Keelung Cruise Port
Keelung, Taiwan · Asia
Cruise ships dock at West 3 Berth — West Passenger Terminal (西3碼頭), Keelung.
Plan my port daysTwo city-centre terminals on opposite quays, Taiwan's best food market on the doorstep, and Taipei 45 minutes away by train. One of Asia's strongest DIY ports.
At a glance
Port summary
Keelung is one of the easiest ports in Asia to do independently, but the first question to answer is which quay you are on. Keelung's harbour is a narrow basin with the city wrapped around it, and the two passenger terminals face each other across the water. Big ships — Quantum-class and anything over about 150,000 GT — go to West 3, alongside the West Passenger Terminal, four minutes from Keelung railway station and the intercity bus terminal. Mid-size and smaller ships go to East 2, at the East Passenger Terminal on Zhongzheng Road, which is eight minutes' walk around the head of the harbour to the same station. Both berth alongside; Keelung never tenders. The generic advice that the port is four minutes from the station is only true for half of all passengers, so check your daily programme. The single best thing about Keelung is that Miaokou Night Market, Taiwan's most celebrated food market, is a ten-minute walk away and — unlike Taipei's night markets — most of its stalls are trading from around 11:00. You get the night-market experience without needing the night. Beyond the city, the day trips sort themselves into three tiers. Yehliu Geopark is the safest big trip: bus 862 or 790 from the bus terminal, 45 to 60 minutes each way, four hours round trip. Jiufen is the most rewarding, about an hour each way on bus 788, but watch the weekday gap in the return timetable between roughly 12:00 and 14:40. Taipei is 45 minutes by train from Keelung station for NT$62 and gets you Taipei 101, Longshan Temple and Ximending comfortably. Shifen and the Pingxi sky-lantern line take nearly two hours each way on an hourly branch line and are genuinely risky on a short call. Payment is the other thing to get right. Buy an EasyCard at any convenience store for NT$100: it is the only payment method that works on Keelung buses, the train to Taipei and the Taipei metro alike. Contactless bank cards were switched on at Taipei metro gates in July 2026, but they still do not work on buses, and Taiwan's domestic wallets such as LINE Pay and JKOPay need a local bank account. Night-market stalls are cash. Bring NT$1,000 to 2,000 per person and an umbrella, whatever the forecast — Keelung is the wettest city in Taiwan and November is wetter than any month you have experienced in Europe.
Cruise docks
West 3 Berth — West Passenger Terminal (西3碼頭)
Keelung's large-ship berth and the one to hope for. The West quays are dredged to 11 m against the East side's 9 m, so every Quantum-class ship, the MSC calls and most 150,000 GT-plus vessels tie up here, lying across W2, W3 and W4 as one continuous 544 m face. The West Passenger Terminal is alongside, and the north exit of Keelung railway station, the intercity bus terminal for Jiufen and Yehliu, and Guomen Plaza are all about four minutes' walk away. Miaokou Night Market is ten to fourteen minutes on foot.
Latitude: 25.136264, Longitude: 121.742127
See dock on port map →East 2 Berth — East Passenger Terminal (東2碼頭)
The mid-size and small-ship berth, used by Costa Serena and everything below it, and by the luxury and expedition fleet. It sits at No. 1 Zhongzheng Road on the east quay, immediately below the 2021 East Passenger Terminal and the old Harbour Building. It is eight minutes on foot around the head of the harbour to Keelung railway station's south exit and twelve to fifteen to the night market — there is no pedestrian crossing over the basin, so you walk around it. The terminal itself is better equipped than the West one, with an ATM, a currency-exchange machine, a convenience store and a rooftop garden.
Latitude: 25.131913, Longitude: 121.743429
See dock on port map →Getting to Keelung
From the cruise terminal to the city centre
Map & things to do
Money & payments
Buy an EasyCard and draw NT$2,000 to 3,000 in cash on arrival. Taiwan is a non-tipping country — restaurants above a certain level add a 10 per cent service charge and nothing further is expected, and tipping at a night market or in a taxi will only cause confusion.
Build your perfect day in Keelung
Tell us your cruise line, ship and departure date and we'll give you a complete set of full port information and playbooks of how to spend your day.
Inside the China, Korea & Taiwan collection
Here's a peek at everything waiting for your Keelung cruise day.
Typical weather
Emergency & contacts
Excursions compared
4 comparedTaipei city highlights: National Palace Museum, Chiang Kai-shek Memorial and Taipei 101
≈ 8 h · sold by 5 cruise lines
Cruise line
€150$168
Do it yourself
€35$39
Save ≈ €115Save ≈ $129 (77% off)
Large ships berth at West 3 alongside the West Passenger Terminal, four minutes' walk from the north exit of Keelung railway station; mid-size ships at East 2 are eight minutes round the harbour head to the south exit. Taiwan Railway local trains run Keelung to Taipei Main every 15-20 minutes, 40-50 minutes, NT$62 (~EUR 2) each way, and beat the freeway coach every time. In Taipei everything on this list is on the metro at NT$20-35 (~EUR 1) a ride; the only real entry fee is Taipei 101 observatory at NT$600 (~EUR 17). Buy an EasyCard for NT$100 cash at any convenience store - it works on the TRA train, Keelung buses and the Taipei metro. The National Palace Museum (NT$350 for foreign visitors) is CLOSED MONDAYS, which is why the lines swap in Longshan Temple and Dadaocheng on Monday calls.
See the DIY plan →
Jiufen old street and Jinguashi gold-mining heritage day
≈ 7 h · sold by 2 cruise lines
Cruise line
€140$157
Do it yourself
€21$24
Save ≈ €119Save ≈ $133 (85% off)
Walk from either terminal to Keelung Bus Station beside the railway station (4 min from West 3, 8 min from East 2) and take Keelung Bus 788, which runs from Keelung through Ruifang and Jiufen and terminates at Jinguashi: 50-60 minutes to Jiufen, about 70 to Jinguashi, NT$30 (~EUR 1) paid by EasyCard. Ride to the Jinguashi terminus first, do the Gold Museum while it is open (NT$80, plus NT$50 for the Benshan Fifth Tunnel, closed the first Monday of every month, 09:30-17:00 weekdays and to 18:00 at weekends), then take 788 back twelve minutes downhill to Jiufen Old Street, which needs no ticket at all. Everything else is walking and eating - taro balls, peanut ice rolls, a teahouse with a sea view.
See the DIY plan →
Ready-made port days
12 plansMiaokou: Taiwan's Best Food Market on Your Doorstep
Two hundred numbered stalls under yellow lanterns, a temple in the middle of them, and a bakery that has been making curry pastries since 1882.
Keelung for Nothing
A hollow 22.5 m Guanyin you climb inside, a hillside KEELUNG sign looking straight down onto your ship, and a temple in a market — not one ticket between them.
Keelung Under a Roof
A 1915 shipping-line building, a 1929 army headquarters with a cafe in it, and the covered lanes in between — a whole day without getting wet.
Forts, Headlands and the Open Sea
An 1840 battery built to keep the Royal Navy out, four open gun emplacements on the western headland, and a lighthouse above the shipping lane.
Frequently asked questions
- Where does my cruise ship dock in Keelung?
- Your ship docks at one of the cruise terminals in Keelung, Taiwan. The specific berth is assigned by the port a few days before arrival.
- Can I walk from the cruise port into Keelung?
- Yes. Keelung is walkable from the cruise port — many cruisers reach the city centre on foot.
- How do I get from the cruise port to Keelung centre?
- Typical options include On foot, Train, Local bus, Taxi, Other transport. Durations and costs are listed in the transport section above.
- How much time do I need in Keelung?
- Plan for at least 3 hours ashore to see Keelung independently and return to the ship with a safe buffer.
- What currency is used in Keelung and are cards accepted?
- Keelung uses the New Taiwan dollar. Carry some cash for markets, taxis, and smaller vendors — cards aren't accepted everywhere.
- Is there Wi-Fi at the cruise port?
- Free Wi-Fi is available at the Keelung cruise terminal.
- When should I be back at the ship?
- Cruise lines usually require all passengers on board about 30 minutes before scheduled departure. Confirm the exact all-aboard time on your daily programme.
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