One of Taiwan’s best known hot-spring and spa towns, Jiaoxi 礁溪鄉 in Yilan County is an easy day trip from Taipei – better still, Jiaoxi has lots of affordable hotels with their own private hot-spring baths (and often has cheaper accommodation than other hot spring areas like Beitou).
From the region’s natural hot springs to fun family attractions and a walkable downtown area, Jiaoxi in Yilan has a lot to offer – from natural waterfalls to shrimping and fish-spas, Jiaoxi is a joyful place to explore and unwind.
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Plus you are also close to natural landscapes in Yilan County and awesome attractions like Kavalan Distillery and Zhang Mei Ama’s Farm – and a quick local train away is Luodong, home to one of the best night markets in Taiwan.
Here is our ultimate guide to the best things to do in Jiaoxi (and it isn’t just hot springs!). We last visited Jiaoxi in February 2026.
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How to get to Jiaoxi in Yilan County, Taiwan
Yilan is a large rural county in northeastern Taiwan and many visitors will journey there from Taipei and head straight to the Jiaoxi hot springs.
Getting to Jiaoxi by train
The TRA train from Taipei will take you directly to Jiaoxi. You can depart from either Taipei Main Station, Songshan Station, Nangang Station or Banqiao Station.
Trains are fairly regular and depart every 20 to 30 minutes and takes roughly 1 hour 20 minutes to 1 hour 45 minutes depending on the train type.
The fastest direct trains from Taipei to Jiaoxi are the Taroko Express and Tze-Chiang Limited Express. Train fares are between NT$181–281 one way – make sure to book your seats in advance, especially for travel on weekends and public holidays.
You can book train tickets at station ticket counters / machines, online or at convenience stores kiosks (7-Eleven / FamilyMart).
Getting to Jiaoxi by bus
Alternatively you can take a direct intercity bus from Taipei to Jiaoxi along National Highway 5 and the Hsuehshan Tunnel.
Several companies operate routes from multiple bus stations including Taipei Bus Station, Taipei City Hall Bus Station, Nangang Exhibition Center Bus Station and Banqiao Bus Station.
Buses are also fairly regular and depart every 15 to 30 minutes, and take between 55 minutes to 1.5 hours to reach Yilan. Book online via Klook, or you can purchase tickets at the station using an EasyCard or cash – fares are roughly between $NT120 to $NT150 one way.
Private Car
Private car transfers from Taipei to Jiaoxi are also available to book on Klook and will take you straight to your hotel! Click here to book >
Jiaoxi accommodation / where to stay in Jiaoxi
When visiting Yilan county, we usually prefer to stay in Jiaoxi anyway as it is a hot spring and there are so many wonderful accommodation options.
Jiaoxi has many new and more modern hotels at reasonable prices (well, compared to Taipei) many of which have access to shared or private hot spring baths.
After much research, we stayed at the following two hotels in Jiaoxi in early 2026:
Orient Luxury Hotel – Jiaoxi (Mid-range to expensive)
We booked a ‘Superior City View’ room which was huge and had a private hot spring bath on the balcony!
The room had a lovely view of Yilan (but also a view of a residential block too) – however there is a blind that covers your balcony view for more privacy. You can also book ‘Mountain View’ rooms which are more private (they were sold out of that room type when we booked).
Everything else in the room was great (comfy bed, decent sized TV, modern bathroom).
Their breakfast buffet had a big selection of food and hotel facilities including outdoor pools, a restaurant, bar and cafe, plus a foot hot pool and water slide on the rooftop (which is closed during winter sadly).
You can check rates and availability for Orient Luxury Hotel on booking.com, agoda.com and expedia.com.
Yunoyado Onsen Hotspring Hotel Deyang (Mid-range)
This hotel was conveniently located in central Jiaoxi with a good Taiwanese style breakfast and an afternoon happy hour with free snacks.
Our bathroom had a hot spring bath but we did find our particular room a little small and dark compared to the Orient Luxury Hotel. However the price and location are great if you mainly plan to explore all day then soak your aching limbs in your own private hot spring bath.
You can check rates and availability for Yunoyado Onsen Hotspring Hotel Deyang on booking.com, agoda.com and expedia.com.
Other highly rated hot spring hotels in Jiaoxi include Wellspring by Silks, Vivir Jiaoxi Hotel and Mu Jiao Xi Hotel.
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Things to do in Jiaoxi
1. Jiaoxi public foot pools / hot springs park
Natural geothermal water flows right through the town and you’ll find loads of free public foot pools all over Jiaoxi, often populated with elderly locals.
The biggest and best Jiaoxi free public foot pools are the ones around Tangweigou Hot Spring Park 湯圍溝溫泉公園礁溪路側免費泡腳池 (map) in the center of town, which has several areas to soak your feet.
At night, it lights up with thousands of neon lights and becomes a kind of carnival of callices and corns, as people soak their feet and ailments in the natural spring water. The illuminations and groups of young and old chatting whilst soaking their feet give the area an animated feel.
Next to Tangweigou Hot Spring Park, you will also find lots of fish pedicures and carnival games for children. It is a popular thing to do in Jiaoxi at night.
Other popular Jiaoxi public foot pools include Jiaoxi Hot Springs Park 礁溪溫泉公園 (map) which was very busy in the day-time with school groups and elderly groups, and handily located next door to Jiaoxi Tourist Service Center and the main bus station.
In the day-time, we also enjoyed using the free foot pools at Jiaoxi Landscape Square 礁溪地景廣場 (map) which also lit up in the evening with goldfish lights.
2. Chili Hunter ice-cream
It isn’t just the natural springs that are hot here! Chili Hunter 葉家香 (map) in Jiaoxi specialises in hot chilli products and peeled pepper sauces.
However we were here to try their famous Jiaoxi chilli ice-cream known as Scorpion Naga, which costs NT$100 per portion as of early 2026. Chili Hunter had 7 normal flavors and 7 chilli based flavors which increase in Scoville intensity.
However, in the end, we ended up buying a slightly chili based peanut ice-cream with the owner also letting us try a little bit of the scorpion naga. F*ck, it was hot! We don’t mind spicy foods but that was too much – be sure to pack the indigestion pills after.
3. Rakuzan Ramen
Our favorite lunch-stop in Jiaoxi was Rakuzan Ramen 樂山溫泉拉麵二店.
We obviously went here for their ramen but also to try the famous Jiaoxi green beer (flavored with spirulina). There are two locations for Rakuzan Ramen but you can find the more popular hot-spring foot bath location here.
This is some seriously good ramen, especially the Tonkatsu ramen – and you can add extra scallions/ spring onions which Yilan is so famous for.
Rakuzan Ramen used to be famous for the fact that you eat whilst dipping your toes in the rejuvenating Jiaoxi hot spring waters but that appears to have stopped now based on our experience and recent Google reviews.
Ordering is easy via an electronic kiosk and food is well priced – tasty tonkatsu ramen is $180NTD, spicy garlic ramen is NT$210 and the local green craft beer NT$170 – all Rakuzan Ramen prices are correct as of our visit in February 2026.
Jiaoxi Green beer is actually pretty good if you like your wheaty craft beers – we plan to try more of this at night during our Jiaoxi stay!
4. Forest Bath
One of the best known attractions in Jiaoxi, Forest Bath 森林風呂 (map) is a Japanese style onsen and hot springs located in gorgeous grounds.
Even if you don’t fancy a nude bathing session (admission to the baths is NT$250), the grounds here are free to visit and well worth exploring, complete with ponds, streams and lots of ducks and geese.
Located in Jiaoxi Hot Spring Park, the hot springs here are single sex and clothing free – well apart from a swimming cap (tip – we found the cheapest swimming caps in Jiaoxi at the POYA chain store, starting from NT$60 upwards). They are also open 365 days a year!
Inside, there are several pools of different temperatures all surrounded by bamboo and nice nature views. You cannot take photos inside so our photos are of the external gardens.
Check out this Jiaoxi Hot Spring Forest Baths ticket / Kimono Yukata experience on Klook >
5. Jiaoxi Township Office Hot Spring Swimming Pool
A quick mention of this particular public hot spring swimming pool 礁溪鄉公所溫泉游泳池 (map) because a Jiaoxi local came bounding up us to recommend it as a cheaper alternative to some of the other hot springs.
Mainly used by elderly locals, this outdoor complex isn’t huge but for just NT$80 per adult or NT$50 per child, you can swim in 25 meter pool, or soak in the hot spring and spa.
It can be visited in all weathers given the water is heated but please note they do close at certain times of the day for cleaning. Handily, it is a short walk from Jiaoxi bus station if you are just here for a quick visit from Taipei.
6. Loushi Mingshen Congee House 陋室酩神粥府
Sadly, this well reviewed and reservation restaurant was closed when we walked past (closed Tuesdays) so we haven’t been able to experience it ourselves unlike other things to do in Jiaoxi we feature.
Hidden in a wooded section near to Forest Bath, this famous reservation-only Jiaoxi congee restaurant (map) has a small welcome ceremony for diners and is set in a cute courtyard surrounded by bamboo.
Renowned for its slow-cooked congee served in clay bowls and moorish noodle soups, Loushi Mingshen Congee House is also known for its use of seafood in the congee like cuttlefish and crab. Please note you need to pre-order and pay for meal in advance via Line.
7. Shrimping in Jiaoxi
One of the most joyful family activities in Jiaoxi, shrimp fishing is something for all ages – a popular Taiwan night market activity (there are several such spots in Shillin in Taipei), Jiaoxi also has some shrimping spots including this one, 鮮九鼎親子釣蝦-餐廳 (map) near to many of the main hotels.
Here, you can cash your own shrimp from a small pool before washing and grilling them yourselves – talk about fresh shrimp! Or you can even boil eggs in the very hot spring pools on the side.
There is also a bar at 鮮九鼎親子釣蝦-餐廳 where you can try the local famous wheat or spirulina beers whilst you shrimp – and it’s OK to drink and ‘dive’ here!
As of June 2026, it costs NT$380 for 90 minutes of shrimping but please note there are weight limits (catch up to 250 grams or you may have to pay more).
8. Wufengqi Waterfall (reopened Spring 2026)
Sadly, when we visited Jiaoxi in early 2026, the Wufengqi Waterfall 五峰旗瀑布風景區 (map) was closed to the public for construction work so we don’t have any photos of our own – but we will rectify that when we return to Jiaoxi later this year. It is now reopened for all to visit.
Famous for its three falls, red pagoda and a beautiful natural setting, Wufengqi Waterfall is a must visit Jiaoxi activity.
To reach the start of the falls, it is an approximate 30 minute walk on paved paths / steps with handrails so it is accessible for all ages – food stalls and toilets are also available near the park entrance.
9. FURO Cafe
This cute and Instagram-worthy (sorry) coffee shop is well worth a quick visit and has a super friendly and welcoming English speaking owner (map).
Order your drinks downstairs, then head on up the second floor where there is seating with a fun onsen-themed decor that changes seasonally.
Drinks are served inside adorable mini wooden onsen buckets with tiny towels, and there is a great cake selection, plus savoury items such as cinnamon rolls and yuzu pepper duck toast.
Furo cafe is open from Thursday to Monday (10am until 5.30pm).
10. Jiaoxi Fish Spas / 光腳ㄚ親親魚Fish SPA
Not everyone’s (fishy) cup of tea, but there is a plethora of fish pedicure places in Jiaoxi, usually in little covered shops near Tangweigou Hot Spring Park.
Popular with tourists and locals, these fishy spas have ample seating so you can put your feet into small pools so the fish can ‘eat’ the dead skin off them. There are usually several types of fish spa available based on temperature and fish sizes (do not go for the ‘Shark’ package – joke)!
At 光腳ㄚ親親魚Fish SPA (map), it costs $50NT per person (adults and children) and you can choose as many pools / fish spas as you like, including towel hire. Apparently you can also use fish pellets between your toes to make them go crazy.
11. Craft Beer On Tap 蔥澡啤酒吧｜精釀生啤
Cheers / ganbei to Taiwan’s craft beer scene – we write regularly about the best brewery bars in Taipei plus we love Yilan based Jim & Dad’s brewery which we ate and dined at during this trip.
Jiaoxi has a few nice bars (and the green Jiaoxi Spirulina beer is something else) – one of the best rated Jiaoxi craft beer bars is Craft Beer On Tap (map), because it can be combined with a hot tub (part of the Hot Spring Onion complex).
With a couple of draft craft beers on tap plus a bevy of bottled craft beers, it is a fun and thirsty place to unwind in, after a hot spring soak – non alcoholic drinks and smoothies are also available.
Places to visit near Jiaoxi
Luodong Night Market
Located two trains stops away (or a 25 minute drive away)
The biggest and tastiest night market in Yilan District, Luodong Night Market 羅東夜市 (map) is massive, taking over several streets all centered around Luodong Zhongshan Park (you’ll see lots of Yilan locals snacking in the park at sunset, with food bought from the market).
This lively Yilan Night Market is best known for dishes featuring Yilan’s speciality, scallion / green onion cakes.
Other popular dishes here include pork scallion skewers, stinky tofu, Taiwanese kimchi, mutton soup and Luodong’s Dragon Phoenix rolls (like sausages with fish paste and cabbage).
Luodong Night Market is open daily from 4:30pm until approximately midnight.
Yilan National Center for Traditional Arts
Located a 27 minute drive away
What was meant to be a quick trip to the National Center for Traditional Arts 國立傳統藝術中 (map) in Yilan turned out to be a whole afternoon – there is so much to see, do and shop there.
Costing only NTD$150 admission (and even cheaper when booked in advance on Klook), this vast cultural park and outdoor museum has everything from craft workshops to live performances, fascinating exhibitions and even a lake you can walk around or take a boat and visit the Dongshan River Water Park.
Kavalan Distillery
Located a 28 minute drive away
One of the best (and booziest) things to do in Yilan, a trip to Kavalan Distillery 金車噶瑪蘭酒廠 (map) will likely result in high ‘spirits’.
From learning about the production process to tasting or even blending your own unique Kavalan whisky, this is a treat for curious travellers or seasoned whisky connoisseurs.
Visitors can see the production process up close, take part in various activities or just enjoy some food and drinks in the splendid Spirit Castle.
From making your own whisky to the rather excellent gift-shop (plus free souvenir ink stamps), raise your glass and check out our guide to Kavalan Distillery >
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