Shifen and the Pingxi line: sky lanterns, the waterfall and key tips

The Pingxi line is a 12.9 km branch railway through old mining villages in the hills east of Taipei.1New Taipei Travel (opens in a new tab)newtaipei.travel At Shifen, the train runs down the middle of the old street, where shops sell sky lanterns to write your wishes on.2New Taipei Travel (opens in a new tab)newtaipei.travel Ride it from Ruifang on a day pass, and stop at Houtong, Shifen and Jingtong.

How long have you got?

• Half a day: Shifen: a sky lantern on the old street, then the walk to Shifen Waterfall.
• A day: ride the line from Ruifang, stopping at Houtong, Shifen and Jingtong, the end of the line.

When are you going?

• February or early March: the Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival, mass lantern releases around the Lantern Festival. Dates are announced each year; in 2026 they were 27 February at Pingxi and 3 March at Shifen.3Focus Taiwan (opens in a new tab)focustaiwan.twNew Taipei Travel (opens in a new tab)newtaipei.travel
• October to May: Shifen Waterfall closes at 17:00, an hour earlier than in summer.4New Taipei Travel (opens in a new tab)newtaipei.travel

Top things to do

• A sky lantern at Shifen: release it only between the Shifen Visitor Center and Shigong Bridge, from 06:00 to 22:00. Releasing one elsewhere can cost a fine of up to NT$3,000.5Taiwan News (opens in a new tab)taiwannews.com.twTip Never release one from the tracks: in 2025, two YouTubers were fined NT$10,000 for doing it at Shifen station.6Taipei Times (opens in a new tab)taipeitimes.com
• Shifen Old Street: shops line both sides of the working railway.Tip Follow the signs, and don’t cross the tracks wherever you like.7New Taipei Travel (opens in a new tab)newtaipei.travel
• Shifen Waterfall: a wide curtain of water nicknamed Taiwan’s Niagara, with several viewing platforms. 09:00 to 18:00 from June to September, and to 17:00 from October to May.Tip Last entry is 30 minutes before closing, so from October be there by 16:30.8New Taipei Travel (opens in a new tab)newtaipei.travel
• Houtong: a former coal-mining village with an old coal bridge and processing plant, known for its cats.9New Taipei Travel (opens in a new tab)newtaipei.travelTip Don’t expect crowds of cats: there are fewer than 30 now, down from 200 to 300 at the peak.10Taipei Times (opens in a new tab)taipeitimes.com
• Jingtong: the end of the line, where visitors write wishes on bamboo tubes and hang them beside the tracks.11New Taipei Travel (opens in a new tab)newtaipei.travel

Hidden gems

• Jing’an Suspension Bridge: a 128 m footbridge between Shifen and Nanshan villages, one of Taiwan’s few well-preserved pedestrian suspension bridges.12Tourism Administration (opens in a new tab)eng.taiwan.net.tw
• Pingxi Old Street: Shidi Bridge, a filming spot for You Are the Apple of My Eye, and a bakery open since 1946.13New Taipei Travel (opens in a new tab)newtaipei.travel

Getting there and around

• Change at Ruifang for the Pingxi line to Houtong, Shifen, Pingxi and Jingtong. Tap on with an EasyCard.14Taiwan Railway (opens in a new tab)railway.gov.tw
• Riding the whole line? Buy the Pingxi line one-day pass at the station.15Taiwan Railway (opens in a new tab)tip.railway.gov.tw
• Bus 795 runs from Taipei Zoo MRT to Shifen for NT$45, skipping Ruifang.16Taiwan Tourist Shuttle (opens in a new tab)taiwantrip.com.tw
• Doing Jiufen too? See Day trips from Taipei for the one-day plan.

If it doesn’t go to plan

• Just missed a train? Take bus 795 from Shifen to Taipei Zoo MRT.
• Taxi from Ruifang: NT$560 to Shifen, fixed.17Ruifang District Office (opens in a new tab)ruifang.ntpc.gov.tw