Pingxi Old Street 平溪老街

9/19/2023

Pingxi Old Street has the second largest old street in Pingxi district, and is full of delicious food, souvenirs, and opportunities to light off sky lanterns. From Pingxi station you can walk down to the historic streets in the small town, and take selfies with the train tracks and bridges that cross the two rivers passing through the town. It is definitely a must see stop along the Pingxi Railway.

Planning your trip to Taipei?

Here are some top travel tips for you:

Best time to visit: March-May, and October - November when the temperatures are nice and there is not as much rain
How to get there: Taiwan High Speed Railway and Inter-City Bus
Best places to stay: Yuanshan Grand Hotel or Fu Chang Hotel
Book tours and activities in Taipei on Klook
Stay connected with a local SIM
Rent a car to explore distant sights

Background:
Pingxi station was completed in 1929 to transport coal out of the area. Currently it has an average of 844 passengers per day.
Pingxi is the third busiest stop on the Pingxi Railway after Shifen and Jingtong.
Pingxi is also a popular spot for setting off Sky Lanterns. The practice of lighting off sky lanterns in Taiwan began in Shifen, when during the Qing Dynasty local villagers would flee into the mountains during raids from bandits. Once the bandits had left, the remaining villagers sent sky lanterns into the air to let the fleeing villagers know that it was safe to come down from the mountains.
The people of Pingxi send off sky lanterns as a symbol of peace, and celebrate every year during Lantern Festival (元宵節), a Chinese holiday.
Setting off sky lanterns as a tourist attraction began in the 1990's and you can find people lighting off lanterns every day from Pingxi.
You can also enjoy the mining hamlet feel of the town, which has characteristic sloping streets and bridges, that all have views of the passing trains.

Hours:
24/7

Price:
Free

Tours of Pingxi:
You can book a tour of Pingxi on Klook here, TripAdvisor here, or KKday here.

Activities Around Pingxi:
Don't forget that there are many activities available around Pingxi 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 Pingxi:
We recommend Fullon Hotel which has locations in Tamsui and Fulong near the beach (book on Booking.com here or Agoda 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 or Agoda here).
Looking for a hotel? We recommend booking through Agoda 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 the TRA to Ruifang Station, and then switch to the Pingxi Railway line. Get off at Pingxi Station, and then walk west down the tracks and you have arrived!
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 2 east toward Pinglin, then get off the main highway once you reach Shifen. Then turn right and go west on county road 106 until you reach the Pingxi Village. After that, you can park your scooter on the street, or if you have a car there is a parking lot nearby that charges 100 NT per stay.
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 h ere. 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 Pingxi Old Street about four times. It is definitely worth a stop along the Pingxi Railway. It has tons of food and shopping, and it is the second biggest old street along the railway line.

You can book a tour of Pingxi on Klook here, TripAdvisor here, or KKday here.

If you don't come via train there is also parking on the side of the road, but don't count on a spot if you are driving a car and its a weekend or holiday.

Pingxi village has two rivers that flow right through it.

The main part of the village is on the north side of the river.

The eats pretty much begin from the first shop. Everyone is selling snacks.

Stinky tofu and noodle shops.

Pingxi Story Sausage 平溪故事香腸

The most popular shop I saw on this day was Pingxi Story Sausage (平溪故事香腸).

Some of these people are lined up for the sausage stand on the other side.

The main street goes further up the mountain where the shops slowly disappear.

Post office and further shops down another alley.

Abandoned mining era house down one of the streets.

Guanyinyan Temple 觀音巖

To the northwest of the old street is Guanyinyan Temple, which has some cool WWII era tunnels next to it. The temple was completed in 1949 and is the religious center of Pingxi.

Cave of the Eight Immortals 八仙洞

The cave of the eight immortals was completed in 1983 and features multiple rooms with religious statues and symbols. For a full view of this cave, click here.

WWII Air Raid Shelters 二戰時期防空洞

On the other side of Guanyinyan Temple are some Japanese made air raid shelters. They aren't very big inside, but I guess they were big enough to fit the Japanese soldiers and some villagers.

The wording on the sign is totally illegible. But you can make out the Chinese in this earlier blog.

Map of WWII era relics around Pingxi Village.

Bamboo wishing sticks hung up along the river, another popular activity for tourists.

The busiest part of the street just below the train station.

Part of the street cuts under the railway bridge.

You can walk along the train tracks at your own risk to get to the other side of the village.

Bridge across the river with more snacks.

The main railroad bridge across the river.

The Guabao place on the right is pretty good. It's actually the first place in Taiwan that I had Guabao.

Souvenir shops near the main station.

Crowds of people and sky lantern setting off nearer to the station.

Some people taking photos next to the tracks.

Panorama of Pingxi.

More lantern and clothing shops.

Lantern memorabilia shop.

Hakka and Chinese traditional clothing for sale.

More lantern souvenirs.

View of the main river that passes through the old street.

More lines for sausage near the only 7-11 in town.

Toys and ice cream for sale.

Random stuff and lantern souvenirs.

A lone stinky tofu stand near the beginning of the main street.

Pingxi Crags 平溪六尖：孝子山

Near Pingxi Old Street is the trail to Pingxi Crags, a series of peaks south of Pingxi with some amazing views but somewhat technical hikes and rope climbs. For our full blog on Pingxi Crags, click here.

I hope you have enjoyed this walk with us through Pingxi. It's not the best Old Street but not the worst either. You will be able to find some good food and souvenirs, surrounded by classic Pingxi scenery.

You can book a tour of Pingxi on Klook here, TripAdvisor here, or KKday here.

Don't forget that there are many activities available around Pingxi 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.