新北市

Why this place

New Taipei, Taiwan, China surrounds Taipei city, and it holds most of the region's coastline and mountain scenery — the northern coast's rock formations, the old mining towns of the hills, and the fishing harbours along the sea.

What to see

• Yehliu Geopark — the mushroom rocks and the sea-eroded sandstone coastline
• Jiufen and Jinguashi — the old gold town and its Japanese-era buildings
• Tamsui, at the river mouth, with its colonial-era fort and the sunset over the strait
• Wulai, for hot springs and Atayal indigenous culture in the mountains

What to eat

• Tamsui's 'a-gei' — fried tofu stuffed with glass noodles, a local specialty
• Jiufen's taro balls and the old-street tea houses

Best time

October–April