Miaoli Car Rental: Day Trip by Car to Sanyi, Dahu Strawberry Season and Nanzhuang — Nearest Pickup from Taichung or Hsinchu

Miaoli Car Rental: Day Trip by Car to Sanyi, Dahu Strawberry Season and Nanzhuang — Nearest Pickup from Taichung or Hsinchu

Miaoli County, between Hsinchu and Taichung, is Hakka country: Sanyi (三義) for woodcarving, the old Shengxing Station and the brick ruins of Longteng Bridge; Dahu (大湖) for strawberry picking from winter to spring; Nanzhuang (南庄) for its old street and Hakka and Saisiyat culture; and a coastline of wind turbines at Tongxiao and Houlong. These towns are separated by hills, buses are infrequent and strawberry-season weekends are crowded, so renting a car is the easiest way to see them at your own pace. One thing first: GoodCars has no pickup point in Miaoli County (including THSR Miaoli Station). This guide shows how long it takes to drive to Sanyi, Dahu and Nanzhuang from our Taichung HSR, Taichung Airport, Hsinchu HSR and Taichung Train Station locations, plus what to check before you go.

Strawberries in Dahu (Unsplash; location tagged by the photographer as Dahu Township)

No branch in Miaoli — where should you pick up?

There is no GoodCars pickup point in Miaoli County, and you can't pick up at THSR Miaoli Station. The nearest locations are in Taichung and Hsinchu: Sanyi and Dahu are in southern Miaoli, closer to Taichung; Nanzhuang is in the north, closer to Hsinchu HSR Station. Drive times below are the fastest Google Maps routes checked on the evening of Friday, 2 October 2026 — actual times depend on traffic. (Already know your dates? Check available cars and prices.)

Quick pick: for Sanyi and Dahu only, pick up at Taichung Airport or Taichung HSR Station; for Nanzhuang and Shitan, pick up at Hsinchu HSR Station; if you'd like staff to hand over the car in the daytime, choose the Taichung Train Station branch. New to self-service pickup? Read our self-service pickup and return guide; for each location see the Taichung HSR Station pickup guide, the Taichung Airport pickup guide and the Taichung Train Station pickup guide. Book online 12–24 hours before pickup, depending on the location (the booking page shows the cut-off); for last-minute rentals, call the branch or message it on WhatsApp.

Sanyi: Wood Sculpture Museum, Shuimei Woodcarving Street, Shengxing Station and Longteng Bridge

Sanyi sits right by the Sanyi interchange on Freeway 1, less than an hour from Taichung — the easiest stop on any Miaoli day trip.

Sanyi Wood Sculpture Museum

Run by the Miaoli County Government (No. 88, Guangsheng Xincheng, Sanyi / 三義鄉廣盛村廣聲新城88號), the museum showcases Taiwanese woodcarving. Its website lists opening hours of 9:00–17:00 with last entry and ticket sales at 16:30; it is closed on Mondays (open on long weekends and national holidays) and on Lunar New Year's Eve, plus any days the museum announces. Check ticket prices on the museum website. Nearby Shuimei Woodcarving Street is lined with woodcarving shops.

Shengxing Station, Longteng Bridge and the Old Mountain Line rail bikes

Shengxing is a wooden station on the old mountain railway line, and Longteng Bridge is the red-brick piers left after an earthquake destroyed a Japanese-era railway bridge — both are in the hills of Sanyi. The rail bike operator's directions: leave Freeway 1 at the Sanyi interchange, pass Shuimei Woodcarving Street and take County Road Miao 49-1 for about 3 km to Shengxing; for Longteng, take Miao 51 then Miao 49. Rail bikes depart from both Shengxing and Longteng; book ahead online or via ibon, and check hours and prices on the Old Mountain Line Rail Bike website.

The red-brick piers of Longteng Bridge (Unsplash)

April and May are tung blossom season in Miaoli, when the hills around Sanyi and Shitan turn white; see our Taiwan flower season calendar by car for spots and nearest pickup points.

Dahu strawberry season: when to go and how to beat the Hwy 3 traffic

Dahu is Taiwan's best-known strawberry town. The Dahu tourism website says the 2026–2027 season runs roughly from November 2026 to April 2027, with each farm opening on its own date. For reference, the Agriculture Ministry's rural travel site listed the 2025–2026 season as 14 November 2025 to 30 April 2026. Harvests depend heavily on the weather, so call the farm before you go to check whether it's open and has fruit. Picking prices vary by farm.

Dahu Winery (Dahu Farmers' Association)

Run by the Dahu Farmers' Association in Baliaowan, Fuxing Village, the winery has a strawberry culture museum, a restaurant and a shop — the classic lunch and souvenir stop after picking. The Agriculture Ministry's travel site lists opening hours of 9:00–17:30 on weekdays and 9:00–18:30 on weekends and holidays. It's about 32 min (23.4 km, Hwy 72) from Sanyi and about 52 min from Taichung Airport.

Weekend traffic

On strawberry-season weekends, Hwy 3 through Dahu gets busy. In past seasons the Dahu police precinct has posted officers at key junctions and suggested alternatives: from the north, leave Freeway 1 at Toufen and take Hwy 3 via Sanwan and Shitan; from the south, leave Freeway 1 at Sanyi and take County Roads 140 and 130. This year's traffic plan will follow police announcements. The simplest trick is to reach Dahu before 9 a.m., pick strawberries first, then head to Sanyi or Nanzhuang against the traffic.

Nanzhuang: the old street and Xiangtian Lake — pair it with Hsinchu

Nanzhuang is in northern Miaoli, about 57 min (47.3 km, Freeway 1) from Hsinchu HSR Station. Nanzhuang Old Street (around Guihua Lane) has Hakka snacks and old houses; further up County Road Miao 21 is the Saisiyat Xiangtian Lake — a narrow, winding road where you should slow down for oncoming traffic. Parking near the old street is limited at weekends, so use the parking lots on the edge of town and walk in; check local notices for any weekend traffic controls.

Nanzhuang shares the same hills as Mt. Shitou in Hsinchu. For a two-day Mt. Shitou and Nanzhuang route, see our Hsinchu self-drive guide. Dahu to Nanzhuang on Hwy 3 takes about 52 min (40.5 km), so you can combine both in one day.

Along the coast: Tongxiao, Baishatun and the Houlong wind farms

Miaoli's coast along Provincial Hwy 61 is lined with wind turbines. Tongxiao Shrine on Hutou Hill is a registered historic building, and Baishatun Gongtian Temple is the starting point of the famous annual Baishatun Mazu pilgrimage. The beaches at Houlong and Tongxiao are good for turbines and sunsets. The coast is in the opposite direction from the mountain towns, so it's better as a separate day.

Wind turbines on the Miaoli coast at dusk (Unsplash; location tagged by the photographer as Miaoli)

Mountain roads: check conditions before heading to Taian hot springs

The Taian hot springs in the Miaoli hills are reached by County Road Miao 62. In July 2026 a typhoon caused a collapse at the 2.5 km mark, leaving only one lane open while the road is rebuilt (CNA, 16 July 2026), and rockfalls have closed it since. If you plan to soak at Taian, check the latest road conditions from the Highway Bureau and Taian Township Office before you go; see our Taiwan hot spring road-trip map for other options. Petrol stations are rare in the hills — top up on the plain first with the car's fuel card (ask the attendant to fill up and show the card).

Three ways to plan the day

A wind turbine in Houlong (Unsplash; location tagged by the photographer as Houlong Township, Miaoli)

To continue in Taichung, see our 5 Taichung self-drive routes; for one-way rental tips, see 10 one-way rental routes.

Costs: rental fee + fuel charge, with a fuel card

GoodCars cars are priced as rental fee + fuel charge: fuel charge = (return odometer − pickup odometer) × the per-km rate for your car model. Fuel is already included in the fuel charge and every car comes with a fuel card — at the petrol station, ask the attendant to fill up and pay with the card (self-service pumps may not accept it). You don't pay for petrol yourself, and there's no need to top up the tank when you bring the car back. There is no distance cap; if you forget the card and pay for fuel yourself, keep the receipt and it will be fully deducted from the fuel charge. See how the fuel charge works and our fuel charge guide.

Freeway tolls are collected by ETC at a flat NT$1.2 per km for rental cars and settled when you return the car; branch staff can give you a breakdown if needed (ETC guide). For daily costs, see how much does car rental in Taiwan cost per day. New to driving in Taiwan? Read Taiwan driving rules for foreign drivers.

FAQ

Q1. Is there a GoodCars branch in Miaoli? Can I pick up at THSR Miaoli Station?

Not at the moment — there is no pickup point in Miaoli County, including THSR Miaoli Station. For Sanyi and Dahu, Taichung Airport and Taichung HSR Station are closest (self-service parking-lot pickup, bookable online 00:00–23:55); for Nanzhuang, Hsinchu HSR Station is closest.

Q2. When is Dahu strawberry season?

The Dahu tourism website lists the 2026–2027 season as roughly November 2026 to April 2027, with farms opening on different dates; last season (per the Agriculture Ministry's travel site) ran from 14 November 2025 to 30 April 2026. Harvests depend on the weather, so call the farm first.

Q3. Do I need to book the Old Mountain Line rail bikes?

Booking ahead is recommended — tickets are sold on the official website and via ibon, and walk-up places aren't guaranteed. Check hours and prices on the official website.

Q4. Is the Sanyi Wood Sculpture Museum open on Mondays?

No — it is closed on Mondays except long weekends and national holidays. Hours are 9:00–17:00, with last entry at 16:30.

Q5. Can I pick up at Hsinchu HSR Station and return in Taichung?

Yes. One-way rentals are available, for example from Hsinchu HSR Station to Taichung HSR Station or Taichung Airport; the price depends on the locations and dates and is shown when you choose different pickup and return points on the booking page.

Q6. What documents do foreign visitors need?

Your passport, your original home driving licence and a valid International Driving Permit (IDP) issued by a country with a reciprocal agreement with Taiwan, which lets you drive for 30 days after entry. Japanese visitors use a Japanese licence plus a Chinese translation; visitors from Hong Kong or Macau can rent with a valid Hong Kong or Macau licence, and we recommend bringing an IDP as well. You also need a credit card in your own name. See our Taiwan IDP guide and complete car rental guide for foreign visitors.

Q7. Do I need to put petrol in before I return the car?

No. Fuel is included in the fuel charge — use the fuel card when you fill up, and simply return the car at the booked time.