If you want to enjoy the stunning city view while sampling Taiwanese tea, riding on the Maokong Gondola to Maokong is the best choice for you.
Maokong（貓空）is located on the southeast mountain of Taipei City and offer outstanding views of Taipei 101; besides, it is used to be Taipei‘s biggest tea plantation, which is best known for Tieguanyin (Iron Goddess) and Baozhong tea.
In 2007, the opening of Maokong Gondola draws a lot of visitors to go to Maokong. Now, it is a popular place to go hiking, sample the Taiwanese teas and enjoy the scenery of Taipei City.
Table of Contents
Maokong Gondola
The total length of 4.03 km (2.7 mi) gondola line is shaped like the numeral 7, the line has 4 stations for passengers to ride and 2 angle stations which offer power and change gondola’s direction.
“Notice: Do not eat, drink, smoke or chew gum in the cabin.”
How to Get There
Take Brown Line (Wenhu Line) to the terminal station, Taipei Zoo [ BR01 ], Exit No.2 and walk around 5 minutes to the Maokong Gondola station.
TIPS:
I strongly recommend that you get two useful tools to make your travel go smoothly：EasyCard ＆ 4G SIM Card.
With EasyCard, you can explore Taipei easily; with the local 4G SIM card, you will find your destination easily, check the latest public transport schedules immediately, and share your vacation photos or videos with your family and friends anytime, anywhere.
| EasyCard | $3.35 | Book NOW |
| 4G SIM Card | $9.29 | Book NOW |
| 4G WiFi Router | $1.29 | Book NOW |
| EasyCard + 4G SIM Card | $8.09 | Book NOW |
Stations
The line has four stations:
Hours
- Monday
- 9:00 am – 9:00 pm
- Tuesday
- 9:00 am – 9:00 pm
- Wednesday
- 9:00 am – 9:00 pm
- Thursday
- 9:00 am – 9:00 pm
- Friday
- 9:00 am – 10:00 pm
- Saturday
- 8:30 am – 10:00 pm
- Sunday
- 8:30 am – 9:00 pm
- Scheduled maintenance for the Gondola is on the first Monday of the month.
- Opening hours of the Maokong gondola will be changed during national holidays, check out here.
Fares
The ticket price depends on how many stations you ride, The regular one-way ticket price is NT$70($2.3) for 1 stop, NT$100($3.2) for 2 stops and 3 stops is NT$120($3.9). It also works with Easycard.
| Ticket Price Table | Taipei Zoo Station | Taipei Zoo South Station | Zhinan Temple Station | Maokong Station |
| Taipei Zoo Station | 0 | 70 ($2.3) | 100 ($3.2) | 120 ($3.9) |
| Taipei Zoo South Station | 70 ($2.3) | 0 | 70 ($2.3) | 100 ($3.2) |
| Zhinan Temple Station | 100 ($3.2) | 70 ($2.3) | 0 | 70 ($2.3) |
| Maokong Station | 120 ($3.9) | 100 ($3.2) | 70 ($2.3) | 0 |
Cabins
There are two types of cabins, Regular Cabin and Crystal Cabin.
Crystal cabins also called “Eyes of Maokong Gondola”, is a transparent cabin with a tri-layer reinforced glass floor, therefore, you can enjoy the 360-degree panorama views in the air.
＊What’s the Difference Between Regular Cabin and Crystal Cabin?
| Type | Regular Cabins | Crystal Cabins |
| Transparent Floor | No | Yes |
| Capacity | 6~8 passengers | 5 passengers |
| Quantity | 116 | 31 |
| Wait Time | available anytime | every 2~4 minutes |
| Price | NT$70($2.3) for 1 stop NT$100($3.2) for 2 stops NT$120($3.9) for 3 stops | NT$70($2.3) for 1 stop NT$100($3.2) for 2 stops NT$120($3.9) for 3 stops |
Maokong gondola ride is a must do if you come to Taipei. I recommend you book the combo ticket, you will get round trip Maokong Gondola ticket (Taipei Zoo Station – Maokong Station) and comes with the Taipei Double-Decker Sightseeing Night Bus ticket, this valuable combo package is only $7.79, just click below button to get it!
Things to do in Maokong
Zhangshu Trail（樟樹步道）
The Zhangshu trail is a popular trail in Maokong, the length is only 0.745 miles and is suitable for families to walk. In addition, every spring (Feb – Mar) is the best time to appreciate the blooming Lupine along the trail.
Zhangshan Temple（樟山寺）
Photo by Murphy Chen on Flickr
Keep walking up from Zhangshu trail, you will reach the
- Get Location
- Tel：+886 2 2939-8966
Taipei Tea Promotion Center（台北市鐵觀音包種茶研發推廣中心）
If you are a tea lover, then you might want to go to the Taipei Tea Promotion Center. Although it spends about 20 minutes walk from the Maokong Gondola station, you will learn about everything about Taiwanese tea and even savor the free tea.
Book Now – Learn Anything About Taiwanese Tea Culture with Tea Master
- Get Location
- Tel：+886 2 2234-0568
- Hours：Tue – Sun 09:00~17:00 | Mon Closed
Eating in Maokong
Fourth Brother’s Catering Group（四哥餐飲集團）
Fourth Brother’s shop is one of the famous restaurants in Maokong, they have started from the sales of self-produced tea to the catering services for over two decades.
Besides Fourth Brother’s shop, it now has two more different styles of the restaurant in Maokong: SihYe and MAOLAN.
Fourth Brother’s Shop（四哥的店）
Since 1990, Fourth Brother’s shop has served not only fine tea but creative tea flavored cuisine.
They have two shops closed to each other: Fourth Brother’s Shop No.1 and No.2.
Fourth Brother’s shop No.1 is located in a three-story building; No.2 has an outdoor dining area, both are suitable for people who want to simply enjoy the fancy food and 180-degree views of Taipei city.
- Avg. Cost：NT$200~500 ($6.4~16.4)
- No.1 Shop: Get Location
- No.2 Shop: Get Location
- Tel：+886 2 2939-2832
- Hours：Tue – Sun 11:30~22:00 | Mon Closed
SihYe（四爺）
SihYe is a restaurant with a strongly Chinese palace interior style, they only offer booths for those people who want to have a private space.
- Avg. Cost：NT$200~500 ($6.4~16.4)
- Get Location
- Tel：+886 2 2234-0140
- Hours：Tue – Sun 10:00~22:00 | Mon Closed
MAOLAN（貓懶）
Going upstairs to the rooftop from ShiYe, you will find Maolan which just like a rooftop bar offering both fine dining and drinks, from this airy terrace you get
- Avg. Cost：NT$200~400 ($6.4~12.9)
- Get Location
- Tel：+886 2 2239-5938
- Hours：Tue – Sun 10:00~22:00 | Mon Closed
Redwood Tea House（紅木屋）
An obvious old-style red-brick house offer excellent food and view, besides Taiwanese dishes, they also have Western snacks like Waffles and Paninis, here is the best place for the afternoon tea.
- Avg. Cost：NT$200~500 ($6.4~16.1)
- Get Location
- Tel：+886 2 2939-9706
- Hours：Tue – Sun 10:30~21:00 | Mon Closed
LazyDayCafe（小日子）
Without WiFi, air conditioner, and socket. LazyDayCafe is an outdoor coffee shop with an awning, so you can quietly savor a cup of coffee and enjoy the atmosphere surrounded by nature.
- Avg. Cost：NT$80~160 ($2.6~5.2)
- Get Location
- Hours：Tue – Fri 12:00~19:00 |
Sat – Sun 12:00~20:00 | Mon Closed
Maokong Tea House（貓空茶屋）
Maokong Tea House is a lovely shop selling dessert and tea gifts, If you have a sweet tooth, you can’t say no to their unique ice cream made with Tieguanyin (Iron Goddess) or Baozhong tea.
- Avg. Cost：NT$90 ($2.9)
- Get Location
- Tel：+886 2 2936-6066
- Hours：Sun – Thu 10:00~20:00 | Fri – Sat 10:00~21:00 | Mon Closed
If you really enjoy staying in the tea house for a lovely view while drinking traditional tea, you will definitely love Jiufen which is one of the must-go places in Taiwan.
See also : Jiufen Old Street – the Romantic Nostalgic Mountain Town
How to Plan Your Maokong Combo Day Trip
Option 1
Taipei Zoo – Maokong
It’s a popular combo trip, in the morning you can visit Taipei Zoo and see different animals with an affordable entry ticket ($2), then take the Maokong Gondola to Maokong for sunset and beautiful night views.
SEE ALSO: TAIPEI ZOO – THE MUST GO ZOO IN TAIWAN
Option 2
Shenkeng Old Street – Taipei Zoo – Maokong
Shenkeng Old Street is known for its famous tofu cuisine, you can have lunch there, then take Zhinan Bus 679 (
Stop Location) to Taipei Zoo (Closed at 5:00 pm) and later Maokong for dinner, or skip Taipei Zoo and directly go to Maokong for afternoon tea.
Option 3
Pingxi – Maokong
You can go to Pingxi during the day and take Taipei Bus 795 to MRT Muzha Station [BR02] later, then transfer to MRT Taipei Zoo Station [BR01] for taking the gondola up to Maokong.
See also : Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival – The Complete Guide to Pingxi Line in Taiwan
I hope you enjoyed reading this post, in this post, you’ve learned every information about Maokong Gondola, what’s fun and must eat in Maokong, and how to create a travel itinerary. However, If you still have any questions on your trip to Maokong, please leave in the comments below, I will be more than happy to help you out:)
