Houtong Cat Village
Come for the cats. Stay for the cats.
Posted by: Josh, 16 January 2026
And stay a bit longer still, to take in the hilly scenery and look round the mining museum which pays tribute to this sleepy village’s industrial past.
Contents
Catspotting
Obviously, the reason most people come to Houtong Cat Village is to see some cats, eat at the cafes overlooking the hillsides – and the cats – and buy some souvenirs which, you guessed it, have a feline theme to them.
As a catspotting travel destination, this place lives up to its name. Best of all, the cats were free to wander around a very large area. The cats looked relaxed, well cared for, and happy, and they have places to escape from tourists if they wish to.
Tourists here seemed to have the right idea for how to interact with the animals too, leaving cats alone when they showed no interest but offering generous amounts of scritches to those who did.
The shops weren’t really my type of place, but if you’re wanting some cat-themed souvenirs to bring home for your friends you won’t be short of choices.
I am catted out. What else can I do?
Surprisingly, quite a lot.
I loved the Mining Museum in Houtong Cat Village. Set over three floors inside a beautifully restored old wooden building, the museum is a thoughtful memorial to this village’s past – before the coal mine closed and before a local resident started adopting the stray cats left behind as people abandoned Houtong in search of work.
The exhibits – a mix of old mining equipment, pictures, videos and interactive activities – will show you how the mine worked, what coal mining meant to this village, and what the coal industry did for Taiwan as a whole in the decades before the mine was shuttered. The friendly museum staff let us know that if you go around the side of the museum towards the river, there’s an old staircase which will take you up to the mine cart bridge.
Across the bridge – not great for those with a fear of heights, but the views along the river make it worth the brief terror – is a small train which you can ride on for 150NT$ each (around £3.50) and which will take you down an old mine entrance and let you try some of the equipment.
The train is aimed at children and families. As a childless couple in our 30s, we naturally jumped right onboard and had great fun, though sadly so did the mosquitoes which had been waiting in the damp tunnel for their feast to arrive. Wear your long sleeves if you too decide to catch the train.
There’s also some hiking areas around, which we’d recommend if you have the time. The highlight of Houtong, other than the cats, was the large flock of Blue Magpies congregating just down the road from the mine train tunnel.
We found it hard to get a blue magpie to sit still long enough for a clear picture. But we couldn't not include one somewhere on the site.
Getting there and planning your day
Read more about public transport in Taiwan on our What to Know Before you Go post
Take the fast local train on the Yilan Line from Taipei Main Station. The journey takes around 45 minutes.
If travelling from Jioufen, take the 1062 bus which runs every 30 minutes. The buses can get busy, so if you’re stuck it’s only a short journey by taxi too – and not likely to cost more than 200NT$ (£4.75).
Planning your day
You probably only need half a day to visit Houtong, so many people combine it with a visit to Jioufen, the lantern-lit traditional hillside town which is often but wrongly said to be the inspiration for the film Spirited Away. Jioufen is only around 10 minutes by bus or taxi from Houtong.
Based on our experience visiting Jioufen in the afternoon, it might be a good idea to go there early in the morning to beat the biggest crowds. Enjoy the scenery and a cup of tea, and maybe grab lunch while you’re there, then aim to get to Houtong early in the afternoon and spend two to three hours looking around.
You could do it the other way round, as we did when we visited. It won't make too much of a difference to your day, whichever way round you do it, but the slight downside of visiting Jioufen second is that you might find yourself trying to catch a very busy bus back to Taipei, assuming you’re staying there, rather than a slightly quieter bus to Houtong and a less crowded local train journey back to the capital.
Where to eat and drink
Read our tips on food and drink in Taiwan on our What to Know Before you Go post
Pick your favourite of the cafes on the hillside overlooking the village. We settled on the one with the most vegetarian options but couldn’t recommend any one particular place over any of the others. You’ll find more options to eat in Jioufen.
If you had a particularly good experience at one of the cafes in Houtong, please let your fellow travellers know in the comments.
Final thoughts on Houtong Cat Village
Liz's final thoughts
The cats were extremely cute and I also thought the scenery was stunning, even on a rainy day. The little mine cart train trip we stumbled on was completely unexpected and a lot of fun.
The only downside to this place was that I did get completely eaten alive by mosquitos when we went down the mine track; it's the only place in Taiwan where this happened, but I was itchy for days. Cuddling a few cats made me feel better though.
Josh's final thoughts
I love cats, walks in nature, and museums. If only Houtong had a baseball stadium, a few more cool bugs, and a place to get bibimbap, it'd tick every box on my checklist.
While it's only a very small place, I loved spending a few hours here. If only we hadn't gone to Jioufen afterwards.
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