Free: All time
Beitou Geothermal Valley sits on the northern edge of Taipei and it’s famous for its hot springs. The valley has a history of more than 200 years; with its first development starting during the Japanese occupation. The Geothermal Valley has hot springs that are bubbling at a temperature of over 100º Celcius. Although you’d have to pay to actually take a dip in one of the hot springs, visiting the scenic area is free and it’s easily reachable on the city’s subway system, making it a nice day trip away from the hustle and bustle of the metropolitan. Other free sites worth checking out while in Beitou district: Beitou Park, Ketagalan Culture Center, Plum Garden, Puji Temple, Taipei’s first “green” public library, Beitou Quanyuan Park Foot Bath Area and the world-famous Yangmingshan National Park. Note: If you do want to take a dip in the hot springs, you can find a very budget friendly rate for the mixed-gender outdoor public springs (approximately USD$2.00 to access 3 pools of varying hotness).
Address: Zhongshan Road, Beitou District,Taipei City, Taiwan
Opening hours: Tue-Sun 9am – 5pm; Closed Mondays
Direction: Subway Danshui Line to Xinbeitou Station and 10-min walk to Geothermal Valley; Bus No. 216/217/218/223/266/269 to Xinbeitou MRT Station Stop
Website: wikitravel.org/en/Taipei/Beitou
Photo credit:Martin Ng (Flickr CC), Wunkai (Flickr CC)
