The short answer

Maokong is Taipei’s tea mountain, reached by a 4-kilometer gondola from the Taipei Zoo station. Since March 2025 the fare is a flat NT$180 per ride (any distance; NT$300 buys a day pass; the glass-floor “Eyes of Maokong” cabins cost NT$50 extra) and the system still closes Mondays. Ride up in the afternoon, sit in a tea house through sunset, and ride the lit city back down. It’s the best half-day escape that starts on the metro.

Maokong grew tea for a century before it grew tourists, and the hilltop still runs on tea houses: terraces looking back over the Taipei basin, pots of locally grown tieguanyin, and a pace that makes the city below feel theoretical. The gondola turned it from a locals’ drive into an easy metro extension, and the crowd follows accordingly.

Fares, hours and the Monday rule

The gondola begins next to MRT Taipei Zoo station (brown line terminus). The fare system changed in March 2025 to a flat NT$180 a ride regardless of distance, with a NT$300 one-day pass; EasyCard works. The Eyes of Maokong crystal-floor cabins queue separately and add NT$50, worth it for kids and skippable otherwise.

Hours: roughly 09:00-21:00 midweek, later Fridays and weekends (Saturdays start 08:30 and run to 22:00), and closed Mondays except holidays. The system also takes annual maintenance breaks (in 2026, stretches of late April and most of June), and wind or lightning pauses it in bad weather. If the gondola is down, bus BR15 from the zoo area covers the same hill.

How to do the hill

Four stations: Taipei Zoo, Taipei Zoo South, Zhinan Temple and Maokong. Zhinan Temple deserves its stop: a sprawling Taoist complex with wide city views and almost no tourists (local superstition says couples who visit together break up, which locals enjoy telling you after you’ve been). At the top, walk the lanes: tea fields, the free Tea Promotion Center for the how-it’s-made context, and short trails between viewpoints.

Then the point of the trip: pick a tea house and stay. Yao Yue Teahouse is the institution, open into the small hours, terrace seats over the valley; the Big Teapot restaurant cooks tea into its dishes if you want a meal. Expect a water fee or minimum charge per person, brewing gear you operate yourself (staff will show you), and the option to buy the leaf you liked. Time it so tea overlaps sunset and the city lights, which is the whole argument for afternoon-into-evening.

The zoo combo

Taipei Zoo (NT$60, 09:00-17:00, last entry 16:00) sits at the gondola’s base and its rear exit meets the Zoo South station, so families run the classic order: zoo morning, gondola up mid-afternoon, tea through dusk. It’s the easiest full family day in Taipei, covered against pandas and tieguanyin alike.

FAQ

How much is the Maokong gondola?

NT$180 flat per ride since March 2025, any distance, with a NT$300 day pass. The crystal-floor cabins add NT$50 per ride. EasyCard works at the gates.

Is the Maokong gondola open on Mondays?

No, Mondays are the weekly closure (holidays excepted), and annual maintenance adds multi-week shutdowns, most recently in April and June 2026. Bus BR15 from the zoo covers the hill when the cable is down.

Which Maokong tea house should I pick?

Yao Yue for the classic terrace-and-tieguanyin evening (it runs very late), the Big Teapot for a tea-cuisine meal. Any house with a valley-facing terrace delivers the core experience.

Is Maokong worth it compared to Jiufen?

They solve different days. Maokong is a half-day on the metro with tea and city views; Jiufen is a full outing with sea views and crowds. With one evening and tired legs, Maokong wins.

Keep planning

About Kevin

I built Taiwan Answered around the questions travelers keep asking — then check the details against primary sources and real trips. Every guide shows when it was last reviewed, so you can see how fresh the answer is.

Prices, schedules and closures change. If you spot something stale, email us and we’ll check it.