Beitou Day Trip | 北投一日遊

Towards the edge of Taipei City, there is a laid back town by the name of Beitou 北投. Taking a stroll around Beitou is a great way to take a break from hectic city life and enjoy the scenery. As Beitou is easily accessible by the Taipei MRT, it has been developed for tourism which means that there are a ton of things to see and do such as visiting museums, temples, and of course, hot springs! 

As Beitou was originally inhabited by the Ketagalan Indigenous people of Taiwan, it was named after the Ketagalan word Kipatauw, which means "a witch." After the Japanese came over to Taiwan in 1895, they discovered sulfur springs and decided to built Japanese-style hot spring inns and resorts all over Beitou. 

There are a ton of things to see and do in Beitou, let's find out!

Lady Zhou's Memorial Gate 周氏節孝坊 was built to honor Lady Zhou, a local resident, for her courage as she raised her children as a single mother after her husband passed away and for taking good care of her parents-in-law.

Take a closer look as this gate was built more than 200 years ago, using stones from Mount Guangyin 觀音山!

Xinbeitou Train Station

Back in the old days, when there was no MRT stations, there used to be a railway station in Beitou where local trains used to make their way to town. When the MRT lines were being constructed, this train station, along with many others, were destroyed. The old Xinbeitou Train Station 新北投車站 has now been converted into a museum, complete with a mock train. 

The museum tells us the history of the station and has even preserved railway items and souvenirs from the past. 

The Ten Gu An Historical Park 天狗庵史蹟公園 commemorates the first hot spring hotel that was built in Taiwan in 1896! This is a very tiny park and is just across the much more popular Beitou Park 北投公園.

The Beitou Heart Village 中心新村 was a military dependents' village that used to house actual military personnel and their families who came over to Taiwan with the ROC government back in 1945. As one of the only military villages that have been entirely preserved in Taiwan, the space has now been converted into a museum. 

In one of the exhibitions, there was a room that showcased how families used to live life in a military village. When I visited, the place seemed a bit quiet and it seemed like parts of the museum were still being constructed. I would suggest visiting when the place is complete. 

Interested to learn more about Military Dependents' Villages? Then click here! 

Indigenous Museum

As Beitou used to be inhabited by the Ketagalan Indigenous people of Taiwan, it makes sense that there is a museum dedicated to their legacy and history! When I visited the Ketagalan Cultural Museum 凱達格蘭文化館, there were two floors of exhibition, giving a brief overview of the different aboriginal tribes in Taiwan, their traditional clothing, and everyday items. 

The exhibition wasn't bad, but if you're looking for a more in depth look into the history of the Indigineous people of Taiwan, I would highly recommend visiting the Taipei Museum of Formosan Aborigines 順益台灣原住民博物館. Click here to read up on my visit to the museum!

Beitou Hot Spring Museum 北投溫泉博物館 was originally a public bathhouse that was built by the Japanese in 1913, making it more than 100 years old! After going through several transformations, the building was converted into a museum that tells us about the history of hot springs in Beitou and the history of the museum itself. 

There are many relics from the past, as well as an indoor public bath which is no longer in use. Beitou hot springs are famous for its use of Beitou stones which makes the water look green. These are only found in Beitou!

The exterior of the museum is also gorgeous, with red bricks and even a chimney.

The Beitou Geothermal Valley 北投地熱谷 is a volcanic hot spring filled with the Beitou stones that we mentioned earlier. It is completely a natural phenomenon. The water is striking green and also dangerously hot. You can't go anywhere near it. Do beware as it tends to get very hot during summers. 

In the past, this was an open space where people could spend quality time with their friends and family to cook hot spring eggs! Nowadays, you can still purchase hot spring eggs from vendors in the vicinity and eat it outside the hot spring. 

This is great for photography and also quite popular with the tourists. Do make sure to check the visiting hours though. 

Puji Temple 北投普濟寺 is one of the few remaining temples that was built during the Japanese era in the Japanese style in 1916 and has more than a hundred years of history. It's located right beside the extremely popular Geothermal Valley 地熱谷. 

I wrote an entire blog post about my visit to the temple so make sure to click here and check it out!

Shangguang Temple 新北投善光寺 is kind of an eerie temple hidden in the mountains of Beitou.  The temple isn't usually open for visitors. So make sure to check before visiting. Another interesting thing about this temple is that there is a Indian-style Buddist pagoda right above the temple. Once you climb up, you'll be treated to an amazing view of the city and Yang Ming Shan! Also, if you visit during cherry blossom season, you'll get a chance to take photos with the cherry blossom and the temple! 

Interested in visiting serene places to get away from the city life? Then click here to visit our post about Meinong, Kaohsiung!

Make sure to follow us on Instagram @taiwanexplorer95 for more!