Canonical: https://tripfieldbook.com/en/taiwan/taipei/maokong-tea-half-day/ Language: en Content-Signal: search=yes, ai-input=yes, ai-train=yes Description: Plan a Maokong half day around one teahouse: the gondola's Monday exception, teahouse closing days, Tea Master or Hanser, Zoo Station access and a Daan hotel. Author: Trip Fieldbook Editorial Team Updated: 2026-10-29 # Maokong Tea Half Day: Gondola Hours and Teahouse Timing Plan a Maokong half day around one teahouse: the gondola's Monday exception, teahouse closing days, Tea Master or Hanser, Zoo Station access and a Daan hotel. Taiwan · Taipei · An afternoon of tea Written and edited by [Trip Fieldbook Editorial Team]() Reviewed by Trip Fieldbook Editorial Team Updated 2026.10.29 Sources checked 2026.10.16 ## Location Taipei25°02’N 121°34’E This article contains affiliate links. Plan a Maokong day around time in a teahouse: this guide proposes **a half day with about 90 minutes in one teahouse**. If you ride the gondola up, order one cup and head straight back down, an afternoon meant for tea easily ends up spent on transit. The 90 minutes is a planning guideline that leaves time to choose tea and rest, not a set activity length. ![Tea bushes growing in rows along a Maokong hillside with forest around]() Tea fields in Maokong, 2022. For a first visit, the simplest flow is to pick a teahouse near the station and come down before dark. If you are very interested in tea or have booked an activity, you can add more moving around on the hill. Check gondola operating days and teahouse opening days separately. On the first Monday of each month, the gondola may run while the teahouse you planned to visit is closed. ## Mark the gondola and the teahouse separately on your calendar The Maokong Gondola generally closes on Mondays for maintenance. The operator lists public holidays and the first Monday of each month as exceptions. The basic hours on the official English page are 9:00 to 21:00 on weekdays and 9:00 to 22:00 on holidays. They can change with special events and weather, so once your dates are set, read the [operating hours page]() together with the notices for the day. Teahouses have different closing days. For example, the official contact page of Maokong Tea Master (貓空茶神) lists it as closed on Mondays and open Tuesday to Sunday from 10:30 to 21:00. A gondola that runs on the first Monday does not mean this shop is open, and assuming so breaks the plan. Ask the shop whether it opens separately on public holidays. If you can change dates during your trip, first pick a day when both the gondola and the teahouse you want are running. If the first Monday is your only free day, check what another teahouse does that day, then decide the visit. Instead of arriving near closing time, ask whether tea orders and meals have separate last-order times. If you want the night view, secure your way back first. ## Even after you reach the zoo MRT station, the gondola is a further walk away From the city, take the Taipei MRT Wenhu Line to Taipei Zoo Station, then move on to the gondola's Zoo Station and board the car for Maokong. The operator's access guide puts the distance between the MRT station and the gondola station at about 350 m. The two stations share a name, but the gondola is not right outside the fare gates. This half day goes up by gondola to Maokong Station without entering the zoo. Adding the zoo adds walking and visiting time. For an afternoon of tea, decide first whether to move the zoo to another day or shorten your time in Maokong. A combined ticket product is no reason to include both. If you stay around Daan or Zhongxiao Fuxing, the Wenhu Line makes the zoo direction easy. From Taipei Main Station, check the Wenhu Line transfer on the current MRT map. Count the walk inside stations, the walk to the gondola station, and the time to buy tickets and wait, on top of the train ride. The half day in this guide is not a promise to be back within an exact number of hours from the moment you leave your hotel. ![The Maokong Station building on the hill, with the road and walkway in front]() The Maokong Station building on the hill, with the road and walkway in front ## Once you pick one teahouse, the size of the afternoon becomes clear ### To choose tea and talk about it: Maokong Tea Master Maokong Tea Master is on the first floor at 33-1, Lane 38, Section 3, Zhinan Road. The Taiwan agritourism guide describes it as a teahouse in the central area, within about a 10-minute walk of the gondola station. The time it takes varies with how you find your way and your own walking pace. After you get off at the station, navigate by the shop's address. Watch for similar names nearby and for other floors at the same street number. If you are new to choosing tea, start by saying what kind of tea you would like to try rather than what to buy. The shop's official booking page has items for a tea tour and for tea-related inquiries. A regular visit and a booked guided program are different things. The page also still lists an old English class item. If you want English guidance or a particular activity, first ask whether it is currently offered and ask about the language, time and cost. An English class is not something you can join just by showing up. ### To add an activity: reserve at Hanser Tea House first Hanser Tea House (寒舍茶坊) is at No. 6, Lane 40, Section 3, Zhinan Road. The official site introduces outdoor tea-drinking areas and activities such as tea making, tasting and tea sealing. It suits a trip built around an activity you choose and a longer move up the hill better than a plan to have one cup near the station and come straight down. Added as just a second teahouse, it can shrink your time to sit. According to the official guide, activities must be reserved at least 3 days ahead. Treat drinking tea on arrival and joining an activity as two separate things. The basic hours on the website are 9:00 to 22:00. Check the activity sessions and that day's seating and meal service separately. When you inquire, giving your visit date, party size, the activity you want and the language of guidance you need makes it easier to judge whether it fits your schedule. On a first visit, plan on one shop, not both. If you want to rest while choosing tea nearby, look at Tea Master; if you are curious about how tea is made, look first at the programs Hanser Tea House can take bookings for. Before you leave, save the exact location of the shop you chose. Even within the same Maokong area, if the lane in the address changes, you will have to go further from the station. ## Before you pick tea leaves, ask how ordering works Taiwan Tourism Administration material introducing the Maokong tea fields mentions Wenshan Baozhong and Tieguanyin. There is no need to memorize tea names. Describing whether you like a toasty taste or something lightly fragrant, then asking the shop which teas you can choose that day, is enough. Each shop handles different teas and brews them differently, so the same tea name can taste different from shop to shop. Before ordering, check how the price of tea leaves and the charge for hot water or seat use are separated. It helps to know whether there is a per-person charge when several people share a pot, whether you brew it yourself or staff help you. Check minimum orders and time limits in the conditions of the shop you chose. Rules can differ from one Maokong teahouse to the next. If you plan to have tea and a meal together, check the time you can order a meal before you take a seat for tea. If you have lunch in the city and go up afterward, it suits a tea-centered rest; if you also eat on the hill, extend your stay by that much. Instead of squeezing Maokong into a gap in the day, set aside one stretch of time for tea with nothing to rush. ![Teacups, a tea tray and a kettle on an outdoor table in Maokong]() Teacups, a tea tray and a kettle on an outdoor table in Maokong ## Go up after lunch for one teahouse and a short walk For a first visit, this guide suggests having lunch in the city, then adding only one teahouse and a short walk nearby on the hill. With about 90 minutes in the teahouse, including time to choose tea, the afternoon needs no rushed splitting. If you have booked an activity, fix the booked session first and adjust the moves before and after it. Scroll the table sideways. With a keyboard, move focus to the table and use the arrow keys. | Flow | What to do | Slack to leave | | --- | --- | --- | | Leaving the city | After lunch, take the Wenhu Line to Zoo Station | MRT transfer, walking outside the station | | Arriving on the hill | From Maokong Station to your chosen teahouse | Checking the shop's location, being shown a seat | | The center of the afternoon | Choose tea and rest for about 90 minutes | If you booked an activity, that session comes first | | Before heading down | A short walk near the station and a check of service | Waiting for the gondola, getting to dinner in the city | This table is an itinerary suggestion with no booked times. It leaves out long walking courses and sightseeing at other gondola stations. Decide how far to walk on the hill from the weather and how your companions feel. If you are tired after tea, ending the afternoon by returning to the station is enough. If you want to see the night view, keep your evening plans loose. The time of sunset, the shop's closing time and the end of gondola service are separate limits. Checking your way back as soon as you reach the hill, instead of putting off the descent for the sunset glow, lets you drink your tea at ease. A reservation does not guarantee the view from a particular seat or clear weather. ## If it rains, look at the path to the teahouse too The gondola can stop because of wind, lightning and the like. Even if you plan to go to an indoor teahouse, there is still the walk from the station to the shop. Outdoor seating may also be unavailable. Before you leave, check the service notices and the shop's operations, and if the weather makes moving around unpleasant, keep the option of moving your Maokong visit to another day. If service changes after you have already gone up, first follow the station staff's instructions on site. If you use a bus as the alternative, check the actual stop, the direction to go down and that day's arrival information. A teahouse being open late doesn't mean the gondola or a bus to the city also runs until the same time. Decide your way back by the transport notices for your visit day, not by the shop's opening hours. If you have a dinner reservation in the city, leave more room for the trip back. Include the stretch from getting off the gondola to changing to the MRT. On a day when the dinner reservation is hard to cancel, it is simpler to skip the night view. If your trip is packed through the next day, put Maokong and the [Jiufen and Jinguashi bus day]() on different days, and check whether the mountain outings fall on back-to-back days. ## Sleep in the city; a hotel near the Wenhu Line is convenient You don't need to move hotels for a Maokong half day. If you have already chosen a hotel near Taipei Main Station or Ximending, start by planning the round trip, including the MRT transfer. If you are still choosing a hotel and want to simplify the trip toward the zoo and Maokong, areas the Wenhu Line passes, such as Daan and Zhongxiao Fuxing, are worth keeping as candidates. Daan is a base shared by the Wenhu Line and the Tamsui-Xinyi Line. From Maokong you come down to Zoo Station and return to the city, and on other days you choose the line to match your own sightseeing destination. If instead you want a route where you walk to your hotel in one go after getting off the airport MRT, compare the Taipei Main Station area first. For the whole trip, luggage moves and getting back at night can matter more than the convenience of the Maokong day. ### Park Taipei Hotel, if you use the Daan Station area as your base Park Taipei Hotel (台北美侖大飯店) is at No. 317, Section 1, Fuxing South Road, Daan District. It is a candidate whose name and address were cross-checked between the official hotel site and Agoda and Trip.com. Its location suits travelers who want to start near Daan Station, and you can keep to a city itinerary without arranging a separate stay on the hill. There are trade-offs. Getting from Taipei Main Station on the airport MRT to the hotel by rail alone needs a further MRT ride, and it is not a location that removes the walk from Maokong Station to the teahouse. If you have large bags or a stroller, check separately the elevator route at the station exit you use to reach the hotel. A description saying the station is close does not make every exit equally convenient. When choosing a room, first look at the capacity and bed configuration for the number of people actually staying. Even if the official site lists several room types, whether they are on sale for your dates is a separate matter. Check on the rate plan whether breakfast is included, the local-time deadline for cancellation, and the conditions for late check-in and luggage storage on checkout day. Since dates and party size are not set here, no rates or vacant rooms are listed. ![The hotel entrance with a PARK TAIPEI sign and plants]() Entrance of Park Taipei Hotel. [View Park Taipei Hotel rooms · Agoda]()[View Park Taipei Hotel rooms · Trip.com]() If you land at Taoyuan Airport after midnight on your first day, first decide [which night to book and how to get into the city after a late arrival](). You can rest on the morning after you enter the country and go up to Maokong after lunch, which leaves room for both sleep and tea time. There is no need to force yourself onto the first gondola of the morning. ### Cosmos Hotel Taipei: For rail and bus connections from Taipei Main Station The official address of Cosmos Hotel Taipei is No. 43, Section 1, Zhongxiao West Road, Zhongzheng District, Taipei City. Compare it if you want to use the Taipei Main Station area for city plans and trips elsewhere. The Taipei Bus Station, Airport MRT, MRT, and hotel entrance are not all in the same place, so check the exit for the transport you plan to use. If you will make repeated trips to Daan or the Wenhu Line, you may need extra MRT rides and transfers. Check the actual elevator and entrance route if you are moving through the station with large bags. Before booking, confirm room occupancy, beds, breakfast, the cancellation deadline, and how to contact the hotel about a late check-in. ![Exterior of Cosmos Hotel Taipei]() Exterior of Cosmos Hotel Taipei. [View Cosmos Hotel Taipei rooms · Agoda]()[View Cosmos Hotel Taipei rooms · Trip.com]() [Hotel information source]() ## Guides to check again once your dates are set - [Maokong Gondola operating hours and the Monday exception]() - [Gondola access guide]() · [Service suspension in bad weather]() - [Maokong Tea Master address and hours]() · [Activity and tea inquiries]() - [Hanser Tea House activity booking and contact]() - [Taiwan Tourism Administration guide to the Maokong tea fields]() - [Park Taipei Hotel official site]() Operating information was checked on October 16, 2026. This is an itinerary suggestion built from official information, not a first-hand account of a visit; check the teahouse's opening hours and the gondola notices again for your visit day. ## Contents Booking partner Photo credits5 Tea bushes growing in rows along a Maokong hillside with forest around Photo: [Geotechnical Engineering Office, Public Works Department, Taipei City Government]() · [Taipei City Government website open data terms]() The Maokong Station building on the hill, with the road and walkway in front Maokong Station and the road in front of it, 2015. [Solomon203]() · [CC BY-SA 4.0]() Teacups, a tea tray and a kettle on an outdoor table in Maokong A tea table in Maokong, 2017. [eugene\_o]() · [CC BY 2.0]() Moving walkway and signs inside a terminal at Taoyuan International Airport [SCKTGORMP o22 · CC BY-SA 4.0]() Buildings and stepped alleys around the Amei Tea House in Jiufen [Supanut Arunoprayote · CC BY 4.0]()