This is the weekend we'd plan for a friend who has just moved to Hsinchu, or for a visitor with two days. It works without a car, it starts on a Saturday (the museums close on Mondays), and it leaves room to sit down. Base yourself near Hsinchu TRA Station for day one, or in Zhubei by the HSR station if that's where you live: day two starts from the Liujia Line either way. → Where to stay
Day 1: the city and the coast
| Time | What |
|---|---|
| 09:00 | Hsinchu Park: the zoo or the Glass Museum (both open 09:00) |
| 11:00 | Walk to the East Gate and along the moat |
| 12:00 | Lunch at the City God Temple: rice noodles and meatballs |
| 14:00 | The Image Museum, the old-city lanes, or Big City if it rains |
| 16:30 | Bus or taxi to Nanliao for the sunset |
| 19:00 | Dinner back in town, or a walk by the lit moat |
Morning: Hsinchu Park
Start at Hsinchu Park, a short walk from TRA Hsinchu Station through the underpass to the back of the station. With children, do the small city zoo (NT$50, closed Mondays). Without, the Glass Museum is the better hour (NT$50, closed Mondays; free for Hsinchu City residents). Both open at 09:00. → Hours and fees
Late morning: the East Gate and the moat
Walk back toward the station and up Zhongzheng Road to the East Gate (迎曦門), the last gate of the old walled town, and follow the moat park beside it. It's free and open all day.
Lunch: the City God Temple
From the gate, it's a short walk to the City God Temple (新竹都城隍廟) on Zhongshan Road. Look inside the temple, then eat in the courtyard and the streets around it: this is the place for Hsinchu's rice noodles (米粉) and pork meatballs (貢丸). Come early: it's busiest at weekend lunchtimes. → What to eat in Hsinchu · The City God Temple night market
Afternoon: museum, lanes or mall
Choose one. The Image Museum on Zhongzheng Road shows films and the history of Hsinchu's cinemas (open to 21:00 on Saturdays). The Former Residence of Principal Hsin Chih-ping on Dongmen Street is a quiet Japanese-era house, free. If it's raining, Big City mall in East District has a free shuttle from the front of the station.
Sunset: Nanliao
Take a taxi or the Blue Line bus to Nanliao Fishing Harbor (南寮漁港) for the end of the day: the harbour, the lawns and the sea wall facing west over the Taiwan Strait. Bring a jacket from October to April; the wind off the sea is strong. If you have a bike and the energy, the coastal bike path runs south from here. → The coast and cycling
Evening
Back in town for dinner. Hsinchu City has the deepest restaurant choice in the area, including MICHELIN Guide picks. → Where to eat in Hsinchu City
Day 2: the hills
Pick one. Neiwan is the easier day without a car and the better one for a train ride; Beipu has more history and an easier walk after lunch.
Option A: Neiwan by train
| Time | What |
|---|---|
| 09:30 | TRA Liujia Line to Zhuzhong (from Hsinchu Station, or 4 minutes from Liujia by the HSR station) |
| 09:52 | Neiwan Line from Zhuzhong, arriving 10:34 (Saturday timetable, November 2026) |
| 10:30 | The old street, the station and the forestry hall |
| 12:00 | Lunch: Hakka rice noodles and lei cha |
| 14:47 | Train down the line; stop at Jiuzantou or Hexing |
| 16:30 | Back at Zhuzhong, and home on the Liujia Line |
Trains run about every hour, so you can stretch or shorten the day. The Neiwan Suspension Bridge is closed. → Neiwan and the Neiwan Line
Option B: Beipu and Emei by tourist shuttle
| Time | What |
|---|---|
| 09:23 | 5700 Taiwan Tourist Shuttle from Hsinchu HSR Station (exit 4, platform 6), arriving Beipu Old Street about 10:04 |
| 10:00 | Citian Temple, the old street and lanes; Jinguang Fu if you've booked |
| 12:00 | Lunch and lei cha |
| 13:30 | On to Emei Lake for the flat 3.5 km loop walk, or a boat on the lake |
| 15:45 | Shuttle back from Beipu (the 17:15 is the last one) |
A NT$100 day pass covers the whole line. The shuttle timetable is an estimate that depends on traffic, so allow some slack. → Beipu, Emei and Lion's Head Mountain
Option C: a hike
If you'd rather walk, Lion's Head Mountain, at the end of the same shuttle line, links hillside temples on an old trail; check the trail status first. Or stay closer to town on one of the city's short hill walks. → Short hikes near Hsinchu
In other seasons
- September to January: swap day two for the persimmon farms of Xinpu and Guanxi's old street (easiest by car). → Xinpu and Guanxi
- February to March: check for the city's Lantern Festival around the East Gate and the moat in the evening.
- April to June: tung blossom and fireflies around Lion's Head Mountain.
- A hot summer day: keep the museum and the mall for the middle of the day, and the coast for the evening.
→ Things to do in Hsinchu · Day trips · Save places to My picks
Sources: Hsinchu City Cultural Affairs Bureau, visitor information for the Glass Museum, Image Museum and Hsin Chih-ping residence; Hsinchu Zoo, admission; Taiwan Railway timetable, Saturday 7 November 2026; Taiwan Tourist Shuttle, Lion's Head Mountain line timetable; Hsinchu County tourism site. Checked November 2026.