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The East Gate of Hsinchu lit up at night, with wide steps leading up to the gate tower

Your independent guide to Hsinchu, Taiwan

Hsinchu: temple snacks, sea wind and Hakka hills

Thirty minutes from Taipei by high-speed rail, Hsinchu is Taiwan’s Windy City: a temple-front food scene, the gate of its old walls, a coastline for sunset bike rides, and the Hakka towns and giant cypress forests of the hills behind. Honest advice, hand-picked tours and everything you need to plan your trip.

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Why Hsinchu?

More than Taiwan’s tech city

Hsinchu is famous for microchips, but visitors find an old temple town with some of the best snacks in Taiwan, a windswept coast and, behind it, the Hakka hills and Atayal mountains.

In a single day you can walk through the East Gate of the old walls, eat rice noodles and meatballs at the City God Temple and cycle the coast to watch the sun set over the Taiwan Strait. The next day, ride the little train to Neiwan, grind lei cha in Beipu, or head into the mountains to the giant cypress trees of Smangus.

We help you choose the right tours and day trips, find a good place to stay and get more out of every day.

  • 1748 the year the City God Temple was founded
  • 17 km of coastline with a cycle path
  • 30 min by high-speed rail from Taipei
The East Gate of Hsinchu, a two-tiered tower on a stone gateway, with steps down to the sunken plaza

Traveller favourites

The best tours & day trips from Hsinchu

Top-rated experiences booked through Viator, from walking and food tours to the Hakka towns, the Smangus giant trees and the mountains. Tap any tour for live prices and availability.

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Where to go

Must-see places in and around Hsinchu

From the City God Temple and the East Gate to Nanliao Harbour, the Hakka towns of Neiwan and Beipu, and the giant trees of Smangus.

Incense smoke in front of the carved and painted hall of the Hsinchu City God Temple Temple

Hsinchu City God Temple

Taiwan’s highest-ranking City God

A temple founded in 1748, home to the highest-ranking City God in Taiwan, wrapped in a covered maze of snack stalls selling rice noodles, meatballs and spring rolls.

The East Gate of Hsinchu, a two-tiered tower on a stone gateway, with steps down to the sunken plaza Landmark

East Gate (Yingxi Gate)

The last gate of the old city walls

The stone gate tower finished in 1829 for the city walls of Zhuqian. It is the only gate still standing, on a plaza at the heart of the city, and is lit up at night.

Calm water at Nanliao Fishing Harbour, with white and blue buildings on the far quay Harbour

Nanliao Harbour

Seafood, kites and sunsets

Hsinchu’s fishing harbour on the Taiwan Strait, with a seafood market, a grassy waterfront where families fly kites, and the start of the 17 km coastline cycle path.

Shops and food stalls under a pointed wooden roof on Neiwan Old Street Hakka village

Neiwan

A railway town in the hills

A Hakka village at the end of the Neiwan branch railway, about an hour from Hsinchu, with an old street of snack stalls, a suspension bridge and an old cinema turned restaurant.

The old street of Beipu leading to the Citian Temple, lined with market stalls Hakka town

Beipu

Temples, mansions and pounded tea

A Hakka town in the hills south-east of Hsinchu, with the Citian Temple, 19th-century mansions and teahouses serving lei cha and Oriental Beauty tea.

A giant red cypress with a huge twisting trunk in the Smangus forest Forest

Smangus

Giant cypresses and an Atayal village

An Atayal village at about 1,500 metres in Jianshi Township, run as a community cooperative, with a trail to a grove of giant red cypresses, some more than 2,000 years old.

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The tower blocks of Zhubei behind a river, with a train crossing a bridge

Where to stay

Station hotels, high-speed rail and Hakka homestays

Where you stay shapes your trip. We compare four areas in and around Hsinchu, with the trade-offs of each and direct hotel searches.

  • The old town for temples and food
  • The Science Park for business
  • Zhubei for the high-speed rail
  • The Hakka hills for homestays
Read the accommodation guide Search Hsinchu hotels

Stories & guides

Latest from the blog

Itineraries, food, the Hakka towns, the mountains and the seasons for your Hsinchu trip.

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Plan like a local

Free Hsinchu travel guides

Visitors crossing the Neiwan suspension bridge among green trees

Tours & Tickets

Our pick of tours in and around Hsinchu: walking and food tours, the Hakka towns, Smangus, Guanwu and day trips, with who each one suits.

The sweeping curved roof and glass front of the Hsinchu high-speed rail station

Getting There

High-speed rail, regular trains and buses from Taipei, getting from Taoyuan Airport, and getting around Hsinchu, explained.

Pink blossom beside a wooden Japanese-era teahouse on the lake in Hsinchu Park

Travel Guide

Weather, seasons, festivals, money, safety and etiquette: what to know before you visit Hsinchu.

Plan your Hsinchu trip

Temple snacks, sea wind and Hakka hills

Eat rice noodles and meatballs by the City God Temple, cycle the coast at sunset, ride the little train to Neiwan or walk among 2,000-year-old cypress trees. Compare tours and book in a couple of taps.

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Good to know

Visiting Hsinchu: your questions answered

Is HsinchuCity.com the official website of Hsinchu City?

No. HsinchuCity.com is an independent travel guide. We are not the Hsinchu City Government, the Hsinchu County Government or a tourism office, and we do not run tours ourselves. When you book a tour through our links, you book with our partner Viator and the tour operator, who handle your booking, changes and refunds.

Where is Hsinchu?

Hsinchu is on the north-west coast of Taiwan, about 70 km south-west of Taipei, or about 30 minutes by high-speed rail. The city has about 450,000 people. It is surrounded by Hsinchu County, which stretches from the coast into the mountains. See getting there.

How many days do I need in Hsinchu?

One day covers the old city, the City God Temple and the coast. Add a day for the Hakka towns of Neiwan and Beipu, and one or two more for Smangus or Guanwu in the mountains. Start with our one-day Hsinchu itinerary.

When is the best time to visit Hsinchu?

October to December is dry and sunny, though windy, and it is persimmon season in the county. Spring, from March to May, brings tung blossoms and fireflies in the hills. Summer is hot and humid, with typhoons possible from July to September. See when to visit.

Can I visit Hsinchu as a day trip from Taipei?

Yes. The high-speed rail takes about 30 minutes, and regular trains take about an hour to an hour and a half. A day is enough for the old city and the coast, or for Neiwan. Read our day trip guide.

Is Hsinchu safe for tourists?

Yes. Taiwan is one of the safest places in Asia to travel. The main risks are busy traffic, especially scooters, and natural events such as typhoons and earthquakes. Take care on mountain roads after heavy rain, and check your government’s current travel advice before you go.