Tamsui Old Street 淡水老街

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Tamsui Old Street (aka Danshui Old Street or Tamshui Old Street) is a street in Tamsui District of New Taipei famous for its delicious food and historical atmosphere. It is one of the most popular and well known old streets in all of Taiwan. Some local delicacies here include A-gei, iron eggs, fried squid, and other seafood. ​

Planning your trip to Taipei?

Here are some top travel tips for you:

• Best time to visit: April to November when the temperatures are nice and the water is warm
• How to get there: Taiwan High Speed Railway and Inter-City Bus
• Best places to stay: Fullon Hotel or Hai Xia Your Home
• Book tours and activities in Taipei on Klook
• Stay connected with a local SIM
• Rent a car to explore distant sights

Background:
Tamsui Old Street developed alongside the Tamsui Harbor, which was opened in 1860 during the Qing Dynasty as part of the Treaty of Tientsin which ended the Second Opium War. It was one of only eight ports in the entire Qing empire that was open to trade with the west. As a result, it became a focal point for trade in Taiwan. It was also the western terminus of the Danlan Old Trail, which was a network of roads and trails that sent tea and other goods from Yilan to Tamsui. It remained an important port until it started to silt in during the 1900s, and after the construction of Keelung Harbor. 
There are also a number of important historical buildings near Tamsui Old Street such as Fort San Domingo, Hobe Fort, and others. 
Tamsui Old Street has always existed next to the old harbor, and recently there have been projects from the local government to improve tourism, such as widening roads and making a riverside walkway. 
With the completion of the Red Line MRT with its terminus in 1997 right at the edge of the old street, Tamsui became an extremely popular destination for residents in greater Taipei and remains to be so today. 

Hours:
Every day 11 AM - 8 PM.

Price:
Free

Tours:
You can book a tour of Tamsui on KKday here or Klook here.
You can book a tour to Taiwan's North Coast on  KKday here or Klook here.

Activities:
There are many activities available around Tamsui such as, SUPing, Sand Bar Digging, Lover's Tower, Sailing, Yachting, and more on KKday here or Klook here.

Hotels in Tamsui:
We have stayed at and recommend Fullon Hotel which has locations in Tamsui and Fulong near the beach (book on Booking.com here, Tripadvisor here, Agoda here, Klook here, Trip.com, Kayak here, or Hotels.com here). 
We have also 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, Agoda here, Trip.com here, or Kayak 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 provincial highway 2 north from Taipei until you reach Tamsui. The old street is near the Tamsui MRT station. Parking can be hard to find, but there should be plentiful parking at Tamsui Elementary School and other places further away. Looking for scooter rental in Tamsui? You can search on KKday here or Klook 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 KKday here or Klook here. You can also check out our car rental guide here.  
By MRT: Take the red line MRT north to Tamsui station and you have arrived. You can purchase a discount easy card to use on the MRT from KKday here or Klook here. ​You can also book an MRT travel pass on KKday here or Klook 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 KKday here or Klook here.. You can also check out our Taiwan cycling guide here. ​

Map:
Please see below:

Our Journey:

I have been to Tamsui Old street probably half a dozen times. I have taken a scooter, car, and the MRT. The MRT or scooter is the most convenient way to get there, because parking is not an issue. With a car, there is such limited parking around the old street that you likely end up having to walk very far to get there. This time, we walked from Tamsui Elementary school which has a trippy concrete park behind it. 

Tamsui Old Street actually consists of about 3 or four streets sprouting out near Tamsui MRT Station. The actual street names are Huanhe Road, Gongming Street, and Zhongzheng Road. So you could technically argue that the street does not exist. But I think a good definition is all the streets that are closed to car traffic at night. 

At the intersection between Gongming Street and Zhongzheng Street, the crowds get bigger and bigger. 

There is still traffic on Zhongzheng Street, but crowds of people line either side, as there are lots of places to snack here. 

Takoyaki Octopus Balls (章魚燒 Zhangyushao)

Some Takoyaki Octopus Balls (章魚燒 Zhangyushao), a popular treat on the old street. This is a very popular Japanese street food you can find all over Taiwan. Here at Tamsui Old Street, seafood is king. 

Bag and Luggage Shops 背包及行李店

On Gongming Street, you will find one after another of cheap bag and luggage shops. Many of the full size backpacks here sell for just 100 NT (3 USD). I have never seen cheaper bags sold in Taiwan. Ofcourse I bought one. 
Are these good quality bags? Probably not. But if you are a poor person with limited budget, these cheap knock off bags straight from factories in China can be a dream come true. 

Another view of Gongming Street. 

More bags on sale. 

A-gei 阿給

A-gei is the most definitive Tamsui delicacy. Lot's of shops around here sell it. 

What is A-gei? It is glass noodles wrapped in Tofu, as you can see above. It's pretty good. The tofu texture goes great with the noodles. Many sell for under 40 NT. 
Even though it is just noodles and tofu, it's prepared in a special way with fish oil and sweet and spicy sauce that makes it a truly unique Tamsui treat. 

But don't stop with A-gei. There are tons of other good foods you can try out.

Iron Eggs 鐵蛋

Iron eggs are also a delicacy that originate from Tamsui. Apparently they were made by accident by a local woman selling braised eggs, who reheated them too many times, making them dry out. They turned out to be a hit. Iron eggs today are made by soaking them in spices and then air drying them. You can find iron egg shops all over town. 

All kinds of dried seafood are also popular here. 

Red bean cakes on display. 

There is also a "Museum of Wonders" (搜奇博物案) on the old street, which looked like it had some weird stuff, but we did not go inside. 

Taro Ice Cream 芋頭冰淇淋

Whenever I come to Tamsui I always get the Taro soft serve ice cream. It's really good, and only 20 NT. They have two machines near the riverside. 

A view at the beginning of Gongming Street in front of the MRT station. 

People sitting around the park in front of the MRT station. 

More crowds of people along the riverside park. 

Crowds of people hanging out near the entrance to the old street. 

Baked Squid 烤魷魚

There are alot of baked and fried squid stands along the old street. A cheap one will cost you about 80 NT. You can eat the squid whole, or they can cut it up for you. 

Nothing like chewy squid meat smoke cooked with savory sauce.

Fried squid and various other fried fish. 

View along the riverside street. 

Shrimp rolls, a tea stand, and a small temple.

More fried squid.

Massage Shops 按摩店

There are also quite a few massage shops here. During our first time here, one of us got a foot massage for 200 NT. Well worth the money.

More shops along the riverside. 

People enjoying the riverside park. 

More Iron Eggs being sold at the riverside. 

More seafood being sold by the riverside. 

People gathering by the riverside. 

More people walking to and fro. 

More huge soft serve machines on the other side of the river. You can choose between chocolate/vanilla, green tea/mango, and strawberry/taro. 

Curly baked potatoes and sweet potato balls. 

People lining up to get on the ferry to Bali across the water. 

Oyster omelettes, fish balls, and stinky tofu.

Ferry to Bali 八里渡輪

There is a ferry that goes from Tamsui to Bali Old Street. The fare is 60 NT and there are boats every 15 minutes. For our full blog on Bali Old Street, click here. 

View of the ferry dock just as a ferry is leaving. 

Ferry crossing the Tamsui River to Bali. 

Crowds of people at the center of the old street. 

Time for another A-gei. 

Another view of the shops as we make our way back. 

Egg tart stand. 

Panorama of the Tamsui River. 

Bali Old Street 八里老街 ​

On the other side of the water, you will find yourself at Bali Old Street, another riverside old street that is much smaller in size to Tamsui Old Street, but still has some good food. 

Bali Old Street (aka Bali Ferry Dock Old Street 八里渡輪頭老街) is a shopping area near Bali Wharf, connecting with Tamui Old Street via ferry and bicycle route. It is one of the oldest ports in Taiwan, with a long history of businesses and great seafood nearby...(read more)

You can also book a SUP / sand bar digging experience near Bali Old Street on KKday here. ​
You can also book a sailing experience on the Tamsui River on KKday here. ​

Check out our full guide to Bali Old Street here. 

Fort San Domingo 紅毛城

Also near the old street, you can check out other historical sites like For San Domingo and the old British Consulate. Fort San Domingo (aka 紅毛城 Hongmaocheng, “City of Red Hair") is one of the oldest buildings in Taiwan, with a nearly 400 year history. Originally built by the Spanish, it was handed over to nine different nations including the Dutch, Qing, Japan, British, Australia, USA, and the ROC. Now it is a popular tourist destination in Tamsui...(read more)

You can book tickets to this fort and nearby historic sites on KKday here or Klook here. ​

Check out our full blog on Fort San Domingo here.

Hobe Fort 滬尾砲台

You can also check out Hobe Fort (Aka Huwei Fort), which is a Qing Dynasty era fortress in Tamsui, New Taipei that once has massive guns that protected the waterways nearby. The fort is included in a historical monument ticket that allows you to see other historical buildings in the area. It is also one of the best preserved historical fortresses in Taiwan...(read more) 

You can book tickets to this fort and nearby historic sites on KKday here or Klook here. ​

Check out our full guide to Hobe Fort here.

Fisherman's Wharf 淡水漁人碼頭

You can also check out Fisherman's Wharf, which is a popular leisure fishing port in Tamsui. The area features a large grassy park, a pedestrian bridge with great views, and a long pier with tons of food options, especially  seafood. Popular activities here include watching the sunset, enjoying the scenery, and enjoying local snacks...(read more).

You can also book tickets to Lover's Tower, which has great 360 degree views of Fisherman's wharf on KKday here.​

We have stayed at and recommend Fullon Hotel which has locations in Tamsui and Fulong near the beach (book on Booking.com here, Tripadvisor here, Agoda here, Klook here, Trip.com, Kayak here, or Hotels.com here). ​

​Check out our full guide to Fisherman's Wharf here. . 

You can book a tour of Tamsui on KKday here, or Klook here.
You can book a tour to Taiwan's North Coast on  KKday here or Klook here.

There are many activities available around Tamsui such as, SUPing, Sand Bar Digging, Lover's Tower, Sailing, Yachting, Happy Island Parent Child Gymnasium, and more on KKday here.

Check out our full guide to Tamsui here.

Check out our guide to the Northern Coast here.

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

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

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