u/FluidPercentage367

I’m planning a half-day northeast coast trip from Taipei and wondering if this route sounds realistic without renting a car.

I know there are many Jiufen/Shifen/Jinguashi tours, but I’d rather explore slowly on my own and enjoy the coastal scenery by local train/bus.

Current plan:
- Around 1:30 PM: TRA train from Taipei Main or Songshan → Keelung
- Transfer to Bus 791 toward Fulong
- Stop at Shen Ao Power Plant for Elephant Trunk Rock/Shen’ao coast (or skip this part)
- Take 791 again and stop around Yinyang Sea
- Then either taxi/Uber or bus 177 sightseeing bus to Jiufen
- Explore Jiufen
- Leave before peak crowds (~6:30 PM)
- Bus 1062 or train to Raohe Night Market

A few questions:

⁠Anyone followed similar route?
⁠Is it easy to get a taxi/Uber around Yinyang Sea?
⁠Is the coastal route actually scenic/worth it?

Hello all,

First time posting on Reddit!

I’m traveling to Taiwan in the second week of September 2026 and I’m really excited about it.

Since I’m coming all the way from the US, I want to see and experience as much as I can. However, some tourist spots seem a bit difficult to reach using only public transportation.

I’m planning a half-day northeast coast trip from Taipei and wanted to ask if this route sounds realistic.

I know there are many popular Jiufen/Shifen/Jinguashi day bus tours, but I’d rather explore slowly on my own and enjoy the coastal scenery by local train and bus instead of joining a packaged tour.

Current plan:

Stop at Shen Ao Power Plant (深澳發電廠) for Elephant Trunk Rock/Shen’ao coast area or stop at Yinyang Sea (陰陽海).

Then either:
taxi/Uber to Jiufen or take the 177 Ruifang sightseeing bus if timing works. 177 bus appears to be available from yinyang sea.
Explore Jiufen & Leave before peak crowds (~6:30 PM)
Take Bus 1062 to Raohe Night Market & end the night.

Main reason I want to do this route is because I want to ride along the coastline in the afternoon and enjoy the ocean views from the bus.

A few questions:

Is it easy to get a taxi/Uber around Yinyang Sea or Elephant Trunk Rock?

Is bus 791 generally reliable?

Has anyone here taken the 791 or 177 bus? Wonder how it is.

What would you recommend to do if this isn’t realistic. Maybe explore Keelung and go straight to Jiufen?

177 sightseeing bus info:
177 Ruifang sightseeing bus info

Any info helps! Thank you very much 💗

Taipei → Keelung → 791 bus to Jiufen