Taipei Half-Day Private Tour: Jiufen & Shifen with Lantern

this tour was worth every penny. depending on what time you book your tour, they will cater it to fit your day. We recommend booking the private tour because you’re able to also customize it how you want and their private tours are in English. Stephen was our tour guide. he was patient when we were slower and had a lot of knowledge that he shared with us about each site. He also had great recommendations and never let us forget any of our items. We recommend this tour for anyone who wants to see the northern part of Taiwan, but doesn’t want to be stressed with how to get there and what to do.

Sean is a very pleasant guide and driver. We were not rushed for time or pressured to sightsee. Although the weather was bad and Jiufen became very crowded, we were able to complete the itinerary as stated.

Mr. Caleb was our tourguide/driver for the day. Got to ride a Toyota Granvia with Captain’s chair! Very comfy and best for post-tour naps. Since this is a private tour, we can pick with destination to go to/ skip. Shifen Old Street - Sky Lantern and souvenir buying (2 pcs of lantern were included in this tour); Lucky that we reach this area early= not crowded yet. Love the embroidered cat key chains! Jiufen old Street - Lunch break and souvenir shopping Mr. Caleb also directed us to the less travelled pathways and ordered for our lunch (braised pork) Also, bought pineapple cakes, mango jellies and nougat! Mr. Caleb was kind enough to pick then up and put them in the van so we wont have to carry it with us. Also suggested the photo stops and took the photos while giving a brief history of the place. Esp the secret spot on Jiufen area. At the end of the day, he dropped us at our pickup point, fresh from our nap inside our comfy van. l

Super fun half-day tour! We started early and avoided the crowds — perfect! First stop was Shifen Waterfall — peaceful, scenic, and a great way to start the day. Then we headed to Pingxi to release sky lanterns. Such a meaningful and fun experience! Got great photos too thanks to our awesome guide Mr. Steven Huang 🙌 Last stop was Jiufen, a charming old town with amazing street food (highly recommend the taro balls and fishballs!). The views were stunning and the vibe felt like a real-life Spirited Away. Huge thanks to Mr. Steven — super friendly, informative, and made everything smooth and fun. If you’re thinking about booking this, do it! And ask for Steven if you can — 10/10 experience 💯

highly recommend this tour, specifically for the exceptional service provided by Chai Chai. She was the epitome of professionalism and remained incredibly patient and accommodating to our requests all day. Her warm personality made the tour feel special. Thank you, Chai Chai, for a memorable experience

Shann is such a warm personality and highly motivated guide (recommendable!). I truly enjoyed walking the half day of our tour of us through the area. The scenery was beautiful ...

We had an incredible day exploring the outskirts of Taipei! Roger was fantastic—friendly, professional, and spoke excellent English. He shared so much fascinating history about Jiufen and the Ying Yang Sea area that we never would have learned on our own. From the magical Shifen sky lanterns and the powerful Shifen Waterfall to the unique colors of the Golden Waterfall and Yin Yang Sea, everything was perfectly paced. If you want a guide who is knowledgeable and easy to talk to, look no further!

Had a wonderful time during this private tour! The stops were not too much far apart and well planned. I booked a tour for my sister and I. Our guide, Vincent, was the best! He messaged me the morning of our trip and was very accommodating for special requests for pickup. He arrived at the hotel lobby right on time. Very courteous and professional. He gave really helpful tips when shopping at Jiufen and brought us to be best shops for the items we were looking for, and the best spots for taking photos. All the photos and videos he took were amazing! He even carried our shopping bags while walking around Jiufen. Our guide definitely made the trip hassle-free and enjoyable. If it’s your first time to visit Taipei and you don’t want to worry about figuring out transpo, I would highly recommend booking this tour. Totally worth it!

I am submitting a 5 star review so as to not hurt the reputation this tour and operator. However, there were certain glaring communication issues between Alex and us e.g. (mistaking "restaurant" for "restroom" causing us to unnecessarily walk 10 minutes in the pouring Jiufen rain). Also not being clear in instructions of the meeting point (meet at the "barbeque restaurant", whereas Alex meant another restaurant at the entrance to Shifen waterfall (this wasted 15mins of everyone's time). Because of the blunders, we arrived at Taipei 2 hours late at 6pm, to which he asked for extra payment of 2 hours. I am fine with paying but this could have been communicated earlier on his part as "Ground rules" instead of springing the surprise on us when we returned to the Hotel Lobby. In summary, Alex is a nice guy and his intentions are good but his superfluous nature means his "help" may lead to extra chaos and poor planning on the trip.

even if the weather wasn't too cooperative, our guide Xiao hei was very enthusiastic and very fun to be around. he didn't let the weather dampen our trip. not to mention, he was also a very safe driver given that the roads were twisty. it was a jam packed 6 hours. would recommend this private tour!