Sanxia Old Street and Zushi Temple

Sanxia is a historic town in Sanxia District, New Taipei City, about 30 km southwest of Taipei, known for Minquan Old Street and Sanxia Zushi Temple. The trip takes about an hour. The usual route is the MRT Bannan Line to Yongning Station (Exit 1), then bus 916 or 705 to Sanxia. Another option is a TRA train to Yingge followed by a bus or taxi, which also makes it easy to pair the two towns. Minquan Old Street is lined with red-brick arcades with rounded arches, built in the early twentieth century, and houses bakeries, snack shops and small stores. The town is famous for ox-horn bread, a croissant-like pastry shaped like an ox horn, sold in many shops. Zushi Temple, a Qing-era temple dedicated to Qingshui Zushi, is a masterpiece of carved stone and wood, with elaborate columns, ceiling work and gilded detail, and is often compared with other major temples in Taiwan. Entry is free, and visitors dress respectfully and keep voices low. Nearby workshops offer indigo dye experiences where visitors dye cloth with natural blue. A workable one-day plan is to arrive in the late morning, visit the temple first, then walk Minquan Old Street for snacks and lunch, join a short indigo dye session in the early afternoon, and continue to Yingge for ceramics before heading back. Food and rest stops are plentiful along the old street, including bakeries and tea shops. Sanxia is pleasant year-round, though light rain adds a damp chill in winter and afternoons can be hot in summer. Weekends see tour groups, so weekdays are calmer. Costs are modest at roughly NT$50-300 including transport and snacks. Walking is light, usually one to two hours.