Hsinchu County→Fuli Hot Spring Resort

To take the High Speed Rail (HSR) from Hsinchu County to Fuli Hot Spring Resort, HSR is quick but pricey and has difficult taxi access. From the earliest departure at 07:02 to the latest at 23:32, there are up to 61 high-speed rail from Hsinchu to Taichung each day. Assuming you depart from Zhubei City, Hsinchu County, you may walk or take a bus—if available—to Hsinchu HSR station. Including walking to the platform, buying a ticket, and waiting for the train, it takes at least 15 minutes. Then, take a 24-32-minute (27 min on average) HSR ride from Hsinchu Station to Taichung HSR Station. The ticket price is NT$410 per person, followed by a 10-minute walk to exit the station, wait for a ride at the taxi stand, and after a trip of about 70 minutes with a fare of NT$2,500, you will arrive at your destination at Fuli Hot Spring Resort (Yuchi Township, Nantou County). The entire journey, including transfers, takes a total of 2 hours and 2 minutes. Assuming 2 people traveling together, the average cost per person for the HSR and transfers is NT$1,660. However, in Hsinchu County, there are only just over 700 licensed taxis. The taxi density is 1.3% of that in the Taipei/New Taipei metro area. In other words, hailing a taxi on the spot is 80 times more difficult than in a major city like Taipei. In contrast, if you use Tripool for a door-to-door private car service, the average cost per person is about NT$1,510, and the journey takes 2 hours and 30 minutes. For long-distance travel, the HSR is indeed faster, but it comes with an extra transportation cost of about NT$300. Therefore, for those who are not in a major hurry, booking with Tripool is the more cost-effective option. If you are traveling alone, you can also consider Tripool's carpooling service to save up to an additional 50% on transportation costs.

If you have a Taiwanese driver's license, are confident in your driving skills, and you do not need to rest in the car (since you will be the one driving), and most importantly, if you plan to make a same-day round trip, then iRent, which allows you to pick up and drop off a car on the street in the Hsinchu County area, is likely your cheapest option. After registering on the iRent app, you can rent a small car for NT$115-205 per hour with an additional charge of NT$3.2 per kilometer. The estimated cost from Hsinchu County (Zhubei City) to Fuli Hot Spring Resort is between NT$2350 and NT$2950 (the price difference depends on weekday/weekend rates, car model, and how soon you make the return trip after reaching your destination). Although the estimate already includes potential eTag tolls and a roadside parking fee of NT$40 per hour, you are responsible for any additional car insurance and potential traffic fines. Furthermore, iRent by Hotai only offers basic models like the Toyota Yaris, Prius C, and Vios—functional, yes, but far from the comfort you'd expect for anything beyond a grocery run. If your group has more than four people, larger 7-seater or 9-seater vehicles are not available. Moreover, the most common complaint about self-service car-sharing services is the vehicle's condition; you might open the door to find trash left by the previous user or unrepaired dents. Every rental feels like opening a blind box—sometimes fine, sometimes frustrating. Additionally, you might occasionally face issues like the previous user not returning the car on time for your reservation, or being unable to find a parking spot when you need to return it. This poses a significant risk for those in a hurry or traveling with other passengers. Finally, while picking up and dropping off the car on the street seems convenient, it is restricted to specific operational zones. The available parking spots may still be some distance away from your actual departure or arrival point, making it very inconvenient in rainy weather or when carrying luggage.

If you choose to take a taxi directly, in the Hsinchu County area, you can use apps to hail a cab from 55688 Taiwan Taxi, Uber, Line Go, Yoxi, etc., and if you cannot hail a cab on the street, you can also consider calling taxi fleets, such as 第一計程車, 竹北-Ap車隊, 銓順交通 to try to book a ride. Based on the meter, the estimated fare is between NT$4,395 and 5,300, but you could save up to NT$2,300 by booking with Tripool instead. But if you cannot book in advance or prefer to hail a cab on the spot, be aware that in the whole Hsinchu County, there are only about 730 licensed taxis. The taxi density is just 1.3% of that in the Taipei/New Taipei metro area, meaning it is 80 times more difficult to hail a cab on the spot compared to Taipei or New Taipei. If you plan to make a return trip on the same or next day, be aware that taxis are even harder to find in Fuli Hot Spring Resort (in the Nantou County area), as Nantou County has only about 342 taxis. It is recommended to plan ahead. Considering all factors, Tripool is your best choice for traveling from Hsinchu County to Fuli Hot Spring Resort in terms of both price and service quality.

Tripool provides private day tours and charter services all around the island, including Fuli Hot Spring Resort and Hsinchu County. Tourists are welcome to choose from point-to-point transportation service to 2~12 hours private trip service. The price is 100% transparent without any hidden fee. What you see on the website/app is the actual price. There is no need to email us or even make a phone call to verify. The full-day service price may not be lower than other providers. But if you only need a few hours or just a one-way transfer service, we can guarantee that our price is the most competitive in the market and tripool is the best choice. We offer 5-seater sedans, SUVs, and 9-seater vans. If your group is more than 9, we can arrange a bigger bus for you.

Every order can only reserve one car, and it is easier for passengers to make any change or cancelation. Please make two separate bookings on the website or the app if passengers need a round trip. There is no particular promotion about a round trip for now, but it's welcome to use any coupon for each ride.

There are many gypsy cabs or illegal taxis in Line and Facebook groups. Their fares are cheap but with many risks. If the cabs are pulled over by polices, passengers cannot continue the trip. If there is an accident, none of the insurance companies will settle a claim. Worst of all, illegal drivers may conduct crimes without any trace. Don't put your life at risk for just saving a few bucks. On the other hand, tripool contracts with legal drivers without any criminal record. All vehicles provide up to $5 million in insurance. The easiest way to distinguish a legal vehicle is the car plate number. Unless the initial character of the car plate number is either T or R, the car is 100% illegal for taxi service.

Tripool will send a receipt through the third-party system one week after the ride. If passengers need to claim reimbursement for travel expenses, there is a blank to fill with the company's title and tax ID. It's legal, and there is no extra 5% for the receipt. Once the receipt is received via email, it can be printed out for reimbursement or saved as a PDF.

Fewer travelers book hotels through traditional travel agents, and most go through OTAs (online travel agents). It is easy to filter areas, prices, types of rooms, special needs on OTAs' websites. Still, customers can also get a 20~40% discount compared to hotels' official websites. The most popular OTAs in Taiwan are Booking.com, Agoda.com, Hotels.com, Expedia.com, and Trip.com. In general, travelers can make reservations on websites or apps. Once finishing the online payment, everything is set, and there is not necessary to double-check the reservation by phone. However, some hotels may oversell their rooms on multiple platforms. To avoid being rejected by hotels once you arrive, choose high-rated hotels with more reviews online or make a phone call to hotels to confirm again. For B&Bs (also called minsus), locals prefer to book rooms through B&Bs' websites or contact the hosts directly. Sometimes, the price is better than OTAs. The downside is that their websites don't accept foreign credit cards or guests have to do wire transfers. If you want to save all these troubles and find decent B&Bs, Airbnb and AsiaYo (a local brand) are the best alternatives.