If you’re visiting Taiwan, a trip to Shifen is likely on your “to do” list. The Shifen Waterfall and Shifen Old Street are two immensely popular tourist destination for good reason. They are certainly unique sights.

With that being said, it’s a little out of the way from Taipei and making the trip can take some time if using public transportation and require switching trains (if that’s the chosen mode of transportation) which can be a little confusing if you’re not too familiar with the trains in Taiwan.

So is it worth the hassle?

Shifen Old Street

If you take the train from Taipei to Shifen it will drop you off right on Shifen Old Street. You just have to exit and walk out of the train and down along the train tracks. It’s that easy!

Here you’ll find both sides of the train tracks lined with various shops and places to eat. It’s a cool little area and trains literally will run down the middle every once in a while which is pretty neat to see. It’s not a super big street by any means, but there’s a certain charm to it.

Shifen Old Street is the very famous area where you can purchase a sky lantern and release it into the sky. You’ve probably seen this on videos about Shifen or popular things to do while in Taiwan.

You can purchase a sky lantern and draw / write whatever you please on it’s sides. Once you’re all set, the lantern gets lit and then released and you can watch it soar up into the sky. It’s certainly an experience that people really enjoy.

Shifen Old Street is a little touristy as you might expect, but it’s a fun little street to walk down and check out the various shops and decorate / release a sky lantern as well!

Shifen Waterfall

Adjacent to the Shifen’s Old Street is the Shifen Waterfall, which is located on the upper reaches of the Keelung River. It’s about a 30-minute walk from Old Street, depending how fast of a walker you are.

It’s a nice little walk, not very strenous at all, which starts as soon as Old Street ends which leads you to the highway. You walk along the highway (you’ll see a ton of people making the trip so you can follow the crowd but there’s also maps / signs to guide you) and then hit the Visitor Center which has restrooms, if needed. From there you’ll walk across your first suspension bridge and continue up the river trail, walk up some stairs and then cross another suspension bridge.

From there you’ll walk past a small Buddhist shrine that has several horse statues in front of it. Directly next to the shrine run are some tourist stalls that are selling souvenirs and food.

Once you walk past this short row of shops you’ll be at the waterfall. Whew!

Shifen Waterfall is about 66 feet high and 130 feet wide and is certainly a beautiful sight to behold.

Once you get to the waterfall area, you’ll get to view it from multiple platforms at different levels where you can snap some pictures and enjoy the scenery of the waterfall and surrounding wilderness. It’s quite nice, even when raining!

There will definitely be crowds. This is one of the most popular tourist destinations, so be prepared for crowds. Even though it was a little drizzly there was still a decent number of people viewing the waterfall.

Is Visiting Shifen Worth The Effort?

Shifen is one the most popular tourist destinations in Taiwan. It’s a great opportunity to get out of Taipei, experience some nature and see a quaint little street full of shops and sky lanterns floating up to the sky. The waterfall is definitely quite a sight to see and admire and just enjoy the moment. The walk is scenic and isn’t difficult to do. Overall, you can spend a few hours here and it’s certainly worth the trek!