So I’ve been traveling around Taiwan about a month now, and the one place I haven’t actually visited yet i’m considering living is Hsinchu. My biggest priority is living somewhere with good access to a lot of outdoor activities and nice scenery nearby. After that, I suppose cost of living and cultural events, performing arts, and music, but I figure Hsinchu is close enough to Taipei for that kind of thing? Anybody living there have any advice/opinions? I am kind of running low on the timeframe for finding work and being in the country long enough to get a tax refund, so I don’t feel I have a lot of time to personally evaluate the place left.
I’m not a fan of Hsinchu. I have friends who live there and they constantly complain about the lack of things to do. There is a nice bike trail, but it’s way out by the harbor and the hiking trails aren’t really as close as they might seem. I guess you do have 18 Peaks Mountain in the middle of town, which is nice if you want to do some running, but it’s hard to forget the fact you’re in a large, dirty city. On the plus side, Taipei is relatively easy to get to via the train or HSR, but you’re still looking at a 1-1.5 hour trip each way and you have to follow the train schedules.
I personally think there are better places (like Tainan), but I’m also still in Taoyuan after nearly a year here, so not sure my opinion counts for much. 
my friends in Hsinchu GTFO of Hsinchu on the weekends. Just sayin.
Well, I don’t think there’s a city anywhere in Taiwan I won’t want to GTFO of on the weekends, that’s why my primary concern was wondering what there is in the area and nearby in terms of outdoor activities: can I get to the coast and go fishing or surfing? Mountain biking? Climbing? Rivers or lakes nearby? Hiking?
The only activities that you listed that are within a reasonable drive (i.e. a day trip) are hiking and possibly fishing. I can’t speak for mountain biking, so perhaps that’s possible as well. Good luck on the surfing…I’ve been searching for that for months, and the only decent place I’ve found is in Yilan. If you want outdoor activities, move to Hualien (or so I’ve heard). Myself, I just drive into the mountains on the weekends.
Surprisingly Taipei is a good city for getting out and about easily…hills, river trekking, beaches, mountain biking, riverside biking. If not for the cost and the dense crowds it’s a good base.
Tainan is good too regarding coast there, also bike paths. So is Kaoshiung, both are pretty hot in summer of course.
Hsinchu does have coastal areas nearby (zhunan area) and there are surfing spots nearby in Miaoli. Also windsurfing, river trekking in mountains there…but the city of Hsinchu does pretty much suck. My friend lived in Hsinchu but usually went to Ilan for surfing by train.
I am based in Taichung and there is not much happening around here either, city is more fun and better organised though.
As HH says, Taipei gives you great access to bike paths, and hiking, swimming, nice mountain scenery, etc. Far closer and more varied than Hsinchu. The city is surrounded by mountains and really dense jungle with swimming holes and all day hikes are just 30 minutes away.
I’m not onboard with this statement…Rivers are much cleaner and start from higher elevation, where the water table is not polluted. The getaway-from everyone factory is so much easier in Hsinchu…I mean, you’ve got five finger, Tian, all of Beihen at your doorstep.
To have a bit of everything…Maybe. But don’t knock Hsinchu. It has a hell of a lot more to offer than most people think. And, it’s rapidly expanding both it’s internat/external infrastructure.
If your vision of Taiwan is the next MRT stop, then sure, Hsinchu is a bit backwards, but if you are like me, driving into Taipei and saying “Thank f*cking god I don’t have to live here” then Hsinchu is a bit of fresh air.
Add Costco, decent shopping, the highest income sector of any part of the island, superior air quality, access to real mountain streams, HSR station, and lower cost of living.
I don’t live there…Just playing the devil’s advocate. Believe it or not, the world does exist for the expat outside Taipei.
I watched the sunset over the ocean today while walking my dog over hills and teafields without a soul in sight. If I threw a rock in the direction of the sun, it would have landed in Hsinchu county.
Looked pretty good down there to me. 
I would disagree with the air quality being better, and it is easy to find mountain streams near Taipei.
I’m with MJB on this one. Sure Taipei has good access to nature. But compared to Hsinchu?
Jianshi and Wufeng townships east of Zhudong (Jhudong) have northern Taiwan’s most spectacular scenery plus access to the Xueba National Park. Yangmingshan doesn’t come close The hill country around Beipu and Emei is very pleasant indeed and then there is all of eastern Miaoli to explore.
The city of Hsinchu is a pit, the weather is even worse than Taipei’s, and you will need at least scooter and preferably a car to enjoy the outdoors in Hsinchu Co. Living in Zhubei or Zhudong might make sense for better access to the HSR or mountains.
I’d recommend living in Hsinchu. I’ve lived here for almost 2 years. Some of the advantages are work. If you’re an English teacher there are plenty of jobs around at high pay. NT$650+ p/h with block hours at most schools. None of this running around Taipei county for half the day for NT$600 p/h just to get 20 hours a week. Here you can work at 1 or 2 schools and because the city is so small everything is within a 10-15 minute drive.
Outdoor activities. Just off the top of my head. Nanliao Harbor (10-15 mins from city), 18 peaks (within the city),Baoshan Reservoir (30 mins away) Beipu/Lions Head Mountain Area/Five Knuckle mountain (45 mins away), Neiwan(~hour away), zhunan beach (windsurf/surf)(45 minutes away) This is about how long it takes me to get to these places by scooter. The outdoor activities are really there. Beipu/mountains alone will entertain you for weeks. When I first got here me and my wife would drive through the Neiwan mountains/cold spring area just finding new paths/waterfalls/swimming holes.
As for nightlife. If you’re looking for clubbing/bars/concerts, Hsinchu is definitely not the place for you. We do have many bars throughout the city, but they are mostly local places. You won’t see many foreigners around. If you’re looking for the club scene, well that doesn’t exist in Hsinchu.
So really if comes down to what you prefer. If you like a small city feel with less traffic and slower lifestyle, come to Hsinchu. If you like that urban sprawl, go to Taipei. Both will have good outdoor activities, and I mean cmon this is Taiwan, any city is gonna be a dirty hot armpit come summer. If work is you’re primary concern though, come to Hsinchu, there seems to be a shortage of teachers here at the moment.
[quote=“valor”]I’d recommend living in Hsinchu. I’ve lived here for almost 2 years. Some of the advantages are work. If you’re an English teacher there are plenty of jobs around at high pay. NT$650+ p/h with block hours at most schools. None of this running around Taipei county for half the day for NT$600 p/h just to get 20 hours a week. Here you can work at 1 or 2 schools and because the city is so small everything is within a 10-15 minute drive.
Outdoor activities. Just off the top of my head. Nanliao Harbor (10-15 mins from city), 18 peaks (within the city),Baoshan Reservoir (30 mins away) Beipu/Lions Head Mountain Area/Five Knuckle mountain (45 mins away), Neiwan(~hour away), zhunan beach (windsurf/surf)(45 minutes away) This is about how long it takes me to get to these places by scooter. The outdoor activities are really there. Beipu/mountains alone will entertain you for weeks. When I first got here me and my wife would drive through the Neiwan mountains/cold spring area just finding new paths/waterfalls/swimming holes.
As for nightlife. If you’re looking for clubbing/bars/concerts, Hsinchu is definitely not the place for you. We do have many bars throughout the city, but they are mostly local places. You won’t see many foreigners around. If you’re looking for the club scene, well that doesn’t exist in Hsinchu.
So really if comes down to what you prefer. If you like a small city feel with less traffic and slower lifestyle, come to Hsinchu. If you like that urban sprawl, go to Taipei. Both will have good outdoor activities, and I mean cmon this is Taiwan, any city is gonna be a dirty hot armpit come summer. If work is you’re primary concern though, come to Hsinchu, there seems to be a shortage of teachers here at the moment.[/quote]
I second that 
Unless you’re into the club scene, Hsinchu is more than fine. You can get a better apartment, the streets are less crowded, and you can easily go to Taipei when you need to shop for more specific things. And if you want to head south on the weekend, you’re already ahead!
Ah yeah, mountain streams are actually one of my favorite things in the world, I’m glad someone brought that up. I was originally thinking Zhubei but heard the cost of an apartment would be quite high, and it’s only a couple minutes outside Hsinchu anyway, right? I don’t know anything about Zhudong…MJB and Feiren make it sound like the kind of place I can work with though. Are wages higher in Hsinchu since it has such a high average income?
Zhubei is a really nice area. Many high rise apartments have sprung up in recent years because of the High Speed Rail in Zhubei. Rent will be a little more than in Hsinchu City, but thats because everything is brand spanking new. If you work in Zhubei I’d recommend living there because commuting back and forth everyday can get tiring. However I’ve known many people who do it and it can be done in less than half an hour depending on exact locations. Zhudong is like the ghetto version of Zhubei. There isn’t much there. It’s very local, but there are quite a few schools out there and I’ve known a few foreigners who live out there too.
Wherever you decide to live, Hsinchu City/Zhubei/Zhudong you’ll be about the same distance from outdoor activities. If you like river streams Beipu/Lions head and Neiwan will be where you want to spend a lot of your weekends. I’d say come look around for a job then decide where you want to live. If the school is in Zhubei then live in Zhubei and vice versa. A good place to look for jobs in on the Hsinchu English Teachers Group on Facebook. Type in Hsinchu English Teachers and you can join. People advertise there constantly. Good luck!
Actually the streets of Hsinchu can be very crowded, around the train station etc. It is a messy city, pretty old, hard to drive a car around too, usual lack of pavements. But the outskirts are a bit better.
Oh yeah, I forgot about that. Not missing that at all! That was probably the most annoying thing. But I guess you get used to it, like anything else.
hey thanks for all the advice everyone. I do very occasionally like to go to a club, but would gladly sacrifice the option for the rest of it. Hsinchu, here I come! 