Jiaoxi: what to see, where to stay and how to get around

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Jiaoxi is one of the rare places where hot springs rise on flat ground rather than in the mountains, and the water comes out clear, almost odourless and good to drink. The Japanese turned it into a bathing town, and today half the hotels in town pipe spring water into their rooms. This day goes from the free baths in the centre to the temple and the settlers' history, then up to the forest stream and the waterfall. The centre is on foot, the hill stops need a short drive or a taxi.

A short history of Jiaoxi

Jiaoxi is a hot spring town in Yilan County in north-east Taiwan. Local people had long known about the hot water, but it was the Japanese, who ruled Taiwan from 1895 to 1945, who developed it into bathhouses. What makes the springs here unusual is that they rise right beneath the town, on the plain, rather than in the mountains. Until 2006 the journey from Taipei was long and winding; in June 2006 the Hsuehshan Tunnel, about 12.9 kilometres long, opened and cut it to less than an hour, and since then the town has filled with hotels.

The ten best sights in Jiaoxi

1
Tangweigou Hot Spring Park
Free foot baths under the trees, and pools where small fish nibble your feet for a fee
2
Jiaoxi Hot Spring Park
Japanese-style open-air forest baths in a wooded park; swimsuits off, separate for men and women
3
Jiaoxi Xietian Temple
The town's big temple to Guan Yu, the red-faced god of loyalty; busiest on his birthday in summer
4
Wufengqi Waterfall
A tall waterfall in steps above town, a short walk from the car park; cool on hot days
5
Linmei Shipan Trail
A shaded loop along a forest stream with small falls; about an hour and a half, slippery after rain
6
Wu Sha Memorial Hall
For the man who led the first Chinese settlers onto the Yilan plain in 1796
7
Lanyang Museum
Yilan's regional museum in a slanted building that rises out of a pond like the coastal rocks
8
Wushi Harbour
Boats for Guishan Island and whale and dolphin watching leave from here, roughly March to November
9
Guishan Island
The volcanic Turtle Island offshore; landing needs a permit booked ahead, and numbers are limited
10
Waiao Beach
Dark sand and steady waves; surf schools rent boards along the road

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What is an audio walk?

Tours in Jiaoxi →

A guide in your headphones: open the walk on our site, walk from stop to stop, and at each one your phone tells its story. No guide, no group, and free. This is the first walk in Jiaoxi:

Free walking tours in Jiaoxi

A town of hot water

Jiaoxi Hot Spring Park · Jiaoxi's water is a sodium bicarbonate spring at around 50 degrees, which leaves the skin smooth and is why local people call it beauty water. The open-air forest baths in the park are run in the Japanese way: you wash first and bathe without a swimsuit.
Tangweigou Hot Spring Park · The name means the ditch around the hot water, after the channel of spring water that once ran through this corner of the village. Jiaoxi's farmers still use spring water to grow water spinach and tomatoes, and you will find them on every menu.
Jiaoxi Xietian Temple · Xietian, helper of heaven, is one of the titles of Guan Yu, a real general of the third century who became the god of loyalty and righteousness. Settlers from Fujian brought his cult to the Yilan plain, and this temple is the religious heart of Jiaoxi.
Wu Sha Memorial Hall · In 1796 Wu Sha led a band of settlers from Fujian over the mountains into the Kavalan plain, then the land of the Kavalan people, and founded the first Chinese town at Toucheng. Yilan's Chinese history begins with him.
Linmei Shipan Trail · Shipan means rock slabs, after the smooth stone beds the stream runs over. The trail climbs beside a run of small waterfalls in subtropical forest, and the air under the trees is several degrees cooler than in town.
Wufengqi Waterfall · The name means five peaks like banners, after the row of summits above the falls. The water drops in three tiers, and the lower ones are a short walk from the road, which makes it Jiaoxi's favourite place to cool off in summer.

The coast of the turtle

North of Jiaoxi the plain meets the sea, and off the coast lies Guishan, Turtle Island, which every view here is built around. This drive goes through Toucheng, the first Chinese town in Yilan, to the museum shaped like the coastal rocks, out by boat towards the island and back along the surf beaches to the old northern pass. Half a day without the boat, a full day with it; book the island permit at least a few days ahead.

Old Touwei Harbour · Toucheng was first called Touwei, the first enclosure, because it was the first stockade the settlers built in 1796. Its harbour, now a silted pond by the old street, was once the port where Yilan's rice was shipped out.
Lanyang Museum · The architect Kris Yao modelled the building on the cuestas of this coast, rock layers tilted up out of the sea at a sharp angle. It opened in 2010 and tells Yilan's story from the mountains down to the sea.
Wushi Harbour · Wushi means black rocks, after the dark stones at the harbour mouth. The sea off Guishan is deep close to shore, and the whale-watching boats from here regularly meet dolphins and, in season, larger whales.
Guishan Island · Guishan is an active volcanic island, with hot springs bubbling in the sea at its turtle's head and turning the water milky. Its fishing village was moved to the mainland in 1977, the army held it for years, and it opened to visitors only in 2000.
Waiao Beach · The beach faces the open Pacific swell, and since the Hsuehshan Tunnel brought Taipei within an hour, it has become one of the main surf spots of northern Taiwan. Boards and lessons are rented from the cafés along the road.
Beiguan Tidal Park · Beiguan means the northern pass: in Qing times a guard post here controlled the narrow coastal path into the Yilan plain. The rocks are cuestas like the ones that inspired the museum, sloping slabs cut by the waves.

Whisky, wine and the old city

Twenty minutes south of Jiaoxi is Yilan city, the old capital of the plain, and around it two very different distilleries: a Japanese-era state works that made rice wine, and the young whisky house that put Taiwan on the world's whisky map. This day ends in the city streets, with a temple, a literary garden and a park from children's books, and finally a night market. Someone else should drive after the tastings: the train links Jiaoxi and Yilan every few minutes.

Kavalan Distillery · The distillery was built in 2005 by King Car, a Taiwanese drinks company, and many doubted whisky could be made in a hot, humid climate. In 2015 one of its single malts was named the world's best at the World Whiskies Awards.
Yilan Distillery · The distillery dates from 1909, under Japanese rule, and is known for Hong Lu, a rice wine fermented with red yeast rice. The old warehouses now hold a small museum and a shop where the wine goes into cooking sauces and cakes.
Yilan Literary Museum · The house was built in the Japanese period as an official residence, of wood with sliding doors and a garden, and was restored as a home for Yilan's writers. It is one of several Japanese-era houses kept in this part of the old city.
Zhaoying Temple · Mazu was a fisherman's daughter from Fujian who became the goddess who protects sailors, and every Chinese settlement on Taiwan's coast built her a temple. Zhaoying was founded in the early nineteenth century, in the first years of the Chinese town here.
Jimmy Park · Jimmy Liao is one of Taiwan's best-loved illustrators, and he grew up in Yilan. The park beside the station is filled with large figures and scenes from his picture books.
Dongmen Night Market · The market grew up beside the site of the old east gate of the walled city, which is what Dongmen means. It is where to try Yilan's own snacks, such as gao zha, fried cubes of thick savoury broth that are crisp outside and almost liquid inside.

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Getting to Jiaoxi and getting around

Jiaoxi Station · On the line from Taipei down the east coast; the hot spring streets start right outside
Jiaoxi Bus Transfer Station · Buses from Taipei through the Hsuehshan Tunnel take about an hour and run often

Cheap eats in Jiaoxi

Yilan cooks with what its plain grows: rice, ducks, scallions from Sanxing and vegetables raised in hot spring water. Jiaoxi's own dish is kiln chicken, a whole bird hung inside a clay urn and roasted until the skin is crisp, and the town is full of places that serve it with spring-water greens. In Yilan city you meet bu rou, strips of pork fried in batter, and gao zha, and everywhere scallion pancakes. Most counters take cash only.

Kiln chicken · A whole chicken for two to four people, about NT$500-800
Ke's Scallion Pancake · A takeaway stand with a queue; a pancake about NT$30-50
Leshan Hot Spring Ramen · Japanese-style ramen near Tangweigou; queues at lunch, a bowl about NT$200-300
Yishun Xuan · Bakery in the centre of Jiaoxi for Yilan cakes to take home, from about NT$30 a piece
Zhengchang Xiaolongbao · A basket about NT$50-80; expect a queue
Linchang Pork Soup · Thick pork rougeng soup in Luodong, by the old timber yard; a bowl about NT$40-70

Museums in Jiaoxi

Lanyang Museum · Paid entry; closed on Wednesdays
Kavalan Distillery · Free tours of the stills and warehouses, tastings at the end
Yilan Distillery · Free museum of Hong Lu wine in the old warehouses
National Center for Traditional Arts · Paid entry; shows mostly at weekends
Yilan Literary Museum · A wooden house and garden; tea and quiet reading
Wu Sha Memorial Hall · A small hall about the settlement of the plain

Nature and day trips near Jiaoxi

Wufengqi Waterfall · Lower tiers a short walk from the car park; the upper path may be closed
Linmei Shipan Trail · About 1.5 hours; closed in heavy rain
Guishan Island · Permit needed for landing; the boats also circle the island without landing
Beiguan Tidal Park · Walk out on the rock slabs at low tide; slippery in spray
Lanyang River Mouth · Free; bring binoculars, best October to March
Waiao Beach · Swim only where the lifeguards are; strong currents

Things to do in Jiaoxi with kids

Fish foot baths at Tangweigou · Free foot baths; fish pools a small fee
Jimmy Park · Picture-book figures to climb around; free
Luodong Forestry Culture Park · Free; good on a bike
Meihua Lake · Bikes for rent on the path around the lake
Craft classes at the Traditional Arts Center · Short hands-on workshops; book on arrival

Where to eat in Jiaoxi

Luodong Night Market · From about 5 pm; snacks NT$30-80
Dongmen Night Market · Smaller and more local; gao zha and grilled skewers, NT$30-80
Kiln chicken dinner · Order the chicken when you sit down; it takes time to roast
Ramen after the baths · A hot bowl on Jiaoxi's main street, about NT$200-300

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Frequently asked questions about Jiaoxi

What is there to see in Jiaoxi?

The top sights in Jiaoxi are Tangweigou Hot Spring Park, Jiaoxi Hot Spring Park and Jiaoxi Xietian Temple. The full list on this page has 10 sights, each with a photo and a short note.

How many days do you need in Jiaoxi?

Three to four days are enough to see the best of Jiaoxi without rushing, including at least one walking tour.

Is there a free walking tour in Jiaoxi?

Yes. sleepntrip has 3 free audio walks in Jiaoxi, with no guide and no group: your phone tells the story at every stop. The first one: A town of hot water.

How do you get to Jiaoxi and get around?

The main ways are Jiaoxi Station and Jiaoxi Bus Transfer Station. Full details are in the transport section on this page.

Where to stay in Jiaoxi, and for how much?

sleepntrip shows only rooms in Jiaoxi that meet nine conditions: a good location, high guest scores, cleanliness, and a price of up to $80 a night for two. Pick your dates and see what is free.

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