Jiufen
A former gold-mining town clinging to a mountainside above the northeast coast, Jiufen is famous for its narrow, lantern-lit Old Street and the teahouses that supposedly inspired the bathhouse in Spirited Away (Studio Ghibli has denied this directly, but the resemblance keeps the crowds coming anyway). Go for the atmosphere, the sea views from the upper teahouses, and the street food — go early or in late afternoon, as midday tour-bus crowds can be intense.
| Getting there | Direct bus from Taipei Zhongxiao Fuxing Station (bus 1062), roughly 60–90 minutes depending on traffic. |
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| Time needed | Half a day; easy to combine with Yehliu Geopark or Shifen in a full-day tour. |
Yehliu Geopark
A rocky cape on the north coast shaped by centuries of wind and wave erosion into strange mushroom and honeycomb rock formations — the "Queen's Head" rock is the park's most photographed feature. It's a shorter, more focused visit than Jiufen and pairs naturally with it on the same day.
| Getting there | Bus from Taipei Main Station or as part of a combined north-coast bus/tour route with Jiufen. |
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| Time needed | 1–2 hours. |
Taroko Gorge
Taiwan's most famous national park: a marble canyon on the east coast with trails threading past cliffs, temples and swinging bridges. It's the most spectacular day trip from Taipei — and the most involved, given the distance.
| Getting there | High-speed rail or regular train to Hualien (roughly 2 hours), then a local bus or tour transfer into the gorge itself. |
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| Time needed | Realistically a very full day, or better as an overnight if your schedule allows — the train time alone eats into your hours on the trails. |
Taichung
Taiwan's second-largest city, roughly an hour away by high-speed rail, known for its night market food scene (this is where boba/bubble tea was invented, depending who you ask), the striking National Taichung Theater, and a more laid-back pace than Taipei.
| Getting there | High-speed rail from Taipei Main Station to Taichung HSR Station, around 50 minutes — see our THSR guide for how booking works. |
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| Time needed | A full day if you want to see more than the immediate downtown. |
Pingxi & the sky lantern villages
A scenic branch rail line west of Taipei connects a string of old mining and railway towns — Shifen is the best known, where releasing a paper sky lantern painted with your wishes over the old train tracks has become a signature activity. Combine it with a stop at Shifen Waterfall, a short walk from the village.
| Getting there | Train from Taipei Main Station to Ruifang, then transfer to the Pingxi branch line. |
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| Time needed | Half a day; combines well with Jiufen since both are accessed via Ruifang. |
Which one should you pick?
If you only have one extra day: Jiufen plus Yehliu (or Jiufen plus Shifen) makes an efficient, classic north-coast day out. If dramatic scenery is the priority and your schedule allows a longer day (or an overnight), Taroko Gorge is unmatched. If you want a change-of-pace city with great food, Taichung is the easiest add-on thanks to the high-speed rail.