[The below text and most of the photos are from a pamphlet we recently produced for the North Coast and Guanyinshan National Scenic Area; all copyright belongs to the NSA]
Text & Photos: Vision
Keelung Harbor
(基隆港)
An important international marine transport hub of northern Taiwan, this is a modern harbor that has both military and commercial functions. It is also Taiwan’s main cruise ship port of call. Large cruise ships can often be seen entering and leaving the harbor.
Keelung Visitor Center (基隆旅遊服務中心)
Add: No. 5, Gangxi St., Ren’ai Dist., Keelung City
(基隆市仁愛區港西街1號)
Tel: (02) 2428-7664
Hours: 09:00~17:00
KLOOK:
Keelung Walking Tour
Kanziding Fish Market
(崁仔頂魚市)
This fish market existed as far back as the Qing dynasty and is the oldest outdoor fish market in northern Taiwan. The busiest period is 3am to 7am, when the bustling atmosphere and vitality of the fish auctions can be experienced in full.
KLOOK:
Keelung Midnight Fish Market Adventure
Ocean Plaza
(海洋廣場)
Facing Keelung Harbor the Ocean Plaza (also named Maritime Plaza) is a wooden platform decorated with reefs made of wood and an artwork showing the letters KEELUNG. It is the perfect place to view the harbor waterfront.
YM Oceanic Culture & Art Museum
(陽明海洋文化藝術館)
Built in 1915 in the Japanese Colonial Period, the museum building was originally owned by the Japanese NYK Line. After being taken over by Yangming Marine Transport Co., in 2003 the building was transformed into a culture and art museum. Inside, there are themed exhibitions on different periods and introductions of various ocean culture resources. A fun experience can be had here on a simulator that gives the user a realistic feel for what it’s like to actually operate a ship.
Add: No. 4, Gangxi St., Ren’ai Dist., Keelung City
(基隆市仁愛區港西街4號)
Hours: 09:00 ~ 17:00 (closed on Monday)
Visitors need to buy ticket
KLOOK:
YM Oceanic Culture & Art Museum Think Big Exhibition Ticket in Keelung
Mt. Huzi/Keelung Landmark Park)
(虎仔山/基隆地標公園)
The famous landmark KEELUNG sign stands on Mt. Huzi. From scenic-view spots around the sign, the eastern side of Keelung Harbor can be seen down below. The Keelung night scene is even more enchanting than the daytime scenery.
E-Square
(東岸商場)
Newly-opened in 2018, the E-Square shopping mall has a Michelin-starred restaurant, a clothing brand flagship store, children’s play facilities, a book shop, and much more. From the roof, the beautiful Keelung Harbor scenery and docked luxury cruise ships can be viewed.
Add: No. 236, Ren 2nd Rd., Ren’ai Dist., Keelung City
(基隆市仁愛區仁二路236號)
Hours: 11:00 ~ 22:00
Miaokou Commercial Area
(廟口商圈)
Century-old Dianji Temple is at the heart of the Miaokou Commercial Area. There are over 200 stalls selling clothes, shoes, snacks, and much more. Quite a few shops open in the daytime, but Miaokou really comes to life at night. All the famous Taiwanese snacks can be found here.
Add: Ren 3rd Rd., Ren’ai Dist., Keelung City (基隆市仁愛區仁三路)
KLOOK:
Keelung Night Market Food Tour from Taipei
Buddha Hand Cave
(佛手洞)
The best-known natural sea cave in the Keelung area, it was used as an air raid shelter in the Japanese Colonial Period. The most distinctive feature of the cave is that, on the upper part of the rock wall, natural weathering has formed what looks very much like a five-finger hand print, which is why the cave is called Buddha Hand Cave.
Baimiweng Fort
(白米甕砲台)
This fort is located on high ground at around 70 meters elevation on the western side of Keelung Harbor. Records show that the fort existed as far back as the time the Spanish and then Dutch controlled Taiwan over 300 years ago. For this reason, it is also called “Fort Holland.” The guns are no longer in place, but glorious views out over the blue sea can be enjoyed from the well-preserved fort.
Waimushan Fishing Harbor
(外木山漁港)
Facing the sea and with mountains at its rear, Waimushan offers expansive and superb sea views. A small fish market is held here at weekends and holiday times and there are a seawater swimming pool and a folk museum nearby. It is suitable for swimming, sea fishing, and enjoying the scenery.
Waimushan Lovers Lake Seaside Boulevard
(外木山情人湖濱海大道)
The Waimushan coast is the longest stretch of natural coastline in Keelung. Stretching five kilometers from Waimushan Fishing Harbor to Dawulun Aodi, oneside is open seashore and the other is sheer cliffs. The coastline offersstunning scenery, including Keelung Islet, and is a great spot for leisure or walking.
Lovers Lake Park
(情人湖公園)
Lovers Lake, located on Mt. Dawulun, was originally named Wuyipi. It is a highland lake formed by the convergence of six mountain streams. Surrounded by dense woods, it has a lake-circle trail and a mountain-circle trail, an observation platform and the Lovers Suspension Bridge. It is a great place to go for a stroll and enjoy enchanting scenery.
Lovers Lake Park Trail
(情人湖公園步道)
Lovers Lake Park has the Lake Circle Path and the Mountain Circle Path. The former is about 1,400-meter long and has scenic pavilions, the Lovers Suspension Bridge,and a lakeside platform, offering beautiful views of the lake and mountain scenery. The 1,600-meter long Mountain Circle Path is lined by dense woods and the observation platform offers views of Keelung Islet and Jinbaoli. From the Eagle Rock Observation Platform, birds of prey can be seen soaring overhead and the Coastal Highway, Dawulun Aodi Beach, and Waimushan Bay can be viewed below.
Dawulun Fort
(大武崙砲台)
Not far from Lovers Lake, this fort was an important fortification defending the western side of Keelung Harbor during the Sino-French War of the late 19th century. A national historic site,the remains of its gun bases, barracks, and tunnels can still be seen, giving it great value in terms of military and cultural history.
Huhai Bay
(湖海灣)
Huhai Bay, at the end of Lovers Lake Seaside Boulevard, has a spacious viewing platform. Visitors can enjoy the sea-melting-into-sky scenery, consume good food, watch the sunrise, and gaze at the full moon.
Huhai Bay 
Huhai Bay
Dawulun Aodi Beach
(大武崙澳底沙灘)
Situated where Keelung City meets Wanli District in New Taipei City, close to Lovers Lake Seaside Boulevard, this is the only bathing beach in Keelung. With golden sand and blue water, it is a beautiful spot where visitors can play in the water, watch the sea, and relax.
KLOOK:
Stand Up Paddle Boarding Experience in Keelung
Heping Island Park
(和平島公園)
Heping Island, situated on the eastern side of Keelung Harbor, boasts a diverse sea-eroded landscape featuring wave-cut platforms,tofu rocks, sea-eroded caves, and mushroom rocks. The park that covers the island has minimal facilities to reduce the impact on the natural environment,so visitors can view the strange rocks in a pristine state.
Heping Island Visitor Center (和平島遊客中心)
Add: No. 360, Ping 1st Rd., Zhongzheng Dist., Keelung City
(基隆市中正區平一路360號)
Tel: (02) 2463-5452
Hours: 08:00 ~ 18:00 (May ~ Oct. until 19:00)
KLOOK:
Heping Island Park Admission Ticket
Tianxian Temple
(天顯宮)
This temple is located on a slope on Heping Island offering excellent views. The Daoist temple, well known in Keelung, enshrines the god WuXian Ling Guan Emperor. On both sides of the road that leads from the square in front of the temple to the entrance arch stand more than 200 arhat stone statues, each in a different pose but all imposing.
Sheliao East Fort
(社寮東砲台)
This was an important military stronghold defending Keelung Harbor from the 17th century on and was one of the 10 main forts of Keelung. Excellent views can be enjoyed from atop the fort, with Yeliu Cape to the west, Bitou Cape to the east, and Heping Island and the “wave line” on the sea surface, where light and darker color seawater meet, seen below.
Keelung City Indigenous Cultural Hall
(基隆市原住民文化會館)
This cultural hall has a collection of more than 200 indigenous cultural relics and traditional everyday items including clothes, hunting equipment, rattan woven items, wood carvings, bead jewelry, musical instruments, and pottery. It also displays indigenous art, giving visitors a deeper understanding of the culture of Taiwan’s indigenous peoples.
Add: No. 75, Ln. 116, Zhengbin Rd., Zhongzheng Dist., Keelung City
(基隆市中正區正濱路116巷75號)
Hours: 09:00 ~ 17:00 (closed on Monday, during the Lunar New Year period, and on national holidays)
Zhengbin Fishing Harbor
(正濱漁港)
This was the biggest harbor in Taiwan early in the Japanese Colonial Period and powered the development of Keelung’s fishing industry. It has now transformed into a weekend/holiday tourist wharf. More than a dozen painted huts stand around the harbor and are popular with Instagram photographers.
Badouzi Tourist Fishing Harbor
(八斗子觀光漁港)
This harbor has the best-known tourist fish market in Keelung, offering a wide variety of fresh seafood. There are two main buildings, one housing a fish market, the other a food street. After buying sea food in the market, visitors can have it cooked at a restaurant next door, enjoying the freshest tastes of the sea without having to wait.
National Museum of Marine Science & Technology (NMMST)
(國立海洋科技博物館)
With distinctive buildings and wide range of exhibits, the museum was mentioned by the New York Times in 2014 as one of the places to visit in Taiwan. The museum has nine themed halls:Marine Environment Gallery, Marine Science Gallery, Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering Gallery, Fishery Science Gallery, People and the Sea Gallery,Deep Sea Theater, Wonders of the Deep Sea Gallery, Kids’ Exploration Zone, and Special Exhibition Gallery. It provides a variety of ocean-related information.
Add: No. 367, Beining Rd., Zhongzheng Dist., Keelung City
(基隆市中正區北寧路367號)
Tel: (02) 2469-0371
Hours: Weekdays 09:00 ~ 17:00, weekends and holidays 09:00 ~ 18:00 (closed on Lunar New Year’s Eve and every Monday; open on public and successive holidays)
KLOOK:
Keelung National Museum of Marine Science and Technology Admission Ticket
Badouzi Railway Station
(八斗子車站)
One of the most beautiful branch lines in Taiwan, Shen’ao Branch Line runs between Ruifang and Badouzi, stopping at the National Marine
Museum of Marine Science and Technology Station on the way. The terminus station, Badouzi, is next to the sea and coastal mountains, offering beautiful scenery. It is regarded as the most beautiful train station in northern Taiwan.
Chaojing Park
(潮境公園)
Located next to the National Museum of Marine Science and Technology, this was once a rubbish dump. After improvement was carried out, the area was completely transformed into a green seaside park. Visitors can enjoy expansive views, taking in Jiufen and Mt. Jilong in the distance. Chaojing Park is one of the most popular spots on Keelung’s coast.
Badouzi Wangyou Valley
(八斗子望幽谷)
Not far from the National Museum of Marine Science and Technology, with the sea in front and mountain at the rear, this is a natural V-shaped valley. It offers a varied geological landscape as well as the chance to observe abundant seashore ecological resources.
Wangyou Valley SeasideTrail
(望憂谷濱海步道)
Located at Badouzi, this is a wooden-plank trail that offers stunning mountain and sea views. It runs from Badouzi Coastal Park to lush Wangyou Valley. On the way it offers views of the sea-eroded terrain of the North Coast, with the occasional Crested Serpent Eagle and Black Kite appearing overhead. From grassy Wangyou Valley, Badouzi Fishing Harbor and the blue sea can be seen from high up, giving you beautiful mountain and sea views in one go.
Getting There
Take a train to Keelung or Ruifang Railway Station and transfer to Keelung bus No. 862 or Taiwan Tourist Shuttle – Dragon Palace Treasure Hunt Route – West Coast to get to places of interest.
From Keelung Railway Station take Keelung city bus No. 509 to Lovers Lake; take Keelung city bus No. 101 to Heping Island. To get to Badouzi and the National Museum of Marine Science & Technology, from Keelung Station take Keelung bus No. 102, Keelung bus No. 1051, 791, or 788; or from Qidu Railway Station take Keelung bus No. 66; or from Taipei Main Station take Kuo Kuang bus No. 1811 or 1812.
KLOOK:
Taiwan’s Northern Coast
Hotels in Keelung (booking.com)
Also read:
Visit KEELUNG — Harbor City in the North
The NORTH COAST of Taiwan — from GUANYINSHAN to KEELUNG
NORTHEAST COAST Train Ride — from Fulong to Toucheng
Documentary Project about the Keelung Ghost Festival
