Ruifang Old Street 瑞芳老街

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Ruifang Old Street is a long old street extending out of Ruifang Train Station. Ruifang Station sits on the terminus to the Pingxi Railway, and provides direct bus service to Jiufen and Jinguashi, making it a must stop (literally) destination for tourists travelling to nearby tourist destinations. 
The food on Ruifang Old Street is plentiful and delicious, and you will not regret a brief pit stop here. 

Background:
During the Qing Dynasty (before there was a railroad), the Keelung River was the main means of transport from Ruifang to Taipei and the rest of Taiwan. Later, gold and copper mines were founded in Ruifang and the surrounding areas of Jiufen and Jinguashi, and the railroad was finished in 1924 during the Japanese occupation, connecting Taipei to Eastern Taiwan. A Railway line was also made into Pingxi to connect to more mining operations.
Markets and stalls on Ruifang Old Street probably started with the completion of Ruifang Train Station on the Yilan line in 1924. 

Hours:
All day until about 9 PM, but some stalls will be open later than that. 

Tours and Activities Around Ruifang:
Don't forget that there are many activities available around Ruifang such as Rock Climbing, Hiking, kayaking, canoeing, snorkeling, SUP / paddle boarding, water biking, Diving, River Tracing / Canyoneering, ATVing, Horse Riding, Cooking Class, photo shoot, Jingtong Sky Lantern Police Station, Shifen Sky Lantern Experience, Waterfall Zipline, Waterfall Diving, and more on Tripadvisor here, Klook here, or KKday here. 

Hotels Near Ruifang:
We recommend Fullon Hotel which has locations in Tamsui and Fulong near the beach (book on Booking.com here, Tripadvisor here, Agoda here, or Hotels.com here). 
We have stayed at and recommend ​Gold Mountain Ranch, which is a horse ranch and glamping destination in Jinshan. ​You can book a night at Gold Mountain Ranch on Klook here.  You can also check out our full blog on the ranch here. 
We have also stayed at and recommend Hai Xia Your Home which is right in front of Fulong Beach (book on Booking.com here, Tripadvisor here, Agoda here, or Hotels.com here). 
Looking for a hotel? We recommend booking through Booking.com here, which provides the best quality selection of accommodation in Taiwan.
Find out where to stay in our Taiwan hotels guide or search for the best hotel deals in Taiwan here.

How to get there:
By Train: Take TRA to Ruifang Station. Book tickets via the normal train (TRA)  on Klook here. You can purchase a discount easy card to use on Pingxi Railway Line on Klook here or KKday here. ​You can also book a travel pass on Klook here. 
By Car/Scooter: Take provincial highway 5 out of Taipei, then turn right onto Provincial Highway 2 after Qidu (七堵）until you reach Ruifang. 
If you are looking for car rentals, you can also search Qeeq here, Klook here, or  KKday here. You can also check out our car rental guide here.  
Looking for scooter rental in Taipei? You can search on Klook here or KKday here to search for options. You can also check out our scooter rental guide here. 
By Taxi: You can take short rides for about 150 NT, or hire a Taxi for a day for around 150 USD on Klook here.
By Bus: You can also book tickets to travel to Pingxi via inter-city bus on Klook here. You can also book a Taipei Sightseeing: Hop On, Hop Off Open Top Bus on TripAdvisor here. 
By Bicycle: Cycling is the best way to enjoy Taiwan's landscapes if you have the time and energy. Looking for bicycle rentals in Taiwan? You can use Taiwan's many Youbike sharing stations, or search for rentals on KKday here, and search for tours on Klook here. You can also check out our Taiwan cycling guide here. You can also book a Sunset Riverside Bike Ride and Historical Tour, 4 Hour Cycling in Taipei, Ultimate 8-Hour Cycling City Tour, or Taipei City Bike Tour with Night Market Experience on TripAdvisor here. 
For more information, check out our Taiwan transportation guide here. 

Map:
Please see below:

Our Journey:

I have been to Ruifang Old Street twice, once by train and once by scooter. The scooter trip took me through the mountains between Shifen and Houtong (seen above) and it was beautiful. 

Passing by, I also found that much of Ruifang is also a large industrial district. Who knew?

The old street starts at the back of Ruifang Train Station. 

A map and explanation of some historical buildings and the history of Ruifang in Chinese. 

One of the many restored period shops dating back to the early 1900s, during the Japanese occupation of Taiwan. At that time, Ruifang was an important stopping point and shipping location from gold mines and coal mines in the area. 

Beef noodle soup shop. 

A very old and unrestored house, now used as scooter parking. 

View down an alleyway on the old street. 

A taxi driver about to buy some fried chicken from a roadside stall. 

Old-style noodle shop. 

Another noodle shop right next door. 

Even though the actual old street is at the back side of the train station, the best food I think is on the front side. 

From what I saw there is actually a higher concentration of food stalls on the front side of the station. 

Tea, crepes, and sandwiches being sold on the side of the road. 

The Taiwanese staple, stinky tofu.

Taiwan's #1 most flavorful fried chicken: Zhfa (炸發).

People lining up for Longfengtui （龍鳳腿), apparently 3 generations have sold their delicious sausages. 

The best part of Ruifang Old Street in my opinion is the Food Court (美食廣場） at the very end of the street. 

Right at the door is a great steamed bun place, that sells them for 45 NT, 5 NT cheaper than those at Raohe Street.  

I tried to take a photo but it was already down my throat before I could think about it. 

A view of the many stalls in the food court. 

Fried chicken and drink stalls in the food court. 

A help yourself buffet Zizhucan inside the food court, named Lien Chuang (連莊). You add whatever meat and vegetables you want, and they charge you by the pound. 

We eneded up eating at the Zizhucan which was Delicious. 

Also, a Canadian man runs a pizza shop in there called Maple Leaf Bistro （楓葉屋), but I did not see him on that day.

Apart from the old street, Ruifang has a nice riverfront (the Keelung River runs right through the town), but that's about it as far as I could see.

Abandoned house being taken over by nature near the old street. 

​There are a number of good hikes around Ruifang, such as Wufenshan (五分山) as seen above. For our full blog on Wufenshan, clickhere.

Don't forget that there are many activities available around Ruifang such as Rock Climbing, Hiking, kayaking, canoeing, snorkeling, SUP / paddle boarding, water biking, Diving, River Tracing / Canyoneering, ATVing, Horse Riding, Cooking Class, photo shoot, Jingtong Sky Lantern Police Station, Shifen Sky Lantern Experience, Waterfall Zipline, Waterfall Diving, and more on Tripadvisor here, Klook here, or KKday here. 

Thanks for reading! For our full guide to the Pingxi Railway, click here. 

Check out our guide to Taipei’s Old Streets here. 

​Check out our guide to the best day trips from Taipei here. 

Check out our full guide to Taiwan’s Northern Coast here.

Also be sure to check out our guide to Taipei here. 

You can also check out our full travel guide to Taiwan here. 

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