Beitou Hot Springs

Delightful dip in this geothermal hot-spot
Noteworthy for: With its cavernous 3,500sqm pit belching plumes of sulphuric gas, you can see why Beitou was a favourite setting for local filmmakers in the 50s and 60s.

Word to the wise: Grab a bargain dip at the outdoor public bath located next to the Beitou Hot Springs Museum offering the cheapest soak around at NTD 40.
Travellers catch a whiff of the pungent boiled-egg scent of Beitou’s sulfur hot springs before glimpsing the steam rolling along Zhongshan Road. Nestled in the foothills of Yangmingshan - some 30 minutes by subway - people come to soak in the rejuvenative waters of the many hot spring hotels here.

The Golden Hot Spring Hotel has private Japanese-style rooms while up the hill, Spring City is the only spot with multiple pools, sunken beds and a hot stone slab for lounging. Villa 32 is the most luxurious with European and Japanese-style villas and separate outdoor hot spring tubs for bathing in the nude in keeping with traditional Japanese style. Just outside the leaf-shaped Beitou Park, you'll find another less pricey hot spring, Longnaitang.

There are also several museums in the area exhibiting aboriginal art and culture, though the most notable sight is the sumptuous Victorian building of the Beitou Hot Springs Museum.