Things to Do

While in Danshui, you may want to consider taking the Tamsui - Guandu bike trail. On a bicycle, you can move at a slow pace and take in much of the local scenery. You'll get beautiful views of the Tamsui River; pass the "Tamsui Cultural Park" and a large mangrove area; ride along the iconic Guandu Bridge, and finish off at Guandu Temple. This temple is known for its ability to make worshippers' prayers come true. The most convenient way to take the bike trip is to rent a bicycle from a bike store at either Tamsui or Guandu. The average cost is around NT $100 - NT $150 per day. There are benches and places to rest along the way, but the ride is not very strenuous. Altogether, it takes about 1 - 2 hours to ride from Tamsui to Guandu and back again.

For a different perspective on Tamsui, take a boat from the Tamsui Riverside to Bali on the opposite shore. The boat trip is fast and exciting and offers views of Tamsui from a new angle. At Bali, you can stroll along the promenade, try some Taiwanese "street food", or check out the Shisanhang Archaeological Museum. Regular boats also leave for Fisherman's Wharf, where you can go to view the sun set over Tamsui or eat dinner at a romantic restaurant with live music.

Night markets are a nightly showcase of the energy and vibrancy of life in Taiwanese. Tamsui's night market is located on one of its busier roads, Ying Zhuan Rd. Walking along Ying Zhuan Rd of an evening, you'll see various street stalls selling Taiwanese "finger food", such as spring onion pancakes, sugar-roasted chestnuts, assorted braised meats and vegetables (known as "lu-wei"), and small, circular red-bean cakes. You'll also find clothes shops such as Giordano, Net, Hang Ten, and Nike, as well as stalls selling blouses, handbags, stockings, and socks. Of course, no night market is complete without a vast selection of Taiwanese-style tea shops. These shops sell drinks such as pearl milk tea, Oolong green tea, and a variety of cold and hot fruit teas.

The Fullon International Resort and Hotel in Fisherman's Wharf officially opened on May 21, 2011. It is a world-class resort that features an art gallery, international buffet-style restaurant, and a revolving lookout tower. The lookout tower is the first and only tower in Taiwan to revolve a full 360 degrees. It offers amazing panoramic views of the entire Tamsui area, Kuanyin Mountain, and the Lover's Bridge. Apart from revolving, the tower also ascends and descends, giving visitors views of Tamsui from various heights. At its highest point, the lookout tower ascends to a height of 108 meters tall. t Prices for the tower trip vary between weekdays and weekends. Details are as follows: Full ticket: NT $170 (weekday) NT $190 (weekend) Easy Card Holders: NT $165 (weekday) NT $185(weekend)

The Bali Left Bank Bicycle Trail is the largest riverside biking trail in New Taipei City, with a myriad of natural sceneries and tourist attractions along the way, including the Bali Yacht Wharf, Watzuwei Nature Reserve and Shihsanhang Museum of Archaeology. The trail is so long that that it even reaches the Erchong district. If combined with the “Blue Highway” (or ferry route), the itinerary can include the Tamsui-Jingshan Highway and Northeast Coastal Scenic Area as well. Backpackers looking for a laidback trip with plenty to do must come to the Bali Left Bank Bicycle Trail.

Formosa FunCoast is divided into a water amusement park, ecological world and Tang Sparty Hot Springs Resort. It is one of northern Taiwan’s most famous amusement parks. FormosaFunCoast is the country’s only water amusement park to have the most facilities and water slides. The amusement park overlooks the beautiful scenery of GuanyinMountain and the coast of Taiwan, allowing you to enjoy the refreshing waters in the summertime. Tang Sparty Hot Springs Resort provides nude bathing, public baths, spa therapy baths, aromatherapy baths and a food court. Its use of the Tang Dynasty as an interior backdrop and decor has attracted the visitation of countless hot springs enthusiasts.