Jioufen
Liz kind of liked it here. I did not.
Posted by: Josh, 16 January 2026
Jioufen (also spelt Jiufen or Chiufen), famous for its tea houses and twisting old streets, is going to split opinions.
Beautiful buildings and some of the best views in Taiwan, looking down from high in the mountains towards the coast, meet big crowds and tourist-trap shops.
Here’s what to know before you decide whether to go.
Contents
What to do
You’re most likely going to come to Jioufen to look at the traditional Jioufen Old Street and the famous tea houses that adorn the hillside and look down towards Taiwan’s northern coast.
You can wander through busy shopping streets, stopping to take in the traditional Chinese architecture of many of the buildings here.
And you might also consider taking a detour off the busier streets to wander along the Keelung Mountain trail, braving its steep steps to look back down on the thronging crowds in Jioufen. It’s only about 20 minutes from the town to Shumei Observation Deck, which – in better weather than when we visited in November – is said to have some of the best views in the region.
Others looking for a bit of peace and quiet, or a less seen view of Jioufen, might consider a visit to the nearby Chuen Ji Hall. A colourful temple around 45 minutes’ walk from Jioufen Old Street, it’s another option for those looking to see the famous scenery of the Jioufen area without having to brave the crowds.
Where to drink tea
The most famous of the teahouses in Jioufen, possibly in all of Taiwan, is Amei Tea House. Reputed to be the inspiration for a famous scene in Spirited Away – more on that later – it’s built in a traditionally Japanese architectural style, in contrast to many of the buildings in Jioufen. This is where we stopped for our drinks.
Views, even on a cloudy day, were as good as advertised. There really are few better in the North of Taiwan, and staff will allow you an opportunity to take pictures from the balcony even if you’ve decided on an indoor seat – rather than waiting a potentially much longer time for a balcony spot.
The service at Amei Tea House is very rushed; we felt pressured into making a very quick decision and were guided towards certain menu choices. Fans of Somebody Feed Phil (us too!) might be hoping for an explanation of how to brew, pour, and drink the tea similar to the one he got from his friend, but the explanation from the staff was a much more rushed affair.
That aside, once sat with your drink you’re going to find it pretty hard to have a bad time. The indoor areas are lovely, the tea is fresh and delicious, and you can order a little cake or snack to have with your drink… but, again, you’ll be asked to decide pretty quickly.
A popular spot with tourists who get to Amei Tea House and discover they don’t fancy the long wait is Skyline Tea House. You’ll get almost the same views as from Amei, slightly shorter queues, and a chance to get some pictures of the famous front of Amei Tea House from a different angle.
We can’t vouch for this, but another option to consider is Jioufen Tea House, which is probably where I’d choose to try if visiting again. Slightly higher up the hill than Amei Tea House, so with comparable views, it’s housed inside a traditional more than century-old building, impeccably renovated. By almost all reviewers’ accounts, it’s also one of the better places in town for the tea drinking experience itself.
Where to eat
Read our tips on food and drink in Taiwan on our What to Know Before you Go post
We ate in Houtong Cat Village, so can’t offer specific recommendations.
As a more general bit of advice, if you’re visiting both Houtong and Jioufen in one day and trying to decide where to go for lunch, I’d lean towards Jioufen if your priority is to have a larger number of options when you arrive.
There are an ample number of food stalls throughout the older part of town and a handful of proper restaurants and cafes too. Cakes and snacks are also available at the tea houses, but we paid more than average for a small treat at Amei Tea House and the price wasn't matched by the quality.
Planning your day
Since Jioufen is located about a 10 minute bus or taxi drive away from Houtong Cat Village, many people combine these two places into one day-trip, spending half a day in each.
If I were visiting Jioufen again, I’d try to go there early enough in the morning to avoid 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 there.
You could do it the other way round, as we did when we visited, and if you visit on the right day I can only imagine how spectacular the sunsets might be. The downside to this is that you’ll be trying to get a very busy bus back to Taipei from Jioufen, assuming you’re staying there, rather than a potentially slightly quieter bus to Houtong and a simple local train journey back to the capital. An early start in Houtong does mean fewer tourists drawing the cats’ attention away from you though, and nobody could blame you for prioritising that.
Getting there
Read more about public transport in Taiwan on our What to Know Before you Go post
If you’re travelling from Taipei, you can take a direct bus. Take the 965 from Ximen or Banqiao or take the 1062 from Songshan station. The 1062 runs every 30 minutes.
A slightly quicker option is to take the TRA local train to Ruifang, then jump on either the 788 or 1062 bus.
If travelling from Houtong, you can also take the 1062 bus. The buses can get busy, so if you’re stuck it’s only a short journey by taxi too. It cost us only a little over 200NT$ (£4.70), using Uber.
Be aware that landslips can sometimes affect routes after heavy rain. The train we’d intended to take back to Taipei from Ruifang was delayed for several hours while the line was cleared; in the end, we were very fortunate that the couple in front of us in the queue offered us their seats on the bus, otherwise we’d have faced a very long journey home.
A combination of the Taipei Bus website, helpful station staff (and helpful translation apps), and the availability of Uber in this region means you should be fine getting back, even if buses are too full to jump on or if there’s any delays to your train journey.
Why we didn't agree on Jioufen
Why Liz mostly enjoyed visiting Jioufen...
Many people we spoke to about Taiwan spoke of Jioufen as a must-visit, cannot miss type of place. Some other people said it was crowded over-tourism hell.
Personally, I think the truth lies somewhere in between those two opposites. It was definitely extremely crowded – to the point that we struggled to move on some of the streets, especially outside Amei Tea House.
But on the flip side, there was some beautiful architecture, and the views from the village down the mountain and out to sea were simply breath-taking (and would have been even more so if it wasn’t foggy and raining the day we visited).
I noticed some interesting side streets and intriguing views around the outskirts of town, and couldn’t help but feel that this could be a place you’d really enjoy if you got a little bit away from the main tourist zone and explored the more residential areas.
Unfortunately, we only had time to scratch the surface since we’d spent far too long playing with cats at Houtong in the morning before making our way to Jioufen, but I think this might be the type of place that rewards the curious, slow travellers who take some time to get lost and explore a bit deeper instead of just stopping by to take a picture of the lanterns.
If I had my time again, I’d try staying the night here so we could explore first thing in the morning before the crowds arrived.
...and why Josh didn't
I love Studio Ghibli films. Liz and I were lucky enough to get tickets for the Ghibli Museum on our last trip to Japan, and I’d be delighted to visit any number of places that have inspired any number of scenes.
Fortunately for my case, Amei Tea House didn’t inspire the famous image from Spirited Away. Hayao Miyazaki has repeatedly said so, but the myth endures.
There is still some charm to the layout of the narrow streets in the Old Town and, while expensive and the service was rushed, I enjoyed going to Amei Tea House for tea with a view – albeit a damp and cloudy one on our visit.
But I didn’t feel able to enjoy what good sides there are. One blog I’ve read since visiting, written by a Jioufen fan, reads that being there made them feel like they were in a movie. In a different sense, that’s an apt description for how I felt too. Sure some will enjoy the bustle, the lights and the buildings and feel they're in a place taken out of a Ghibli film, regardless of whether or not it really did inspire Spirited Away. But others like me will find it artificial, like a town converted into a film set that long since lost any real life and authenticity.
For me, a mid-30s natural introvert with no social media, an aversion to large crowds, and concerns about how much I’m contributing to over-tourism, being in Jioufen was a bit uncomfortable.
If I had to go again, I’d try to get there as early as possible and dart in the opposite direction to the busiest tourist spots. If you’re generous enough to read some of our other posts, you’ll find that I almost always found the places I enjoyed most in Taiwan were the ones a few minutes from where most people get their Insta shots.
That holds here too. My favourite moment of our afternoon in the town of Jioufen came via a wrong turn along a small alleyway. At the end of the alley, above a few houses, was a gorgeous view of Keelung Mountain with clouds resting on its peak – obscured only very slightly by the buildings in front of us.
It’s slightly less picture perfect for your Insta or, erm, your Taiwan travel blog. But for me, it was so much nicer too.
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