Hsinchu
Hsinchu, officially Hsinchu City, is a city located in northwestern Taiwan.
It is the most populous city in Taiwan that is not a special municipality, with estimated 476,273 inhabitants. Hsinchu is a coastal city bordering the Taiwan Strait to the west, Hsinchu County to the north and east, and Miaoli County to the south. Hsinchu is nicknamed the Windy City for its strong northeastern monsoon during the autumn and winter seasons.
Getting to Hsinchu
Hsinchu is on the main Taipei - Kaohsiung rail and freeway routes, and it takes about one hour and ten minutes to reach the city from Taipei. Take highway number 1 or 3. There are two toll gates between Taipei and Hsinchu. Books of 9+1 tickets can be bought at the gates with yellow sign at NT$40 each. Tickets can also be bought at post offices for a little less than NT$40.
- 01Hsinchu
- 02Taiwan High Speed Rail
Worth seeing
The medians of Wenhua, Xinyi and Sanmin roads have been converted into linear parks. These stretches of green are great for taking a leisurely stroll on a sultry summer day or escaping from the office during lunch break. The parks along Wenhua and Xinyi streets are especially pleasant--and quite romantic at night--as they have incorporated the city's historic moat into their design.
Things to do
Hsinchu Playhouse and Gallery, 17 Dongda Road,. Sec 2 (corner of Beida Road). A large concert hall and gallery featuring local and international events.
Where to eat
Local dishes popular with domestic tourists include rice noodles (米粉; mĭfēn), pork ball soup (貢丸湯; gòngwántāng) and taiwanese meatballs (肉圓; ròuyuán). There are numerous small booths selling these inexpensive delicacies in the area around the Chenghuang Temple, both fresh and uncooked.
- 01Jin Yun Seafood
- 02Miaokou Duck Rice
- 03Zhushan Egg Noodles
- 04Double Star Tempura
- 05Flying Dragon Meatballs
Text adapted from Wikipedia and Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photograph: Wikimedia Commons (see file page), Wikimedia Commons.