Beitou

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Introducing Beitou

Beneath the soil of Taiwan bubbles a veritable cauldron of sulphurous water, and though most hot-spring resorts are well away from major urban areas, Taipei’s Beitou (Běitóu, sometimes spelled Peitou) is a notable and welcome exception. It’s here that locals and travellers alike come for a quick soak in sulphurous waters.

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The wēnquán (hot springs) in this district have been a lure for tourism as far back as the Japanese era.

Not too long ago, the waters themselves were the priority and comforts such as attractive baths, meals and massages came a distant second. Nowadays Beitou offers dozens of bathing options, from simply soaking your feet in the roadside creeks (cost: nothing) to glamorous private baths in ritzy high-rise resorts (cost: prepare your credit card for a workout). The latter might include the use of several public pools, with optional massages and multicourse dinners and even karaoke. Popular day-trip packages combine a hot-spring visit with lunch or dinner. There are also public hot springs with cheap admission to somewhat downmarket private baths that won’t set you back more than a few hundred NT. But be warned, thought Beitou is lush and lovely, its position as a quick skip from the city centre means that the area can get crowded, especially on chilly winter weekends.

Last updated: Feb 17, 2009

Thorn Tree forum discussion

Recent posts

  1. gerrardz avatar
    taipei popular scenery

    by gerrardz 31 August 2011

    Since Yang Ming Shan National Park and hot springs in Beitou are so close, is there any cheap transport like buses to travel from one…
  2. gerrardz avatar
    taipei

    by gerrardz 29 August 2011

    Since Yang Ming Shan National Park and hot springs in Beitou are so close, is there any cheap transport like buses to travel from one…
  3. gerrardz avatar
    Re: Worth visiting?

    by gerrardz 29 August 2011

    since Yang Ming Shan National park and The hot springs in Beitou in taipei are so close, is it possible to have cheap transport like buses…

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