Guguan (谷關) is a hot spring village in Heping District, high up the Dajia River valley on Provincial Highway 8. Hotels with hot spring baths line the river, and by the Guguan Visitor Center (谷關遊客中心) there are free outdoor foot pools. It works as a day trip by public bus, but the ride is long: plan on about two hours each way, so four hours on the bus for perhaps four or five hours in Guguan. Start early.
- Bus from Taichung Station 850 from the east exit of TRA Taichung Station, NT$177 one way
- Bus from the HSR 153 from HSR Taichung Station (Exit 6, Platform 21), via Taichung City Hall, about 115 minutes, NT$197 one way
- Bus from Fengyuan 207 from near TRA Fengyuan Station (west exit, about 5 minutes on foot)
- Last buses back 850 at 19:00, 153 at 20:30, 207 at 20:40 (timetables checked November 2026)
- Foot pools Free, in the hot spring park by the visitor center
Good to know: Guguan is the end of the road from Taichung. Highway 8 east of Guguan, through Deji to Lishan, has been closed to ordinary traffic since the 1999 earthquake; only a controlled temporary road, open at set times for local residents, supplies and some buses, runs through. You cannot drive on to Lishan this way. Typhoons and heavy rain bring rockfalls and fallen trees in these mountains, so check the weather and road notices before you set out.
How to get to Guguan from Taichung
All three routes are run by Fengyuan Bus (豐原客運) and end at the Guguan terminal. Tap an EasyCard or iPASS on and off; the operator also takes icash. The 10 km free ride is for registered Taichung residents only, so visitors pay the full fare. → EasyCard and iPASS
| Route | From | Departures to Guguan | Departures from Guguan |
|---|---|---|---|
| 850 | Taichung Station, east exit | 06:10, 07:00, 08:00, 09:00, 13:10, 16:10, 17:45 | 06:00, 09:45, 11:20, 13:15, 15:00, 17:10, 19:00 |
| 153 | HSR Taichung Station, Platform 21 | 07:30, 09:10, 11:00, 13:00, 14:00, 15:30, 16:50, 17:30, 19:15, 20:50 | 05:50, 06:30, 08:30, 10:30, 11:30, 13:00, 14:30, 15:30, 16:00, 18:00, 20:30 |
| 207 | Fengyuan | 07:50, 08:30, 11:20, 12:55, 14:55, 16:10, 17:10, 18:30, 19:30, plus 10:05 from 19 Oct to 22 Nov 2026 | 10:20, 10:40, 13:10, 15:15, 16:30, 18:40, 19:30, 20:40, plus 08:20 from 19 Oct to 22 Nov 2026 |
The 153 is the easiest from most hotels in the west of the city: it starts at the HSR station and stops at Taichung City Hall (臺中市政府) and Shin Kong Mitsukoshi (新光三越) on the way out. Fengyuan Bus gives about 115 minutes from the HSR station to Guguan. The 850 leaves from Taichung Station and runs up Zhongqing Road before heading for the hills; the operator does not publish a journey time, so allow two hours or more. A sensible day: the 07:00 or 08:00 bus out on the 850, or the 07:30 or 09:10 on the 153, and the 15:00 or 17:10 (850) or 16:00 (153) back. → How Taichung buses work · Getting around from HSR Taichung Station
Driving: take Freeway 4 to the Fengshi interchange, Highway 3 to Dongshi, then Highway 8 up the valley to Guguan. We did not find an official driving time; the bus gives a fair idea.
The hot springs
Guguan's springs rise in the river valley around the hotel area and a little further upstream. The Tourism Administration puts the water at about 48°C with a pH of around 9, which makes it alkaline. To soak properly, you go to one of the hot spring hotels; ask at the front desk whether they take day visitors, and at what price.
For a free soak, the foot pools are in the hot spring park beside the visitor center: one of plain hot spring water, and one with small fish that nibble your feet. An accessible path leads to them. The visitor center itself was reworked in 2021 into a small museum about the valley's history, the Central Cross-Island Highway and the hot springs.
Walks
The Shaolai Trail (捎來步道) is the walk to do from the village. It is about 1.5 km up to a viewing pavilion on the top, with two rest platforms on the way, and it is open all year. It is steep, with some very steep stretches, so take it at your own pace. Its two ends meet two suspension bridges over the Dajia River: the Guguan Suspension Bridge (谷關吊橋) and the Shaolai Suspension Bridge (捎來吊橋), which comes out at the hot spring park and its foot pools. Go up from the Guguan bridge and down to the Shaolai bridge, and you finish at the foot pools.
Basianshan Forest Recreation Area
About 6 km southeast of Guguan, the Basianshan National Forest Recreation Area (八仙山國家森林遊樂區) was one of Taiwan's three great logging camps, from 1915 to 1963. Today it has short forest trails along the clear Shiwen River (十文溪), a wooden boardwalk suitable for wheelchairs and strollers, cherry trees that flower in January and February, and shallow pools for cooling your feet in stream water.
- Hours Daily 06:30 to 17:00; no entry after 17:00 unless you are staying there
- Entry NT$150 on weekends and holidays; NT$100 on weekdays, or any day with a public transport ticket stub
- Getting there 153延 once a day direct from HSR Taichung Station (leaves 09:35, returns from Basianshan at 13:15), or 269 from the Guguan terminal
The park is also the start of the climb to Basianshan (八仙山), at 2,366 m the first of the "Seven Heroes of Guguan" (谷關七雄), a group of seven peaks around Guguan. The way up is a long climb on steps, a serious mountain hike rather than a stroll, and with the bus times it does not fit easily into a day trip from the city. If you do go for it: start as early as you can, check the weather, carry water and a layer, turn back in good time, and keep to the trail. The forest office warns of slippery roads, falling rocks and fallen trees after rain, and of fast streams with undercurrents. Until 20 November 2026, work is under way at the main peak trailhead; the trail stays open, so follow the signs on site. The water play pools close every Thursday for cleaning.
Before you go
- Note the last bus. Check the times above before you set off, and leave a margin.
- Check the weather. Skip the trip in a typhoon or heavy rain, and check the Basianshan page for closures on the day.
- Bring a layer and water. You are in the mountains, and the trails are steep.
- No pets at Basianshan. Dogs, cats and other mammals are not allowed in the forest area.
→ Xitou · Dakeng trails, closer to the city · Taichung as a base for central Taiwan · All day trips
Sources
Bus routes, timetables, fares, journey times and boarding points from Fengyuan Bus: route list, 850 timetable and fares, 153 timetable, fare and journey time, 153延 timetable, 207 timetable; route names and the 153 stops from Taichung City Bus. Hot spring temperature and pH, the foot pools and the visitor center from the Taiwan Tourism Administration (Guguan and Basianshan trip); the Shaolai Trail, its bridges and the free foot pools from TVBS (Guguan day trip, January 2024, citing the Tourism Administration); the area's sights from Taichung Tourism (Guguan Hot Spring). Basianshan hours, fees, buses, driving route, the peak, works and safety notes from the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency (Basianshan National Forest Recreation Area). Highway 8 closure since 1999 and the controlled temporary road from the Executive Yuan (Guguan to Deji section, September 2023) and PTS (restoration plan, February 2024; temporary road, April 2024). Checked November 2026.