Soaking in cold springs can also beat the heat!* Top 10 cold spring attractions across Taiwan

By the MOOK Scenic Spots Editorial Team

Besides heading to the beach for water activities and ice cream in the sweltering summer, you can also cool off by soaking in hot springs. But in summer, it’s not about hot springs—it’s about cold springs. Taiwan has many worthwhile cold spring destinations, including Su’ao Cold Spring, Beibu in Hsinchu, and Sanchi Cold Spring. Jumping into a cold spring in summer can instantly take away all the summer heat.

1. New Taipei – Sanchi Cold Spring
Discovered only in recent years, Sanchi Cold Spring is also known as Laomei Creek Hot Spring. The cold spring seeps through calcium carbonate rock layers, resulting in a milky-colored cold sulfur spring. The spring flow isn’t strong, but the sulfur smell is noticeable. Here, you can enjoy the unpolluted gentle stream of Meicreek, and the area is less crowded, making it ideal for light packing and creek tracing activities.
 
2. Taoyuan – Guishan Cold Spring
Guishan Cold Spring is located in Rabbit Pit in Guishan District, Taoyuan. It is a low-temperature sulfur spring with water temperatures around 23°C and a slight sulfur odor. This sulfur cold spring has existed since the Japanese colonial period, although it was developed relatively late.
 
3. Hsinchu – Beibu Cold Spring
Located in Hsinchu, Beibu Cold Spring features a rare coexisting carbonic and sulfur spring, making it a popular resting spot for locals and tourists alike. It also boasts an abundant curtain waterfall, becoming a new hotspot for photos.

Beibu Cold Spring is a weakly alkaline carbonic spring with a slightly salty taste. In summer, the water temperature is about 15°C, and around 10°C in winter. The cold spring water is very unique, and it is said to have various therapeutic effects. Soaking here can wash away the day’s fatigue and let you enjoy the most natural negative ion therapy.

4. Miaoli – Nanzhuang Cold Spring
In Penglai Village, Nanzhuang Township, there’s a secluded cold spring trail located upstream of Penglai Creek. The water temperature stays around 18°C, and the trail is shaded by beech and cedar trees. Local homestay operators have developed and maintained it into an ecological cold spring pool, and the Shan Shan National Park has also built trails and fences nearby.

5. Yilan – Su’ao Cold Spring
Su’ao’s dual hot and cold springs have always been among Taiwan’s top ten must-visit soaking destinations. The Twin Springs Hotel here is often voted the top choice by netizens. Nestled in this simple seaside town, Su’ao benefits from a unique geographical location that allows it to simultaneously offer Su’ao Cold Spring and the famously skin-beautifying sodium bicarbonate hot spring, commonly known as “beauty spring.”