Beitou Hot Springs and Yangmingshan National Park

North of the city, Taipei sits against a ring of dormant volcanoes, and the result is hot springs on the end of a metro line. Beitou developed as a spa town during the Japanese era, and its Hot Spring Museum occupies a former public bathhouse with a large bathing hall and tatami rooms upstairs. Up the road, the Thermal Valley steams like a cauldron, its milky-green pool giving off sulphur clouds, and the nearby Beitou Library is a celebrated green building made of wood. Above Beitou rises Yangmingshan National Park, with fumaroles hissing at Xiaoyoukeng, the open grasslands of Qingtiangang and the cool waters of Lengshuikeng. This guided day tour covers both areas in a small group, with a private air-conditioned vehicle, which is much easier than piecing the mountain buses together yourself.

How it works: the tour starts at 08:00 from Exit 2 of Zhongxiao Xinsheng MRT station and lasts about nine hours, with a licensed guide speaking English, Mandarin or Japanese and groups of up to 18. Stops include the Beitou Library, the Hot Spring Museum, the Thermal Valley, the Flower Clock, Yangmingshuwu, Zhuzihu, Xiaoyoukeng, Qingtiangang and Lengshuikeng, where a hot-spring foot bath is included. Drop-off is back at the meeting point or at Shilin Night Market. Free cancellation is allowed up to 24 hours before.

What to expect: Yangmingshan is cooler, windier and wetter than the city, and the peaks are often wrapped in cloud, so bring a warm layer. The fumarole areas smell strongly of sulphur. Opening days of the museums can vary, so some stops may be photo stops only.

Making the most of it: bring a small towel for the foot bath. To soak properly, stay on in Beitou for a public or hotel hot-spring bath and ride the MRT home.