Daxi Old Street, Taoyuan: A Baroque Façade Street Left by Japanese Colonial-Era Urban Planning
Daxi Old Street in Daxi District, Taoyuan, Taiwan, is a historic street formed through Japanese colonial-era urban planning in 1919, lined with Baroque façades featuring European-style arches and relief decorations. It is a place where you can enjoy both the old atmosphere of a town that once prospered through the camphor and tea trade, and today's street of tofu snacks.
ORBIT AI · 11/4/2026
A Baroque Street Created by Japanese Colonial-Era Urban Planning
Daxi Old Street (大溪老街), located in Daxi District (大溪區) of Taoyuan City, Taiwan, is a historic street spanning Heping Road (和平路), Zhongshan Road (中山路), and Zhongyang Road (中央路). Around 1919, after some existing buildings were demolished under the Japanese Governor-General's 'Shiku Kaisei' (市區改正, urban district reform) planning, merchants began decorating their shopfronts elaborately, creating the street's present appearance. At the time, Daxi was a river port town that flourished through the camphor (樟腦) and tea (茶) trade, and that wealth is directly reflected in the façade decorations along the street. The street's architecture is based on the Baroque style, featuring European-style arched doorways and elaborate relief decorations, with rows of red-brick façades and brick houses. Each shop bears slightly different decorative patterns, making it fun to discover a different "expression" on every house even though it's the same street. Inside the old street stands Furen Temple (福仁廟), the center of local faith, where you can also feel the atmosphere of old Daxi, where commerce and faith coexisted. Daxi is still home to many famous dried tofu (豆干) shops and traditional snack stores, so walking the old street naturally turns into a food street tour. Heading down the riverside Yuemei Path (月眉路徑) offers views of the Dahan River (大漢溪) along with a different angle of the old street's back side, so rather than just viewing the street's front, it's recommended to also explore the alleys and riverside.
Visiting Tips
Daxi Old Street is typically accessed by Taiwan Tourist Shuttle (台灣好行) bus from Taoyuan HSR Station or Zhongli (中壢) Train Station. Since travelers often combine public transportation and bus routes rather than driving, it's best to check the specific routes and schedules again on the official website of the Tourism Administration, MOTC, or the Taoyuan City Tourism Bureau closer to your visit date. The street itself is an always-open outdoor space with no specific operating hour restrictions, but individual shop hours vary, so it's safer to check in advance. Since the old street tends to get crowded with tourists during the day, visiting in the late afternoon or early evening when the lights come on reveals the façade's shadows and decorations even more clearly. When buying tofu snacks or traditional sweets, it's a good idea to check each shop's signage directly, as sales methods and pricing differ by store, and when viewing the façade decorations up close, be careful not to block the front of operating shops for too long.
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1A Baroque façade street spanning Heping Road, Zhongshan Road, and Zhongyang Road; the decorations appear more vivid when visited in the late afternoon to early evening. Please check transportation routes and shop operating hours on the official website before your visit.
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