we can stop and move around at our own pace without worrying about time. It takes about an hour (or even more during peak hours) from the coast to the city of Taipei, so we had only about 6 hours of the day to stop by as many spots as we could and to snap as many photos as we could.

Research is also important here, use the map effectively so you know how to plot your route. I suggest starting from the spot on the left (the westernmost point) and then heading to the right (the easternmost point).

For example, begin your journey from the Zhilan Park observation platform and then move eastward. For a one-day trip, it is more realistic to stop by four to five spots. In this particular day, we decided to kick start at Yinyang Sea and the surrounding areas (Keelung and Ruifang Districts). I highlighted these spots on my map in a different color so you have an area about the time. Once I have done it is pretty clear to me that my next Taipei North Coast tour will be Sanzhi, Shimen, and Jinshan Districts.

Yinyang Sea

While this term is widely used to describe the male and female, “Yin” and “Yang”, in Chinese culture, refer to the concept of complete opposite, or contrast. Originally, the place was named “Shui Nan Dong” and it was the boundary on the road that led to the famous Jiufen tourist area. Coach buses come and go as they bring tourists to Jiufen, the busy intersection is exactly the photo-taking spot that Instagrammers just love – for two reasons.

First, the natural spectacle of seeing the seawater in two distinct colors. Why? It was because this area used to be a mining site and the natural chemical and gemstones caused the seawater to change its color to yellow. The phenomenon is even apparent from the top (which we will be heading there next) and under a clear sky with strong sunlight.

The scenery changes at different times of the day from early morning to sunset as well. A big number of visitors come here every day for photo taking.

Second, for comic “manga” readers, you must know about Slam Dunk. The comic was first published in 1990 and one of the most known and memorable scenes was at the Kamakura Station and Fujisawa Station. The scenic train route runs along the sea, with a pedestrian crossing. Yinyang Sea has nothing to do with Slam Dunk directly, but it just resembles the vibe and scenic setting of this scene in Slam Dunk. That’s why thousands of tourists come here for that.

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The Remain of the 13 Levels

Turning your head from the Yinyang Sea parking lot, there’s a small observatory deck and that is the perfect spot for taking a photo with the remain up in the mountain.

The structure is a former smelter plant in Lianxin village. Just because now the abandoned structure looks so striking from afar, it has a nickname of the “Potala Palace of Mountain”, or “the Castle in the sky”. Entering the Remain is forbidden, but since it gained popularity among tourists, the Remain is lit up from 6 to 9 pm, adding much-needed dramatic effects to the spectacle. Many viewpoints give a different perspective of the remain.

Liukeng Funicular Railway

This spot is kind of an offbeat location compared with the many others up the “Romantic Road.” This Road was a private industrial road built by a mining company until the mining business came to a halt. It passes through a couple of viewpoints, connecting with the Teapot Mountain Trail that leads to the end of Baoshishan Lookout.

If you are driving there, head to the Quan Ji Tang parking lot. There is an old walking tunnel that mysteriously leads to the hiking trail with an unobstructed view of the coast down in the Yinyang Sea. Walk up the trail you will see the remains of a collapsed building. With only the framework and bricks the site creates an interesting backdrop for photo-taking.

At the back of the building is the abandoned Liukeng funicular railway. This historic, yet extremely steep railway was once used for transporting products of the gold mine. Carts and carts of minerals were sent to the coastal area in the past through. The 45-degree steep Liukeng funicular railway is one of the most intact out of all the many funicular railways. Be careful while you are climbing up the building, safety should always be the number one priority when you are taking pictures.

Nanya Geological Trail

For self-driving, visitors can see a lot and they can even spend a whole day just in Nanya. The coastline of North Taipei features unique and, diverse rock formations and landscapes. For millions of years, mother nature has sculpted the coast with different shapes and styles.

At Nanya, the rocks look extraterritorial after the erosion; and because the hardness and density of the layers of rocks vary, the way that the rocks were eroded came out differently.

Here, you will see the moon-like terrain showcasing a lot of interesting shapes of rock, like the ice cream cone rock, seadog rock, and more.

Shen’Ao Elephant Trunk Rock

Moving away from Nanya, we headed for lunch at Shen-ao Fishing Harbor before continuing our journey to the Elephant Trunk Rock. At the entrance of the fishing village, there are several eateries and restaurants for local food. Since it’s a fishing village, many of the dishes are based on seafood, such as deep-fried squid (calamari), fish rolls, fish skin jelly, fish balls, and noodles with different kinds of fish.

So here comes the bad news. We went to the Elephant Trunk Rock and it is a popular tourist spot. The natural rock arch is swarmed with tourists and it straddles the coast after a 10-minute walk on the rocks. Unfortunately, the rock collapsed (apparently for no obvious reason) on 18 December 2023, possibly due to erosion. Having said that, the rock has long been at risk of collapsing and that’s why the precarious rock has been off-limits for climbing since 2010.

The rock may be gone but don’t forget to take a stroll around the coastal area because there are many wonderful photo-taking opportunities on rocks in peculiar shapes.

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Chaojing Park

Eventually, we ended our day at Chaojing Park. The scenic coastal area features beaches, other-worldly rock formations, an open area with installation art, an i OCEAN museum, and a sculpture museum.

Let’s talk about i OCEAN. “i” stands for Intelligent, because the museum combines technology and natural sceneries. The intelligent aquarium showcases the beauty of the sea with 5G theatre, AR and VR underwater tunnel, and visually interactive adventures. The Museum is part of the National Ocean Science and Technology. If you plan to visit the museum, you will need to plan more time.

Another eye-catching installation of art at Chaojing Park is the “flying broomstick”, which is rooted in the Harry Potter vibe. It is typically crowded, especially during sunset on the weekends. In case you want to take pictures of the broomstick without anyone, go there early in the morning on a weekday.

In case you still have time to spare, catch the sunset lighting with the colorful houses at the Zhengbin Fishing Harbor, yet another Instagram spot to put on your itinerary. The colorful house by the dock looks very much like Italy if the photography is done right. For us, our time was up when we finished at Chaojing Park and so, the Fishing Harbor will be put in my plan for next time!