Zhengbin Fishing Harbor is a small harbor on the coast of Keelung in Northeastern Taiwan.
It occupies a secluded corner of the much larger Keelung Harbor and is protected from wind and rain by Heping Island, which lies just off the coast from it.
In recent years, Zhengbin Fishing Harbor was catapulted to Instagram fame when a row of houses lining it were painted in vibrant colors.
In this article, I’ll cover in detail how to visit this social media hot spot, the best times for photos, things to do there, and how include it with other cool places in the area such as Heping Island Geopark, Shen’ao Railbike, Bitoujiao Trail, and Keelung Night Market.
Quick Tips for Visiting
- Main Viewpoint Location: Here, open 24 hours, no entry fee
- Color Houses Location: Here directly opposite the lookout
- When to Go: Morning for best light, afternoon for cafés, evening to see houses lit up
- Getting There: Train from Taipei to Keelung (45 min) then bus (25 min)
- Tour Options: Northeast Coast Instagram Tour, Jiufen/Heping Island/Keelung Night Market Tour, or by private car
Zhengbin Fishing Harbor Introduction
Zhengbin Fishing Harbor (正濱漁港, also called Zhengbin Port) is located here at the northeastern edge of Keelung Harbor, the largest harbor in Northern Taiwan.
The harbor occupies a thin strip of water between the mainland and Heping Island. The main viewpoint of the colorful houses is here on Zhengbin road, just before it crosses Heping Bridge (和平橋) to the island.
The row of colorful houses (彩色街屋) are here, just across the small inlet at the southeastern corner of the harbor.
Zhengbin Fishing Harbor has a long and fascinating history. The Spanish started docking their boats here when they built Fort San Salvador on Heping Island in 1626. In 1642, the Dutch replaced them, until the latter were expelled from Taiwan in 1662.
Keelung Port, which Zhengbin Fishing Harbor is a part of, was first opened in the late Qing Dynasty. When the Japanese took over Taiwan, they further developed it into the largest port in Taiwan at the time (today it is surpassed only by the one in Kaohsiung).
It is said that the harbor was so busy at that time that one could cross the entire harbor by walking across boats.
When the Japanese left Taiwan and the Republic of China took over, they entered Taiwan via this port.
Zhengbin Harbor, which is a small side harbor near the main entrance to Keelung Harbor, acquired its name at that time.
Zheng (正) stands for Zhongzheng district of Keelung City, where it is located, while bin (濱) is for Bincheng (滨町), this district’s name in Japanese times.
The small harbor thrived post-war, as it was used to export copper from Jinguashi Mine (near Jiufen Old Street).
In the 1970s, the fishing boats were moved to nearby Badouzi Harbor and only commercial ones remained, but in 1996 it became too much for Badouzi, so some fishing boats were moved back. There still aren’t as many today as there were before the move.
In 2018, the local government actively developed Zhengbin Harbor into a tourist stop on the way to Heping Island by painting a row of tall, skinny, connecting houses along it in vibrant colors.
Today, several of those houses contain little cafés and restaurants.
Most recently, in 2024, they added a new bus stop called T-HAM Station, which is shaped like a classic American hot dog and hamburger stand (I’ll share photos of it further down in the article). It’s right next to the viewpoint of the colorful houses.
The boats you can see today in the harbor are used to catch hairtail fish, conger eel, shrimp, redeye carp, snapper, lobster, crab, and squid.
The light bulbs you see on some of them are used to attract squids at night. Some of the boats sail as far away as Indonesia.
Best Time to Visit
For the best colors for photography, visit Zhengbin Fishing Harbor early in the morning, when the rising sun will cast beautiful rays of sunlight on the colorful houses.
I left Keelung very early by scooter. I found that the light first started hitting the colorful houses at 7 AM, which was about one hour after sunrise (it needs time to rise above the mountains). The exact time of sunrise will vary throughout the year.
The downside of visiting so early is that none of the cafés or restaurants in the colorful houses were open yet. Most of them open around noon, so come in the afternoon if those matter to you.
In the afternoon, the houses still look very colorful, even though the sunlight won’t be shining directly on them. This is the best time if you want to visit the cafes or restaurants.
Sometimes (but not always) it becomes cloudier in the afternoon in Taiwan, so your chances of a blue sky are lower. For example, I shot the below photo in the afternoon on a previous visit.
In the evening, the harbor takes on a romantic vibe, with the colorful houses and hot dog stand-themed bus stop lit up with lights.
Weekends and national holidays will naturally be busier at this and other attractions on the area.
Getting to Zhengbin Fishing Harbor
From Taipei, start by taking the local train (no reservations, check times, swipe EasyCard) to Keelung (45 minutes).
From Keelung Station, take bus 101, 102, or T99 (Taiwan Tourism Keelung Shuttle). The exact bus stop will depend on which bus you take. Simply use GoogleMaps directions when you get there, and it will tell you where to go for the next departing bus.
You’ll get off at Zhengbin Harbor stop (here), which is right across the street from the hot dog-themed bus stop and viewpoint of the color houses. The hot dog bus stop (here) would get you back to Keelung (make sure the bus says Keelung Station on the front).
It’s also possible to take bus 791, which has earlier and more frequent departures, but you’d get off at Zhongzheng Rd. Zhengbin bus stop (here) and need to walk five minutes to the harbor lookout.
Swipe EasyCard when you get on (and again when you get off) for all buses.
You can also ride a scooter from Keelung to Zhengbin Harbor like I did. See where I rented my scooter in my Taiwan scooter guide.
Proceeding to Other Places
If you want to visit Heping Island Geopark next, walk there (20 minutes) or take the next bus T99 (infrequent) from the same stop you got off.
If you want to visit Shen’ao Rail Bike next, take bus T99 from the hot dog bus stop (here, it should say “Badouzi” on the front) or walk five minutes and take 791 from this bus stop. The 791 will also continue on to Bitoujiao Trail.
If you want to visit Jiufen Old Street, Shifen Old Street, or other places on the Pingxi Line, take the T99 or 791 to Badouzi Station (a famously scenic station, here), then board the Pingxi Line from there.
Get off at Ruifang Station for going to Jiufen Old Street or continue on to other stops like Houtong (for Houtong Cat Village) or Shifen (for Shifen Old Street and Shifen Waterfall).
My Experience Visiting Zhengbin
I visited Zhengbin as part of a larger day exploring the Keelung coast. It was actually a national holiday (April long weekend). I set out very early with the main intention of beating the crowds at Bitoujiao Trail.
I left Keelung city by scooter at 6 AM, which was shortly after sunrise at that time of year. I had rented my scooter the night before so that I could leave super early.
You can also go that early by public transportation if you take bus 791.
In Keelung, I stayed at Drizzle Inn (see on Booking / Agoda / Klook), a cute guesthouse right next to Keelung Night Market. Keelung Night Market area is very busy so I had to search around for a spot to park my scooter.
My early-morning ride to Zhengbin Fishing Harbor took me about 20 minutes. I parked next to T-Ham Station (read about it in the next section) to take photos of the fishing harbor and color houses from there.
There’s a large viewing platform stretching along the harbor, including some colorful stairs dock to the dock.
When I first arrived, the sun hadn’t risen above the mountain yet. I purposely stuck around for a while to wait for it.
When the sun finally came up, it shone rays of warm sunshine on the houses, bringing out their stunning, vibrant hues. It was definitely worth the wait.
I couldn’t help but be reminded of the pastel colored houses in Cinque Terre, Italy, where my wife and I went on our honeymoon.
Before leaving, I drove my scooter around to the color house side. I found a spot (right about here) where I could actually drive right out onto the dock at the base of the color houses.
It was very cool to stand right below the façade of colorful houses, especially so early in the morning when almost no one was there (see above photos).
The only other person I saw there was the below fisherman.
After I took my fill of photos, I continued on to Bitoujiao Trail, which was another 25 minutes of driving.
On the way, I got distracted a few times and had to stop and take photos of the beautiful coast, Yinyang Sea, and the ruins of Shuinandong Smelter (below Jiufen and Jinguashi).
With more time, I could have also stopped at Shen’ao Rail Bike (I’d done it before) or even rode up to Jiufen.
I reached Bitoujiao around 8 AM, just in time to beat the masses of people.
On the way back to Keelung, I rode past Zhengbin Color Houses again, which were now clouded over (which often happens in the afternoon in Taiwan), to visit Heping Island Geopark before returning to Keelung, where I did more exploring in the afternoon.
Things to See and Do Around Zhengbin Harbor
Besides taking photos of the color houses, there are several other things to see and do around the harbor.
T-HAM Hot Dog Stand Bus Stop
While enjoying the view of Zhengbin Fishing Harbor and Color Houses, you can’t help but notice the hot dog and hamburger stand-themed T-HAM Station (台畜熱狗堡公車站, here).
This is an actual working bus stop on the Taiwan Tourism Shuttle T99 route from Keelung to Heping Island Geopark and other sights along the coast.
T-Ham or 台畜 (official site) is a Taiwanese meat company. The company sponsored the bus stop, which opened in March of 2024.
Meant to look like a classic American hot dog and hamburger stand, it has posters showing cuts of meat, a fake ordering window (which actually provides a view of the color houses), and seven retro, bright orange chairs on each side.
A mirror on the back reflects the houses and says “Nice to Meat You”.
In the daytime, you might find people actually waiting for the bus here. At night, the “food stand” has some lights on it, so it looks especially cool.
Cafés, Restaurants, and Hotel at Zhengbin Harbor
There are several cafés and restaurants competing for tourist dollars at Zhengbin Fishing Harbor.
For a view of the harbor and color houses, visit one on Zhengbin Road, the road where you got off the bus and where the main lookout of the harbor is.
Rainbow Bay Hot Pot Restaurant (here) and Let’s Have Noodles (here) both have seats with windows facing the harbor on their upper floors.
Me & Island (here at the end of the port) also has lovely meals and views (albeit at an angle) of the color houses.
Spangle Inn (see on Booking / Agoda / Klook) has rooms with harbor views for anyone who wants to spend the night.
There are also cafés and restaurants inside several of the color houses, which you can access from the harbor side.
For cafés, try Ruth Keelung (here), Eureka Café (here), or Tuman Café (here).
For a full meal, there’s Yuciren Happy Waffle (here), The Fishery Ramen (here), and Casa Picasso (here).
For something more local, try 59 Central Harbor Seafood (here on Heping Island, about 7 minutes’ walk from the harbor) for super fresh seafood.
Agenna Shipyard Ruins
Just around the corner from Zhengbin Harbor (take a right before Zhengbin Road crosses Heping Bridge) lies Agenna Shipyard Ruins (阿根納造船廠遺構, here).
These are the remains of a cement structure that was once a gold and copper storage yard and later a shipyard. The ruins are closed to the public, but as you can see looking in, people sneak in to do graffiti on them.
These are one of several cement ruins that Keelung is known for and are a hotspot for urban explorers.
Heping Island Geopark
Heping Island Geopark is a popular park on Heping Island with coastal scenery, an easy loop trail with Instagram-famous lookout pavilion, and views of Keelung Islet.
The park also has a super fun natural seawater swimming pool, which is an awesome way to cool down in hotter months.
Since Zhengbin Fishing Harbor is so close to Heping Island Geopark, it only makes sense to visit the two together.
Shen’ao Rail Bike
Shen’ao Rail Bike is one of two “rail bikes” in Taiwan. Visitors get to cycle a small two-person cart along a decommissioned railway line for 30 minutes.
The ride goes from Badouzi Station to Shen’ao Station. You can do it in either direction, but you need to make a booking in advance and it usually sells out.
Note that the Badouzi starting point is here, about 100 meters from the Badouzi railway station that still has trains today.
See my Shen’ao Rail Bike guide (linked above) for all the info.
Bitoujiao Trail
Bitoujiao Trail is one of the most beautiful coastal walks in Taiwan. It’s in Ruifang district of New Taipei City, just outside Keelung, so the Taiwan Tourism Keeung Shuttle doesn’t go there, but bus 791 does.
The trail takes about 1.5 hours to complete, with some uphill and stairs. It offers stunning coastal views, including the classic staircases leading up to pavilions overlooking the sea.
See my Bitoujiao Trail guide for everything you need to know.
Other Places
For destinations further away but still possible to visit on the same day, see my guides to Jiufen Old Street, Shifen Old Street, and the Pingxi Line.
If you go back to Keelung at the end of the day, it makes sense to have a late lunch or dinner at Keelung Night Market before returning to Taipei.
And if you have extra time, here are other things to do in Keelung.
