My guide to Keelung, Taiwan shows you how to experience the best alternative day trip from Taipei city. This post includes up-to-date transport info, a map, and all the best things to do in Keelung.
Taipei is the kind of city people love to leave.
Not because there’s anything wrong with Taipei itself, but because its location and tourist-friendly transport network make it a perfect base for day trips.
From atmospheric Old Streets tucked away in the mountainous interior and elaborate Taiwanese cultural sites, to the dramatic rock formations that characterise the east coast, there’s certainly no shortage of things to see and do within a few hours’ drive of Taipei.
Located less than an hour from downtown, Keelung is one of Taipei’s less-popular day trips. Like Lukang Old Street and other small towns around the north of the island, Keelung is every bit as interesting as Pingxi or Jiufen but without the crowds.
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I didn’t come across much information on Keelung when I was researching for Taiwan tips—and honestly, Keelung wasn’t even on our list of places to check out. That was until we pulled up Google Maps one day and landed on a point of interest we just couldn’t pass up (more on that later).
A compact, walk-able city with a few cool cultural attractions (including what I think is the most atmospheric food market in the greater Taipei area), Keelung is really more of a half-day trip.
I would recommend setting aside 3 to 4 hours out of your Taipei itinerary for a visit. When you’re done, you can transit directly to other popular day trip locations (including Shifen and Jiufen) from Keelung City without having to double back through Taipei, which is great if you’re on a tight schedule.
The Keelung Maritime Plaza area where buses from Taipei dispense of their passengers doesn’t create the best first impression—but don’t be dissuaded.
Stick with it, and you will be rewarded!
As I mentioned, Keelung is a little bit off the tourist trail. As a result, it was much quieter than any other place we visited in northern Taiwan. The only time we found ourselves completely alone at a tourist spot was in Keelung.
If you’re like me and you need a break from the crowds every now and then, Keelung is a nice place to spend an afternoon.
Here is my complete guide to doing a Keelung day trip from Taipei.
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About Keelung
Located 30 kilometres from Taipei City, Keelung is close to the northernmost tip of Taiwan. A port city, it has a long and complicated history thanks to its strategically located deep-water harbour.
Originally inhabited by the Ketagalan aboriginals, a Spanish expedition arrived in Keelung in the 17th century, marking Taiwan’s first contact with the West. A fort, San Salvador de Quelung, was established.
When Spanish Formosa (as Taiwan was then called) started to dissolve, the Dutch took over control of Keelung and its harbour, using it as an outpost on the Dutch East India Company’s transcontinental trading route.
Later in its history, Keelung was passed between the Chinese and Japanese while simultaneously fending off invasions from the British and the French. In the 1960s, coal mining took off and Keelung flourished again.
The Keelung of today is a quiet city of around 300,000 people. It doesn’t see many tourists compared to popular day trips in the area, notably Jiufen and Shifen, which are both relatively close by.
Tourists who do visit Keelung City come to see the harbour and the city’s cultural institutions and museums.
But there are plenty of other ‘less-touristy’ things to do in Keelung, too. Read on to find out what to do in Keelung!
How to get to Keelung from Taipei
The easiest way to get to Keelung from Taipei City is by public bus or train. Buses and trains run regularly, and the journey takes under an hour.
Planning a trip to Taipei? I recommend buying a Taipei Fun Pass, which includes discounted access to 16 attractions in Taipei and Keelung, plus transport on many intercity bus lines and the Coastline Keelung Shuttle Bus to Zhengbin Fishing Harbor and Heping Island.
Buy your pass online here.
Option A: Kuo-Kuang bus 1813 from Taipei Bus Station
Local bus 1813 to Keelung, operated by Kuo-Kuang company, leaves from Taipei Bus Station every 10 to 20 minutes from 6am until midnight. The journey takes 45-50 minutes, and tickets cost $57 NT one-way or $114 NT round-trip.
More info and schedules here.
Option B: Train from Songshan Station
Take a green-line metro to Songshan Station (close to Raohe Night Market). Hop out, and walk two blocks south to Songshan train station. The Fuxing to Keelung City leaves every 10-30 minutes, with the first train at 5.55am and the last train at 11.53pm.
This is a local train that makes 9 stops between Taipei and Keelung. The journey takes between 30 and 45 minutes, and tickets cost around $30 NT one-way.
Check times and fares here.
Buses and trains arrive in Keelung near the Maritime Plaza, right on the waterfront. From here, it’s easy to access the city’s main attractions by foot.
Day tours to Keelung
If you prefer to visit Keelung as part of an organised tour, there are several itineraries departing Taipei city that combine a visit to Keelung with other attractions in the area.
On this tour of Taiwan’s northern coast, you’ll get to see the highlights of Keelung city as well as Yehliu Geopark.
Things to do in Keelung Taiwan: Keelung attractions
If you’re travelling independently by bus, you’ll have plenty of time to cover all the best things to do in Keelung. Here are a few of my favourite sights and activities for your Keelung itinerary.
Keelung Zhongzheng (Chung Cheng) Park
Not long after we arrived in Keelung we climbed up a set of stairs on a whim. After navigating some dead ends and blocked paths, we eventually ended up high above the city inside Keelung Zhongzheng Park. It was still fairly early in the morning and there wasn’t another person in sight.
The park is made up of colourful temples, shrines, pavilions and courts set in the side of Dashawan Mountain. A 22-meter statue of Guanyin, the Goddess of Mercy, is the park’s focal point—but somehow we missed it.
Instead, we took our time wandering around the magnificent Zhuputan Temple, surely the most impressive Keelung temple. On close inspection, the exterior of the temple isn’t in the best nick—but I really love the red and yellow colour palette and some of the design details.
Apparently there’s a folk costume museum inside, but unfortunately the temple was closed for repairs on the day we visited.
Every year, Zhongzheng Park plays host to one of Taiwan’s most popular festivals, the Mid-Summer Ghost Festival. Part Buddhist, part Taoist, Zhongyuan Pudu as it’s often called is one of the country’s 12 official religious festivities.
Its history dates back more than 160 years. In 1851, the first festival was organised as a way to ease tensions between rival immigrant clans in the Keelung area. Designed to unite the community and bring peace to Keelung, the festival now attracts thousands of visitors to the city every July for a huge lantern procession.
The park is open 24/7, but I recommend visiting in the early morning for the best views and to beat the heat (there are a lot of stairs to climb). More information and directions here.
Khoo Tsu-song Old Mansion (Qingyu Hall)
If I see ‘Abandoned house’ on Google Maps, there’s no way I’m not going to check it out. That’s how Khoo Tsu-song Old Mansion was tagged—and it certainly lives up to its moniker.
Built in 1931, Qingyu Hall bares the name of its most famous resident, Khoo Tsu-song—a well-connected intellectual who oversaw administration of Keelung City during its Japanese occupation.
It would have been a grand home in its day. The location is quite a statement—high on a hillside with panoramic views over the rest of the city from each of the windows.
The house’s red brick walls are reminiscent of the forts and official buildings in another Taiwanese port city we visited, Tamsui. The maker’s mark (‘TR’ or Taiwan Renga—the main brick producer during Taiwan’s Japanese era) on some of the bricks at Khoo Tsu-song Old Mansion are the same as at Bo-Pi-Liao Historical Block in Taipei.
You can also spot decorative tiles on the highest of the house’s architraves and beautiful detailing on the window frames. The round windows at the entrance are particularly pretty, carved to look like bamboo-shoots.
The house has been totally consumed by nature. There are a few banyan trees growing inside the main upstairs room, their roots fanned out over the walls and floors. Exquisite Gigantea leaves are splayed across the front of the home. The top level is missing its roof and the rooms are full of debris—but it’s still possible to explore inside.
In 2001, Khoo Tsu-song Old Mansion was recognised as a historical building—although no visible efforts have been made to restore or protect it (apart from the installation of an information plaque on the bottom level).
In 2014, the Keelung Youth Front organisation began the process of cleaning up the house to encourage more visitors. We ran into one other visitor at the house, a tourist from Taipei. He told us he’d been speaking to locals on the way up the hill and that they were very surprised to see him.
‘No tourists come here,’ they apparently told him. I can’t imagine why.
Getting to Khoo Tsu-song Old Mansion is half the fun. We got seriously lost in the labyrinth of staircases and alleyways that lead up the hill to the house.
Walking among the apartments, colourful balconies and yards was a great insight into life in Keelung City. If you’re into urbexing, there are other abandoned buildings and concrete landmarks you can visit in Keelung.
Khoo Tsu-song Old Mansion is located above Keelung Night Market. More information and directions here.
Zhengbin Fishing Harbor
Just 5 kilometres east of central Keelung along the coast lies the bright and colourful Zhengbin Fishing Harbor. The port was established by the Japanese in the 1930s and was the biggest fishing harbour in Taiwan during the Japanese era.
Rows of brightly painted fisherman’s houses hug the shoreline, reflected back in the glassy waters of the bay. This is one of the prettiest places in Taiwan and has a wonderfully nostalgic vibe.
Look out for the boat called ‘Folk Art’ moored in the harbour – it’s the country’s first floating art museum.
To get to Zhenghin from Keelung port, you can either walk along the coast (it takes about 60 minutes on foot) or take bus number 101 from outside Keelung train station. The Coastline Keelung Shuttle Bus also stops near Zhenghin on its way to Heping Island. Fares on this service are covered under the Taipei Fun Pass.
For more urbexing, the Agenna Shipyard Relics are located a short walk from the harbour front – or you can take a boat from Zhengbin to visit Heping Island.
Keelung Night Market (Miaokou Night Market)
We experienced our fair share of food markets in Taipei. Miaokou Night Market in Keelung City was definitely my favourite of the bunch.
Not only is there an awesome selection of Taiwanese street food on offer (including a lot of seafood, if that’s your thing), the atmosphere here is really something special. The layout of Miaokou is slightly different to other markets in Taipei.
The main passageway is lined with tables and little sit-down restaurants so you can observe food preparation and people eating, which is great for photos.
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We found the market open during the day—we’re still not completely sure why, but I figure it had something to do with Lunar New Year. By 10am, it was absolutely packed with families.
There are all kinds of water-dwelling creatures on offer at Miaokou, each fried up to perfection ( I assume). I didn’t have a single bite to eat—yet it was still my favourite market experience in Taiwan.
After a few laps of the market, we were ready to leave Keelung. We jumped on a bus bound for Ruifang and soon found ourselves fighting through a scrum of tourists at Shifen, a wildly popular day trip location by comparison.
I’m glad we started the day in Keelung City and got to experience an alternative, much quieter side of northern Taiwan.
Keelung Miaokou Night Market is open nightly from 5pm. More information and directions here.
Love night markets? Check out my guide to Ipoh, Malaysia – home to some of the best food markets in the region!
Things to do in Keelung map
Where to stay in Keelung
If you want to extend your time in Keelung and stay a few nights, there are some great hotels in town to choose from. Alternatively, if you’re travelling in Taiwan on a budget and looking for low-cost accommodation options, you might even consider staying in Keelung instead of Taipei. Hotels in Keelung can be very affordable by comparison.
My top choice of hotel in Keelung is Evergreen Laurel Hotel (doubles from $90/night). It’s conveniently located right on the harbour, and rooms have fantastic water views.
For budget travellers, Light Inn (from $20/night) is modern and clean, and located close to the night market. This hotel gets excellent reviews for its hospitality and helpful staff.
Browse more Keelung hotel deals here.
Leaving Keelung: Onward transportation
It’s easy to incorporate a few hours in Keelung into your Taiwan itinerary. From Keelung, you can take a direct bus to Ruifang train station (for Pingxi or Shifen) or a bus to Jiufen.
Intercity buses leave from Keelung’s Maritime Plaza area, close to the train station. There is a tourist information office in the ground floor of the train station—staff are very helpful, so just ask there if you’re unsure which bus to take.
Have you been to Keelung? What is your favourite day trip from Taipei?
Nice! How do you travel within Keelung? Taxi, pub transport, cab? Appreciate your advice from your experience, thanks!
Hi Fish,
We moved around by foot – it’s quite small and easy to walk. Otherwise taxis would be the best choice I think!
Enjoy your trip!
Informative to see your photos of places I’ve never been. You capture the feel of the place so well.
I like exploring abandoned buildings too. They embody such a mysterious atmosphere…so many layers of stories and emotions.
It’s an amazing feeling to walk back through history. Thanks, Mohana!