Magical mountain towns near Taipei, please contribute

Taiwan Living in Taiwan
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Hey guys. Looking for suggestions of magical mountain towns near Taipei.

So, we recently discovered Neiwan. It is gorgeous and amazing. In the clouds. Has an old street which bustles on the weekends. Amazing views, and a very nice, big elementary school with horticulture and art projects. And a 30min commute from the city.

Exactly where we would want to live
Except it is near Hsinchu. Not Taipei… ;-/

Neiwan Old Street
Guangfu Road, Hengshan Township, Hsinchu County, Taiwan 312
+886 3 593 2001
https://maps.app.goo.gl/9HT61

So… I know there has to be more such towns all over the mountains. Anyone explore such near Taipei city?

We won’t be moving for another year or two, but when we do I will be attending Taipei Tech (NTUT)
National Taipei University of Technology
No. 1號, Section 3, Zhongxiao East Road, Da’an District, Taipei City, Taiwan 106
+886 2 2771 2171
https://maps.app.goo.gl/Beq8s
I figured I would scooter my way to the closest metro station, and continue via jieyun.

Also visited Wulai… Sad. All the river access has been blocked off with tall metal fences by the army. Plusz a town with open tourism every day, versus j ist the weekend, might quickly become annoying.

The weekend tourism is an attractive idea, as we could sell them ice cream or tacos.

Any ideas or suggestions recommended!

Ideally I would live on the east side of the mountian peak, overlooking the Fetsui Reservoir. However, that is a bit too impractical, as I have not found any elementary schools that deep in the mountains.

I have considered homeschooling, as those views are spectacular… But… Doing my masters and homeschooling my girls is not a very realistic.

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How near Taipei are we talking about?

There’s Sanxia, it technically is a mountain town, and within Xinbei city. There’s easy access to places like 大板根 and 滿月園.

There are many places around Sanxia but falls within Taoyuan that are great mountain towns too.

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North coast towns in Sanzhi, Shimen and Jinshan all have roads less traveled.

It’s a maze up there, but you can’t really get lost. If you do, just go…down.

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I thought the title was asking mountain towns to contribute…

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There is a lovely cafe in Neiwan overlooking the train station. Indeed, one of the cutest places to visit.

I like Jiufen and Yinge, but those get overrun by tourists. Pinlin is a bit scarse on tourist facilities. Fulong is OKish and you can continue along the line for more isolated spots.

Yilan is a nice weekend trip.

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Maokong. Naught wrong with Maokong.

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Will these three be considered as a magical mountain or is it just a beautiful landmark?

Jiufen, Shifen, and Yehliu

Alishan Forest is also beautiful if you just want to forget about the city lights for awhile.

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Near Taipei.

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Houtong has plenty of atmosphere and can be reached from Taipei on a relatively short train ride. It could be considered “magical” if you’re a cat person. It’s really small though, so most people would probably go stir crazy living there.

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Only suggestion needed: Sell tacos in Zhongli!!! :praying:

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the owner of Lamigo Monkeys tried it, and failed…

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Yeah, I was super bummed when I went in there a couple months ago to get me a delicious horchata. I was crushed!

Their tacos failed because they were shit and too expensive.

Pick & Eat just closed, too. Not for a lack of business, the new owners tried to sell it in December and apparently didn’t have any takers. That place was a big hit and was always busy. They were my go-to place for (Americanized) hard-shell tacos.

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Better recalculate your commute time from Taipei. At least double that by any method except helicopter.

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I think the “city” referred to there is Hsinchu

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Taipei high speed rail station to Hsinchu, about 30 min.
Liujia line to Zhuzhong station (1 stop), about 5 min.
Neiwan line to Neiwan, about 30 min.

A total commute time of 1:05, not that bad actually. Not exactly cheap though.

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Plus it’s not 1.05 really since the connections wouldn’t work. probably 2 hours on a good run.

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Is there real estate for sale in Maokong? I think there are only a few dozen houses.

I often hike there, and on sunny weekends / holidays it is crowded with tourists.

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Okay 45 minutes to Central Hsinchu maybe longer at rush hour. Occasional train is at least an hour.

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Yeah, PLUS all the fuckin hoohah of parking/taxi to get where you’re going (public transpo on Taipei side being mediocre at best), that’s easily another hour. Highly doubtful your office will be across the street from Banciao station.

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If the commute to magical mountain towns was convenient then people would live there and do it including me. But they don’t and I don’t :wink:

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