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Weekend day-outs

Along the Green Line: From Gongguan to Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall, Longshan Temple, and Sunset at Dadaocheng

Living in Gongguan, you're just a few stops north on the Songshan-Xindian Line from old Taipei neighborhoods like Wanhua and Dadaocheng. Watch the ceremonial guard performance at Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall in the morning, walk through Longshan Temple at midday, stroll Dihua Street in the afternoon, catch the sunset at Dadaocheng Wharf in the evening, and finish with dinner at Ningxia Night Market before heading straight home on one train.

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

The roof and lanterns of Longshan Temple in Wanhua, Taipei
Photo: Poh Soo Donald Soh / Unsplash
On this page
  1. How the day goes
  2. Routes and times
  3. Walking tips
  4. Budget
  5. If you've just moved here
  6. FAQ
  7. Sources

Living in Gongguan has a perk that people rarely mention: just a few stops north on the Songshan-Xindian Line (Green Line) are Monga and Dadaocheng, some of Taipei's old neighbourhoods. On this day you move around near the Green Line almost the whole time, and in the evening one train takes you straight home, with no transfers. From Gongguan House to the MRT station: Gongguan Station (Songshan-Xindian Line), about a 3-minute walk.

How the day goes

  1. Morning09:40

    Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall

    At Gongguan Station, take the Green Line towards Songshan and ride 3 stops to C.K.S. Memorial Hall Station (about 5 minutes on the train). The official directions say it is about an 8-minute walk from Exit 3. The memorial hall building is open daily 09:00–18:00. From 09:00 to 17:00 there is an honour guard drill of about 15 minutes every hour on the hour. It takes place outdoors on Democracy Boulevard below the steps of the main hall, not indoors, and is suspended when it rains. Catching the 10:00 drill fits this plan just right.

  2. Morning11:00

    Longshan Temple and Bopiliao

    Ride the Green Line 2 stops to Ximen Station, then change to the Bannan Line towards Dingpu and ride 1 stop to Longshan Temple Station. Longshan Temple was built in 1738, was listed as a national monument in 2018, and is open daily 06:00–22:00. About 230 m away is the Bopiliao Historic Block, open Tuesday to Sunday 09:00–18:00 and closed on Mondays.

  3. Midday12:30

    Lunch in Ximending

    From Longshan Temple to Ximending is about 1 km on foot (in a straight line). If you don't feel like walking, ride 1 stop.

  4. Afternoon14:00

    Dihua Street and the Xiahai City God Temple

    From Ximen Station, take the Green Line towards Songshan for 1 stop to Beimen Station. The south end of Dihua Street is about 500 m north of Beimen Station. Stroll slowly north along the street. The Xiahai City God Temple is at No. 61, Sec. 1, Dihua St., and Taipei Travel Net lists its opening hours as 07:00–19:00 daily (the notice posted at the temple has the final say). Remember to go in before evening.

  5. Late afternoon16:30

    Sunset at Dadaocheng Wharf

    From the temple to the wharf is about 300 m on foot. The Taipei City Public Transportation Office's "藍色水路微旅行" website lists two Dadaocheng sunset river cruises every day, at 15:20 and 17:30, with a full-fare ticket at NT$400. A cruise may be cancelled if there are fewer than 10 passengers or the water level is too low, so check online before you go. In October the sun sets in Taipei at about 17:15–17:40 (Central Weather Administration), so the 17:30 cruise falls right around sunset. It's fine to skip the boat, too: watching the sunset over the river from the wharf is well worth it.

  6. Evening18:30

    Ningxia Night Market, then one train home

    From the wharf, walk east to the night market on Ningxia Rd., about 1 km (estimated from a map). Official sources give different opening hours for the night market (Taipei City Market Administration Office: 18:00–24:00; Taipei Travel Net: 17:00–23:30), so arriving around 18:30 works well. If you took the 17:30 boat, have dinner a little later. After eating, walk about 8 minutes along Nanjing W. Rd. to Exit 5 of Zhongshan Station, then take the Green Line towards Xindian for 7 stops straight to Gongguan (about 13 minutes on the train).

Routes and times

Segment Route Time on the train Fare
Gongguan → C.K.S. Memorial Hall Green Line, 3 stops about 5.2 min NT$20
C.K.S. Memorial Hall → Longshan Temple Green Line to Ximen, then Bannan Line 1 stop about 4.9 min (1 transfer) NT$20
Ximen → Beimen Green Line, 1 stop about 1.4 min NT$20
Zhongshan → Gongguan Green Line, 7 stops direct about 13.4 min NT$20

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

Walking tips

  • You will be walking most of the afternoon and evening. The stretch from Dihua Street to Ningxia Night Market is the longest, so wear comfortable shoes.
  • Bopiliao and the Red House are closed on Mondays, so this route works best on a weekend.

Budget

Item Full fare
MRT, 4 rides NT$80
Dadaocheng sunset river cruise (optional) NT$400
Total (excluding food) NT$80–480

Prices in the table are full fares. An MRT one-day pass costs NT$150, so on this day paying for each single ride by card is actually cheaper.

If you've just moved here

  • EasyCard: Every ride on this day is NT$20, so tapping your card is the easiest way to pay.
  • YouBike: Once you register as a member with your EasyCard, the first 30 minutes on YouBike 2.0 in Taipei City are free. The ride from the wharf to the night market is quick by bike.
  • Rainy-day plan: The inside of the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall and the Red House (Saturday 11:00–22:00, Sunday 11:00–21:30) are both indoors, so save the sunset for the next sunny day. The Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall is closed on days when work is called off because of a typhoon.

FAQ

Can I do this route on a weekday too?

Yes. The "藍色水路微旅行" website currently lists the Dadaocheng sunset river cruise (15:20, 17:30) and the night river cruise (19:00, 20:00) as running every day. Just note that Bopiliao and the Red House are closed on Mondays, so if you go on a weekday, avoid Monday.

What if I want to see the flag-lowering ceremony at the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall?

From October to March the flag is lowered at 17:10, and from April to September at 18:10. That clashes with the sunset at the wharf, so you will have to pick one.

Are there other ways to do this walk?

Taipei Travel Net also has official routes called "From Ximending to Monga" and "Dadaocheng Nostalgia". You can split them over two weekends and take your time.

If you are looking for a room around Gongguan where you can live long term, take a look at Gongguan House.

Sources

(All information below was retrieved on 2026-10-05.)

  1. 1.National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall – opening hours and honour guard drillcksmh.gov.tw/cp.aspx?n=6026
  2. 2.National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall – getting therecksmh.gov.tw/cp.aspx?n=6027
  3. 3.Monga Longshan Temple official websitelungshan.org.tw/tw/
  4. 4.Tourism Administration, MOTC – Monga Longshan Templetaiwan.net.tw/m1.aspx?sNo=0001090&id=93
  5. 5.Tourism Administration, MOTC – Bopiliao Historic Blocktaiwan.net.tw/m1.aspx?sNo=0001090&id=A12-00068
  6. 6.Taipei Travel Net – Red Housetravel.taipei/en/attraction/details/503
  7. 7.Taipei Travel Net – Taipei Xiahai City God Templetravel.taipei/en/attraction/details/488
  8. 8.Taipei Travel Net – Dadaocheng Nostalgia routetravel.taipei/en/fun/tour/details/1316
  9. 9.Taipei Travel Net – Ningxia Night Markettravel.taipei/en/attraction/details/1689
  10. 10.Taipei Travel Net – From Ximending to Mongatravel.taipei/en/fun/tour/details/1352
  11. 11.Taipei City Public Transportation Office – 藍色水路微旅行river-fun.taipei/route.jsp
  12. 12.Central Weather Administration, MOTC – 2026 sunrise and sunset times (Taipei City)cwa.gov.tw/Data/astronomy/Timetable_PDF/sun2026_01taipeicity.pdf
  13. 13.Taipei City Market Administration Office – Ningxia Road vendor markettcma.gov.taipei/News_Content.aspx?n=FAC14AD2DE4E01A4&sms=32F7BA052C5CA548&s=0C985156C3DB7335
  14. 14.Red House official websiteredhouse.taipei/
  15. 15.YouBike – Taipei City ratesyoubike.com.tw/region/taipei/rate/
  16. 16.Data.Taipei – MRT running times between stationsdata.taipei/dataset/detail?id=513e97fe-6a98-4a0d-b7dc-11122c8638d4
  17. 17.Data.Taipei – MRT station data (used for distance calculations)data.taipei/dataset/detail?id=1eefa68d-7c8d-491b-8e75-66a161947426
  18. 18.Data.Taipei – MRT faresdata.taipei/dataset/detail?id=4acb4911-0360-4063-808d-fcee629508b3

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