Beitou famous Congee and hot springs is quick ride on the MRT from Taipei will take you to one of the hidden gems of northern Taiwan. Certainly a stop at the public hot springs is a must if you’re visiting Taipei or find yourself on an extended stay. See our article here about the Beitou public hot springs.
If you’re willing to venture a bit further away from the main Beitou Hot Springs areas (about 30 minutes from Beitou Station by taxi), you might want to visit Emperor Spa (Google map here: https://goo.gl/maps/ikEkMHRW3CJgnHj69)
No. 42-1號, Lane 402, Xingyi Road, Beitou District, Taipei City, 112
The area is actually home to 3 hot spring / restaurants. They have basically the same food – and offer a special deal on free hot springs passes if you stay for a meal.
The food at each of the spas is really quite good. The spicy egg dish with tomato shown here is delicious. There are lots of other options including stir-fried fresh vegetables and sweet spare ribs.
The main attraction though, is the seafood congee. The hot springs congee must be ordered ahead of time. So when you arrive, book your congee, and then enjoy a dip in the springs.
Great to see you drawing attention to this awesome hot spring. Not sure about the comment that Emperor Spa is “about 30 minutes from Beitou Station by taxi” though. More like 12-15 minutes. In any case, if you are coming via MRT, then you should alight at Shipai station, and take a cab from there. It will be cheaper and only take 10 minutes. Alternatively you could take buses s8, 508, s36 or 536 from the bus stop (in front of the bakery) across the road from exit 1 of the MRT station.
Entry to the hot spring is NTD250. But if you prepay NTD400 per person for restaurant food and drinks, the hot spring entry is free.
There are 7 different types of congee. The chicken and fish one is out favourite. And although the sizes and “small” and “big”, the small easily feeds three people, or four if you are ordering other dishes.
Steveky – thanks for your response to our article. The extra details are always helpful! It’s a nice spot close to Taipei that’s well worth a visit. Hope others can enjoy a visit to the hot springs.