Dihua Street is Taipei’s largest and oldest historic street, featuring an array of ancient buildings, traditional shops, art spaces, and restaurants. The street has a compelling history, dating back to a flourishing Chinese settlement in the mid-1800s. Key attractions include the Xiahai City God Temple, numerous traditional shops, and museums. It’s easily accessible via MRT or car, and tours are available for a deeper exploration. You should definitely make a stop in this historically rich area on your trip to Taipei.
🏯 Planning your trip to Taipei? 🏮
Here are some top travel tips for you:
- Best time to visit: March-May, and October – November when the temperatures are nice and there is not as much rain
- How to get there: Taiwan High Speed Railway and Inter-City Bus
- Best places to stay: Yuanshan Grand Hotel or Fu Chang Hotel
- Book tours and activities in Taipei on Klook
- Stay connected with a local SIM
- Rent a car to explore distant sights
Historical Background:
The land that Dadaocheng (aka Twatutia in Taiwanese 大稻埕) stands on was once part of Basay tribal land. The Basay people had lived on the land for thousands of years before the first Chinese settlers.
Sections of Dadaocheng indicate that there were settlements here during the Dutch rule in the 1600s.
The first Chinese settlers came to the area in the mid-1800’s during the Qing Dynasty. They created a public area for drying rice and grain, called Dadaocheng (大稻埕) from which the place gets its name, which also became the central market in the area.
The earliest trading shops were built in 1851, mainly selling rice, sugar, camphor, and tea. Dihua Street (迪化街), or center street (中街) was created around this time, making it the oldest street in Taipei.
In 1859 the City God Temple was completed, the religious center of the area, and many streets sprouted out of the area. Most of the buildings were one story and made of red brick in Fujian style, and later western style houses were built.
In 1891, the first train connecting Keelung and Taipei was completed. In 1902, Dadaocheng station was completed on the Tamsui Railway line. Tea and rice were the major exports from Dadaocheng during the Japanese era.
After WWII, the main street, known as Center Street (中街) was changed to Dihua Street, to remember Dihua City in Xinjiang.
Dihua Street is an important place to buy traditional food supplies and ingredients. It is particularly popular during Chinese festivals.
Hours:
About 9 AM to 7 PM.
Price:
Free
Tours:
You can book a walking tour of Dihua Street on TripAdvisor here, Klook here, or KKday here.
You can also book a Changing Cheongsam Tour at Dadaocheng on TripAdvisor here.
There are many tours of Dihua Street, Dadaocheng, and other spots in Taipei available on Klook here or KKday here.
Where to Stay:
High end:
We have stayed at and recommend the Yuanshan Grand Hotel, once the tallest building in Taiwan and still the most grand (book on Booking.com here or Agoda here). We have also stayed at and recommend the Grand Hyatt (book on Booking.com here or Agoda here), Marriot (book on Booking.com here or Agoda here), Sheraton (book on Booking.com here or Agoda here), Shangri-la (book on Booking.com here or Agoda here), and Regent (book on Booking.com here or Agoda here), which are all very high-quality hotels in the middle of Taipei City.
We also recommend Fullon Hotel, which has locations in Tamsui and Fulong near the beach (book on Booking.com here or Agoda here).
Budget Hotels:
We have stayed at and also recommend Fu Chang Hotel in Ximending, which is within walking distance of Ximending shopping district (book on Booking.com here or Agoda here). We have also stayed at and recommend Hai Xia Your Home, which is right in front of Fulong Beach (book on Booking.com here or Agoda here).
Looking for a hotel? We recommend booking through Agoda here, which provides the best quality selection of accommodation in Taiwan.
Find out where to stay in our Taiwan hotels guide or search for the best hotel deals in Taiwan here.
How to get there:
By MRT: From Beimen MRT station, walk north to Tacheng Street. Keep going until the street becomes Dihua Street (about 500 meters). You can purchase a discount easy card to use on the MRT from Klook here or KKday here. You can also book an MRT travel pass on Klook here.
By Car/Scooter: Take Shimin Blvd. west to Tacheng Street. Keep going until the street becomes Dihua Street (about 500 meters). There is paid car parking on Shimin Blvd.
Looking for scooter rental in Taipei? You can search on Klook here or KKday here to search for options. You can also check out our scooter rental guide here.
If you are looking for car rentals, you can also search Qeeq here, Klook here, or KKday here. You can also check out our car rental guide here.
By Bicycle: Cycling is the best way to enjoy Taiwan’s landscapes if you have the time and energy. Looking for bicycle rentals in Taiwan? You can use Taiwan’s many Youbike sharing stations, or search for rentals on KKday here, and search for tours on Klook here. You can also check out our Taiwan cycling guide here. You can also book a Sunset Riverside Bike Ride and Historical Tour, 4 Hour Cycling in Taipei, Ultimate 8-Hour Cycling City Tour, or Taipei City Bike Tour with Night Market Experience on TripAdvisor here.
For more information, check out our Taiwan transportation guide here.
Map:
Please see below:
Our Journey:
I have been to Dadaocheng and Dihua Street a few times. It is kind of far from where I live in East Taipei so I do not go there that often. Before I went, I thought it was a hipster side of town full of fancy tea shops. While that is true, there are also many historical and cultural sights to explore.
The blog below describes just one walk through Dadaocheng. There is much more to explore.
You can purchase a discount easy card to use on the MRT from Klook here or KKday here.
Dadaocheng Theater 大稻埕戲院
Taipei Xiahai City God Temple 臺北霞海城隍廟
You can book a walking tour of Dihua Street on TripAdvisor here, Klook here, or KKday here.
You can also book a Changing Cheongsam Tour at Dadaocheng on TripAdvisor here.
There are many tours of Dihua Street, Dadaocheng, and other spots in Taipei available on Klook here or KKday here.
Dadaocheng and Dihua Street are fun. There is lots more to explore here.
For other blogs on this place, check out Nick Kembel’s blog here and Josh Ellis’ post here.
You can also look for more activities in Taipei such as Rock Climbing, Surfing, Speedboat Surfing, Diving, Snorkeling, Cooking Class, Glamping, Motorcycling, Strawberry Picking, Professional Photo Shoot, Body Relaxation SPA, Night Tour, Calligraphy Workshop, and more on Klook here or KKday here.
Check out our guide to Taipei’s Old Streets here.
Check out our Taipei Museum Guide here.
Also be sure to check out our full guide to Taipei here.
You can also check out our full travel guide to Taiwan here.
