Beitou Hot Spring Guide: Public Baths, Photos & What to Expect

Beitou is one of the easiest places to escape the pace of Taipei without actually leaving the city. A short MRT ride takes you from busy streets to a neighborhood of steaming hot-spring water, Japanese-era bathhouses, green hills, and little museums tucked along Beitou Creek.

We originally spent a day here soaking, walking around Xinbeitou, and trying a few very different hot-spring experiences. The photos throughout this post are from that trip. Since some of the practical details have changed quite a bit since then, I’ve also rechecked the major bathhouses, prices, and opening information so you know what to expect now.

If you’re planning a Beitou hot spring day trip, the biggest choice is what kind of soak you want: an old-school public bath, a private room, or a more polished resort experience. You can easily combine one of those with Thermal Valley, the Beitou Hot Spring Museum, and a walk through the neighborhood.

How to get to Beitou Hot Springs from Taipei

Beitou is easy to reach on Taipei’s MRT. Take the Tamsui-Xinyi (Red) Line to Beitou Station, then transfer to the short Xinbeitou branch line. From Xinbeitou Station, most of the places in this guide are walkable.

We liked that you don’t really need a strict itinerary once you arrive. Beitou Park, the library, Hot Spring Museum, Longnice Hot Spring, Thermal Valley, and several other stops sit along the same general walking route.

If you’re coming for a specific bathhouse, check its current hours before leaving Taipei. Several places close for maintenance on certain days, and the public Millennium bath is currently closed for renovation.

What kind of hot spring water is in Beitou?

Beitou is known for several types of sulfur hot-spring water. You’ll commonly see them described as green sulfur, white sulfur, and iron sulfur springs.

Green sulfur water is the type associated with Thermal Valley and Longnice Hot Spring. It has a distinctive sulfur smell and can be very hot and acidic. White sulfur springs have a milky appearance and are used by a number of hotels and resorts around Beitou. Iron sulfur water is less commonly encountered by casual visitors.

Older Beitou guides, including the original version of this article, sometimes list a long set of medical benefits for each spring type. I wouldn’t plan your visit around those claims. Go because soaking feels good, because the bath culture is part of Beitou’s history, and because it is a memorable way to spend a day in Taipei.

The best Beitou hot spring experiences we tried

1. Millennium Hot Spring / Beitou Park Outdoor Hot Spring

Current update: The Beitou Park Outdoor Hot Spring, also known as Millennium Hot Spring, is temporarily closed for a major renovation. Taipei City has not announced a reopening date yet. If this is the bath you want to visit, check the official Taipei Travel listing before making the trip.

Millennium was our most casual hot-spring experience in Beitou. It’s an outdoor public bath in Beitou Park, so the atmosphere is completely different from a private hotel room.

When we went, we soaked at night under the open sky. There were several pools at different temperatures, and I couldn’t last very long in either the hottest or the coldest ones. I mostly stayed somewhere in the middle and enjoyed being outside with the steam rising around us.

Before the renovation, Millennium was co-ed and required swimsuits and swim caps. It operated in timed sessions throughout the day. Because the facility is being rebuilt, I would not rely on the old price, schedule, or entry rules when it reopens.

Best for: travelers who want an inexpensive, local-style outdoor public bath — once it reopens.

2. Longnice Hot Spring (Long Nai Tang / 瀧乃湯)

If you want something much more traditional, Longnice Hot Spring is one of the most interesting places to soak in Beitou.

This one also has a personal connection for our family. Tom’s grandpa used to come here, which made visiting feel like more than just checking another bathhouse off a list.

The public baths are simple, indoor, gender-separated nude baths rather than swimsuit pools. The stone pools and old-school setting are a big part of the experience. Longnice says its public baths use natural green sulfur water from the Beitou area.

Current public-bath information:

• Open Thursday through Tuesday; closed Wednesday
• Morning session: 6:30 AM–11:00 AM, last entry 10:00 AM
• Afternoon session: 12:00 PM–5:00 PM, last entry 4:00 PM
• Evening session: 6:00 PM–9:00 PM, last entry 8:00 PM
• NT$150 per person per session
• Male and female baths are separate and nude
• Cash payment

Longnice also has private bath rooms if you want the historic setting without using the public bath. Current private rooms start at NT$400 for two people for 60 minutes, with larger family rooms available. Private rooms operate in the afternoon and are booked for the same day by phone or in person.

Best for: history, local bath culture, and a more traditional Beitou experience.

3. Grand View Resort Beitou

Grand View is at the opposite end of the spectrum from Longnice. It’s polished, quiet, and much more of a resort experience.

We tried both the private and public hot-spring options on our trip, and they’re really two different ways to do Beitou. A private room gives you your own space and bath, while the public hot spring has multiple facilities and a longer time window.

For the current public hot spring, Grand View lists:

• NT$1,600 per person on weekdays
• NT$1,800 per person on weekends
• 7:00 AM–11:00 PM, last entry 10:30 PM
• Up to 4 hours, single entry
• Male and female areas are separate
• Nude bathing; swimsuits are not worn
• Guests must be age 12 or older

Maintenance hours vary by season, including closures on the first and third Mondays, so check Grand View’s current schedule before going.

For a private hot-spring room, reservations are required. Current room categories start at NT$2,500 for two people, with other rooms at NT$3,000 and NT$3,500. Most are 90-minute sessions, while some higher-tier rooms have longer sessions.

Grand View also operates a separate outdoor hot-spring/swimming area where swimsuits and swim caps are required, so don’t confuse that with the nude public hot spring.

Best for: couples, a private soak, or anyone who wants a more comfortable resort-style Beitou experience.

Do you need a swimsuit at Beitou Hot Springs?

It depends entirely on where you go.

• Longnice public bath: no swimsuit; gender-separated nude bathing
• Grand View public hot spring: no swimsuit; gender-separated nude bathing
• Grand View outdoor hot spring: swimsuit and swim cap required
• Millennium Hot Spring: before its renovation, swimsuits and swim caps were required; check the new rules when it reopens
• Private hot-spring rooms: private to your group, so public-bath swimsuit rules don’t apply

This is worth checking before you leave your hotel. One of the most common Beitou planning mistakes is assuming every hot spring works the same way.

Things to do in Beitou besides the hot springs

You don’t need to spend the whole day soaking. A lot of Beitou’s best stops are within walking distance of Xinbeitou Station, which is what makes the area such an easy Taipei day trip.

Thermal Valley

Thermal Valley is one of the places that makes Beitou immediately feel different from the rest of Taipei. Steam rises off the green sulfur water, and on cooler days the whole area can look almost unreal.

I also grew up hearing stories from my family about people boiling eggs in the hot spring water here. That’s not something visitors are allowed to do now, but it was one of those little family stories that made finally seeing Thermal Valley in person feel familiar.

Current hours: Tuesday–Sunday, 9:00 AM–5:00 PM. Closed Monday. Admission is free.

Beitou Library

The Beitou branch of Taipei Public Library sits right in Beitou Park and is hard to miss because of its wood-and-glass design. It’s a nice stop even if you’re not planning to spend much time inside.

The building is known as Taiwan’s first certified green library and uses large windows, natural light, and a design that blends into the park around it.

Current hours: Tuesday–Saturday, 8:30 AM–9:00 PM; Sunday–Monday, 9:00 AM–5:00 PM.

Beitou Hot Spring Museum

This is one of the stops I would keep even on a short Beitou itinerary. The building itself was originally a public bathhouse, and you can still see the architecture and bathing spaces while learning about how central hot-spring culture was to the neighborhood.

When we visited, one of the exhibits I remember was about Beitou’s connection to Taiwan’s old cinema culture. Exhibitions change, so don’t expect the exact same displays we saw, but the building alone is worth walking through.

Current hours: Tuesday–Sunday, 10:00 AM–6:00 PM; last admission 5:45 PM. Closed Monday. Admission is free.

Plum Garden

We also stopped at Plum Garden, a Japanese-style historic residence in Beitou Park. It was once the summer residence of calligrapher Yu Youren and feels much quieter than some of the bigger attractions nearby.

Current update: Plum Garden is temporarily closed. Keep it on your radar for a future trip, but don’t build your current Beitou itinerary around being able to go inside.

Beitou Museum

The place we originally referred to as the Taiwan Folk Arts Museum is now generally listed as Beitou Museum. It occupies a beautiful Japanese-era building farther uphill from the main park area.

Current hours: Tuesday–Sunday, 10:00 AM–6:00 PM; closed Monday except certain holidays. General adult admission is currently NT$120.

Puji Temple

Puji Temple is a small Japanese-era Buddhist temple tucked into the hillside near Thermal Valley. It’s easy to miss if you’re moving quickly, which is part of why we liked stopping here.

Current hours: daily, 9:00 AM–5:00 PM. Admission is free.

Where we ate in Beitou

Yummy Vegan Home

We ate at Yummy Vegan Home on our original trip and included it because it was a useful vegetarian option after a day of walking and soaking.

The restaurant still appears in current local listings, but I couldn’t verify a reliable official 2026 schedule. If you want to go specifically for this restaurant, check its current hours before heading over rather than relying on the old hours from this post.

SheMe

We also stopped at SheMe on our trip. The current listings around this business appear to have changed since our visit, including the name/location details, so I’ve removed the old hours and address rather than pretending they’re still current.

The photos and our original experience stay in this post, but check a current map listing if you want to seek it out now.

Is Beitou worth visiting?

Yes, especially if you want an easy break from central Taipei without losing a full day to transportation.

What made Beitou memorable for us wasn’t one single attraction. It was being able to move from an old public bathhouse to a steaming valley, a Japanese-era museum, a quiet park, and then into a completely different hot-spring experience at a resort — all in the same neighborhood.

For a first visit, I would pick one main hot-spring experience and build the rest of the day around it. Longnice is the most interesting choice if you want history and traditional bath culture. Grand View makes more sense if you want privacy or a resort setting. Millennium is worth watching once its renovation is finished and the city announces its new operating details.

And if you’re planning more time in Taiwan, our Formosan Aboriginal Culture Village guide is another firsthand trip from this part of our Taiwan travels.