Keelung Travel Guide: A Danish Traveler’s Authentic Taiwan Experience

Be a traveler, not just a tourist

By default, we are all tourists when we visit a new country as foreigners. But throughout my many months of travel around the world, I have increasingly strived to not merely be a tourist but a traveler. What that means is to truly experience the destination and not “just” visit it. Immersing yourself in the culture, meeting the people and taking an interest in the history.

Keelung is a great place to do just that, not just because it is rich in culture and history, but also because, despite the many cruise ships that dock at Keelung port, the city is in no way overrun by tourists. Finding places where you feel like you are not just part of the tourist crowd is increasingly difficult. Of course, there are famous places in Keelung, but exploring them is not only still an authentic experience, but leads you to find great hidden gems that are not on everybody’s to-do list.

In this article, I would like to share my experiences with you and hopefully inspire you to not just visit Keelung, but truly discover this gem of a city.

Keelung’s top attractions and beyond

The Keelung Night market

The Keelung Night market also known as the MiaoKou Night Market has become not just well known but famous due to Anthony Bourdain proclaiming it to be the number 1 night market in Taiwan, which you can read much more about in this blog post: Miaokou Night Market: Anthony Bourdain’s #1 night market in Taiwan

Night markets are a staple throughout Asia, especially throughout Southeast Asia, where I have spent 3 months of my travels. I love a good market, going from stall to stall tasting the food and looking for cute souvenirs. But I have found myself walking away disappointed.

In places like Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand Night Markets seem to have developed into places only tourists go expecting to get a local experience, but usually ending up walking past the same five food stalls with surprising western friendly cuisines and the same ten souvenirs, none of it made locally. That was, at least, how I felt until I came to Taiwan and Keelung Night Market.

Even though it was daunting sorting through the many interesting but different food options, especially as a vegetarian, it was my best night market experience to date. Not only is it beautifully light with gleaming yellow lanterns but every stall seemed to have their own specialty dish.

The place was filled with people, even though I could count on one hand how many other tourists I saw (mind you, I was there on a Thursday and not the weekend). I could stand forever watching them make sweet potato balls, scallion pancakes, and putting in their orders everything happening twice as fast as normally.

Even though the Night Market is as authentic as it gets, there are even better ways to get a glimpse into the everyday life of the people in Keelung, and it is only a block away. 

Renai Market

Want to get your hair done, nails painted, clothes mended, and grab lunch at the same time? Then the Renai Market is the place for you. I was mesmerized walking around on the 2nd floor, passing by locals going about their day. It was so vastly different from anything I had experienced before and I loved the bustling energy, seeing the ladies of Keelung gossiping over a cup of coffee or a fresh haircut.

Seeing how they utilize the space to whatever needs they might have was inspiring, and I felt like I was getting a glimpse of what everyday life has looked like for many years, unspoiled by tourism. I unfortunately don’t speak Taiwanese or Mandarin, but I found that simple “Ni Hao” and a smile goes a long way.

The Keelung colorful houses

One of the things high on my to-do list was visiting Zhengbin Port Color Houses. First of all, I was surprised to find the bus stop at the port was decorated like an American diner, who doesn’t love a fun photo-op. The houses themselves shone bright in the sunlight and looked picturesque with the small fishing boats in the foreground. In spite of it being a beautiful sunny day, we saw only a handful of other tourists. Had this been in Japan or Vietnam, it would have been overrun by people.

Instead of just heading back we decided to walk a little further across the bridge to have a look from a different angle. Here, we found fishermen trying to get the catch of the day and a family having a laugh at a table, seemingly unbothered by our presence.

We decided to walk a bit further to see what that part of the city had to offer and came across a small hidden gem.

Tian Ho temple

Walking up to it at first, it does not look like much and is settled right next to a school. But walking around all by yourself, looking at the beautiful carvings and colors, you cannot help but be in awe. Even though it is not the biggest temple or placed in particularly beautiful surroundings, there is something about walking around alone undisturbed that makes everything more special and unique. It is, therefore, my favorite hidden gem in Keelung. 

Let’s go for a walk

So one of my favorite ways to discover any new place is to simply go for a walk and watch it unfold. See the hustle and bustle as the locals go about their daily life. Each walk helps to see the city in a different light, and I would love to take you on a walk with me through the streets of Keelung.

The streets of Keelung

Small food markets

Usually, in Denmark at least, you have to wait until a specific day of the week to buy your fruit and veggies fresh, but in Keelung you can get it any day of the week. It is a vital part of the city of Keelung and deeply rooted in tradition, so it is a great place to go for a local experience. One of my absolute favorite things is fresh fruit and there are no better places or cheaper than to do it at these small food stalls, forget about the supermarket! 

Street food

The Keelung night market or Renai market are not the only places you can try street food. Some of my favorite eats have come from small food stalls or tiny open restaurants. You can find everything from baked goods, traditional Taiwanese breakfast to dumplings and bao buns. I thoroughly believe that eating is one of the best ways to get to know a place and its people, Keelung has made that exceptionally easy. 

Keelung culture tour

Even though just walking around on your own is a great way to discover a city, unless you are good at speaking the language, you don’t really get a lot of information about the history and culture. Therefore, I highly recommend going on a Keelung culture tour. Your guide is a local person from Keelung that has an incredible knowledge of the city and can take you to see places you probably would not stumble upon.

Until the culture tour I had no idea how the different occupations of Taiwan had affected and helped shape Keelung to the city it is today. From the American influence on beer street to the Japanese, who shaped the harbor and by extent the city.

It was our guide who took us to Renai Market that I mentioned earlier (now one of my favorite places in the city) and so many more. So my tip would be to let a local guide you for the full Keelung experience by going on a Cultural Tour. But don’t just take my word for it, read more about what other people have to say here. 

Meeting the Locals

I think there is no better way to truly be a traveler and immerse yourself in the culture rather than meeting locals. However, I found it particularly difficult here because of the language barrier. In Keelung, you do not meet a lot of people who speak English, and most of the local food stalls do not have an English menu. I found a few ways that help me overcome the language barrier and give me a better understanding of Keelung and Taiwan in general. 

Overcoming the Language Barrier

Asking for help

I used this option a lot. It is usually the younger generation that speaks English, so, for instance, when I find myself at a food stall, I try and see if I can spot anyone young close by, and ask if they can help me translate the menu or place my order. It has worked out great so far, because Taiwanese people are incredibly sweet and kind. If that is not an option I try the next step

Google translate

This is your best friend while traveling. It’s not always 100% accurate but it gets the job done for the most part. I usually use the audio record function. That way I can also record what the person I am speaking to is saying and have it translated. Also if you have an android phone, there’s a function that allows you to point your camera at what you want translated and press and hold the home button.

Again it is not 100% correct but it allows you to get an idea of what a menu or sign says.  

Go to a Language Exchange

My last recommendation to experience Keelung as a traveler and not just a tourist is to go to a Language Exchange, if you can. It is not just about learning about each other’s language, but just as much culture, past and present. You get recommendations as to where to go and what to see by locals and perhaps even make a friend.

I had an amazing experience at the language exchange I attended. It was here I learned the most about the small ways in which Taiwan differs from not only where I come from, but also other countries in Asia. We discussed everything from the political climate, salary, housing prices to locker room culture and when and why Taiwanese people end up choosing an English name. 

You can keep updated on when the next Language Exchange is happening here.

More Keelung Travel Guide:

A Day Trip in Keelung for Cruise Passengers: 3 Recommendations

A Trip to Chaojing Park and Wangyou Valley Coastal Trail

Keelung’s Ren’Ai Market is a local treasure trove of food