Neiwan

Neiwan (內灣) is a city in Hsinchu County.

Understand

Although a prosperous community in the 1960s, the economy of Neiwan suffered greatly with the closure of the local mines and the town languished as an isolated backwater for around thirty years. Then in the early 2000s, the town's preserved historic buildings and traditional culture began to be in vogue with city dwellers, and this has resulted in the town becoming as a tourist destination.

Get in

By train

The Neiwan Line connects Neiwan with Zhudong. It is a small and slow train and crowded on holidays. Trains go every 90 minutes.

By bus

Chudong is connected with Hsinchu by bus. There are direct buses also from Hsinchu to Neiwan.

Get around

Neiwan is small enough to cover on foot.

Do

• Hiking. Around Neiwan there are nice good established hiking trails into the Valentine Valley.
• 1 Neiwan Theater. Movie theater and restaurant. (updated Dec 2017)

Buy

Pick up a traditional hat for NT$40.

Eat

• ZongZi (糭子). Neiwan has a special kind of zongzi sold at many shops in the main street. It is wrapped in Gingerleaves rather than in Palmleaves and gives it a special taste.
• Fried Flowers are sold by some other shops.

Go next

Neiwan is the entrance to the Atayal mountain communities. Continuing forward from Neiwan, the river valley makes a sharp turn left, and you'll come across a large sharp boulder in the middle of the river, the namesake for 尖石. Crossing the bridge here is the entrance to the mountain communities. Be sure to fill up with gas between Neiwan and the bridge as that's your last chance.