Taipei (Keelung) Cruise Port Guide — Ships, Excursions & Tips

Currency

New Taiwan dollar (TWD); EasyCard (transit card) from any MRT station for the subway; cards accepted at most restaurants.

Language

Mandarin Chinese; English signage is excellent on the MRT and at tourist sites.

Time in Port

Typically 8am–5pm; Keelung to Taipei Main Station by train is 30–40 min.

Pier Location

Keelung Harbour, northeast Taiwan — Keelung Train Station is 15 min walk from the pier; direct Taipei trains depart every 20–30 min.

Best For

National Palace Museum, night markets, Jiufen, hot springs, and Taiwanese street food

About Taipei (Keelung)

Taipei is one of Asia's most liveable and underrated cities — a clean, friendly, efficient capital of 2.7 million where traditional Daoist temples sit beneath a forest of glass towers and the National Palace Museum houses the world's greatest collection of Chinese imperial art. The port of Keelung is 30–40 minutes from Taipei's downtown by highway or the direct train from Keelung station, making this one of the most convenient cruise gateways to a major capital city in Asia. Keelung itself has a famous night market (Miaokou) operating daily at the harbour mouth.

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Insider Tip

Jiufen is only 40 minutes from the Keelung pier by bus or taxi — far closer than Taipei and a completely different experience; if you only have half a day, prioritise Jiufen's lantern-lit tea houses and sea views over the Taipei city journey, and return to Keelung's own lively Miaokou Night Market for dinner before reboarding.

Highlights

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National Palace Museum
One of the world's great museums: 700,000 objects from the Chinese imperial collection — jade cabbage, ivory balls, Song dynasty ceramics, Qing-era calligraphy — brought from Beijing by the Nationalist government in 1949; plan 2–3 hours minimum; 30 min by MRT from Taipei Main Station.

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Taipei 101 & Xinyi Shopping District
The 509-metre Taipei 101 tower dominated the world's skyline from 2004–2010; the indoor observatory deck at floor 89 offers views of the surrounding mountains and Taipei Basin; the surrounding Xinyi district is the city's most upmarket shopping and dining zone.

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Longshan Temple, Wanhua District
Taiwan's most visited Daoist-Buddhist temple — a smoky, incense-filled complex of ornate red-and-gold carvings surrounded by worshippers offering prayer and divination blocks at all hours; 10 min by MRT from Taipei Main.

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Jiufen Old Street
A former gold-mining town on a steep hillside northeast of Keelung — red lantern tea houses, stone-step alleys, and sea views that inspired the aesthetic of Spirited Away; 40 min by bus from Keelung pier.

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Yangmingshan National Park & Hot Springs
A volcanic mountain park 30 min north of Taipei with hiking trails, azalea meadows, and sulphur fumaroles; the Beitou hot spring district at its foot has public and private thermal baths open from morning.

Local Food & Drink

Beef noodle soup (hong shao niu rou mian) — Taiwan's national comfort food: thick wheat noodles in a slow-braised soy and star-anise beef broth with tender braised chuck; eaten at specialist noodle shops across Taipei.
Scallion pancake (cong you bing) — a flaky, layered griddle bread with scallion and sesame; sold from street stalls across Taipei at breakfast and as an all-day snack.
Pineapple cake (feng li su) — Taiwan's most famous souvenir food: a buttery pastry shell around a sweetened pineapple-paste filling; every bakery in Taipei makes its own version.
Keelung Miaokou Night Market — a sprawling daily night market by the harbour entrance: oyster vermicelli, tian bu la (tempura fish cake), and almond tofu are the specialties; 15 min walk from the pier.

Shore Excursion Ideas

1 National Palace Museum morning visit and Taipei 101 observation deck afternoon.

2 Jiufen Old Street and Jinguashi gold museum half-day — 40 min from Keelung pier.

3 Taipei city highlights: Longshan Temple, Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, and Ximending shopping district.

4 Yangmingshan National Park volcanic hike and Beitou hot spring soak.

5 Keelung Miaokou Night Market evening — walkable from the cruise pier for an early-evening food crawl before boarding.

Sailings to Taipei (Keelung)

Upcoming Royal Caribbean & Celebrity cruises that visit Taipei (Keelung)

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Royal Caribbean

Okinawa & Taipei Cruise

Spectrum of the Seas · 5 nights