What to do and see in Pingxi District

Best of Pingxi District:

The Pingxi district has several towns and trails that lead to 2 or 3 day excursions from Taipei.

Our number 1 attraction in the Pingxi district is without a doubt Shifen, with its wonderful waterfalls and its picturesque town crossed by the train tracks. Coming here to hike to the waterfalls and then go to town to launch one of the traditional paper lanterns is a must. In addition, it is here that the famous Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival is held once a year, where thousands of lanterns are thrown into the sky at nightfall.

Two other towns where lanterns can also be thrown are Pingxi and Jington. They are both very cute and can be reached on the Pingxi line train. It is worth taking a walk through them.

For hiking (in addition to the one that leads to Shifen Falls), we love the Mt Liangjiaoliao trail that leads from Wanggu Falls to Lingjiao Falls, and the Sandiaoling Waterfall Trail, which passes through 3 wonderful waterfalls.

Below you can find additional information about each of these visits.

Shifen Waterfalls:

Shifen Falls are one of the most beautiful in Taiwan. They are especially beautiful after the summer, when they are super loaded with water. But the truth is that the whole plan is highly recommended at any time of the year. If you go in your own car, we recommend you park in the Shifen Visitor Center parking lot, and thus you do the full way to the waterfalls. If you ...

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Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival:

The Pingxi Lantern Festival takes place every year on the 15th day of the first month of the lunar calendar (15 days after the Chinese New Year). In 2021 it will take place on February 27, although it will most likely be canceled due to COVID issues. Normally the festival starts a few days before the 15th, and continues for a couple more weeks. Day 15 of the lunar ...

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Shifen:

Leaving the falls aside, the town of Shifen is not very pretty, but it has two things that make it very special. One of them is the launching of paper lanterns into the sky, which can be done any day of the year, although it is more lively on weekends and especially during the Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival (which usually takes place in February). And the second peculiarity ...

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Wanggu Waterfall Observation Trail:

Wanggu and Lingjioao are two of the less touristy towns in Pingxi District, but they both have beautiful waterfalls. Amongst them there is a trail through the forest that is very worthwhile. They are about 2km (approx 1h) and can be done by children of 3-4 years. When you get off the train at Wanggu, keep walking in the direction the train was coming from. Soon you ...

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Mount Lingjiaoliao Trail:

This trail connects the towns of Wanggu with Lingjiao (2km, 1h). It is a beautiful path inside the forest, which does not present much difficulty, although at some point it has a bit steep stairs (nothing that children do not do in the park :-). When you get to the town of Lingjiao, keep left towards the train station, and soon you will pass Cai's House, an abandoned ...

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Lingjiao Waterfalls:

Once at Lingjiao Station, cross the train tracks and take the path on the left (before crossing the river). Follow that path that goes next to the train tracks (in the direction of Wanggu), and soon you will see some stairs that go down on your right to the waterfall (there are posters with photos). The waterfalls are beautiful, but unfortunately, the area of rocks ...

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Pingxi:

Pingxi is the town that gives its name to the entire district. From Pingxi Train Station, you can walk to lively Old Street. Although Shifen is the most famous town to throw the classic sky lanterns, in Pingxi it is also common. You will see that they are sold in many stores. You choose the type, you paint it with your wishes, and they take you to throw it on the ...

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Jingtong:

Jingtong is perhaps the cutest of the towns in the Pingxi district. It is more intended for tourists, and therefore they take more care of everything, with beautiful decorations and lanterns. This is where you can better appreciate the reminiscences of the mining industry that developed in the area during the time of the Japanese occupation. On the Old Street is the ...

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Sandiaoling Waterfall Trail:

This is one of the most scenic trails in the Pingxi district, a true wonder. Pass through 3 different waterfalls: Hegu, Motian and Pipa Cave. Getting to the first two is easy, it can be done even with children. The third already requires climbing quite vertical stairs, climbing some rocks holding on to a rope and then walking to the edge of a cliff with the only ...

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What to do and see in Pingxi District

Best of Pingxi District:

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