How to spend a few hours in Datong District
Museums, historic streets, local shops, and sunset drinks in one of Taipei’s oldest districts
Datong District is one of Taipei's historic neighborhoods, where museums, centuries-old temples, and traditional shops mix with trendy cafés, craft stores, and riverside bars.
Whether you're browsing Dihua Street, learning about the city's past, or ending the day with a drink overlooking the Tamsui River, it's an area that's worth spending a few hours wandering around.
#1: AMA Museum
Start the day learning about a difficult chapter of Taiwan’s history
Start your time in the district learning about a deeply troubling chapter of Taiwan’s history. Located just a short walk from Minquan West Road MRT Station, the AMA Museum is situated on the fifth floor of an unassuming residential-style building.
Run by the Taipei Women’s Rescue Foundation, the museum honors and documents the lives of the 59 Taiwanese women identified as survivors of sexual slavery by the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II.
Through photographs, recorded testimonies, personal belongings, and official archives, the exhibits trace their wartime experiences and their decades-long fight for recognition and an official apology from Japan. While many official documents were destroyed, historians estimate that up to 200,000 women and girls across Asia were forced into this system.
About half of the exhibit materials feature English translations, making this vital history accessible to international visitors. The museum is open from 10 AM to 5 PM, Tuesday through Saturday, and admission is NT$30.
#2: Coffee and Dihua Street
Historic shops, temples, cafes, and food along Taipei’s oldest commercial street
From the AMA Museum, it's around a 15-minute walk to Dihua Street, the historic heart of Datong District. Established in the 1850s, the street grew into one of Taiwan's most important commercial centers after the Port of Tamsui opened to foreign trade in 1858, according to the European Chamber of Commerce Taiwan.
This is Taipei recommends starting at the intersection of Dihua Street Section 1 and Minquan West Road and then walking south. Your walk will initially be quieter before the street becomes busier.
Today, Dihua Street blends old and new. Traditional medicine stores and spice shops sit alongside independent boutiques, design stores, cafes, and souvenir shops selling locally made products. If you're looking for a gift, Taiwan Bussan is a good stop.
As you wander, don't miss Xiahai City God Temple, one of the neighborhood's best-known landmarks.
When you need a break, the street has no shortage of cafes. All Day Roasting Company, set inside a renovated Japanese-era house, is one of our favorites for specialty coffee, while Pizza Has A Face is a great choice if you're ready for lunch. The best way to experience the neighborhood, though, is simply to wander and go into whichever shop or cafe takes your fancy.
#3: Dadaocheng Wharf
Sunset drinks, riverside snacks, and colorful container bars beside the Tamsui River
A couple of minutes' walk from Dihua Street is Dadaocheng Wharf. Set beside the slow-moving Tamsui River, it is one of the best places in the area to watch the sunset with a drink in hand.
The riverside market is lined with colorful container stalls and food trucks serving food such as Korean snacks, loaded fries and wood-fired pizza. The atmosphere is fairly relaxed during the day, when visitors stop for coffee or take a break by the river, but it becomes much livelier as evening approaches.
Many of the bars offer buy-three-get-one-free beer deals, bringing the price to around NT$100 per glass, while a few stalls also serve cocktails. When This Is Taipei visited on a Sunday evening in summer, the long communal tables were already packed.
The market usually stays busy until around midnight. When you want to call it a night, the area is about a 15-minute walk from either Beimen or Daqiaotou MRT stations.
