Tamsui 淡水, Danshui
Located at the northern tip of Taiwan, Tamsui is located along the north coast about 40 minutes from Taipei by MRT and very accessible as a day trip, especially popular with locals during the weekend. Home to a variety of western colonial, Japanese, southern Fujianese, and native Taiwanese cultural and architectural attractions, Tamsui is a must visit location for all visitors to the Taipei area.
Most renowned for its amazing sunset landscape, Tamsui is home to a large array of restaurants, cafés, shops, hawker stalls, street performers, traditional cultural performances, and is the gateway to Taiwan's scenic North Coast.
A special attraction ticket for tourists is available for NT$80, permitting access to Tamsui Museum, Hongmao Cheng, Tamsui Customs House Museum, and Hobe Fort.
Popular destinations in Tamsui include:
- Tamsui Old Street (Danshui Old Street, 淡水老街)
- Tamsui Fisherman's Wharf (淡水漁人碼頭)
- Fort Santo Domingo (紅毛城)
- Aletheia University (formerly Oxford College 真理大學)
Take the Red Line 2 to Tamsui (淡水), the northern terminus station. Upon exiting the station, turn left to reach Tamsui Old Street and the waterfront.
Within the past few years, the official English spelling of the town has reverted to Tamsui, a Romanization of the Taiwanese Hokkien version of the town's name, roughly pronounced in Hokkien as dǎm zwèe. This change only occurred in English, as the large majority of people still refer to the town by its Mandarin name of dànshuǐ. On signage, Tamsui may be referred to as Danshui, Tansui, Tamshui, or any similar variant.