If you have one free day, spend the morning in the old city, eat lunch around the City God Temple, and finish at Nanliao on the coast for the sunset. Hsinchu isn't a city of big-ticket sights. What it does well is small: a temple with a market in front, a park with a zoo and a glass museum, a moat you can walk beside, and a long, windy shoreline. Most of it is free, and the paid museums charge NT$50 or less.
Zhubei (竹北), across the Touqian River (頭前溪), is newer and quieter: parks, the county's cultural centre and library, a preserved Hakka village. Plenty of Zhubei residents treat it this way: Zhubei is where you live, and Hsinchu City is where you go out. And for a full day out, the hill towns of the county are the real draw. → Day trips from Hsinchu
- Getting there The old city starts at TRA Hsinchu Station (新竹火車站). From Hsinchu HSR Station in Zhubei, take the TRA Liujia Line from Liujia Station next door (19 minutes to Hsinchu Station in the November 2026 timetable) or the shuttle buses into town. → HSR to Hsinchu and Zhubei
- Closed days Most city museums close on Mondays, and on election days.
- Cost Temples, parks, the moat and the coast are free. The Glass Museum and the zoo charge NT$50 for an adult. Hsinchu City residents get into the Glass Museum free, and the zoo is free for children under 12 registered in the city.
The old city: temple, gate and moat
Hsinchu City God Temple (新竹都城隍廟)
Start here. The god here holds the rank of a provincial City God (都城隍, the 都 in the name), the highest rank there is, and the courtyard in front is full of food stalls: this is where Hsinchu's rice noodles and meatballs are at their most famous. Come in the morning when it's calmer, or at lunch for the stalls. The temple doesn't publish visiting hours; the national tourism database lists it as open all day. Its biggest event is the City God festival in the seventh lunar month (around August), with a procession through the old city.
Getting there: roughly a 15-minute walk (about 1.3 km) from Hsinchu Station along Zhongzheng Road, past the East Gate roundabout, then right on Zhongshan Road (中山路), or city buses 5, 10, 11, 11A, 20, 23 and 28 to the 城隍廟 stop, as the temple lists them. Address: No. 75, Zhongshan Road, North District. → The City God Temple night market and others
Yingxi Gate, the East Gate (迎曦門) and the moat
The East Gate is the only gate left of the walled town of Hsinchu (竹塹城), and it now stands in the middle of a roundabout a few minutes' walk from the station. The city kept a stretch of the old moat (護城河) beside it and turned it into a riverside park with paths, steps down to the water and seating: walk it in the evening, when the lights come on. The gate and moat are open at all hours and free.
The city has held its Lantern Festival here in recent years. In 2026 it ran from 14 February to 8 March around the East Gate, the moat park and Hsinchu Park, lit from 18:00 to 22:00. Dates change every year with the lunar calendar, so check the city's announcement each winter.
Hsinchu City Image Museum (新竹市影像博物館)
On Zhongzheng Road near the station, the Image Museum is part museum of Hsinchu's movie theatres and part working screen, with films shown most weeks. It is open: Tuesday to Thursday 09:00 to 17:00, Friday to Sunday 09:00 to 21:00, closed Mondays, folk holidays and election days. Screenings and ticket prices are posted on the museum's Facebook page; many screenings are free with an online ticket, and the doors close 20 minutes after the film starts.
Getting there: No. 65, Zhongzheng Road, a short walk from Hsinchu Station: walk up Zhongzheng Road and around the East Gate roundabout.
Also in the old city
- Former Residence of Principal Hsin Chih-ping (辛志平校長故居). A Japanese-era wooden house, free to visit, Tuesday to Sunday 09:00 to 17:00. Take your shoes off at the door. No. 32, Dongmen Street, near the station.
- Hsinchu City Art Gallery (新竹市美術館). A small free gallery in a historic building at No. 116, Zhongyang Road. Tuesday to Sunday 09:00 to 17:00, closed between exhibitions.
- 241 Art Space (241藝術空間). A free city exhibition space on the 6th floor of No. 241, Zhongyang Road, Tuesday to Sunday 10:00 to 18:00. The city lists it as a short walk from Big City, so pair the two.
- Hsinchu Railway Art Village (新竹市鐵道藝術村). Artists' studios in old railway warehouses behind the station, at No. 64, Huayuan Street. Tuesday to Sunday 10:00 to 18:00. From the station, take the underpass toward the bus station and follow the signs to exit 5; it's about a 10-minute walk.
Hsinchu Park: the zoo and the Glass Museum
Hsinchu Park (新竹公園) is the city's old central park, a short walk east of the station through the underpass to the back of the station. It is open all day, and two of the best small paid sights in the city are inside. Do both in a morning.
Hsinchu Zoo (新竹市立動物園)
The zoo is small and was rebuilt and reopened in 2019. It's easy with young children: you can see it all in two hours.
- Hours 09:00 to 17:00; last tickets and last entry 16:20. Closed Mondays and Lunar New Year's Eve; open on a Monday that falls in a long holiday weekend. Closed when the city declares a typhoon day.
- Fees NT$50 for ages 12 to 64; NT$25 for ages 6 to 11. Free for children under 6, children under 12 registered in Hsinchu City, and visitors 65 and over. Bring ID to claim a free or reduced ticket.
- Rules No pets, bikes, scooters or drones. Stamp your hand at the exit if you want to come back the same day.
- Address No. 66, Shipin Road, East District. Buses to the 公園 stop.
- Website zoo.hccg.gov.tw
Hsinchu City Glass Museum (新竹市玻璃工藝博物館)
Glass is one of Hsinchu's old industries, and this museum in Hsinchu Park shows the craft and art side of it, with changing exhibitions and a glass workshop.
- Hours Tuesday to Sunday 09:00 to 17:00, last entry 16:30. Closed Mondays, over Lunar New Year and on election days.
- Fees NT$50; NT$30 for students, military and police with ID, and groups of 20 or more. Free for Hsinchu City residents (bring your ID, citizen card or driving licence), visitors 65 and over, children under 6, and people with disabilities plus one companion. Pay in cash or with a physical EasyCard or iPASS.
- Address No. 2, Section 1, Dongda Road, inside Hsinchu Park.
- Getting there From Hsinchu Station, walk through the underpass to the back of the station and on into the park. Buses Blue 1, 2 and the Blue Line stop at 公園 (Gongyuan Road and Dongda Road).
Big City and the shops
Big City (遠東巨城購物中心), the Far Eastern mall in East District, is where Hsinchu goes on a rainy Saturday: shops, restaurants, a cinema and space for kids. The city's culture bureau notes a free Big City shuttle bus from the front of Hsinchu Station, and the Green Line bus stops at 巨城購物. We couldn't open the mall's own site to confirm its hours, so check its pages before a late visit. → Groceries and shopping
Nanliao and the coast
Nanliao Fishing Harbor (南寮漁港, officially 新竹漁港), on the south bank of the Touqian River mouth, is the city's seaside. Come in the late afternoon: the fishing boats, the seafood hall, a huge lawn and the stepped sea wall where people gather for the sunset. The harbour area is free to walk around.
- Zhufeng Fish Market (竹風漁市), the new direct sales centre: one side sells the day's catch, the other cooks it for you.
- The kite field (國際風箏賽場), a wide lawn facing the sea, where the Hsinchu International Kite Festival is held each August or September. On a windy weekend it's full of kites anyway.
- The Fish Scale Steps (魚鱗天梯), the stepped sea wall beside the lawn, the place to sit for the sunset.
- Boguang Market (波光市集), stalls for food and crafts under a wave-shaped roof, lit up after dark.
The harbour is at No. 315, Section 4, Dongda Road, a short drive from the station, or take the Blue Line bus, which runs between the fishing harbour's direct sales centre (新竹漁港直銷中心) and the city. It's the north end of the Seventeen Kilometer Coastline, a bike path that runs south along the sea. → The coast and cycling
Good to know: the Hsinchu wind is strong from autumn to spring, and stronger again on the coast. Bring a jacket to Nanliao from October on. → Hsinchu's weather
Zhubei: parks, Hakka heritage and the cultural centre
Xinwawu Hakka Cultural Preservation Area (新瓦屋客家文化保存區)
A preserved Hakka family settlement in the middle of the new Liujia district, near the HSR station, now a park with old brick houses, small shops and studios, and lawns where families picnic. The grounds are open all year and free; the shops keep their own hours. No. 123, Section 1, Wenxing Road, Zhubei. → Zhubei, the neighbourhood guide
Dongxingzun Park (東興圳公園)
Zhubei's linear park follows the 200-year-old Dongxing irrigation channel along Section 2 of Wenxing Road: a green strip for walking, cycling and a picnic, open all year. It hosts a light-art festival on the water most years; dates change, so watch the county's listings.
Hsinchu County Cultural Affairs Bureau (新竹縣政府文化局)
The county's cultural centre in Zhubei, at No. 146, Xianzheng 9th Road, holds the county library, an art gallery, the county history museum and a performance hall:
- Library: Tuesday to Friday 09:00 to 20:30, weekends 09:00 to 17:00. Closed Mondays, national holidays, folk festivals and election days.
- Art gallery and county history museum: Tuesday to Sunday 09:00 to 17:00, closed Mondays, national holidays and election days.
- Performance hall: open for performances; see the bureau's programme.
- Getting there: from the HSR station, bus Express 7 to 文化中心; from TRA Zhubei Station, bus 5900 to the 家樂福 stop (the former Carrefour building) and a 10-minute walk.
Caitian Fudi (采田福地)
The ancestral hall of the seven families of the Zhuqian community (竹塹社), the plains Indigenous people of this coast, rebuilt in 1876. Small, quiet and free: open daily 08:00 to 19:00, in a lane off Zhongzheng West Road in old Zhubei (Lane 219, No. 20).
Performances and films
- Hsinchu City Performance Hall (新竹市演藝廳), No. 17, Section 2, Dongda Road, about 20 minutes' walk from Hsinchu Station: the city's main stage for concerts, theatre and dance. Programme on the city culture bureau's site.
- Hsinchu County Performance Hall, in the county cultural centre in Zhubei (above).
- Films: the Image Museum for older and festival films; Big City for new releases.
The calendar: events that come back every year
Dates move with the lunar calendar, so take these as the season, and check the year's dates.
| When | What | Where |
|---|---|---|
| February to March | Hsinchu City Lantern Festival (2026: 14 February to 8 March) | East Gate, the moat park, Hsinchu Park |
| April to June | Tung blossom and fireflies in the hills | Lion's Head Mountain, Neiwan |
| Seventh lunar month (around August) | The City God festival, 竹塹中元城隍祭 | City God Temple |
| August or September | Hsinchu International Kite Festival | Nanliao, the kite field |
| Seventh lunar month (2026: 1 August to 3 September) | The Yimin Festival (義民祭), the biggest Hakka festival of the year | Yimin Temple, Xinpu |
| September to January | Persimmon drying season | Xinpu farms |
Is there anything to see in the Science Park?
Not much, for a weekend. Hsinchu Science Park is a working industrial park, closed to casual visitors. The Science Park Bureau's Exploration Hall (科學園區探索館) takes visitors on weekdays by booking; we couldn't open its official page to confirm the current arrangements, so check with the bureau first. The two big universities beside it, National Tsing Hua University and NYCU, are part of the same East District neighbourhood. → East District
More weekends
- OutdoorsHikes, camping and the coastCity hills, mountain forests and campgrounds within reach of Zhubei.
- Day tripsDay trips from HsinchuNeiwan, Beipu and Emei, Xinpu and Guanxi, with train and drive times.
- FamiliesHsinchu with kidsParks, playgrounds, indoor days and camps.
- FoodEating in HsinchuRice noodles, meatballs, Hakka food and where to eat in Zhubei and the city.
→ A weekend in Hsinchu · Neiwan by train · Where to eat in Hsinchu City
Sources: Hsinchu City God Temple (weiling.org.tw), address and transport; Hsinchu City Cultural Affairs Bureau: visitor information for the Glass Museum, Image Museum, Art Gallery, 241 Art Space, Railway Art Village, Hsin Chih-ping residence and Performance Hall; Hsinchu Zoo, admission page (updated February 2026); Hsinchu County Cultural Affairs Bureau, opening hours and location; Hsinchu County tourism site: Xinwawu, Dongxingzun Park, Caitian Fudi; Tourism Administration attractions open data (Hsinchu Park, East Gate, moat, City God Temple), November 2026; NOWnews on the 2026 Hsinchu Lantern Festival; UDN on the 2026 Yimin Festival; CNA, Glass Museum notice, March 2026; Hsinchu City Government tourism data (behind tourism.hccg.gov.tw): Hsinchu Fishing Harbor, published September 2026; Taiwan Railway timetable. Checked November 2026.