Taipei to Jiufen 2026: Bus 965, Bus 1062 or Train via Ruifang

Taipei to Jiufen: choose your departure point before choosing a bus

For a Jiufen trip in 2026, the easiest route usually follows where you are staying. Bus 965 makes sense around Ximen and Beimen, while bus 1062 is convenient from Zhongxiao Fuxing in eastern Taipei. Both reach Jiufen Old Street without a transfer. From Taipei Main Station, a TRA train to Ruifang followed by a local bus or taxi is another practical option.

Jiufen has no railway or MRT station. A ticket to Ruifang gets you to the transfer town below Jiufen, not to the old street. The final uphill leg, the walk through the village and the journey home deserve as much attention as the first departure.

Which route fits your day?

The 1062 fare matrix distinguishes Jiufen Old Street from the route terminus. This matters when comparing travel guides: a full-route price is not necessarily your fare. For total journey time, add your hotel-to-stop walk, the wait to board and the final village walk to the operator’s journey information.

How much time should you set aside?

Set aside roughly two hours each way for the complete Taipei–Jiufen journey, including reaching the stop, queuing and walking into the village. That is a planning allowance, not a fixed bus running time; busy weekends need more room. New Taipei tourism gives about 90 minutes in clear traffic for 965 from the city to its Jinguashi terminus. Jiufen is an intermediate stop, so that figure is a useful reference rather than a hotel-to-teahouse promise.

The full six-section 965 cash adult fare is NT$90, a useful ceiling for that route. For a rail-and-bus trip, 1062 costs NT$25 from District Square in Ruifang to Jiufen Old Street, in addition to your train ticket.

Taking 965 from Ximen

The New Taipei transport department’s boarding diagram directs passengers out of Ximen MRT Exit 2, continuing straight for about 160 metres to the MRT Ximen bus stop. Check for 965 toward Jinguashi, with Jiufen Old Street listed along the way. A stop on the other side of the road may serve the opposite direction.

Beimen is another stop on 965, useful for some hotels west of Taipei Main Station. It is a separate boarding point, so do not wait at a random bus bay outside the main railway station. Compare your actual walk to Beimen with the convenience of entering the TRA station instead.

The 965 service page includes specific reservable departures and eligible boarding stops. A reservation system does not mean every bus or every stop accepts reservations. In particular, check the return boarding choices rather than assuming you can reserve from Jiufen Old Street.

Taking 1062 from Zhongxiao Fuxing

At Zhongxiao Fuxing MRT, the diagram shows Exit 2, a right turn and roughly 45 metres to the bus stop. Look for bus 1062 toward Jinguashi. Stay on until Jiufen Old Street, written 九份老街; do not stay aboard to the final stop unless you are continuing beyond Jiufen.

Boarding at the Taipei end can be easier to understand than finding an intermediate stop, but it cannot guarantee immediate boarding or a seat. The 1062 route page provides the stop sequence, current bus positions, fare lookup and reservation information. Check your travel date and direction before relying on a timetable.

Using the train: Taipei → Ruifang → Jiufen

1. Search your departure station to Ruifang in the TRA timetable and fare system. TRA is Taiwan’s conventional railway, a different network from Taipei MRT and Taiwan High Speed Rail.
2. Choose a train that actually stops at Ruifang. Follow the station’s departure display for the platform; do not infer it from an old guide.
3. At Ruifang, leave toward the town/front side. The Jiufen directions say to turn left and walk about 250 metres to District Square, 區民廣場.
4. At District Square, check the uphill direction to Jiufen or Jinguashi. The guide lists several routes including 788, 825, 827, 856, 965 and 1062, but service days and departures vary.
5. Get off at Jiufen Old Street. For a particular guesthouse, follow its arrival directions rather than assuming the old-street stop is the closest accessible entrance.

A taxi from Ruifang station is a useful alternative when you would rather avoid another queue. Confirm the destination, vehicle capacity and fare arrangement before setting off. A taxi cannot necessarily reach the door of accommodation inside narrow hillside lanes.

Luggage and accessibility: the bus is only part of the journey

Jiufen is an awkward place to wheel a large suitcase. Streets can be crowded, and many routes to teahouses and guesthouses involve slopes or stairs. For a day trip, leaving large bags with your Taipei accommodation is generally the simplest plan. For an overnight stay, ask your guesthouse which road vehicles can reach and whether luggage assistance is available.

For wheelchair travel, verify both the bus service and the path after alighting. The 965 page limits accessible boarding to named stops and excludes eastbound Jiufen Police Station for that service. Do not treat a stop’s accessibility as proof that the whole village is step-free. The operator can confirm vehicle arrangements before you travel.

Getting back after the lanterns come on

Find your return stop while it is still light. Check for the Taipei or Banqiao direction, rather than a bus continuing uphill toward Jinguashi. Do not assume the place you got off is also where you board to go home.

If a direct-bus queue is long, compare a bus down to Ruifang followed by a train. This is an alternative, not a guaranteed shortcut: you still need space on the downhill bus and a suitable onward rail departure. Check the final connection from Taipei station to your hotel too.

Most importantly, a route’s published last departure from its terminus is not the time it passes Jiufen. Look at the correct direction and stop-level information. Avoid planning around the last possible connection; a full bus can invalidate an otherwise tidy itinerary.

When a guided day tour is worth comparing

Independent travel works well when Jiufen is your main destination and you want control over dinner or teahouse time. A day tour can be more practical when you also want Shifen and Yehliu, because these are separate places with additional transfers between them.

The links below are organized day tours with transport, not tickets for public buses 965 or 1062. Match the selected package to the places you want: the Klook product offers several different itineraries. Check meeting instructions, tour language, return point and whether admission, lantern activities or traffic-control shuttles cost extra. Do not infer hotel pickup solely from a product title when the package says to meet at a meeting point.

Availability, price and cancellation terms depend on your selected package and date.

If you also want Shifen Waterfall, use our Taipei–Shifen transport guide to plan the daylight part of the trip before an afternoon in Jiufen. Adding Yehliu Geopark means a separate coastal leg, so allow for that journey too.

Frequently asked questions

1. Should I choose 965 or 1062?

Choose around your accommodation and the current departure options. Ximen and Beimen suit 965; Zhongxiao Fuxing suits 1062. Neither avoids road congestion.

2. Where do I change buses at Ruifang?

For the uphill journey, the directions use District Square, about 250 metres left from the town-side station exit. Do not automatically use the first stop outside the station.

3. Will a tour include every attraction in its headline?

Not necessarily. Products may group multiple itineraries on one page. Read your chosen package for the actual stops, meeting point and inclusions before paying.

Checks before you leave

Use New Taipei’s Ruifang transport information, the linked 965 and 1062 operator pages and the TRA journey planner for current services. Diagrams are linked for reference; temporary on-site stop notices take precedence.