Private Taipei Weekend Escape to Dadaocheng & Beitou with shared Tamshui River Cruise

Meet your tour guide at MRT Daqiaotou Station Exit 1, and then enjoy a guided walking tour around Dadaocheng and Dihua Old Street, an old city block inside the metropolitan.

Dadaocheng is located on the banks of Tamsui River, was once the hub for Taiwanese tea export in the 19^th century, even now you can still see the oldest tea shops in the street. Together with the Chinese medicine shops, dry food shops, the streets are immersed in a nostalgic ambience, with a blend of east and west, past and present, traditional and modern, presenting on all of these baroque-style buildings. Today, the younger generations have brought new energy and fresh ideas into this area, now you can see a lot of unique and creative workshops, renovated shophouses, and exhibition spaces. 

Taipei Xia-Hai City God Temple is also located in Dihua Old Street, where worships City God, City God’s Wife, Yue Lao and many other deities. The temple was built in 1856, and is renowned throughout Taiwan for the famous “matchmaker”—Yue Lao (the God of marriage and love). If you are single and still looking for your soulmate, Yue Lao may help. If you are married, pray to City God’s Wife for good marriage with your better half.

Other than that, there is Cisheng Temple Food Street with many local food stalls. From morning to afternoon, the street provides a variety of breakfast and lunch options.

Since you’re already in Dadaocheng area, let’s move straight to Dadaocheng Wharf, a riverside plaza which is designed using the shape of multiple containers to create an exciting shopping and dining area. 

Now just get on board and enjoy a relaxing river cruise along Tamsui River.

When you arrive in Guandu, of course you will not miss the chance to visit the famous Guandu Temple, which is more than 300 years old, the oldest Mazu (Goddess of the Sea) temple in North Taiwan.

Off to the just the next door of Guandu, you will have a walking tour in Beitou Hot Spring Area, the most mountainous area in Taipei City, and also very famous for the sulfur hot spring. Beitou Hot Spring Museum is one of the must-visit attractions when you come to Beitou. The museum itself used to be a public bathhouse in 1913, also was the largest bathhouse in Eastern Asia until it was transformed to a museum and opened to public in 1998. Through the historic relics and documents that are showcased in the museum, you will learn about the development of Beitou hot spring.

Right next to Beitou Hot Spring Museum is Beitou Library, the first “green” library in Taiwan. And as well as the title it has, the library is built mainly of wood, together with generous use of windows to receive nature light. This beautiful library was selected by a famous travel website as one of the 10 Coolest Examples of “Green Buildings”, and a famous online magazine as one of The 25 Most Beautiful Public Libraries in the World. With the green area around the library, It is best to take a seat in the library and enjoy your favorite book with the greenery surround.

Coming to the next stop, Geothermal Valley is something you should not miss. It is also one of the sources that supply this area’s hot spring. With the highest temperature of Datunshan volcano group, the all-year-round sulfuric steam creates a special misty scene hence it is also called “Hell Valley” or “Ghost Lake”.

Before the end of your journey, you will be able to experience the metro system by taking the MRT train from MRT Xinbeitou Station to MRT Jiantan Station. 

Now, to recover from a whole day of walking, nothing is better than a good massage! Just relax and enjoy a 40-min foot and shoulder massage in Shillin Night Market.

After regaining your stamina and shaking off all the tiredness, it is time to end your tour and say good bye to your tour guide. You can use the rest of the day to wander around the famous night market and discover something new in your trip.