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Weekend day-outs

Starting from Houshanpi: Zoo in the Morning, Tea in Maokong in the Afternoon, and a Stroll Through Raohe Before Walking Home at Night

Living around Houshanpi in Nangang, you can head south into the hills on weekends and north to the night market in the evening. Visit the zoo in the morning, take the Maokong Gondola up for tea at midday, come back down to Songshan Ciyou Temple and Raohe Night Market in the evening, then cross the Rainbow Bridge and walk home to Houshanpi.

Seal Co-living team Updated 5 min read Translated from Chinese · 中文原文

A Maokong Gondola cabin gliding over the forested hills of Muzha, with Wenshan apartment blocks behind
Photo: Pourya Gohari / Unsplash
On this page
  1. How the day goes
  2. Routes and journey times
  3. Walking tips
  4. Budget
  5. If you have just moved here
  6. FAQ
  7. Sources

If you live near Houshanpi Station (it is the nearest MRT station to both Houshanpi House and Songshan House, and you can also walk there from Guangci House), here is a very satisfying way to spend a weekend: head south into the hills during the day, go north to a night market in the evening, and finish with a walk home. From Houshanpi House to the MRT station: Houshanpi Station (Bannan Line), about a 6-minute walk.

How the day goes

  1. Morning08:45

    Set off for the zoo

    At Houshanpi Station, take the Bannan Line towards Dingpu. Ride 5 stops to Zhongxiao Fuxing Station, then change to the Wenhu Line towards Taipei Zoo and ride to the end of the line (about 25 minutes on board in total).

  2. Morning09:30

    Taipei Zoo

    It is about 150 m from MRT Taipei Zoo Station. Open 09:00–17:00, last entry at 16:00, and the animal exhibits are open until 16:30.

  3. Midday12:30

    Take the Maokong Gondola up the hill

    The gondola's Taipei Zoo Station is about 350 m from the MRT station along Xinguang Rd. Sec. 2. The line has four stations: Taipei Zoo, Taipei Zoo South, Zhinan Temple and Maokong, and riding all the way takes about 20–30 minutes. It runs until 22:00 on weekends and holidays, and until 21:00 on weekdays.

  4. Afternoon13:00

    Tea in Maokong

    Zhinan Rd. Sec. 3 is lined with tea gardens and teahouses all the way. Pick one, sit down, look at the mountains, drink tea and do nothing at all. You have to ride up and down anyway, so a day pass (NT$300) is cheaper than two single tickets (NT$360), and on the way down you can also get off at Zhinan Temple Station for a walk.

    Two cups of tea on a wooden railing, green hills blurred behind
    Stock photo · Le Vu / Unsplash

  5. Late afternoon16:30

    Down the hill, on to Songshan

    Take the gondola back to Taipei Zoo Station, ride the Wenhu Line to Nanjing Fuxing Station, then change to the Green Line towards Songshan and ride 3 stops to the end of the line at Songshan Station (about 25 minutes on board).

  6. Evening17:30

    Ciyou Temple, Raohe Night Market, Rainbow Bridge

    Songshan Ciyou Temple is right next to Songshan Station, beside Raohe Night Market. The night market is open daily 17:00–24:00. After eating, enter Chengmei Riverside Park through the No. 4 floodgate on Songhe St. Rainbow Bridge is open 24 hours and is lit up after dark. To get home, walk from Songshan Station to Houshanpi Station: the two stations are less than 800 m apart in a straight line.

    The roof of Songshan Ciyou Temple lit up at night
    Stock photo · Seoin Kim / Unsplash
    Rainbow Bridge lit up at night, reflected in the Keelung River
    Stock photo · Lisanto 李奕良 / Unsplash

Routes and journey times

Leg Route Time on board Fare
Houshanpi → Taipei Zoo Bannan Line to Zhongxiao Fuxing, change to the Wenhu Line About 24.8 min (1 transfer) NT$35
Taipei Zoo → Songshan Wenhu Line to Nanjing Fuxing, change to the Green Line About 25.1 min (1 transfer) NT$35
Songshan → Houshanpi Walk (about 760 m in a straight line) — 0

Times on board are calculated from Taipei Metro open data. Allow an extra 5–10 minutes for each transfer and for entering and leaving stations.

Walking tips

  • None of the walks on this day are long, but getting to and from the gondola stations and walking around the zoo add up, so wear comfortable shoes.
  • The Maokong teahouses are spread along Zhinan Rd. Sec. 3. Watch out for traffic when you walk along the road.
  • If you want to walk off dinner in the evening, the walk from Raohe back to Houshanpi is just right. If you don't feel like walking, take a YouBike.

Budget

Item Full fare
MRT, 2 rides NT$70
Taipei Zoo NT$100
Gondola day pass NT$300
Total (excluding food and drinks) NT$470

Prices in the table are full-fare prices. A Crystal Cabin costs an extra NT$50 per person per ride.

If you have just moved here

  • EasyCard: The two MRT rides come to NT$70 in total, which is cheaper than the NT$150 day pass, so just tap your card.
  • YouBike: From Raohe Night Market back to Houshanpi is just a few minutes on a YouBike 2.0. In Taipei City, registered members ride free for the first 30 minutes.
  • Rainy-day plan: If it is foggy or raining in the hills, go to Songshan Cultural and Creative Park instead. From Houshanpi Station, take the Bannan Line 3 stops to S.Y.S. Memorial Hall Station (about 5 minutes, NT$20). The indoor areas are open until 22:00, and you can go on to Raohe in the evening.
  • Closure days: In 2026 the gondola will still be closed on 12 October, 9 November, 23 November, 30 November, 14 December and 28 December, mostly Mondays. The zoo is closed on days when work is suspended because of a typhoon.

FAQ

Where is Wufenpu?

It is near Songshan Station and Houshanpi Station. It is a clothing street to explore during the day, so you can save it for another weekend and take your time.

If you would also like to live long-term at the starting point of this route, take a look at Houshanpi House.

Sources

(All information below was retrieved on 5 October 2026.)

  1. 1.Taipei Zoo – opening hourszoo.gov.taipei/cp.aspx?n=7D54CBE2525F75B8
  2. 2.Taipei Zoo – ticket priceszoo.gov.taipei/cp.aspx?n=763493FD7ECCAA11
  3. 3.Maokong Gondola – faresgondola.taipei/cp.aspx?n=E6E0CD5467B035F9
  4. 4.Maokong Gondola – operating hours and closure daysgondola.taipei/cp.aspx?n=BFE4B2ABA0D9FB61
  5. 5.Maokong Gondola – stationsgondola.taipei/cp.aspx?n=320D5F8758DECEFA
  6. 6.Taipei Travel Net – Maokong Gondolatravel.taipei/en/attraction/details/714
  7. 7.Taipei Travel Net – TAIPEI quarterly, Maokongtravel.taipei/en/pictorial/article/25455
  8. 8.Tourism Administration, MOTC – Songshan Ciyou Templetaiwan.net.tw/m1.aspx?sNo=0001090&id=227
  9. 9.Tourism Administration, MOTC – Raohe Street Night Markettaiwan.net.tw/m1.aspx?sNo=0001090&id=R177
  10. 10.Taipei Travel Net – Raohe Street Night Markettravel.taipei/en/attraction/details/1691
  11. 11.Tourism Administration, MOTC – Rainbow Bridgetaiwan.net.tw/m1.aspx?sNo=0001090&id=A12-00460
  12. 12.Taipei Travel Net – Rainbow Bridgetravel.taipei/en/attraction/details/598
  13. 13.Taipei Travel Net – Wufenpu Commercial Zonetravel.taipei/en/attraction/details/2101
  14. 14.YouBike – Taipei City ratesyoubike.com.tw/region/taipei/rate/
  15. 15.Data.Taipei – MRT running times between stationsdata.taipei/dataset/detail?id=513e97fe-6a98-4a0d-b7dc-11122c8638d4
  16. 16.Data.Taipei – MRT station data (used to calculate distances)data.taipei/dataset/detail?id=1eefa68d-7c8d-491b-8e75-66a161947426
  17. 17.Data.Taipei – MRT faresdata.taipei/dataset/detail?id=4acb4911-0360-4063-808d-fcee629508b3

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