Excursão de um dia a Taipei, Jiufen e Houtong

Auntie May was very lovely and energetic! Definitely part of why I enjoyed this tour. The cat village is a highlight of this holiday for me, but I do hope they get more visitors to support their residents, both humans and cats alike.

I am really glad I chose this tour over the other Jiufen Shifen tours. The places we went were perfect and there was enough time to relax, get tea and food and pet the cats at cat village. Kate was also an awesome guide. She communicated well in both Mandarin and English to accommodate guests from all countries. My family was from U.S. and somebody else was from the Philippines so even though most people can understand Mandarin, she still accommodated the people that couldn’t understand. She also gave clear instructions on return time so there were no issues at each site. Overall it’s a very pleasant tour.

Shifen Waterfalls: Try going to the other side to get the best views. The tour has enough time here, so make sure you really soak in the beauty of the falls, not just take photos. Shifen Lanterns: We’re happy with the store where we bought our lanterns. Richard (guide) also helped us buy peanut ice cream roll and chicken leg. We even got a $5 discount at the tea shop for our drinks. Cat Village: Super relaxing place. The cats are so fat and there are so many! The view is also really nice. Definitely one of our happy places since we’re a cat-loving family. Jiufen: Magical. Best to book the NIGHT JIUFEN, you arrive before night and get to see the lanterns light up. It’s crowded, but just be patient. Guide Richard: I like how he shared so much information about Taiwan, not just about the the places on the list. He made the trip fun, gave helpful tips, and kept everything organized. We received timely updates, and we never felt rushed. Thank u for writing on my pad! (Just keep walking)

I had an amazing experience exploring Shifen and Jiufen with Evelyn as our guide. She is incredibly energetic, fun, and engaging, which made the whole trip feel lively and enjoyable from start to finish. Evelyn is also very knowledgeable, she shared fascinating insights about the local culture, history, and especially the food, pointing out what to try and where to find the best bites. Her explanations were always clear and easy to follow, making everything more meaningful and memorable. On top of that, her organization and time management were excellent. Everything flowed smoothly, and we never felt rushed or confused at any point. Highly recommend Evelyn if you’re looking for a guide who is informative, well-organized, and genuinely fun to travel with!

Our guide was Roben. We started at Taipei Main Station and took the bus for an hour to Shifen Waterfall and then Shifen town were many people were doing the sky lanterns. There were many food stalls here with lots of nice things to try like small sausage in big sausage, rice stuffed in chicken, and peanut ice cream rolls. We took the train to Houtang Cat Village. We had 90 minutes here which was maybe 30 minutes too long as it wasn’t a big place. Finally, we went to Jiufen which also had lots of food places and souvenir shops. I went to the teahouse first and then wandered through the streets. We were dropped off back at the main station at 5pm. Roben gave some recommendations for each place and was very pleasant.

May is very knowledgeable and an amazing tour guide! The tour is just a few people. It was a fun tour and we ended our day in the tea house. My favorite part is the Houtong Cat Village as there are a bunch of cute cats lingering around.

Our tour guide, Iris Lien, was very friendly and engaging, and kept up the good spirit despite heavy rain! Shifen Old Street felt a little stressful due to the crowds and the lantern ritual, but overall it was a well-planned tour :) My personal highlight was the Cat Village.

Some tour members were always late, making us wait at every station. However, Evelyn, our guide, handled the situation very well. If you have limited time and want to visit all the attractions, I recommend purchasing the tour. The allocated time is perfect for a group of friends no larger than 4 people, especially if you take turns taking photos. We went in mid-December, and the weather was excellent, quite cold actually. The Cat Village had many chubby cats; I loved this place the most! 😆

It was a super fun and enjoyable experience and I felt taken care of every step of the way under the guidance of Tony. I highly recommend taking the Shifen > Houtong > Night Jiufen tour if you wanted to check out these iconic places but worry about navigating to them on your own. Besides taking you around, Tony will also provide great recommendations at all of the stops.

We had a wonderful experience with Evelyn. She was very knowledgeable and passionate, sharing detailed insights and interesting stories that brought every place to life. Evelyn’s bubbly personality, clear explanations, and thoughtful guidance made the entire tour smooth and enjoyable. Would have been better if we were given a bit more time to explore Shifen and Cat Village but we understand the time crunch. Overall, had a great time and would definitely recommend! 😊