The Taipei Hot Spring Festival isn’t just about soaking — don’t miss these seven must-visit attractions in Beitou

By MOOK Scenic Spots Editorial Team

This year marks the 16th edition of the Taipei Hot Spring Festival, which will be held grandly on Qixing Street next to Xinbeitou MRT Station from October 19 to 23. This year, special zones have been set up including a parent-child hot spring splashing area, a prayer ema painting area, and a food and snack zone. The festival also specially features a prayer hot spring palanquin that combines a child-sized divine palanquin with domestic and international mascots for a lively street parade. There’s also a nostalgic Nangka music PK competition and a yukata design contest full of Beitou cultural memories. But besides hot spring bathing, you might want to explore other spots in Beitou. Here are seven recommended attractions where visitors can experience the charm of Taiwan’s premier hot springs.

1. Open-Air Hot Spring at Qingshui Park
The open-air hot spring bath by the Beitou Stream has six hot spring pools where visitors can soak in the steaming waters. Additionally, in the stream area under the banyan trees downstream of Yinxing Bridge, foot soaking is available, allowing you to immerse yourself in the hot springs while feeling the breeze on your face and listening to the sounds of the wind, rustling leaves, stream water, birds, and insects — quietly experiencing nature’s symphony and the earth’s bounty.

Address: No. 6, Zhongshan Road, Beitou District
Opening Hours:
05:30–07:30 (First Session)
08:00–10:00 (Second Session)
10:30–13:00 (Third Session)
13:30–16:00 (Fourth Session)
16:30–19:00 (Fifth Session)
19:30–22:00 (Sixth Session)

2. Beitou Hot Spring Museum
The Beitou Hot Spring Bathhouse was built in 1913 by the Taipei Prefecture, modeled after the Izu-Yamanashi Hot Springs in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. It was a famous public bathhouse during the Japanese colonial period. The first floor houses large and small baths with blue sulfur springs, while the second floor offers... (description continues).
Address: No. 2, Zhongshan Road, Beitou District, Taipei City

3. Taipei Public Library – Beitou Branch
Besides being a well-known hot spring destination, Beitou also boasts Taiwan’s first green building library. This unique library is located within the lush and ecologically rich Beitou Park, right next to the Hot Spring Museum. The library has been awarded a Candidate Certificate for the Nine Major Green Building Indicators. The entire building features large floor-to-ceiling windows that make ample use of natural light and skillfully incorporate views of nature.
 
Address: No. 251, Guangming Road, Beitou District, Taipei City

4. Beitou Geothermal Valley
Beitou Geothermal Valley is located in a valley basin at the end of Zhongshan Road next to Xinbeitou Park. It was once known as the “Jade Mist of Sulfur Springs,” as the year-round sulfur vapor gave it an eerie resemblance to hell, leading to its Japanese name Zigokutani, meaning “Valley that looks like hell.” Locals call it “Sulfur Water Head,” but because people occasionally slipped and fell into the soft, marshy ground at the bottom, suffering burns or worse, it is more commonly known as “Hell Valley.”
 
Opening Hours: Tuesday to Sunday, 09:00 – 17:00