There are a lot of Old Street scattered around the island and Sanxia Old Street is one of them that you should visit!

You must be wondering, what is there to do in Sanxia? The most interesting part of Sanxia is its old street, here you’ll find beautiful red brick arched corridors spanning from the beginning to the end.

Many of the old streets in Taipei are quite new except for Sanxia Old Street, it existed since the Japanese colonial period. This goes to show how old it is!

Now the street is still crowded with locals coming back to experience what was it like during the old days.

The street has been renovated and new Western-style buildings have been erected to further complement this one-of-a-kind old street. Are you looking for things to do in Sanxia? Here are my top 7 recommended activities that you must try!

>> Are you looking for the best old street in Taipei? Then consider reading my Top 7 Taipei Old Streets That You Must Visit! <<

How to get to Sanxia from Taipei?

From Taipei, Sanxia can be easily reached by public transport such as the MRT or buses. You can also take a private Taxi and Uber for a more stress-free experience.

1. Public Transport (MRT and Bus)

Taking the MRT (Taiwan’s Subway) will take an hour and cost around TWD 40. Go to your nearest MRT station and take the Bannan Line (blue line) to Yongning Station Exit 1. From there you need to walk to the bus stop (in front of MOS Burger) to take the 916 bus which will take another 20 minutes to arrive at Sanxia Old Street Station.

Tip: If you haven’t already I recommend downloading the Bus+ app in your app stores. You can view real-time schedules of any public transport (it has an English interface).

There’s another bus which will take you directly from Taipei to Sanxia Old Street, it’s 939. The bus stops in Taipei are only around Xinyi District, so if your accommodation is around there, it should be easy for you to navigate through. Both of these options are fine, just remember to check your Bus+ App as it is a breeze to use.

2. Uber or Taxi

Taking an Uber or a taxi from Taipei to Sanxia is probably the easiest option. But it will cost you around TWD 500 – 700 and the ride will take less than an hour. I would recommend taking this option if you are traveling in a group of 3 or more people. As you can distribute the cost to not be too expensive and the good side is that it will arrive quicker.

If you’re using Uber just search Sanxia Old Street and you should be fine. As to traditional taxis, you may want to tell the driver clearly where you wanna go, just tell them 三峽老街 will be enough.

How to go back to Taipei from Sanxia

Going back to Taipei from Sanxia is easy since the 916 bus will still operate until midnight. The route to head back is pretty much the same as I’ve described above but in reverse. There will be some taxis stationed nearby so you won’t need to worry about not having any way to go back.

What to do in Sanxia Old Street

Alright, now let’s get to the fun part. After you know how to get to Sanxia, here are things that you can do when you arrive here.

1. Walk along the Sanxia Old Street

Sanxia Old Street is an ancient street that features beautiful red-bricked corridors. Inside these red-brick buildings, you’ll find numerous food stalls, ice cream shops, souvenir shops, and ceramic stores.

This street is popular among the locals especially old residents as Sanxia is known as a district where people who have retired come to live. So don’t expect to see many young people here usually, it will be kids accompanying their parents to shop. But the street here is a sight to visit, you can take your time walking and go into shops that catch your eye!

There are temples inside such as the Qingshui Zushi Temple (三峽祖師廟) which you can visit and adore its attention to detail. The walls are carved with Chinese art consisting of various gods that dwell here. I am not going to lie, this temple was a piece of art, all of the walls were carved with great skills and the ambiance inside was very peaceful.

2. Eat the famous Ox Horn Bread!

When I think about Sanxia Old Street, the first that comes to mind is its ever-popular Ox Horn Bread (三峽牛角) which looks like a croissant.

This is the first food here that you should try, you can find them anywhere inside Old Street. The most famous store that sells them fresh every day is (三峽牛角), they offer various flavors from coffee to even matcha.

If it’s your first time then I recommend getting the (金菠蘿牛角) which is their number 1 product! It tastes like pineapple cake but with a bit of crispiness to it. If that’s not enough then go for the other flavors, I have tried 6 of their flavors and it’s all very delicious.

Tip: If you are considering buying a lot then be sure to buy the 綜合 (it is a mix of everything). So you’ll get 10 different flavors and it will also be cheaper than straight-out buying 10 individual pieces.

Other shops sell this sanxia specialty but I personally never tried them. It’s kind of interesting because not every Taiwanese seems to know that 牛角 came from Sanxia.

Whenever I offered my friends this local snack, they would outright ask me where I got it and most of the time they would be shocked that it was from Sanxia. Some stores even held cooking classes where you can make your own Ox Horn Bread and decorate it with cute edible cookies.

3. Shop their Traditional Handicrafts

If you are looking for souvenirs from your trip to Taipei then here you will find a diverse selection of cute handicrafts to choose from! There are many shops situated inside and most of them have different kinds of crafts. So don’t spend time only in one store because maybe the next one has the one you are looking for!

Inside you will find handicrafts like self-sewn clothes, cute cards, ceramics, and papercrafts. The postcard here has the signature red-bricked archways of Sanxia Old Street, so those are a great option to get.

If you are visiting during the Chinese New Year then you are in luck because that is when it gets lively. You will see street vendors decorating their shops in red and even selling red envelopes and lanterns. It is a great way of seeing how crowded Sanxia Old Street can get but any day works as well.

4. Eat their authentic local foods

Every Old Street in Taiwan has food stalls ready to whip you amazing local treats. Sanxia Old Street is no exception, you’ll find many food choices to try, and here are some dishes you can try in Sanxia: 

– I’m sure you’ve heard of Braised Pork Rice (滷肉飯), the prized possession of Taiwan’s local delights, but have you tried their Duck Rice (鵝肉飯)? Whenever I come here I would instantly remember this amazing dish located inside Sanxia Old Street.

The restaurant is called 李記鵝肉 and you can easily find it through its red sign featuring 2 white ducks. I recommend trying out their signature dish (鵝肉便當) which is a bento box with duck meat. It is perfect for anyone looking to fill their stomach and continue to explore Sanxia Old Street.

>> Want to know more about food in Sanxia Old Street? Check out my Top 7 Food to Eat in Sanxia Old Street – a one-stop guide for all the good food in Sanxia! <<

– Another food that I highly recommend you to try out is the Ox Horn Waffle (真本家 真角燒x雞蛋糕) store here! After you try the Ox Horn Bread (三峽牛角) then head to this small stall where you’ll find a unique blend of the popular bread turned into bite-sized waffles. They offer many choices to choose from and it is quite cheap at around 60 NTD for 5 of these cute snacks.

5. Visit the Soybean Outlet

Taiwan is notoriously known for its huge selection of soybean products. Here in Sanxia Old Street, you can find a store that sells their very own produced soybean! I enjoyed my very first visit as you can sit down and have a taste of their freshly made soybean milk.

The store is called Hidekawa (禾乃川), and it’s open every day from 9:00 to 18:00. They offer anything related to soybeans from soy milk, tofu puddings, tofu shaved ice, and more.

Their menu can be overwhelming so if you are not sure what to order, I recommend trying out their ice creams! You know what they say, you can’t go wrong with ice cream and here you can feel the soybean taste and it doesn’t leave a bad aftertaste. You can continue to snack upon their other choices or continue to move to your next spot.

6. Visit the Qingshui Zushi Temple

This is the most interesting temple I have seen in Taiwan – on every wall you will find intricate attention to detail with every carving. I was in awe when I first entered this temple, the unique carved walls and historical appearance make it a must-visit for anyone visiting Sanxia Old Street.

It is located inside the old street, so you need to go in first to see this temple. The entry is open for anyone from 5:00 to 21:30, so you don’t need to worry about missing your chance to experience this unique temple.

You can also pray for free if you want to, simply go to the left side of the temple when you enter the building. There should be a clerk there who will provide you with the incest to use. They don’t require you to pay but as someone who has been going there a couple of times be sure to donate. Even the locals themselves would do it every time so better follow the culture I guess.

7. Relax and enjoy the view at Zhangfu Bridge

There is a bridge on Sanxia Old Street where a lot of people enjoy taking light strolls after walking around the streets. What I usually do with my friends is that we buy large amounts of food and then bring them here to sit down and enjoy our meal together.

I have said before that Sanxia is popular among people who have retired and families. Here you will find them sitting together and some might even do some exercises together.

For me, this is very interesting as we can experience something that doesn’t happen in very touristy locations. Here they are just going by their everyday life and we get to experience the culture more deeply.

Conclusion: Is Sanxia Old Street worth a visit?

There are a lot of Old Streets in Taipei and not a lot of people seem to add this red bricked street to their Taipei travel itinerary. I have to agree that Sanxia itself doesn’t offer touristy stuff to do if you compare it with Jiufen Old Street.

But every time I visit, the streets are packed with people looking to take a walk or even shopping. Sanxia Old Street isn’t that huge, so you’d likely be done with it after a few hours.