- What it is The old walled town of Zhuqian (竹塹), Hsinchu's historic centre. It sits across North District (北區) and the western edge of East District (東區); North District also runs out to the coast at Nanliao (南寮).
- Getting there TRA to Hsinchu Station (新竹火車站), on the main West Coast line and the end of the Liujia Line from the HSR station. → The TRA lines
- Getting around On foot in the centre; city buses, scooters and taxis beyond it.
- Best for People who want to walk to food, shops and the train, don't need a big new apartment, and don't mind narrow, busy streets.
If you want to walk out of your door to dinner, live in the old city. It's the part of Hsinchu that feels most like an old Taiwanese town: the temple at the centre, small shops and food stalls on every corner, the railway station a few minutes away. The tradeoff is the housing, which is mostly older, and the streets, which are narrow and full of scooters. The old city suits people who'd rather have the town on their doorstep than a newer flat closer to the Science Park, and people who work in the centre.
One thing to get right: the old city isn't all North District. The City God Temple and Beimen Street are in North District, but the East Gate, the moat, Dongmen Market and the TRA station all have East District addresses. Locals just call it the old town.
The City God Temple (新竹都城隍廟)
The Hsinchu City God Temple, at No. 75, Zhongshan Road, was founded in 1748. Its god was raised in rank over the Qing era, which is why it's called a du chenghuang (都城隍), one of the highest-ranking City God temples in Taiwan. It's still a working temple and the centre of the old town's year, busiest at festivals and on the City God's procession in the seventh lunar month. The square and streets around it are packed with old food stalls: Hsinchu meatballs, rice noodles and much more. → The City God Temple food and night markets
NightMarket.tw keeps the temple market's hours and what to eat there.
The East Gate and the moat (迎曦門, 護城河)
The East Gate, Yingxi Gate (迎曦門), completed in 1829, is the only one of old Zhuqian's four gates still standing; the walls and other gates were pulled down in the Japanese-era street plans. It's a national monument (竹塹城迎曦門) and stands in an open plaza in the middle of a roundabout. From it, the moat (護城河) curves through the old town as a landscaped waterside park with paths and green banks, lit at night, with markets and events along it from time to time. It's the old city's best evening walk.
The station area
Hsinchu Station opened in 1913 and is one of the oldest station buildings still in use in Taiwan, a Baroque-style landmark at No. 445, Zhonghua Road Section 2. The streets between the station and the East Gate are the old town's main shopping streets. Living within walking distance of the station is the easiest way to manage without a car in Hsinchu: trains run north to Taipei and south down the coast, and the Liujia Line takes you to the HSR station in Zhubei. → Getting to the HSR
Dongmen Market (東門市場)
Dongmen Market, at No. 86, Datong Road, is one of Hsinchu's oldest markets, and in its heyday it was the city's fashionable shopping centre, with tailors and the first escalator in any Hsinchu market. By day it's still a traditional market with produce and household stalls. In recent years young restaurant owners have moved in, and at night the market turns into a busy place to eat and drink, with old stalls and new ones side by side. → Groceries and markets
Beimen Street (北門街)
Beimen Street, in North District, was the main road out of the old town's north gate and a trading street in the Japanese era. It has some of Hsinchu's oldest buildings, including Jinshidi (進士第), a national monument, and the Zheng family shrine (鄭氏家廟), a municipal monument. It's been tidied up for walking, and makes a good loop with the temple and the moat.
Nanliao and the coast
North District runs west from the old town to the sea at Nanliao (南寮), around the Hsinchu Fishing Port (新竹漁港). The port has a seafood market and food hall, 竹風漁市, where you can buy the morning's catch or eat it cooked; a big lawn where the city's international kite festival is held in August and September; and the Fish Scale Steps (魚鱗天梯), a stepped sea wall that's the place to watch the sunset. The Seventeen Kilometer Coastline bike path starts here and runs south to the Xiangshan wetlands. → The coast and cycling
For sport, the Zhuguang Sports Center (竹光國民運動中心) in North District has an indoor 25 m pool, a gym, courts and classes, open 06:00 to 22:00.
Living in the old city
- Housing. Mostly older walk-up apartments and narrow townhouses (透天), often without lifts or parking, with some newer buildings in between. Ask about the stairs, the water heater, noise from the street and where you'd park a scooter. → Renting
- Scooters. The old town runs on scooters. Streets are narrow, pavements come and go, and parking a car is a daily puzzle. If you'll own a car, ask about parking before you look at anything else.
- Convenience. Food, clinics, shops, banks and the train are all within walking distance, which is rare in Hsinchu.
- The commute. To the Science Park you head east through the city; to Zhubei and the HSR you cross the river or take the Liujia Line. Either way, rush hour slows you down. → Commuting to the Science Park
→ Where to eat in Hsinchu City · East District · Hsinchu City vs Zhubei
Sources: Hsinchu City Government tourism site (tourism.hccg.gov.tw): City God Temple, East Gate, the moat, Hsinchu Station, Dongmen Market, Beimen Street, Hsinchu Fishing Port, Fish Scale Steps, the Seventeen Kilometer Coastline, Zhuguang Sports Center; Bureau of Cultural Heritage, 竹塹城迎曦門; Hsinchu City God Temple; Taiwan Railway. Checked November 2026.