On our first and second day in Taiwan, we visited Houtong Cat Village and Wulai, respectively. We spent our third day in Tamsui — dubbed as the Heart of Taipei. With no concrete plans in mind, we just made our way to Tamsui. I think our Nov 2019 Taiwan trip was our most spontaneous one; we would just decide where to go, and plan what to do when we're already there...
How to get there
To get there via MRT, take the red Tamsui-Xinyi line and alight at Tamsui Station. To be guided properly, it would be best if you download any Taipei MRT app.
From Taipei Main station, Tamsui is roughly 23km away. Taipei is known for its superb transportation system — it took us just less than an hour to reach Tamsui via MRT (wish we have this efficient transportation means here in PH! š„).
Here's a photo of me taken near Exit 6 of Ximen Station...
Before Going to Tamsui...
... we had our breakfast first at UDE Cafe Bistro.
What to do in Tamsui
When we got off at Tamsui Station, we had a few things in mind — go on a food trip at Tamsui Old Street & stroll along Tamsui River. We went there on a Sunday and didn't quite expect this place to be super busy and crowded. I dunno, maybe it's Sunday, family day? š
TBH, I don't like too crowded & noisy places, but for food trip's sake, we still pushed through. Minus the big crowd & noise, it would have been a good place to chill around.
I saw this signboard when we got out of Tamsui Station. So aside from Tamsui Old Street and Tamsui River, we decided to include Tamsui Presbyterian Church, Tamsui's Fisherman's Wharf and Tamsui Lover's Bridge in our itinerary.
Tamsui Old Street
I wonder how many "Old Streets" does Taiwan have. We've been to several "Old Streets" in Taiwan — Jiufen Old Street, Shifen Old Street, Wulai Old Street and the most recent one was Tamsui Old Street. With the help of Google Maps, we walked our way from Tamsui Station to Tamsui Old Street.
Tabi, mamamalengke ako! :D
Food trip galore!! It felt like Sunday-Palengke day here at Tamsui Old Street! :D
Tamsui River
Upon reaching the other end of Tamsui Old Street, we saw the Tamsui River. We strolled along the riverside, and took pictures:
Tamsui Presbyterian Church
It was autumn season, and I kind of expected a cooler temperature. But during that time, it was a bit hot in the riverside area. We weren't comfortable anymore with the heat, so after taking few photos, we decided to head back to Tamsui Old Street and look for a cafe/ milk tea place where we could rest and kill time. While looking for a cafe, it lead us to the Tamsui Presbyterian Church.
We saw this fur baby outside Tamsui Church! So cutie! He was the center of attention!
We stayed at Tamsui Church for a while since it was less crowded here compared to the other surrounding areas. An hour before sunset, we made our way to Tamsui Fisherman's Wharf.
Tamsui Fisherman's Wharf and Lover's Bridge
To get there, we went back to Tamsui Station and rode Bus R26. It took us roughly less than 30 minutes to get to the drop-off point.
We were expecting to see the sunset here, but the sky was so hazy!
Love this candid shot by PJ!
The Tamsui Lover's Bridge...
Of course, we wouldn't let this day pass without taking our signature pose!
After having dinner at Tamsui, we headed back to Ximending to rest early since we have an early flight (back to MNL) to catch the next day.
Capped off this day with an impromptu midnight snack with our dear friend! š
I'll be posting my Taiwan itinerary soon. Please watch out for it, guys! For the meantime, you may check out my previous Taiwan/ Taipei Articles below:
- Houtong Cat Village, Taiwan
- Day Trip to Wulai, Taiwan
- Taipei Travel Tips
- 5D4N Taiwan Itinerary and Budget (Our First Time in Taiwan)
Photo Credits: Peter Jan Icogo (@gizguideph / @gutomguide)
