Taiwan · Taipei · New Taipei City
Danshui, New Taipei City — Area Guide & Where to Stay
Salt wind crosses the water at Danshui, or Tamsui, a seaside district of New Taipei City at the mouth of the Tamsui River, open to the Taiwan Strait.
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Where to stay in Danshui
The practical side of choosing where to sleep.
Rooms along the Tamsui River give Danshui its obvious answer, with Tamsui Old Street, the low evening sun and the Tamsui Customs Officers' Residence inside a single walk and the Tamsui Line running in from Taipei. Weekends are loud. The Tamkang University side pulls the other way, quieter ground where the Tamkang University Maritime Museum and the Mackay Memorial Museum suit a stay built on collections rather than on the promenade.
Choose that side if you want the crowd at arm's length.
Find hotels in Danshui
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The Tamsui River waterfront
The Tamsui Customs Officers' Residence and Douglas Lapraik & Co. Warehouse stand on the same waterfront slope as the rooms, with Tamsui Old Street below them.Find hotels in The Tamsui River waterfrontcollections and a quiet night behind the Tamkang University Maritime MuseumThe Tamkang University side
Ground set back from the water, with the Mackay Memorial Museum, Ladies' House and Pastor's House on the old mission plot within one round. Beds are limited here, so book early.Find hotels in The Tamkang University sideHotel links are affiliate links: booking through them may earn us a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never affects how places are ranked. How this works
Things to do in and around New Taipei City
Ranked by global recognition; descriptions from Wikidata (CC0).
Museums & Galleries
3- Tamsui Customs Officers' Residence Heritage
- Shihsanhang Museum of Archaeology
- Tamsui Historical Museum
Churches & Religious Sites
2- Tamsui Church Heritage
- Tamkang church
Castles & Historic Sites
1- Shihsanhang Culture
Landmarks & Notable Places
2- 姑娘樓
- 牧師樓
worth knowingacross 4 categories in and around New Taipei City
About Danshui
What are the main landmarks in Danshui?
Danshui keeps its landmarks close to Tamsui Old Street: Tamsui Church, the Tamsui Customs Officers' Residence, Douglas Lapraik & Co. Warehouse and the Tamsui Historical Museum all stand above the water. Ladies' House, Pastor's House and the Mackay Memorial Museum hold the old mission ground, with the Drop of Water Memorial Hall and the Teng Feng Fish Ball Museum behind.
The rest sit further out. The Tamkang University Maritime Museum keeps to the campus, Tamkang church stands north of the old town, and the Taipei Metro Tamsui Line Workers' Cenotaph marks the railway. One name belongs elsewhere: the Shihsanhang Museum of Archaeology stands across the river in Bali District.
What is the history of Danshui?
Danshui means fresh water in Chinese, and the Ketagalan called the river mouth Hobe long before that. Spanish settlers built the mission of Santo Domingo here in 1629, the Dutch took it in 1642 and raised the fort still called Hongmaocheng, and the Qing opened the port to foreign trade in 1862 under the Treaty of Tientsin, sending out tea, camphor and sulfur. Then the river silted.
Trade moved to Keelung, the town became Tamsui Township under Taipei County, and in 2010 it entered New Taipei City as a district, keeping the spelling Tamsui alongside Danshui, Danshuei and Tamshui.
Where is Danshui?
Danshui holds the north bank at the mouth of the Tamsui River, with the Taiwan Strait to the west, Bali District across the water and Taipei upriver.
Common questions
What is the best area to stay in Danshui?
The Tamsui River waterfront: sunset hours taken straight off the river promenade. The Tamkang University side: collections and a quiet night behind the Tamkang University Maritime Museum.
Good for
More areas in New Taipei City
Updated October 2026