Taiwan Hot Spring Road Trip Map: 12 Hot Spring Areas by Nearest Pickup Station, Drive Time & Parking

Taiwan Hot Spring Road Trip Map: 12 Hot Spring Areas by Nearest Pickup Station, Drive Time & Parking

Hot springs (溫泉, wēnquán) are one of the best reasons to visit Taiwan in the cooler months from November to February. A few hot spring towns, such as Beitou and Jiaoxi, are next to a train station. Many others — Guguan, Tai'an, Dongpu, Sichongxi, Ruisui, Antong, Guanziling and Jiuzhize — sit in river valleys or up mountain roads where buses are infrequent and the last one leaves early. This guide turns 12 major hot spring areas into one self-drive map: which GoodCars pickup point is nearest, how long the drive takes, what to watch out for on the road and when parking, and what the spring water is like (as described by Taiwan's official tourism sources). We don't recommend hotels here; for deeper itineraries we link to our area guides.

The suspension bridge at Guguan Hot Springs, beside the Dajia River at about 800 m above sea level (Unsplash; photographer's description: Guguan Hot Springs, Taichung)

The map at a glance: 12 hot spring areas, nearest pickup and drive time

Drive times are Google Maps suggested-route times checked around midday on Sunday 27 September 2026 (weekend traffic — weekdays are usually quicker); actual times depend on traffic. Spring descriptions are summarised from the Taiwan Tourism Administration's hot spring pages, the Nantou County tourism site (Beigangxi) and the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency's Taipingshan site (Jiuzhize).

Which area suits your trip?

Northern Taiwan: Beitou & Yangmingshan, Jinshan–Wanli, Wulai

A historic wooden building in Beitou, near the Xinbeitou hot spring area (Unsplash; location: Beitou, Taipei)

Beitou & Yangmingshan — Taipei Main Station branch, about 28–35 min

From the Taipei Main Station branch it's about 28–33 minutes to the Beitou Hot Spring Museum in Xinbeitou and 31–35 minutes to the Xingyi Road (行義路) hot spring strip. According to the Tourism Administration, Xinbeitou's water comes from Thermal Valley (地熱谷) and Longfeng Valley, giving three types of spring: white sulfur, green sulfur and iron sulfur. Yangmingshan's springs are mainly white sulfur, with Lengshuikeng (冷水坑) and Macao (馬槽) described as sulfate springs.

Parking: Xinbeitou's lanes are narrow and spaces fill up at weekends — park in a car park and walk, and ask your bathhouse or hotel whether it has parking. Yangmingshan's Yangde Boulevard and the Yangjin Highway get congested in the afternoon at weekends; for routes and car parks see our Yangmingshan National Park self-drive guide.

Jinshan–Wanli — Keelung Station, about 58–61 min

From the Taipei Main Station branch, Jinshan took 79–86 minutes on a Sunday midday. Keelung Station (self-service parking-lot pickup) is a closer start: along the North Coast Highway (Route 2) it took about 58–61 minutes when we checked. The Tourism Administration says Jinshan's water comes from the Datun volcano group and flows via Macao (馬槽), Jinshan and Wanli to the coast, giving a rare "seabed" sulfur-salt spring as well as carbonate, sulfur and iron springs; the seabed water tastes slightly salty.

Parking: the Jinshan Old Street area is crowded at weekends, so park first and walk. North Coast traffic back towards Taipei is heavy on weekend evenings.

Northern Taiwan's hot springs are linked to volcanic heat (Unsplash; the photographer tagged only "Taiwan" — illustrative)

Wulai — Wenshan, about 65–66 min

From the Wenshan pickup point, Route 9A to Wulai Old Street took about 65–66 minutes for 21 km on a Sunday midday; weekdays are usually faster. The Tourism Administration describes Wulai's water as weakly alkaline sodium bicarbonate, colourless and odourless — a "beauty spring". Bathhouses cluster on Wulai Street, with more along Route 9A and in the village.

Road notes: Route 9A is a mountain road. During Typhoon Bavi in July 2026 the section from Wulai to Xiaoyi was closed pre-emptively, so check road conditions around typhoons and heavy rain. For Wulai's old street, waterfall and Neidong forest, see the Wulai route in our Taipei self-drive routes.

Wulai Old Street sits right above the Nanshi River, where many bathhouses are (Unsplash; location: Wulai District, New Taipei)

Yilan: Jiaoxi, Jiuzhize & Su'ao Cold Spring

Jiaoxi — Jiaoxi Station, 11–15 min on foot

Jiaoxi is what the Tourism Administration calls a rare flatland hot spring; the water is sodium bicarbonate, colourless and odourless. From Jiaoxi Station it's an 11–12 minute walk (750–800 m) to Tangweigou Hot Spring Park and 13–15 minutes (850 m–1 km) to Jiaoxi Hot Spring Park, so you don't need a car just to soak in Jiaoxi. A car helps on day two, for the Toucheng coast, Yilan City, or heading south to Su'ao.

Pickup: Jiaoxi Station is a self-service parking-lot location, bookable online 00:00–23:55, with payment completed online as part of the booking. To compare Yilan's three pickup points see Yilan car rental: Yilan, Jiaoxi or Luodong; for the Jiaoxi area see Jiaoxi car rental.

Jiuzhize & Su'ao Cold Spring — Luodong Station branch

Jiuzhize Hot Spring (鳩之澤溫泉) lies inside Taipingshan National Forest Recreation Area, at km 4.1 of the Yizhuan No. 1 road (about 520 m above sea level). The Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency describes it as a weakly alkaline sodium bicarbonate mixed spring, clear and odourless, with pools where you can boil eggs in the spring water. From the Luodong Station branch it's about 70–72 minutes (42–44 km), and you must pass the Taipingshan ticket gate to get in. A private operator has run Jiuzhize since August 2025 and the official site has noted that some bath facilities and the restaurant were closed, so check the Taipingshan website for what's open and current fees. For the Yizhuan No. 1 road, ticketing and vehicle limits, see our Taipingshan self-drive guide.

Su'ao Cold Spring (蘇澳冷泉) is a different experience: a mineral spring below 22°C, described officially as a bathable carbonated spring with fine bubbles rising from the bottom. It's about 20–26 minutes from the Luodong Station branch via Freeway 5, and official listings show a car park right next to it.

Road notes: the last stretch to Jiuzhize is a mountain road — slow down and use headlights in rain or fog, and aim to be back down before dark. For pickup at Luodong's back-station branch, see our Luodong Station car rental guide.

Central Taiwan: Tai'an, Guguan, Dongpu & Beigangxi

Tai'an — THSR Hsinchu Station, about 78–79 min

Tai'an Hot Spring sits beside the Wenshui River in the mountains of Tai'an Township, Miaoli. The Tourism Administration describes the water as weakly alkaline sodium bicarbonate, colourless, odourless and silky. From THSR Hsinchu Station it's about 78–79 minutes via Freeway 1 and the Miao 62 road; from THSR Taichung Station it's about 80–81 minutes, so pick whichever station suits your train.

Road notes (important): the Miao 62 road is the main way in. After Typhoon Bavi in July 2026 it suffered several landslides — one section was at one point open only at night, as a single lane with alternating traffic, and another was blocked by rockfall. Avoid going up for a few days after typhoons or heavy rain, check Miaoli County and Tai'an Township notices, and ask your accommodation about the road before you set off.

Guguan — Taichung Station branch, about 91–97 min

Guguan Hot Spring is beside the Dajia River in Heping District, Taichung, at about 800 m. The Tourism Administration describes it as a weakly alkaline carbonate spring, clear and odourless. From the Taichung Station branch it's about 91–97 minutes along Route 8; from THSR Taichung Station about 92–106 minutes.

Road notes: Route 8 east of Guguan (towards Deji and Lishan) is still controlled and only opens at fixed times for official and local traffic, so you cannot use Guguan as a shortcut across the island to Hualien. Check the Highway Bureau's provincial road information site for current rules. For combining Guguan with Taichung's mountain area, see our THSR Taichung Station car rental guide.

Dongpu & Beigangxi — THSR Taichung Station

Dongpu Hot Spring (東埔溫泉) is in Xinyi Township, Nantou, right next to Yushan National Park; the Tourism Administration describes a weakly alkaline carbonate spring, colourless and odourless, near the Batongguan Historic Trail and Rainbow Falls. From THSR Taichung Station it's about 109–111 minutes via Freeway 3 and Route 21 — the longest drive on this map, so plan an overnight stay rather than a day trip.

Beigangxi Hot Spring (北港溪溫泉) in Guoxing Township is described by Nantou County's tourism site as a newer hot spring area with weakly alkaline sodium bicarbonate water. It's about 51 minutes from THSR Taichung via Freeway 6 — one of the closest hot springs to a high-speed rail station in central Taiwan.

Road notes: Nantou's mountain roads are often closed pre-emptively in typhoons and heavy rain; drive slowly at night and in rain on the way to Dongpu.

Southern Taiwan: Guanziling, Sichongxi & Baolai

Guanziling — THSR Chiayi Station, about 39–45 min

Guanziling (關子嶺) is in Baihe District, Tainan. The Tourism Administration describes its alkaline water as grey-black with fine mud particles — a rare mud hot spring known as the "black hot spring". Although it's in Tainan, THSR Chiayi Station is the closer pickup: about 39–45 minutes via Route 82 and Freeway 3, compared with about 54–56 minutes from THSR Tainan Station.

Parking: the hot spring area is halfway up the hill, lined with hotels and bathhouses; official listings show the Lingding Park car park next to the Lingding visitor information station. The road has many bends — use a low gear downhill. Compare the two pickup stations in our THSR Chiayi car rental guide and THSR Tainan car rental guide.

Sichongxi — Kaohsiung Airport, about 103–117 min

Sichongxi (四重溪) in Checheng Township, Pingtung, was discovered in the late Qing dynasty and is counted among Taiwan's four famous hot springs alongside Shamaoshan, Beitou and Guanziling, according to the Tourism Administration. The water is alkaline sodium bicarbonate, colourless and odourless. From Kaohsiung Airport it's about 103–117 minutes along the Pingtung–Eluanbi highway, and about 104–112 minutes from THSR Zuoying. It's not far from the Hengchun Peninsula, so you can combine it with Kenting — see our Kenting self-drive guide.

Baolai — THSR Zuoying Station, about 95–97 min

Baolai (寶來) is in Liugui District, Kaohsiung, on the western end of the Southern Cross-Island Highway (Route 20). The Tourism Administration describes a weakly alkaline carbonate spring, clear and odourless. From THSR Zuoying it's about 95–97 minutes via Freeway 10.

Road notes: Route 20 on either side of Baolai is a mountain road that is often closed pre-emptively in heavy rain — on the night of 22 August 2026, for example, the Jiaxian–Laonong and Baolai–Taoyuan sections were closed from 10 p.m. Check road conditions before you go in the summer and autumn rain season. For THSR Zuoying pickup, see our Zuoying car rental guide.

Eastern Taiwan: Ruisui, Antong & Zhiben

Ruisui & Antong — Hualien Station, Taitung Station

Ruisui Hot Spring (瑞穗溫泉) is actually in Hongye Village, Wanrong Township. The Tourism Administration describes an iron-rich carbonate spring, yellowish and slightly salty. It's about 91–93 minutes from Hualien Station along Route 9.

Antong Hot Spring (安通溫泉) near Yuli is described as a weakly alkaline chloride-sulfate spring, clear with a sulfur smell. It's about 96–104 minutes north of Taitung Station, a little closer than from Hualien (about 118 minutes). Ruisui to Antong is only 39–41 minutes, so you can visit both in a day. For ranches and rice fields along the valley, see our East Rift Valley self-drive guide; for Hualien pickup, see Hualien car rental.

Zhiben — Taitung Station, about 28–33 min

Zhiben Hot Spring (知本溫泉) in Beinan Township, Taitung, is described by the Tourism Administration as an alkaline sodium bicarbonate spring, clear with white mineral flakes, known as a "beauty spring"; the Zhiben River divides it into inner and outer areas. It's about 28–33 minutes from Taitung Station along Route 9 — the closest mountain-side hot spring to a pickup point on this map. More Taitung ideas are in our Taitung car rental guide.

Two hot spring road trips

Route 1: Yilan's two springs in 2 days (Jiaoxi → Su'ao → Jiuzhize)

• Day 1: take the train to Jiaoxi and pick up at Jiaoxi Station (or walk to the springs and pick up next morning). Stay the night in Jiaoxi.
• Day 2: Jiaoxi Station to Su'ao Cold Spring takes about 41–44 minutes; from there to Jiuzhize about 88–95 minutes (through the Taipingshan ticket gate); then about 70–72 minutes down to the Luodong Station branch.
• Return: picking up in Jiaoxi and returning in Luodong counts as a one-way rental — availability and any fee are shown on the booking page. The Luodong Station branch is bookable 09:00–21:00; to return outside business hours, call the branch in advance and they will arrange it for you.

Route 2: Three springs of the East Rift Valley (Hualien → Ruisui → Antong → Zhiben → Taitung)

• Pick up at Hualien Station → Ruisui about 91–93 min → Antong about 39–41 min → Zhiben about 109–122 min → Taitung Station about 28–33 min (checked in the Taitung-to-Zhiben direction).
• Allow 2–3 days, one soak per day, and keep the driving to daylight hours.
• Hualien to Taitung is a one-way rental; availability and any fee are shown on the booking page. See our one-way rental routes guide.

Hot springs and driving: safety rules

• Rest before you drive: Taiwan's Health Promotion Administration advises soaking for no more than 15 minutes at a time in cold weather, standing up slowly to avoid fainting, drinking enough water before and after, and not soaking straight after a meal. If you feel dizzy, tired or sleepy afterwards, sit down, drink water and wait until you feel normal — or let someone else drive.
• Zero tolerance for drink-driving: dinner at hot spring towns often comes with alcohol. The driver doesn't drink at all. The health authority also warns that alcohol raises your heart rate and, combined with hot water, can overload the heart. If you want a drink, stay overnight and drive the next day.
• Get down the mountain before dark: Tai'an (Miao 62), Dongpu, Sichongxi, Jiuzhize (Yizhuan No. 1 road) and Guguan (Route 8) all involve mountain roads with few streetlights and many bends. In rain or fog, turn on your headlights, slow down and leave more space.
• Check roads around typhoons and heavy rain: for provincial highways use the Highway Bureau's provincial road information site; for county and township roads (such as Miao 62), check county and township notices. Slopes can shed rocks for days after heavy rain.
• Skip wild river springs: this map only covers developed hot spring areas. Wild springs usually mean walking or wading along riverbeds where conditions change quickly — not a place to take a rental car.

Many mountain hot springs sit in river gorges — watch for rockfall after rain (Unsplash; photographer's description: the Dajia River at Guguan Hot Springs)

Pickup points: addresses, how pickup works and bookable times

Source: GoodCars store data and the booking system's bookable hours (checked 27 September 2026). Enter the Chinese address in your map app. At self-service parking-lot locations, payment is completed online as part of the booking and the exact pickup spot is in your booking confirmation. Staff use translation apps, and some branches can assist in English.

New to self-service pickup? Read our self-service pickup and return guide. For late-night or early-morning pickups, see our list of self-service pickup locations.

What it costs: rental + mileage fee, with a fuel card

• Rental: depends on the model, dates and pickup point — see live prices on the booking page.
• Mileage fee: charged by the kilometres you actually drive, with no distance limit, so visiting two or three hot spring areas in one trip is fine.
• Dedicated fuel card: cars come with a GoodCars fuel card and fuel is included in the mileage fee — you don't pay for fuel yourself and don't need to top up before returning. If you forget the card and pay at the pump, keep the receipt and it can be credited against the mileage fee. Petrol stations are scarce in the mountains, so check the gauge before heading up and use the fuel card at a station in town.
• Tolls: every car has an eTag, and freeway tolls are settled when you return the car. See our Taiwan ETC highway toll guide.
• GO Worry-Free Protection Plan: for extra peace of mind on mountain roads, you can add it when booking to reduce the amount you would owe if the car is damaged; see the website for what the plan includes and where it does not apply.

How the mileage fee works: mileage fee page and our mileage fee explainer. For finding parking, see parking in Taiwan.

FAQ

Q1. Which hot spring is easiest to reach from a train or THSR station?

Jiaoxi is a walk from Jiaoxi Station. By car: Beitou is about 28–35 minutes from the Taipei Main Station branch, Zhiben about 28–33 minutes from Taitung Station, Guanziling about 39–45 minutes from THSR Chiayi, and Beigangxi about 51 minutes from THSR Taichung. Guguan, Tai'an, Dongpu, Sichongxi and Baolai are around 90 minutes or more, so stay overnight.

Q2. Can I drive straight after soaking?

We don't recommend it. Taiwan's health authority warns against standing up too quickly after soaking because you may faint. Rest, drink water, and only drive when you're not dizzy or sleepy. If you've had any alcohol, don't drive.

Q3. Can I return the car late in the evening after a soak?

It depends on the pickup point. Jiaoxi Station, THSR Taichung, THSR Chiayi, THSR Tainan, THSR Zuoying, THSR Hsinchu, Keelung Station and Wenshan are bookable 00:00–23:55. The Taipei Main Station, Luodong and Taichung Station branches, Hualien Station and Taitung Station are bookable 09:00–21:00 — outside business hours, call the branch in advance and they will arrange it. Kaohsiung Airport is bookable 09:00–23:55; for other times, call the branch in advance and they will arrange it.

Q4. What car should I rent for mountain hot springs?

For 2–4 people, a five-seater (models listed on our website include the New Vios, New Yaris, Yaris Cross and New Colt Plus). For 5 or more people or lots of luggage, a seven- to nine-seater (Wish, M7 Turbo ECO Hyper, Staria, Starex, Touran). Available models vary by location — the booking page shows what you can rent. See all models: five-seaters and seven- to nine-seaters. You don't need a special car for these roads; just don't rush and get down before dark.

Q5. Do I pay for fuel, and do I need to top up before returning?

Neither. Our cars come with a dedicated fuel card and fuel is included in the mileage fee, so there's no need to top up before you return. Check the gauge before heading into the mountains and use the fuel card at a station in town.

Q6. Can I pick up in one place and return in another?

Yes, cars can be booked with different pickup and return points — for example Hualien Station to Taitung Station, or Jiaoxi Station to the Luodong Station branch. Availability and any fee are shown on the booking page; see our one-way rental guide.

Q7. Is it safe to visit mountain hot springs in typhoon season?

Don't head into the mountains during typhoon or heavy-rain warnings. In 2026, the Miao 62 road to Tai'an had several landslides after Typhoon Bavi in July, and Route 20 east of Baolai was closed pre-emptively during heavy rain in August. Check road conditions and local notices before you go, and ask your accommodation about the road.