Beitou District

Beitou occupies the northernmost reach of Taipei’s twelve districts. Its name derives from the Ketagalan term Kipatauw, rendered in Chinese as 北投 (Běitóu) and historically spelled Peitou. Locals interpret Kipatauw as “witch,” a reference to the valley’s ever-present steam, which rises in wisps above rivers warmed by subterranean heat. Encircled by gentle slopes and covered in mist, the district stands as Taipei’s most elevated and mountainous area, its meadows threaded by channels of steaming water. These thermal flows have shaped both the landscape and the local way of life.

Long before recorded history, indigenous inhabitants of the region sought relief in the naturally warmed waters. Prior to formal settlement, tribal use of the hot springs centered on their mild acidity and mineral content. In the late nineteenth century, a German entrepreneur recognized the value of these springs for sulfur extraction and retreat. He established Beitou’s first hot spring club, setting the stage for a period of rapid development under Japanese administration.

Following the Treaty of Shimonoseki in 1895, Beitou—then called Hokutō—came under Japanese rule. The area formed the gateway to the North Formosa sulfur district, where three extraction facilities produced roughly 180,000 kilograms of sulfur each month. Recognizing the potential of the local springs, Japanese authorities constructed an inn equipped with mineral baths supplied directly from nearby vents. This facility blended Japanese architectural elements with the region’s distinctive resources, bringing structured bathing culture to the area.

Between 1920 and 1941, Hokutō Village (北投庄) fell under the jurisdiction of Shichisei District in Taihoku Prefecture, later attaining town status in 1941. During these years, the springs were refined into a spa system that combined therapeutic bathing with services now familiar in modern wellness—massage, hydrotherapy, aromatic treatments and dietary offerings designed to complement the therapeutic waters.

After the handover of Taiwan in 1945, Peitou became an urban township within Taipei County. In 1949 it, together with neighboring Shilin, passed to the Yangmingshan Administrative Bureau, then merged into Taipei City in July 1968. A 1974 administrative reorganization placed Beitou District under the city’s direct authority. Throughout these transitions, the district retained its identity as a spa town, even as nearby urban areas grew denser.

Beitou now hosts one of the highest densities of hot spring facilities worldwide. What began as a modest park for local dwellers evolved into a resort zone boasting more than thirty establishments. A twenty-minute ride on the Danshui Line of the Taipei Metro connects the city center to this enclave. Pools vary in temperature and mineral composition, offering options from tepid to intense heat, each leveraging the water’s acidic, sulfur-rich profile. While these fumes can, over the long term, affect electronics, residents accept this trade-off for daily access to restorative bathing.

Within the district, two distinct quarters have taken shape. Old Beitou clusters around the original Beitou MRT Station and its adjacent market. Here, century-old homes stand beside modest shops and community spaces. To the north, around Xinbeitou Station and Qinshui Park, lies Xin Beitou. Developed during the Japanese era, this area provided a dedicated hot spring resort. Its concentration of baths and inns contrasted with the more organic settlement in the south.

A more complex history lived in Xin Beitou during the mid-twentieth century. For a time it ranked among the island’s largest unregulated entertainment districts, frequented by American service members on rest-and-relaxation leaves during the Vietnam War. Following international tensions and local policy shifts, the area underwent a deliberate cleansing of illicit enterprises. By the late 1980s, a combined effort to enhance public order and extend the Taipei Metro into Beitou prompted the replacement of aging concrete lodgings with upscale spas and residences.

From the 1960s until the early 1990s, character-light concrete hotels dominated Xin Beitou’s skyline. As Taipei City pursued higher standards and improved transit links, developers either refurbished these structures or replaced them outright. The result: a suite of luxury spa resorts coexisting with new apartment buildings designed for professionals seeking both a verdant environment and swift connections to downtown. Today, Beitou presents a balance of high-quality accommodations, abundant greenery and managed urban growth.

Beitou offers more than bathing. In Qinshui Park, the Beitou Hot Springs Museum occupies a restored Euro-Japanese public bath constructed in the early twentieth century. It reopened in 1998, its dozen rooms detailing the district’s evolution through displays of period photographs, artifacts and narrative panels. Nearby, the Ketagalan Cultural Center—a ten-story facility—honors the heritage of Taiwan’s indigenous peoples, featuring exhibitions of traditional crafts, ritual items and interpretive media. A short distance away, the Tittot Crystal Museum examines glass art and technology through works collected from across Asia, housed in a space east of Guandu Station on the Danshui Line.

Natural settings contribute to the district’s diversity. Yangmingshan National Park spreads across the volcanic peaks that rise behind Shilin and Beitou. Visitors may follow trails to Qixing-shan (Seven-star Mountain) or pass through fields famed for seasonal blooms. Regular bus service links Beitou with both the park’s cultivated gardens and its forested paths. Within the urban district, Beitou Hot Springs Park (also called Qinshui Park) offers fountains, an outdoor spring and the public library. Geothermal Valley—nicknamed “Hell Valley”—lies at the park’s edge, its sulfur springs sometimes approaching water temperatures of 100 °C.

Religious sites include Puji Temple, a Japanese-style Buddhist shrine preserved across from Hotel Kyoto on Wenquan Road. Its wooden structures, lantern-lit courtyards and painted imagery convey the architectural sensibility and spiritual focus introduced during occupation.

Beitou’s waters possess a high sulfur concentration that yields a faint yellow cloudiness. Bathers sensitive to the odor should consider either outdoor tubs with open air circulation or private rooms. Given the acidity of the springs, avoid jewelry or fabrics prone to damage.

Conventional practice requires full cleansing before entering a communal bath, strict avoidance of swimwear and secured hair. Guests with hypertension, cardiac conditions or open wounds should refrain from soaking. Some facilities designed for international visitors operate under European-style norms, providing mixed-gender outdoor springs where swimsuits are mandatory. Clear signage guides newcomers through house rules and dress codes.

Recommended Venues:

• • Spring City Hot Spring – Situated on Zhongshan Road near Xinbeitou Station, this public outdoor pool charges a modest fee and supplies swimwear at an extra cost. A small locker fee applies.
• • Beauty Age Hotel – Also in Qinshui Park, it offers rooms with private or family-sized baths. Rates begin around NT$600 for a standalone bath or NT$1,000 per room on weekdays.
• • SweetMe Hot Spring Resort – A full-service property combining accommodation with multiple soak options.
• • Millennium Hot Spring (Beitou Public Hotspring) – Located just beyond the park, this facility features mixed-gender outdoor springs, with lockers and clear guidelines posted in English. Entrance runs NT$40 plus NT$20 for storage.
• • Xingyi Road Springs – Accessible by bus from Shilin or Shipai, this stretch holds several hot spring and dining combinations as well as free public pools at the road’s terminus.
• • Emperor Spa (皇池溫泉御膳館) – Positioned off Xingyi Road, it maintains a traditional Japanese-style, nude, sex-segregated bathing environment. Entry is complimentary for patrons spending over NT$400 in the restaurant, noted for its seafood porridge. Nonexclusive spa rooms are also available.

Beitou’s nine Taipei Metro stations—Beitou, Xinbeitou, Zhongyi, Qiyan, Fuxinggang, Guandu, Qilian, Mingde and Shipai—serve the district. Frequent buses connect the valley to Yangmingshan National Park, with lines from Taipei Main Station and Beitou interchange ensuring access at regular intervals.

In the decades since Taipei’s administrative expansion, Beitou has retained a balance of serene natural features and selective modernization. Steam vents still whisper through bamboo groves. Urban parks host families and retirees beneath cherry blossoms, while boutiques and cafés settle into traditional shopfronts. Spa resorts offer varying intensities of thermal therapy alongside massage and holistic treatments. Through each era—indigenous stewardship, colonial industry, wartime challenge and post-industrial renewal—Beitou’s core appeal remains: an environment shaped by earth’s warmth and human enterprise in equal measure.