Pingxi: The Best Taipei Day Trip
Getting to the Pingxi line
The Pingxi Line has nine stations running from Ruifang to Jingtong. There are a few ways to get to the Pingxi Line. The most straightforward route is a local train from Taipei Station to Ruifang Station, which only takes 35-40 minutes. Trains can be booked in advance easily, which guarantees a seat during the busy seasons (and trust us, it gets very busy in the summer!). You can also take the 965 tourist shuttle bus from Beimen Station. While the bus is slightly faster, they fill up quickly with tourists as this bus also goes to Juifen nearby, making it packed in the summer.
Once you’re at Ruifang, you can buy a one-day ticket to hop on and off the line all day. Our tickets were only 100TWD (3 USD), making this a super affordable day trip. While there are 9 stops, including Ruifang, many of them are very small with not a lot to see or do. The main stops are Houtong, Shifen, and to a lesser extent, Pingxi. All of the villages are quite small and only require a few hours to thoroughly explore, so we really don’t recommend taking more than one day unless you really want to slow it down.
Houtong Cat village
The very first stop after leaving Ruifang is Houtong Cat Village. As the name would imply, this village is famous for its many street cats. Like most of the line, this town used to be a coal mine, so alongside the many cat-themed attractions, there are several mine experiences and museums as well. We recommend planning 1-2 hours to explore the park, grab a bite to eat, say hi to some cats, and enjoy a drink at a cafe. Houtong is split in two by the railway, and you can cross to the other side using the bridge. At the top, if you look down the bridge, you can see the shape of cat ears, which is a cute detail; they really take their cat theme seriously here.
A-Sia Noodle Shop
We left Taipei as early as possible, so by the time we arrived in Houtong, we were ravenous. Luckily for us, one of the only shops that was open so early is also one of the highest-rated restaurants on the entire line, A-Sia Noodle Shop. This little shop is located right outside the station, serving up a variety of noodle and meat bowls. The owner was incredibly outgoing and high-energy, and welcomed us in with a big smile. He insisted on taking photos of us and being in as many pics and vids as possible.
We chose to get the yellow noodles and flat rice noodles, which cost only 60 TWD (2 UDS). Yemisi and I have long held that Taiwanese food is some of the best for breakfast, and that definitely held true here. The noodles are super flavorful with the perfect chewy texture. It was perfectly filling and the perfect way to start our day. I can always tell when noodles are higher quality, and I can see why his shop is so highly rated.
Houtong Ecological Park
The instant we left the station, we started seeing cats everywhere. Most businesses have a cat or two working inside, and several more were strewn about the plaza. Houtong Ecological Park is a plaza sitting on the river where many of the cats come to congregate. This was a particularly beautiful area, with a great view over the river of the old coal mine bridge with the mountains in the background.
There is also a museum here showcasing original coal mining equipment. This is where we started to really feel the peace of the countryside. So far from any highways or large cities, the Pingxi line is really isolated and beautiful. We spent a while just walking around, enjoying the nature and petting our new fluffy friends.
鳥ㄚ二宅｜老宅咖啡廳 (Birdies Second House)
When you cross the cat bridge to the other side of the village, you can climb up the hill to a row of cafes and souvenir shops. We had initially planned to go to a cafe that had the best-looking coffee, but it was unfortunately closed. With no other options, we visited 鳥ㄚ二宅｜老宅咖啡廳 which roughly translates to “Birdies Second House | Old Cafe”.
This turned out to be a happy accident, as this is one of the most aesthetic cafes in Houtong. It is a traditionally decorated cafe, with a strong anime sort of vibe and several cats working hard. I got a hot tea, and Yemisi got (BLUE DRINK). We had all day on the Pingxi Line, so we took our time and soaked in the atmosphere as we sipped our delightful little drinks.
柑一杯 (A Cup of Citrus)
One thing I was hoping to try at the cafe we picked is the popular “cat beer” sold at the cafe street. This street is located at the top of the village with 5-6 cat cafes overlooking the valley. Since it was slow season, the only one that was open was 柑一杯, which roughly translates to “A Cup of Citrus”. Of course, there are several sweet babies working at the cafe, and thankfully, they were selling the cat beer, and Yemisi got a tangerine-ade.
I would try to tell you what it tasted like, but while I enjoy beer, I know next to nothing about tasting it. It is brewed by North Taiwan Brewing, and I’m told it is a Belgian wheat beer, which surely means something. What I can say is that at this point, it was already getting quite warm, and I was glad to have a refreshing brew. I can only imagine how much more refreshing it would be in the summer, and being surrounded by little workers definitely helped as well.
Shifen
The largest stop on the line by far is Shifen. If for some reason, you only have time for one station, Shifen should be the one. This village has the largest old street, with lots of tasty street food, cafes, and souvenir shops. Of course, the most famous thing to do in Shifen is releasing a lantern. Even more, the village is home to the largest waterfall in the country. The difference between Shifen and Houtong was night and day. We basically had the cat village to ourselves, but many tour companies drive buses straight to Shifen, so the streets were lively and crowded. If you plan on doing all the major activities, Shifen should take around 3 hours to thoroughly explore.
Shifen Waterfall
To avoid the crowds as long as possible, we headed out of the village to get to Shifen Waterfall. It’s about a 30-minute walk from the station, but it’s well worth the journey. You can walk along the road, but we really enjoyed the hiking trail that goes over several bridges over the river. The area around Shifen Waterfall is very developed, with even more street food, shops, and restaurants. There is a viewing platform from this main area, but I highly recommend going a bit further to the other side for a much better view.
I’m not sure what I was expecting, but Shifen Waterfall definitely shocked me. This is a very large waterfall, and quite wide as well. They call it “the little Niagara” due to it’s horseshoe shape, which I can see. It’s nowhere near the size of Niagara, but we were both impressed. For some reason, the main crowd was on a few platforms, but we made our way to a lower platform for an even better view and no people. Shifen Waterfall is definitely a good reason to make the trip out to the Pingxi line; you can easily spend an hour in the area.
Releasing Lanterns
When you arrive in Shifen, you’ll start seeing lanterns floating through the sky from the train well before you reach the station. This is one of the most popular tourist attractions in all of Taiwan. Shifen Old Street is lined with shops selling lantern experiences, and hundreds of people light them every day. We visited around the Lunar New Year, where there is a world-famous lantern festival that takes place on two days in Shifen and Pingxi. Sadly, we weren’t there on either of the lantern days, but there were still plenty of opportunities to enjoy the atmosphere.
At the time we visited, most of the lanterns were made of plastic-coated paper, plastic bases, and metal wire. Obviously, they are not great for the environment as they land in the forested mountains outside the village only minutes after being released. Since we didn’t want to partake in pollution, we had planned on skipping the lanterns until we found NAME HERE shop.
LANTERN SHOP NAME
This lantern maker is a tiny shop at the edge of the old street, in an unassuming building. Outside, they were advertising biodegradable lanterns, which piqued our interest. The owner was very kind and let us into the shop and showed us a newspaper article about his business. His lanterns follow a more traditional method, using bamboo instead of plastic bases, and no plastic lining on the paper, as well as less metal for the frame. These lanterns are said to fly twice as high, allowing the paper to fully burn in the air, leaving only the metal, which allegedly breaks down quickly. I’m honestly not sure how true these claims are, but they definitely did seem better than the other lanterns, so we gave it a shot.
The process of the lanterns is simple. Each color represents a different type of wish you have for the new year. You write a few wishes relating to the color, light the lantern, and as it ascends, your wishes come true. It was actually quite fun to write our wishes, and we were giggling and joking the whole time.
He led us to the train tracks with his wife, who helped us release our creation into the sky in a very aesthetic location. I was shocked at how quickly it happened. We only had a few seconds to get a crappy video as our lantern shot up! I can verify that our lantern flew much higher and further than anyone else, and did also appear to burn up fully after several minutes, although it was so high I could barely see it.
Shifen Old street
Most of the stops on the Pingxi Line have an old street, but Shifen’s definitely stands out. Not only is it several times larger than the rest, but it is unique for having the train drive straight through the majority of it. Usually, people release their lanterns on the tracks, but before the train comes through, everyone quickly clears up. You may know about the famous Hanoi Train Street, and this gives very similar vibes. In addition to lanterns and trains, this is one of the best places to find some street food or pop into a local restaurant. We spent about an hour just walking back and forth, getting some snacks and souvenirs.
Pingxi
The last major stop that most people see is Pingxi, the namesake of the rail line. Pingxi has an old street where you can also light and release lanterns, if you would like a more intimate experience. During the lantern festival, this is one of the most packed places in Taiwan, but when we visited, it was almost empty. Although many businesses list their hours as closing at 5 pm during slower times, the streets tend to close early in the afternoon. Pingxi had one of the most aesthetic streets on the entire line, with winding streets and beautiful buildings hanging over the river. I especially recommend visiting Pingxi to enjoy the quiet vibes and unique layout.
平溪小希臘｜蒙愛的城 (Pingxi’s Little Greece)
Our last stop was for dinner at 平溪小希臘, translated as Pingxi’s Little Greece. This is the highest-rated restaurant on the entire line, so I really wanted to see what the hype was about. Since the town was so quiet, we had the restaurant all to ourselves. Yemisi and I both got seafood bowls with squid, shrimp, mussels, and thin noodles. Everything was absolutely delicious, although I personally don’t like very thin noodles. The owners of the restaurant were also very kind to us, asking why we were there and how we ended up in such a remote place. We were stuffed and left to explore the rest of the village just as the sun began to set.
