Beitou hot springs, where a volcano runs the bathhouse

Yes for most Taipei visitors — it's the only real hot-spring village reachable by metro anywhere in Taiwan, 30 minutes and about NT$40 from Taipei Main. Skip it only if you're in Taipei under 48 hours in July–August heat, or if bathing culture simply isn't your thing; our honest breakdown by traveler type goes deeper.

It closed on 24 January 2025 for its first full rebuild in 25 years. The completion date reported in the press was 28 July 2026; on 29 July 2026 the Taipei Parks and Street Lights Office, which operates the pool, updated its own FAQ to say the works are now expected to finish 26 September 2026, with the opening date to be announced separately afterwards. Completion is not the same as opening, so treat 26 September as a construction milestone rather than a date you can plan around. The posted tariff for when it does reopen is NT$60 full, NT$30 concession, six sessions from 05:30 to 22:00.

The springs' scenery is free — Thermal Valley, the Hot Spring Museum and the park foot baths cost NT$0. Actual bathing isn't: NT$60 at the public pool, NT$150–650 at bathhouse public baths, NT$400–1,500 for a private room for two. The free foot baths are a real (and locally beloved) compromise.

Co-ed public pools: swimsuit and swim cap, both enforced. Traditional single-sex bathhouses: nude, swimsuits banned. Private rooms: entirely up to you. Everywhere: rinse at the wash station before entering the water. Full rules in the etiquette guide.

MRT red line to Beitou (~25 min from Taipei Main), cross-platform change to the pink branch train, one stop to Xinbeitou (3 min). About NT$40 each way. The village is walkable from Xinbeitou station — no taxi needed unless you're staying at a hilltop resort with a shuttle.

Half a day (3–4 hours) covers a bath plus the free sights comfortably. A full day adds a long lunch, a second soak or Yangmingshan by bus. Overnight is for hot-spring hotel lovers — the village empties beautifully after 20:00.

Public if you want the local experience and the NT$60 price; private if you have tattoos, kids, a shy streak, or a partner you'd like to soak with (co-ed nude doesn't exist here). Private rooms run NT$400–1,500 for two for 60–90 minutes — rate table by venue.

Baths: no — walk-ins are the norm, though weekend afternoons queue. Guided day tours: yes, 2–3 days ahead; the best-reviewed tour (★ 4.6, 375 reviews) regularly sells out winter weekend dates. Klook bath vouchers are instant and skip the counter.

In private rooms, always. In co-ed swimsuit pools, usually — small ink passes without comment. In traditional nude bathhouses, policies vary and staff discretion applies. With large tattoos, book a private room and the question disappears.

No — the water is 80–100°C and fenced. Even the old tradition of boiling eggs in it was banned years ago. You come to see the jade-green steam, then bathe in the same water — cooled to 40°C — at any bathhouse downhill.

Yes, with the right format: private family rooms welcome children, the park's foot baths delight them, and the steaming valley reads like a dragon's lair. Public pools admit kids but caps and temperature rules apply; some quiet-hour bathhouses prefer adults. See Beitou with kids.

Swimsuit, swim cap (or NT$100 at the door), towel (rentable at most venues), water bottle, coins and small bills, and a bag for wet things. Hotels and better bathhouses supply toiletries; the public pool supplies nothing but water and rules. Packing checklist.

Beitou for convenience and heritage (MRT access, museum, more baths); Wulai for scenery and a slower riverside pace (bus or tour required, aboriginal village, waterfall). With one free day, Beitou wins on logistics alone — full comparison.

Beitou has two main types: milky-white sulfur water (soft, eggy, the classic) and the rarer green sulfur "radium" water around Thermal Valley — plus iron springs further uphill. Pools run 37–42°C. The smell washes off; the relaxation reportedly does not.