Daxi Old Street 大溪老街

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Daxi Old Street is one of the largest and busiest old streets in Taiwan, known for its dried tofu delicacies, and old Taiwan feel. Here one can enjoy delicious food, beautiful scenery, and buy nostalgic Taiwan related souvenirs. This may be the biggest and best old street in Taiwan, so you should definitely stop by here on your next trip to northern Taiwan. 

Background:
The area around Daxi Old Street was originally inhabited by Ayatal Ingenious people. It's original name was Daguxian, which means great water. In about 1818, Han Chinese settlers came to cultivate the area, and used the Dahan River as a means of transporting goods. The Dahan River did not have a problem with silting, which means it remained a major water transportation hub long after other river ports in northern Taiwan. 
During the Japanese Era, the streets were planned out along the old street, with most commercial activity happening on Heping Road 和平路, Zhongshan Road 中山路, Xinnan Street 新南路, and surrounding alleys. During this time, the old street was a major transportation hub for camphor, dried tofu, rice, and tea. 
Currently the old street is one of the largest and best preserved in Taiwan, and is a popular weekend destination due to its proximity to greater Taipei. 

Delicacies:
Local delicacies at Daxi Old Street include peanut brittle and dried tofu. Wood carving shops are also well known here, 
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Hours:
Every Day from about 9 AM to 6 PM, with more shops opening later in the day.

Price:
Free

When to go:
If you go during weekends or holidays, it can get really crowded but that is also the time when most all of the shops and stalls are open. If you want to avoid the crowds you can try going early in the morning when it is not as busy.

Tours:
You can book a tour to Daxi Old Street on TripAdvisor here, Klook here, or KKday here. ​

Hotels near Daxi:
We have stayed at and recommend the Yuanshan Grand Hotel, once the tallest building in Taiwan and still the most grand (book on Booking.com here, Tripadvisor here, or Agoda here). 
We have stayed at and also recommend Fu Chang Hotel in Ximending, which is within walking distance of Ximending shopping district (book on Booking.com here, Tripadvisor here, or Agoda 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 Car/Scooter: Take local highway 116 east to Daxi from Taoyuan by scooter, or National Freeway 3 by car. Then taken provincial highway 3 to the old street. You can park across the river and walk to the old street via the suspension bridge, or try to find limited parking near the old street on the other side of the river. 
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. 
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.  
By Bus: From Taoyuan TRA station, you can take bus 5096 to the old street. You can also book tickets to travel to Shifen 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. â€‹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. 
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Map:
​Please see below:​

Our Journey:

I have been to Daxi Old Street twice, and I think it may be the best old street in Taiwan. It has very well preserved Japanese Era buildings and the area is huge. Also there are tons of shops and things to eat here, and you could spend the entire day wandering the streets here. It is definitely an old street made for tourists. 

You can book a tour to Daxi Old Street on TripAdvisor here, Klook here, or KKday here. ​

Check out our drone video above for an overview of the area.

Or check out the 360 degree spherical panorama above

Right at the front of Heping Road, the main road that makes up Daxi Old Street, there is an overpass bridge that I think is perhaps one of the most beautiful pedestrian overpass bridges in Taiwan.
Even though there is more parking on the other side of the river near the Daxi Suspension Bridge, I still parked in town both times lucking out on finding a parking spot. 

You can see more photos of the bridge above. 

Heping Road is one of the most beatiful streets in Taiwan. Basically every building is in its poriginal state or has been renovated to look as it did in the past. More photos can be seen above. 

Just off of Heping Road is a small alley called Zhongyang Road. Here it can get super crowded and there are a ton of vendors. 

Red Bean Cakes 紅豆餅 sold on the side of the road, one of the most popular stands here. We had to wait in line for a few mintues. 

Elementary school in the middle of the old street. 

Further out on Zhongzheng Road there are less people but still tons of historcial buildings. 

Above you can see more historical buildings along Zhongzheng Road and Zhongshan Road, also known as Xinnan Old Street.

There are also tons of dried tofu shops around, which is the main delicacy here. 

People lining up at Laoabo Dried Tofu 老啊伯豆乾, perhaps the most popular shop on the old street. 

Dried tofu selections here. 

The dried tofu here was delicious, and tasted just like sausage. 

There are also a lot of ice places around. This one had along line running out of it.

So we went to the one across the street which has not one in it, for the same thing. 

A delicious bowl of jellied tofu or Douhua 豆花. 

Also on Zhongzheng Road there are a few traditional Japnese wodden houses, some have been restored and some are sitting in ruin. 

Above are some views of the river side park, 

Also from the riverside park you can get some great views of Daxi Suspension Bridge, and the sunset. 

From the suspension bridge, you can turn left on to Puji Road, which may have the most food stalls of any street in the old street district. 

Amazing fried stinky tofu 臭豆腐.

Soft serve 雪淇淋.

Furen Temple 福仁宮 is the main temple on the old street. It was built in1813 and is dedicated to the Tan Gaon-kong general. 

Pie shop. 

  View of a napoleon pie  拿破侖派 sold here. 

Gluttonous rice pudding (wanguo 腕果, eaten with braised pork).

Above you can see the many old residences and shops on Heping Road. 

Above, more shops on heping road. 

View of the busiest part of Heping Road. 

Soft peanut candy 花生軟糖 in the making. 

Above is a video of the peanut candy making process, which captivated everyone on the old street. 

Above you can see more shops on Heping Road at dusk.

Above are last views of the old street as we were leaving. 

You can book a tour to Daxi Old Street on TripAdvisor here, Klook here, or KKday here. ​

​Thanks for reading and be sure to check out more of out blogs on Taiwan's old streets to come. 

Don't forget that there are many activities available in northern Taiwan such as Wakeboarding, Surfing, Speedboat Surfing, SUP / Paddle Boarding, Diving, Snorkeling Kayaking, Canoeing, Water Biking,  River Tracing / Canyoneering, ATVing, Horse Riding, Archery, Tree Climbing, Glamping, Motorcycling, Motorbike Tour, Dragon Boat Racing, Shen'ao Rail Bike, and more on Tripadvisor here, Klook here, or KKday here. 

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

Check out our guide to Taoyuan 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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