Photo: Adobe Stock / LicensedWhere ships dock in Keelung (Taipei) — West 3 or East 2, both downtown. The station is about 5 minutes on foot; Miaokou's stalls 6–15. Keelung is a deep natural harbour at the northern tip of Taiwan, taken in turn by the Spanish, the Dutch, the Qing, the French and the Japanese. People come for Jiufen, a former gold-mining town of lantern-hung lanes on the hillside 14 km up the coast, and for Taipei, under an hour away by train. Your ship docks downtown, about 5–15 minutes on foot from Miaokou, 200 food stalls under yellow lanterns around a temple from the 1870s.
Everyone wanted KeelungSpain, the Dutch, the Qing, France and Japan all took this harbour, and it is only a few kilometres wide
MiaokouTwo hundred stalls around a temple, ten minutes from your gangway
JiufenA gold-rush town that emptied, then filled again because of a film
Fifty yearsWhy Taiwan feels oddly familiar if you have just come from Japan
Ghost monthIn the seventh lunar month the gates open, and Keelung has run the biggest ceremony in Taiwan since 1855
Jiufen
Taipei
Miaokou and the harbour
The one to book · Keelung (Taipei)Taipei: Disappearing Flavors of Taiwan Food Tour with 12+ TastersA three-hour small-group food walk through Dadaocheng and Dihua Street with twelve or more tastings of older Taiwanese dishes.Small group4.9★ · 26 reviewsUS$69 each · US$138 for twoTaxi ~40 min from the shipneeds a 7-hour callFree cancellation 24h aheadWhy we would book it, and the clockChecked against the port authority and operators · visited in person · Takumi Yamada · Terminals: Keelung Port East Passenger Terminal, 202 基隆市中正區中正路1號 · Keelung Port West Passenger Terminal, 基隆市仁愛區港西街16號
Each one is timed from the gangway on the operators’ own timetables, with the half hour to get off and the hour before all-aboard already kept free. Copy it as it is, or open the full route.
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Needs a 4.5-hour callabout 2.5hfoodwalk
For anyone with two hours: the Guanyin above, then Keelung’s street-food canon.
Costs about NT$ coins — the night market is the budget
Needs a 7-hour callabout 5hviewswalk
For early risers who want the lantern lanes before the coaches arrive.
Costs about taxi to Jiufen ~NT$400–450 each way per car (meter floor), or bus 788 about NT$30 each way pp
Needs a 10-hour callabout 8hnatureviews
For long calls: Yehliu’s rocks, a Shifen lantern and Jiufen tea, or Taipei instead.
Costs about trains ~NT$150, plus the Taipei 101 deck (NT$600) if you go up
Round trips from the gangway, hour before all-aboard set aside. Tap one to see what it actually is.
1bus~5h round trip from the berthneeds a 7-hour callGold-rush lanes stacked on a sea cliff, red lanterns lighting the teahouses at dusk — the town that launched a thousand postcards.
What you will see
2walk~1.5h, walkable from the berthneeds a 3.5-hour callTaiwan’s street-food canon ten minutes from the gangway — crab thick soup, one-bite sausages, the "nutritious sandwich" fried to order.
What you will see
3bus~5h from the berthneeds a 7-hour callThe Queen’s Head and a shoreline of mushroom rocks carved by wind and sea — geology doing sculpture.
What you will see
4~9h private from the berthneeds an 11-hour callBook aheadJiufen, Shifen and Yehliu in one private 8–9 hour day with entry tickets included.
What you will see
5buson your Jiufen trip from the berthneeds a 7-hour callWarm, chewy taro and sweet-potato balls in a teahouse hanging over the coast — A-Gan-Yi ladles the famous bowl at the top of the stairs.
What you will see
6walk~1.5h uphill from the berthneeds a 3.5-hour callThe white goddess of mercy has watched Keelung’s harbor since 1969 — climb through the temple terraces for the full panorama of your ship below.
What you will see
7~9h from the pier from the berthneeds an 11-hour callA private cruise-day tour of Taipei from the Keelung quay: Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, Taipei 101, lunch at Din Tai Fung, Longshan Temple and, time permitting, Dihua Street.
What you will see
8train~7h with transit from the berthneeds a 9-hour callPleat your own soup dumplings, then eat the evidence with pork thick soup and boba — the tastiest classroom in Taiwan, worth the train ride in.
What you will see
9walk~1h, walkable from the berthneeds a 3-hour callKeelung’s own century-old bakery — pineapple cakes and curry pastries the locals queue for instead of the Taipei brands.
What you will see
10train~9h DIY by train from the berthneeds an 11-hour callThe bamboo-shoot tower, Elephant Mountain’s skyline steps, and MRT ease — the DIY capital day for confident travelers.
What you will seeEach card says how many calls here it fits, where it meets, and how cancellation works.
The one to bookTaipei: Disappearing Flavors of Taiwan Food Tour with 12+ TastersUS$69 each · US$138 for twoTaxi ~40 min from the shipneeds a 7-hour callFree cancellation 24h ahead
Private Cruise Tour from Keelung: Trip to TaipeiUS$210 each · US$420 for twoPickup at the pierneeds a 10-hour callFree cancellation 24h aheadHow far, how much, how long inside, and whether it fits your hours — one page per place.
Your ship is the dark pin. The numbers match the cards above.
Chosen because locals actually go — each opens in Google Maps.
West or East quays, downtown — Both central — Miaokou ~15 min on foot from West, ~6–8 from East. Getting into town: From the West terminal: ~4 min to the station’s north exit From the East terminal: ~10 min to the station’s south exit
Only for a look around the berth. Our shortest timed plan, "The Miaokou graze", runs ~2.5h door to door, so it needs a 4.5-hour call (off the ship 30 minutes after arrival, back at the gangway an hour before all-aboard). On a 2–3 hour call stay within a short walk or taxi of the ship. The timed plans are at port-of-japan.com/keelung/plans/.
The half-day is "The Jiufen round" (~5h door to door), which needs a 7-hour call or longer (off the ship 30 minutes after arrival, back at the gangway an hour before all-aboard) — every transit leg counted from the berth, with an escape route if you run late. The timed steps are on the plans page at port-of-japan.com/keelung/plans/.
MSC Bellissima, Viking Venus & Orion, Westerdam all include Keelung (Taipei) on their 2026 Japan itineraries. Each ship has its own guide on this site decoding every port it calls at, and this page carries plans sized to the hours each ship typically spends here.
From the West terminal: ~4 min to the station’s north exit From the East terminal: ~10 min to the station’s south exit Both quays are in the middle of town — this is the rare port where the station is closer than the taxi rank. Miaokou night market is about 400 m from the gate. For today's exact departure times, open Google Maps transit directions from the pier — local timetables change by day, and the app knows today's.
① TRA from Keelung to Taipei Main — about 45 min Fare: NT$62 on local trains, NT$97 on Tze-Chiang expresses (adult, one way). Runs 2–3 an hour. An EasyCard works on the gates (tap in and out), but not on Tze-Chiang 3000, Puyuma or Taroko trains. Local trains are unreserved. The senior half fare is for Taiwanese nationals only.
① Keelung Bus 788 from Keelung Transfer Station (about 5 min walk from either terminal) — Ruifang, Jiufen Old Street, then Jinguashi Fare: about NT$30. Runs Weekdays roughly every 15–40 min by day, gaps up to 50 min in the afternoon and 80 min before 06:40; weekends no bus back from Jinguashi 11:30–12:30; Shuinandong not served at weekends.. Allow 45–60 minutes each way (estimate). If the return gap does not fit, take a taxi: about NT$405–415 plus time charges.
Genuinely yes — ships dock in the city center, and the famous Miaokou Night Market is about ten minutes on foot. It may be the easiest walk-off port on your whole itinerary. Save transport decisions for Jiufen or Taipei.
On most calls, Jiufen: 30–40 minutes away, unforgettable at dusk, and pairs with Yehliu or Shifen on a guided loop. Choose Taipei only on longer calls, and pick two sights maximum — the capital devours port days whole.
No visa with a US, UK (British Citizen), Canadian, Australian or New Zealand passport: you can stay up to 90 days. Do file the free online Taiwan Arrival Card (twac.immigration.gov.tw) within 7 days before arrival, unless your cruise line says it handles it. Paper cards ended in October 2025.
Yes, some. Miaokou’s stalls are cash only, and most small stalls in Jiufen want cash. The East terminal has an ATM and an exchange counter; the terminal exchange machines take only US dollars, yen and yuan. In Taipei the MRT gates take a tapped contactless Visa, Mastercard or JCB card.
