Keelung and Miaokou Night Market

Keelung is a rainy port city on Taiwan's northeastern coast, about 25 km northeast of Taipei, and is best known for the Miaokou Night Market on Ren 3rd Road in Renai District. The trip takes about 40 minutes by TRA local or Tze-Chiang train from Taipei Main Station to Keelung Station, at roughly NT$41-100 each way. Kuo-Kuang bus route 1051 and car travel along Freeway 1 are alternatives. Keelung Station sits close to the harbour, and the city's main sights can be reached on foot. Miaokou Night Market, named for its location by the Dianji Temple entrance, is renowned for seafood and street snacks, including Sanmingzhi sandwiches, nutrient soup, fried crab, pineapple-style sweets and noodle dishes. Heping Island Park, reached from the city by bus or a short taxi ride, offers coastal rock formations and sea views, while Keelung Harbour provides waterfront walks and a lively fishing-port atmosphere. Zhongzheng Park, on a hill overlooking the city, holds an Avalokitesvara statue and a good view of the harbour. A recommended one-day plan is to take a mid-afternoon train, explore the harbour and Zhongzheng Park in the late afternoon, then spend the evening at the night market, since stalls come alive after dark. Visiting earlier in the day allows time for Heping Island Park before dinner. Keelung is among the rainiest cities in Taiwan, so an umbrella is almost essential, and showers are common outside summer. The city can be visited year-round, with the market the main reason to arrive after sunset. Plenty of food stalls double as rest stops, and seating is available inside the market and at nearby restaurants. Walking is gentle, with a few hours spread across the harbour, park and market, plus short hills near Zhongzheng Park.