Travel Guide to Hsinchu 新竹懶人包 – Taiwan’s Charming Tech Hub

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Hsinchu, Taiwan, combines technological innovation with rich history, Hakka culture, and natural beauty. It has numerous old streets, preserved Japanese-era and Qing-era buildings, zoos, mountains, lakes, rivers, beaches, and much more to explore. It is definitely worth a stop on your next trip to Taiwan.

History of Hsinchu:

After the settlement of the area by Han Chinese farmers in about 1711, what was then known as Zhuqianshe became the most important economic area in northern Taiwan. By 1723, a walled city was built here out of bamboo, because brick walls were forbidden for fear of a revolt against the Qing authorities. The name Zhuqiancheng (竹塹城) literally means bamboo moat city. The bamboo-walled city had four gates and its perimeter was about 1.4 KM long. In 1806, the city was upgraded with earthen walls. In 1828, the city walls and gates were finally made into brick, with the perimeter covering 2.7 KM, and walls 5 meters high, the center of the city being the Chenghuang City God Temple. In 1901, the Japanese government decided to redesign the City of Hsinchu and destroyed all the gates and walls except the existing East Gate. 
In the ROC era, the Hsinchu Science Park was established in 1980 under President Chiang Jingkuo and was made to model Silicon Valley. TSMC, Taiwan’s most important corporation, was formed in 1987 with its headquarters in the park and created a technological hub, making Hsinchu indispensable to Taiwan’s economy.  

When to visit:

It is best to visit from April to November when the weather is warm and less windy.
There is a constant, cold northeasterly wind from December to March especially along the coast. However, the winter in general is more dry.

Where to stay:

Most of the accommodation you will find is near the city center.  If you will only visit downtown, you can consider a day trip from Taipei.
We have stayed at and recommend the Golden Motel a high-quality motel near Green Grass Lake (you can book on Agoda here, Booking.com here, Hotels.com here, Expedia here, or Trip.com here), and CD Motel, another high-quality motel in downtown Hsinchu (you can book on Agoda here, Booking.com here, or Trip.com here). Unfortunately, I cannot recommend any further hotels that I have stayed at in Hsinchu because usually we stay at my wife’s uncle’s house. 
You can find out where to stay in our Taiwan hotels guide or search for the best hotel deals in Taiwan here.
You can also book Wifi and SIM cards for Taiwan on Gigago here.  
Need travel insurance? Compare prices on Insubuy here. 

How to get to Hsinchu?

You can book tickets to travel to Hsinchu via inter-city bus on Klook here. 
You can book tickets to Hsinchu via high-speed rail (HSR)  on Klook here or KKDay here. 
Book tickets via the normal train (TRA) on Klook here.

How to get around in Hsinchu:

As always, we recommend renting a scooter as the best way to see Taiwan. However, you can also a great deal of Hsinchu by taking the train, inter-city bus, or local bus. Getting around in a car is also a convenient option as there is plenty of parking pretty much everywhere in this less crowded county. 
Scooter Rental: Looking for scooter rental in Hsinchu? You can search Klook here or KKday here to look for options.
You can also check out our scooter rental guide here. 
Car Rental: If you are looking for car rentals in Hsinchu, you can also search Qeeq here, Klook here, or KKDay here. 
You can also check out our car rental guide here. 
By Bicycle: Cycling is the best way to enjoy Taiwan’s landscapes if you have the time and energy. Looking for bicycle rentals in Taiwan? You can search on KKday here and Klook here. You can also check out our Taiwan cycling guide here. 

Tours: 

You can find more tours and activities in Hsinchu such as You can find more tours and activities in Hsinchu such as river tracing, wild hot springs, white water kayaking, backpack rafting, Little Ding Dong Theme Park, Leofoo Village Theme Park, Window on China Theme Park, glamping, camping, stone spa, horse riding, Yukids Island, Tom and Bei Bei Parent-Child Paradise, bee keeping experience, cycling, dried persimmons experience, Jump Wave Trampoline Park and more on Klook here or KKday here. 

Map:

Below is a list of places of interest and activities you can enjoy in Hsinchu:

Hsinchu East Gate (Yingxi Gate) 新竹東門 (迎曦門)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hsinchu Confucius Temple 新竹孔廟

 

 

 

 

Guanxi Old Street 關西老街

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hsinchu’s Xinyue Beach is perhaps the best swimming beach in Hsinchu. There is a lifeguard here as well as showers.  The water is relatively shallow and there is a long intertidal area to play in. 

Hsinchu Nanliao Fishing Harbor 新竹南寮漁港

 

 

Tofu Rocks 豆腐岩

 

 

 

I visited TSMC headquarters in Hsinchu just because it seemed noteworthy. They have a Museum of Innovation here which is open Mon-Sat until 5 PM that anyone can visit. ​

Zhongxiao RT-Mart