Inside HsinchuLiving in Hsinchu & Zhubei

Neighborhoods

Zhubei

The county seat across the river from Hsinchu City: new towers, wide roads and big parks around the HSR station, a busy county-hall district in the middle, and an older town by the railway. Jason lived here for several years.

  • What it is Zhubei City (竹北市), the seat of Hsinchu County (新竹縣), on the north bank of the Touqian River (頭前溪), across from Hsinchu City.
  • Getting there HSR to HSR Hsinchu Station at Liujia, or TRA to Zhubei Station on the main West Coast line. → The HSR station
  • Getting around Mostly by car or scooter. Shuttle 5900 runs from the HSR station past the county government to TRA Zhubei Station; the TRA Liujia Line runs from the HSR station into Hsinchu City. → Buses, bikes and scooters
  • Best for Families after a newer apartment, people at the Biomedical park by the HSR station, and anyone who takes the HSR to Taipei often.

If you're moving here with a family and a car, Zhubei is where we'd start looking. The reasons people choose Zhubei are real: newer buildings with lifts, guards and parking, parks built into every district, the HSR station on the edge of town, and wide roads that make driving easy. The costs are real too: you'll drive more than you expect, the walk to anything takes longer than the map suggests, and if you work in the main Science Park, the river crossing is the part of your day you'll plan around.

Zhubei isn't one place. It's three or four, built at different times, and they feel different to live in. Here they are from east to west.

The HSR district and Liujia (高鐵特區, 六家)

The newest part of Zhubei grew up around HSR Hsinchu Station in the Liujia (六家) area. It's a planned district of high-rise residential towers, wide boulevards and long green strips, with shops and restaurants on the ground floors of the towers. Next to the station is the Hsinchu Biomedical Science Park (新竹生物醫學園區), one of the sites run by the Hsinchu Science Park Bureau, which is a separate site from the main Science Park across the river. This is the district to pick if you'll be on the HSR to Taipei several times a week, or if your job is in the Biomedical park.

The district's parks are a big part of daily life with kids. Shuizhun Forest Park (水圳森林公園), near the HSR station, is a large lawn-and-lake park that the county lights up with music and light shows in the evening. Jiafeng Math Park (嘉豐數學公園) has playground equipment and sculptures built around a mathematics theme. Nearby, the Xinwawu Hakka Cultural Preservation Area (新瓦屋客家文化保存區) keeps an old Hakka settlement as a park and cultural centre in the middle of the new district, open all year. → Hsinchu with kids

The TRA Liujia Line leaves from Liujia Station, connected to the HSR station by a corridor on the second floor, and runs into Hsinchu City, with a change at Zhuzhong for the Neiwan Line to Zhudong. → The TRA lines

The county-hall district (縣治)

Between the HSR district and the old town is Zhubei's busy middle: the area around the Hsinchu County Government (新竹縣政府) on Guangming 6th Road (光明六路). This is where the county's offices are, and where a lot of Zhubei's restaurants and shops are.

Closed: Zhubei's hypermarket, the Carrefour in the county-owned car park building at Guangming 6th Road and Xianzheng 9th Road, closed on 31 October 2025 after nearly 30 years. PX Mart won the lease on the ground floor in January 2026; in October 2026 the county said fit-out would finish at the end of December and PX Mart would announce its own opening date. The upper floors were still empty. → Groceries and shopping

Old Zhubei, by the railway

West of the county district, around TRA Zhubei Station, is the older town: lower buildings, narrower streets, townhouses and walk-up apartments, and the shops and temples that were here before the towers. Zhubei Tianhou Temple (竹北天后宮), a Mazu temple on Rende Street, is the old neighbourhood's centre of worship; the area was once called Douzaipu (豆仔埔). Living here, you're on the main railway line, closer to the coast, and you'll usually find older, more varied housing. You're also further from the HSR station and the new districts' parks.

For farm produce, the Zhubei Farmers' Direct Sales Station (竹北農民直銷站) on Zhongzheng East Road, run by the local farmers' association, sells Zhubei's black beans, sweet potatoes and other local products, open daily 08:00 to 19:00.

A new public market for Zhubei, now called 竹北水岸市集, has been in planning for years. In July 2026 the county said the plan still lacked a required approval, so construction hadn't started.

The coast

Zhubei has its own beach. Crescent Bay (新月沙灣), at the north-west end of the city, is a long, flat sandy shore with shelters and free rinse-off showers, used for picnics and the summer Zhubei music festival. Nearby, the Zhubei Coastal Native Forest (竹北原生林保護區) is a 400-metre strip of natural coastal forest with a raised boardwalk. The coast is windy for much of the year, so pick a calm day. → The coast and cycling

Inland, the right-bank bike path along the Touqian River runs about 24 km from the Fengshan River bridge at Zhubei east through Qionglin to Xinpu, on the county's figures. Part of it was under repair in early 2026, with a signed detour.

Daily life in Zhubei

What we'd tell a friend moving here:

  • Tower living. Most new homes are in towers with a management committee, a guard desk, package collection and often a gym or pool. You pay a monthly management fee on top of the rent, usually by floor area. Ask what it covers, and whether the landlord or the tenant pays it. → Renting: fees, deposits and contracts
  • Parking. Basement parking spaces are bought or rented separately from the flat in many buildings. If you have a car, ask about the space before anything else. Street parking near the restaurants fills up in the evening.
  • Walking. The planned districts are pleasant for a walk in the park and hard work for errands: big blocks, wide roads, long waits at lights. Expect to drive or ride a scooter to the supermarket, school and work.
  • The wind. From autumn to spring the northeast monsoon blows hard across this flat ground, and riding a scooter into it on the coast side is cold work. → Hsinchu's wind and weather
  • The commute. To the main Science Park you cross the Touqian River, and the bridges are where the morning queues form. Test the drive at your real hour, in the rain if you can. → Commuting to the Science Park
  • Two governments. Zhubei is in the county. If you live here and work or study in Hsinchu City, typhoon closures, schools and buses are decided by two different governments.

Families and schools

Zhubei's public schools are county schools, run by Hsinchu County, and enrolment generally follows household registration (戶籍) and address. Rules for foreign residents' children depend on your situation, so check with the school and the county education department. A school down the road doesn't guarantee a place, especially in the fast-growing districts. Private, bilingual and international options are spread across the city and county, and some families in Zhubei commute to them. → Families and schools

→ Zhubei vs Hsinchu City · Where to eat in Zhubei · Weekends with kids · Where to live

Sources: Hsinchu County tourism (新竹縣旅遊網): Shuizhun Forest Park, Jiafeng Math Park, Xinwawu, Guangming dining district, County Art Museum, Culture Children's Park, County History Hall, Tsutaya Zhubei, Dongxingzhun Park, Zhubei Tianhou Temple, Zhubei Farmers' Direct Sales Station, Crescent Bay, Coastal Native Forest, Touqian River right-bank bike path; Hsinchu County Government; Taiwan High Speed Rail, Hsinchu Station (Liujia transfer, shuttle 5900); Hsinchu Science Park Bureau; Far Eastern Zhubei store (address and opening); city'super store locator; Mirror Media and UDN (January 2026, October 2026) on the former Carrefour building; UDN on the Zhubei public market (July 2026). Checked November 2026.

Questions

Which part of Zhubei is best to live in?

For the HSR and the Biomedical park, the district around the HSR station at Liujia. For restaurants and a bit more going on, the county-hall area around Guangming Road. For the main railway line and older, more varied housing, old Zhubei near TRA Zhubei Station.

How do I get from Zhubei to Hsinchu City without a car?

Take the TRA Liujia Line from Liujia Station (next to HSR Hsinchu Station) to TRA Hsinchu Station, or the main-line train from TRA Zhubei Station. Buses also cross the river. → Trains

Is Zhubei walkable?

Parts of it are pleasant to walk, especially the parks, but daily errands usually mean a car or scooter. The planned districts have big blocks and wide roads, and the old town near the railway is the most walkable part.