Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
All the sights below are within walking distance of the MRT station. English maps and
information abound both around the station and on the streets. Across the river by ferry is
the Bali riverside backed by volcanic Guanyinshan.
Getting There & Around
Tamsui MRT station is the last stop on the red line north. For trips along the northern
coast, buses leave just outside the station. See the Northern Taiwan chapter for more in-
formation.
TOP OF CHAPTER
Beitou
Hot springs and history form the major attractions in this mountainous suburb, just a
30-minute MRT ride north of Taipei. And there are plenty of both. What is now called
Beitou Park was once the largest hot-spring spa in Asia under Japanese rule, attracting
visitors from around the world (Sun Yat-sen was one).
The first hot-spring business was started by a German in 1893, but it was the Japanese
who really developed the area, initially building army nursing homes, and then opening
Beitou Park in 1911. Today's Beitou Park is about a third the size but still a lovely
wooded space with old stone bridges, heritage buildings and a hot- spring stream running
through the centre.
As an entertainment district, Beitou developing a unique culture based on hot springs,
music (called Nakasi and played by itinerant musicians) and tavern food. Though always
linked to prostitution, in the 1960s Beitou became notorious as a red light district for
American soldiers on leave from the Vietnam War. Prostitution was banned in 1979, and
by the '90s, Beitou had became a quiet backwater, with ageing facilities. That all
changed with the opening of the Xinbeitou MRT station in 1997 and the start of the mod-
ern hot-spring craze that is still going strong.
