When people think of Taipei, city tours immediately come to mind, but honestly, there are tons of amazing spots around the outskirts that are perfect for a peaceful soul-searching trip! The areas of Shenkeng, Shiding, and Sanxia near Taipei combine amazing food, nature, culture, and hands-on experiences – they’re absolutely perfect for a Taipei day trip.
These slow-paced destinations are far from the city hustle and bustle, making them ideal for leisurely eating and exploring. This route works great for families, couples, or small groups of friends wanting to experience the perfect blend of old street charm and mountain tea fragrance! If you’re looking to escape the crowds and unwind on a peaceful little getaway, you’ll absolutely love these places.
Each of these three Taipei outskirt destinations has its own special charm: Shenkeng is famous for its stinky tofu cuisine, Shiding boasts mountain scenery and tea gardens, while Sanxia preserves complete historical architecture and unique indigo dyeing culture. A single day’s itinerary covers food culture and natural experiences, all just 30-50 minutes by car from downtown Taipei – the whole trip is simple and relaxing.
Suggested Route: Shenkeng Old Street (2 hours in the morning) → Shiding Old Street (3 hours in the afternoon including tea experience) → Sanxia Old Street (2 hours in the evening)
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Table of Contents
Taipei Day Trip 1st Stop: Shenkeng Old Street – Stinky Tofu Heaven
When talking about the most distinctive old streets near Taipei, Shenkeng Old Street is definitely at the top of the list. Located at the border of New Taipei City’s Wenshan District, Shenkeng gets its name from the low-lying terrain that resembles a pit (“keng” means pit). Since the Qing Dynasty, it’s thrived on tofu manufacturing, developing a unique tofu culture. Today, this roughly 300-meter-long old street houses over 20 tofu specialty shops, producing 30% of northern Taiwan’s tofu – it’s truly Taiwan’s “tofu food capital.”
Walking into Shenkeng Old Street, you’ll see neat rows of red brick old houses and wooden arcades on both sides, preserving the architecture from the Japanese colonial period. Though the street isn’t wide, it’s incredibly lively with vendors calling out their wares and tourists chatting and laughing, creating a vibrant scene where vitality meets history. Every step feels like entering a time tunnel – nostalgic yet full of innovative energy.
And Shenkeng’s most famous specialty? That intensely aromatic yet irresistible stinky tofu. The stinky tofu here comes in many varieties with creative preparations like braised, charcoal-grilled, and hot pot styles. Whether you prefer traditional flavors or modern twists, you’ll find something satisfying here. Plus, there’s tofu ice cream, fermented tofu, tofu pudding shaved ice, and other treats that take “bean culture” to the extreme – it’s a foodie and culture lover’s paradise.
However, the MRT does not go directly to Shenkeng Old Street — you’ll need to transfer to a bus. If you’re departing from Taipei Main Station, the journey takes about one hour. For a more relaxed experience, consider hiring a car or booking a private transfer.
Must-Try Tofu Foods
Fried Stinky Tofu: Tofu, made using the brine method, is fermented and then deep-fried until crispy outside and tender inside, served with Taiwanese pickled cabbage and garlic sauce for amazing flavor.
Recommended shops:
- Grandma’s Shop (庙口阿嫲): Represents crispy texture
Address: No. 135, Shenkeng Street, Shenkeng District, New Taipei City (in front of Jishun Temple) - Big Tree Stinky Tofu (大树下): Softer, more tender with rich flavor
Address: No. 163, Shenkeng St, Shenkeng District
Braised Tofu: Shenkeng’s signature preparation where tofu absorbs the rich sauce flavors. Usually eat with dried bamboo shoots, mushrooms, vegetarian meat strips – perfect for those who like strong flavors or vegetarians.
Tofu Ice Cream: Ice cream made from tofu without eggs or dairy, naturally rich with bean flavor. Available in original, sesame, red bean, and other flavors – perfect summer treat.
Tofu Pudding Shaved Ice (Summer Only): Tofu pudding with fluffy shaved ice, sugar syrup, and toppings – a cool, bean-fragrant summer dessert favorite.
Other Cultural Highlights and Historic Street Scenes Worth Seeing
Dexing Residence: Representative Fujian-style townhouse, now a cultural and historical exhibition space – great place to learn about Shenkeng’s development and tofu culture origins.
Yong’an Residence: The Huang family, once a well-known tea and rice merchant clan in Shenkeng, built several traditional homes in 1912. Among them is the Yong’an Residence, which has been recognized as a level-three historic site.
Taipei Day Trip 2nd Stop: Shiding Old Street + Thousand Island Lake
Compared to bustling tourist old streets, Shiding Old Street is more like a gentle, quiet old friend, using every brick, tile, bridge, and stream to tell the mountain town’s story. Located at the border between Taipei and New Taipei, Shiding sits nestled between mountains and water. It once thrived on tea and coal transportation, and now its peaceful, rustic atmosphere makes it a secret healing destination for many.
Shiding is Taiwan’s only settlement where a stream flows through the old street, with stilt houses built along the water – extremely rare in northern Taiwan. Entering Shiding Old Street, you’re greeted by stone paths and low stone houses built along the stream, wooden shops scattered throughout, with gurgling water flowing alongside – like stepping into a serene mountain town ink painting. This once bustling and prosperous small town has now escaped the tourist crowds, preserving a purer sense of human warmth and timeless feeling. Walking the old street in early morning or evening especially lets you experience this town’s unique slow rhythm and peaceful atmosphere.
One of the old street’s most iconic landmarks is the mysterious alley called “Bu Jian Tian Street” (不见天街, No Sky Street). This ancient lane was once a rain-or-shine commercial passage, covered by eaves with almost no sunlight, hence the name “No Sky Street.” Though no longer as prosperous as before, you can still find several local tea shops and snack vendors quietly operating. Try a bowl of local handmade noodles or fragrant tofu dishes – simple yet unforgettable.
Walking along the street, you’ll soon reach Shiding Danlan Suspension Bridge. Standing on the bridge, you can see clear water below with fish swimming leisurely, lush greenery on both banks, and occasionally anglers or children playing by the shore – a lively rural scene full of life. If time permits, visit Jishun Temple to experience the religious atmosphere, or seek out century-old tofu shops to understand the deep connection between Shiding and tofu culture.
Shiding Must-Try Snacks
Wang’s Tofu: Handmade Firm Tofu with a firmer texture than that of Shenkeng and a rich soybean aroma, this tofu is a local favorite. This century-old shop, passed down through five generations, uses traditional, all-natural methods in its production. It’s a signature delicacy of Shiding Old Street
Address: No. 85, Shiding East Street, Shiding District, New Taipei City, Taiwan
Meimei Restaurant: One of the representative establishments of Shiding’s traditional local cuisine. Their most famous local dishes are highly worth trying: white-cut capon, kung pao preserved eggs, stir-fried minced pork with garlic chives, braised bamboo shoots, tofu three ways (deep-fried, soup, and braised), and stir-fried betel nut flowers.
Address: No. 71, Shiding East Street, Shiding District, New Taipei City
Tea Culture Experience: Home of Pouchong Tea
Shiding belongs to the Xueshan Mountain range system, with elevations of 200-800 meters and average annual temperature around 22°C, making it a famous pouchong tea production area in northern Taiwan. Tea-making tradition dates back to the Qing Dynasty, and about 300 hectares of tea gardens remain today. The tea uses light fermentation technique (8-12%) to preserve natural floral fragrance, with spring tea being the highest quality.
In the mountains between Pinglin and Shiding lies a secret paradise called “Taiwan’s Thousand Island Lake.” This “Thousand Island Lake” isn’t as vast as mainland China’s Thousand Island Lake, but gets its name because it’s the Feitsui Reservoir’s watershed area. After the reservoir’s construction submerged original valleys and tea gardens, the lake became separated by many hills, forming numerous island-like small peaks, hence “Thousand Island Lake.”
Best viewing spots include Tuxitou Observatory and Yong’an Trail, and some tea gardens also provide viewing platforms, though these are private tea gardens requiring attention to operating hours. The most famous is “Bagua Tea Garden Observatory,” where you can see layers of tea gardens covering the mountainsides with the winding Thousand Island Lake in the distance. In early morning, mist often swirls over the lake surface, combined with neatly arranged tea plants creating lines – like being in a fairyland.
Besides photos and scenery, visiting here offers deep insight into tea culture. Many nearby tea farmers run small tea houses serving fresh Pinglin pouchong tea with local handmade snacks. Some offer tea picking and processing experiences, though these activities require reservations and are only available during specific seasons (can’t experience tea picking when leaves haven’t grown yet!). If time allows, visit nearby Shiding Old Street or the Pinglin Tea Industry Museum.
Getting to Thousand Island Lake by public transport isn’t very convenient and takes a lot of time, so if you’re planning to go, it’s best to hire a car or arrange a private tour. This Klook package includes visiting Thousand Island Lake and tea garden visits, tea ceremony experiences, tea tasting and Tea Museum tours. There are also bilingual local tour guides, perfect for travelers who want the flexibility of independent travel while having local guidance.
Recommended Viewing Locations:
Yong’an Trail永安步道: Public trail, currently temporarily closed due to landslides – check latest updates.
Crocodile Island Trail鳄鱼岛观景台: Public trail, but the access road is somewhat difficult to drive, so most people park farther away and walk to the observatory, about 2km total.
Tuxitou Observatory土虱头观景台: Weekends 10:00-16:00 (closed Mon-Fri), not an open attraction – visitors must make purchases on the 1st floor before going to the 2nd floor for views.
Bagua Tea Garden八卦茶园: Operating hours 9:30-17:00, private tea garden, most popular and convenient to visit. Note: Nantou also has a tea garden called Bagua Tea Garden, so don’t get confused!
Yunxiang Tea Garden云乡茶园: Weekends 9:00-17:00 (closed Mon-Fri), private tea garden with no admission fee, but please keep the environment clean. Official website
Taipei Day Trip 3rd Stop: Sanxia – Baroque-Style Old Street
Sanxia Old Street is one of Taiwan’s best-preserved Baroque architecture old streets and an important center for indigo dyeing craft culture. The 260-meter street district was built after 1916’s urban renovation, featuring 33 continuous Baroque-style facade buildings, though these differ from European Baroque architecture. These buildings blend European Baroque with traditional Fujian elements – pediments, arched windows, washed stone exterior walls, and colorful tile details create a unique style. Walking into the old street, you’ll see red brick arcades, tall arches, and exquisite facade reliefs – particularly nostalgic.
Indigo Dyeing Experience
Historically, Sanxia prospered through camphor, tea, and indigo dyeing trade, still maintaining a rich traditional craft atmosphere today. Deep in the street district, you can still see old tea houses, temples, and indigo dyeing workshops, witnessing its glorious history as a traditional craft center. Sanxia was one of Taiwan’s three major indigo dyeing production areas during the Qing Dynasty, using locally cultivated daqing (also called ma lan) dye plants.
Traditional indigo dyeing requires soaking leaves for over 45 days of fermentation and repeated dyeing 7-15 times to achieve deep, rich indigo blue. To deeply experience this ancient craft, visit indigo dyeing workshops to try the transformation process from white cloth to indigo blue, including folding, tying, and dyeing steps. Most group experience courses require advance reservations.
Common experience projects include handkerchiefs and eco-bags. Experience packages roughly as follows (for reference): Indigo dyed handkerchief making experience about NT$250, 40 minutes; indigo dyed eco-bag making experience about NT$380, 60 minutes; indigo dyed scarf making experience NT$680, requiring about 90 minutes.
Besides indigo dyeing workshops, stone-paved streets on both sides feature small shops selling traditional candies and handicrafts, plus fragrant food stalls. Yes, there’s unmissable food here too! Coming to Sanxia, the top recommendation is croissant bread (literally “golden bull horn bread”). This horn-shaped pastry is crispy outside and soft inside, available in multiple flavors from original and matcha to chocolate – often drawing long tourist queues. Other must-try street foods include tea eggs, pig blood cake, rice dumplings, and handmade tofu pudding.
Sanxia Qingshui Zushi Temple
Master Qingshui, originally named Chen Zhao-ying, was a Song Dynasty monk from Anxi, Fujian, renowned for compassionate aid and supernatural powers, deeply revered by Fujian and Taiwan peoples. Legend says he could summon wind and rain and ward off disasters, earning him reverence as a protective deity.
Sanxia Qingshui Zushi Temple is one of Taiwan’s oldest temples with the highest artistic and historical value, originally built in 1769 and rebuilt in 1947. Its carving artistry is renowned throughout Taiwan, called the “Eastern Art Palace,” integrating stone, wood, and bronze carving techniques – exquisite yet magnificent. The main hall’s 108 stone pillars each have different totems, while the temple’s bronze dragon columns are unique in Taiwan.
Every year on the 6th day of the first lunar month marks the temple’s main deity Master Qingshui’s birthday, with Zushi temples throughout Taiwan holding worship activities, but Sanxia’s celebration is the most grand and lively. Festivities include exciting procession parades, traditional opera performances, and various folk shows. The main event is the sacred pig competition. In the 50s-60s when many families still raised livestock, people would raise sacred pigs themselves, competing to see who raised the biggest pig at contest time. First place won temple rewards and brought good luck for the coming year.
Transportation Information
For budget-conscious travelers, we recommend taking buses from Taipei to Shenkeng (or visit the other two places first), then using taxis to connect to Shiding, Sanxia, and other locations. Estimated taxi fares: Shenkeng to Shiding about NT$250, Shiding to Sanxia about NT$300.
Bus routes to Shenkeng and Shiding:
- From MRT Wenhu Line Muzha Station, take buses 679, 819, or Taiwan Tourist Shuttle Muzha-Pingxi Line 795
- From MRT Xinstore Line Jingmei or Muzha stations, transfer to buses 660, 666, with 666 also going directly to Shiding
- From MRT Guting Station, take buses 660 or 949 to Shenkeng
Transportation to Sanxia:
- MRT Bannan Line to Yongning Station, transfer to buses 705, 706, 916, and Sanying Line MRT pilot bus 981 to reach Sanxia city center
- Take MRT to Fuzhong Station, transfer to bus 910
- Take MRT Zhonghe Line to Jing’an Station, transfer to buses 908, 921
For comfortable travel, consider chartered cars. Both options allow customized itineraries for relaxed, comfortable touring, plus English-speaking drivers for explorations and tours, deepening your cultural journey experience.
Conclusion
So there you have it—a one-day trip packed with history, culture, nature views, and awesome eats. You get totally different vibes in one day: Shenkeng’s old street aromas, Shiding’s mountain town secrets, and Sanxia’s crafts and human warmth all strung together – not only rich but super healing. Whether it’s a relaxed little trip with friends or slowly enjoying life with family, this route gives you the most comfortable pace and memories – this is the chill day trip you’ve been looking for.
I suggest everyone adjust time spent at each location based on personal needs. For family trips with kids, reduce walking distances and add rest stops; for cultural journeys, focus on indigo dyeing DIY and tea culture experiences; for food trips, add 1 hour dining time at each location. Best to arrange weekend visits since weekday crowds are light and some shops only operate weekends. But if you want photos, weekdays are great since fewer people means shots without random strangers.
Little tip! To visit all 3 places in one day, recommend chartered cars or self-driving for more relaxed timing. Using public transport, two locations work better for leisurely exploration – visiting all three would be a bit rushed. To visit Thousand Island Lake, chartered cars work best since this secret spot is very inconvenient by public transport – plan about 1.5 hours there.
Interested in Taiwanese tea culture? Check these out!
Taiwan Tea Culture Guide: Discover Pinglin Tea Museum & Old Street | 4 Restaurants & 3 Tea Farms Recommendation
Maokong Tea Village Day Trip Guide: Taipei Zoo, Gondola & Tea Houses + 6 Must-Try Enjoyable Tea Restaurants in Maokong Taipei
