As autumn sets its foot on Taiwan, it remarks the season for hot spring. If you are in Taipei and you feel like to chillax in the hot spring, you don’t have to drive a long way to the mountains, you just need to take the MRT to Xinbeitou, where there are a lot of hot spring hotels.
The Development of Beitou hot spring
In the 17th century, the Dutch people in Taiwan regarded the hot spring as poisonous water, because the fish and shrimps can’t survive in the hot water with sulfur gas.
During the colonization era (1895-1945), the Japanese were amazed by the hot spring of Beitou. When the new government settled down in Taiwan, the governor soon commanded that the military hospital built in Beitou so that the injured soldiers can be healed in the brilliant hot spring town. In 1896, Gengo Hirata started up the first hot spring house, Tengu’an in Taiwan. Since then, there are more and more hot spring houses in Beitou. The houses provided hot spring as well as some special service operated by females. It was a dreamland for men, full of the warm healing water and the sweetness of females.
The Beitou Motorcycle Express
During the prosperous time of Beitou, the call girls were busy traveling among the hotels in Beitou. Originally, the ladies were transported through the rickshaws. In the 1950s, when the motorcycles were imported, the rickshaws were replaced so the ladies could travel faster on the mountain roads. The motorcycles are the first UBER in Taiwan. Although prostitution has been forbidden in Taiwan, there are still some riders offering their service, not to the call girls but to the tourists. They know every road and every alley in Beitou so they can take you everywhere and even take your orders to buy the foods in Beitou Markets.
If you want to experience the first UBER in Taiwan, you can join our tour: First UBER Ever – Local Beitou Walking Tour
The Hot Spring of Beitou
Beitou is located in the area of the Datun volcano group. There are three different types of hot spring－white sulfur, green sulfur, and iron-sulfur. The white sulfur is good for your skin and respiratory tract. The green sulfur can improve dermatitis, arthritis, and muscle sore. The green sulfur contains radium, which can enhance the immune system. The iron-sulfur water can ease the neuralgia and rheumatism.
Photo from La Vie
How to plan a Beitou hot spring tour?
Beitou is located in Yangmingshan National Park. Travelers can set out in the early morning to have a half-day hiking tour in the park. On the top of Qixing Mountain, you can overlook Taipei City. After hiking, it’s time to relax the body and mind in the hot spring hotel.
Read more: 【Taipei Day Tour】Jingbaoli Trail－ A Walk into Taipei’s Unknown History
Where else to go in Beitou?
Beitou Hot Spring Museum -Beitou Hot Spring Museum is a museum about hot spring in Beitou Park with the Roman-style bathing pool as its distinctive feature. The construction of the building started in 1911 and completed in 1913 during the Japanese rule of Taiwan. It was initially built as Hokutō Public Bathhouse, the largest bathhouse in East Asia at that time. Both Crown Prince Hirohito and Dr. Sun Yat-sen were attracted by its fame and came to visit.
Beitou Museum – The only remaining all-wood two-story Japanese style building in Taiwan was designated as a historical site in 1998. The building was used during the Japanese era as lodging for Kamikaze pilots during World War II.
Puji Temple – Walking up a flight of stone steps you’ll come to Puji Temple which is an option for Taiwan family trip. Whether here to worship or just to admire the Japanese architectural mastery, you’ll find a sense of tranquil calm settling over you.
Beitou Thermal Valley – Thermal Valley is one of the sources supplying the area’s hot springs. The sulfuric steam that blankets the valley year-round gives the valley a frightening quality, giving rise to nicknames like “Ghost Lake.” The springs here have the highest temperatures of any in the Datunshan volcano group.
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