Keelung: Miaokou Night Market, Heping Island and the cruise port

Keelung is the harbour city on the north coast, where cruise ships dock beside the railway station. Come for Miaokou Night Market and the sea-carved rocks of Heping Island Park, both close to Keelung station.

When are you going?

• August or September: the Keelung Ghost Festival fills the seventh lunar month: the gate opening at Laodagong Temple, lantern lighting, a lantern parade, the release of water lanterns, and the Pudu offering feast at Zhongzheng Park. In 2024 it ran from 4 August to 2 September.1Taiwan News (opens in a new tab)taiwannews.com.twTaiwan News (opens in a new tab)taiwannews.com.tw
• November to April: Heping Island Park closes at 18:00, an hour earlier than in summer.2Keelung City (opens in a new tab)travel.klcg.gov.tw

Top things to do

• Miaokou Night Market: open 24 hours, about 10 minutes’ walk from Keelung station’s south exit. Known for tempura, butter crab, eel soup and pao pao ice.3Keelung City (opens in a new tab)travel.klcg.gov.tw
• Heping Island Park: mushroom rocks, tofu rocks and sea caves, NT$120. 08:00 to 19:00 from May to October, and to 18:00 from November to April; ticket sales stop an hour before closing. Bus 101 or 102 from Keelung station.4Keelung City (opens in a new tab)travel.klcg.gov.twTip Keep the paper ticket: it gets you into the Gold Museum in Jinguashi free until 2 October 2027.5Gold Museum (opens in a new tab)gep.ntpc.gov.tw
• Zhongzheng Park: a hillside park above the harbour, with a 25 m white statue of Guanyin that you can climb inside, and an old cannon fort. About 1.25 km from Keelung station.6Tourism Administration (opens in a new tab)eng.taiwan.net.tw

Hidden gems

• Zhengbin Fishing Port: built in 1934 and once Taiwan’s largest fishing port, now lined with a row of brightly painted houses.7Wikipedia (opens in a new tab)en.wikipedia.org

If you’re arriving by cruise ship

• From the West terminal, Keelung station’s north exit is about four minutes’ walk.
• From the East terminal, the south exit is about eight minutes’ walk.8Taiwan International Ports (opens in a new tab)cruise.twport.com.tw
• For Jiufen or Shifen, take the train from Keelung to Ruifang. Bus 788 also runs from Keelung station to Jinguashi.9Gold Museum (opens in a new tab)gep.ntpc.gov.tw