Taipei is a great place to visit and there is enough there to keep you occupied as a visitor for days on end. Sometimes, however, it can be refreshing to have a change of scenery.

One of the convenient things about using Taipei as a base for a trip to Taiwan is how many interesting destinations are easily able to be visited as a day trip from Taipei. Here we list nine of our favourite day trips from Taipei.

Wulai

Traditional Taiwanese culture, the still of the countryside and relaxing hot spring baths – Wulai offers all of these barely forty-five minutes from the centre of Taipei.

The village is home to many traditional Taiwanese residents, and their culture permeates the area. Visitors can learn more by visiting the Wulai Taiya Bowugan, a museum charting the history of local tribespeople down to the present day.

The village houses relaxing, good value hot springs which make the cityscape of Taipei seem a lifetime away despite its relative closeness. A cable car allows excellent views over Wulai and indeed over to Taipei itself on clear days.

Sanxia

Sanxia is the charming photogenic blast from the past many tourists seek.

Less than half an hour from Taipei, this ancient market town survives as a historical enclave despite the modern city encroaching around it. The epicentre is the lively eighteenth-century Temple of the Divine Progenitor, but another draw is so-called Old Street. Here a couple of sections of old school brick shophouses has been restored and form a beautiful, charming couple of lanes for shops and restaurants.

Yingge

Yingge is famed for ceramics. Today, visitors enjoy the ceramics museum charting the history of the local pottery industry, but also the Old Pottery Street which despite its name continues to serve as a centre for pottery sales.

Yingge is easily reachable from Taipei and is a good spot to visit if you want pretty but also practical souvenirs for yourself or others at home.

Baishawan

The name Baishawan means “white sand bay”, which tells you most of what you need to know about this local hotspot only an hour or so from Taipei.

Despite its popularity, Baishawan rarely feels crowded. While many Taiwanese beaches have black volcanic sand, this pristine white beach conjures up fantasies of white sand and the lapping sea. It offers a good range of local snack shacks and hire shops for watersports such as surfing.

Jinshan

Jinshan is a small coastal fishing village whose main attraction is the old town centre. This picturesque area is one of Taiwan’s few authentic looking Qing Dynasty era streets still in existence. The views from town are also good and as expected for a fishing village, Jinshan’s eateries though less fancy than those in Taipei offer some excellent fresh seafood specialities.

Keelung

As a port, Keelung is well connected to Taipei by public transport. But unlike some port towns, it has a lot to attract the sightseer. The Miaokou night market is amongst Taiwan’s most famous night markets and is a good place to try out many of the country’s favourite snacks.

During daylight hours, the town has other attractions beyond its dramatic hills, including the Ershawan Fort and the pretty Zhongzheng Park with its excellent vantage points.

Jiufen and Jinguashi

If you want a peek into old world Taiwan, Jiufen can be an easy way to get one. Its picturesque narrow streets were immortalised in local hit film City of Sadness. Since then locals and tourists alike flock to the town for a glimpse into what Taiwan and indeed prosperous parts of China were like in the roaring 1920s.

The narrow pedestrian streets and old-style buildings create a vintage ambience which is good for browsing and also for photographs. Outside of the town itself the surrounding countryside provides a picturesque backdrop to the town. But Jiufen is not just about a vintage look: it is also home to a number of excellent foods. As you may expect given its proximity to the sea, it is renowned for its fish stew. The City of Sadness restaurant featured in the eponymous film and serves up tasty specialities around the clock in an old-fashioned wooden building.

From Jiufen, you can walk to nearby Jinguashi. Its picturesque setting stands in stark contrast to its difficult history. The local mining industry is commemorated in attractions such as the Fifth Tunnel, where visitors can get to grips with mining. If that sounds too claustrophobic, you can pan for gold at the Museum of Gold. Other attractions mark the town’s role as a prisoner of war camp during the Second World War.

Longdong Bay

Within easy reach of Taipei there are lots of great swimming spots but few can rival the beauty of Longdong Bay.

The Chinese name means “dragon cave” and indeed the way in which the coastline here enters into a bay here ensures excellent, clear water for swimming and other water sports. A park contains equipment for various waterborne pastimes. This is one of the best places to swim within reach of Taipei, the best place to dive and also offers rock climbing nearby.

Kaohsiung

A lot of people base themselves in Taipei as a convenient centre for their trip to Taiwan.

With the island’s modern and efficient transportation system, however, even from Taipei it is possible to travel far and back within one day. By high speed train, the southern centre of Kaohsiung is reachable in less than two and a half hours.

Kaohsiung and nearby areas such as Tainan are slower, quieter and in some ways more local than the cosmopolitan bustle of Taipei. The food is renowned, the vibe is friendly and there are more opportunities to interact with the native culture of the island. If you have a few days in Taipei, a day trip to the south can be an excellent way to see a different side to Taiwan as well as enjoying the picturesque journey along the way.