Guanxi Old Street 關西老街

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Guanxi Old Street is a quiet historical street in Guanxi Township of Hsinchu County. You will not find long lines of people or food stalls here, but you will find a traditional morning market and century-old brick archways and covered walkways. 

Background:
The area around Guanxi has been inhabited by Ayatal aboriginal peoples for thousands of years, and currently, there are two aboriginal villages in the township. 
The first Han settlers to Guanxi arrived in 1751, including mostly Hakka people. By the 1800s, Guanxi had become an important agricultural area for tea, tomatoes, strawberries, oranges, and other agricultural products. A commercial district had appeared along Datong Road, including multiple shops. At the time, it was one of the most prosperous and busy areas in what is now Hsinchu County. 
Guanxi currently has a population of about 27,000 and it continues to drop each year. 

Hours:
24/7

Price:
Free

Tours: 
You can find more tours and activities in Hsinchu such as You can find more tours and activities in Hsinchu such as river tracing, wild hot springs, white water kayaking, backpack rafting, Little Ding Dong Theme Park, Leofoo Village Theme Park, Window on China Theme Park, glamping, camping, stone spa, horse riding, Yukids Island, Tom and Bei Bei Parent Child Paradise, bee keeping experience, cycling, dried persimmons experience, Jump Wave Trampoline Park and more on Klook here or KKday here. 

Where to stay:
Most of the accommodation you will find is near the city center.  If you will only visit downtown, you can consider a day trip from Taipei.
We have stayed at and recommend the Golden Motel a high quality motel near Green Grass Lake (you can book on Agoda here, Booking.com here, Hotels.com here, Expedia here, or Trip.com here), and CD Motel, another high quality motel in downtown Hsinchu (you can book on Agoda here, Booking.com here, or Trip.com here). Unfortunately I cannot recommend any further hotels that I have stayed at in Hsinchu because usually we stay at my wife's uncle's house. 
You can find out where to stay in our Taiwan hotels guide or search for the best hotel deals in Taiwan here.
You can also book Wifi and SIM cards for Taiwan on Gigago here.  
Need travel insurance? Compare prices on Insubuy here. 

Just to let you know, if you book using the links above, we get some commission at no cost to you, and you can help support our blog. 
You can click here to receive $5 USD on your first Klook purchase. ​

How to get there:
By car/scooter: From central Hsinchu, take provincial highway 1 north and turn west on Highway 118 in Zhubei. The old street is on the left of the main highway. There is free parking on the side of the road. If you are looking for car rentals in Hsinchu, you can also search Qeeq here, Klook here, or KKDay here. You can also check out our car rental guide here. 
​Looking for scooter rental in Hsinchu? You can search Klook here or KKday here to look for options. You can also check out our scooter rental guide here. 
By bus: From Hsinchu Station, take bus 5619 to Guanxi Old Street. The old street is on the left of the main highway. There is free parking on the side of the road. You can book tickets to travel to Hsinchu via inter-city bus on Klook here. You can book tickets to Hsinchu via high speed rail (HSR)  on Klook here or KKDay here. Book tickets via the normal train (TRA) on Klook here.
By Bicycle: Cycling is the best way to enjoy Taiwan's landscapes if you have the time and energy. Looking for bicycle rentals in Taiwan? You can search on KKday here and Klook here. You can also check out our Taiwan cycling guide here. ​

Map:
Please see below:

Our Journey:

We have been to Guanxi Old Street once. It is not the most commercialized old street, but there are many historical buildings here to enjoy. 

Dong An Bridge 東安橋 near the old street. Dong An Bridge is a large stone bridge ates back nearly 100 years back to the Japanese Era in Taiwan. It has become a popular destination to visit and take photos. See our blog on this bridge here. 

Guanxi kind of sits on a hill and there are great views of the surrounding area. 

Views of the river valley below. 

Morning market on the old street.

Older buildings on the old street.

More old brick buildings on the old street.

Here you get the the arched walkway area. 

Most of the houses here are pretty old but well preserved. 

More arched walkways.

More teal painted windows and lanterns. 

Guanxi public market which is connected with the old street.

More typical morning market stalls. 

If you have time, you can also visit the nearby Hsinpu Old Street in the next village nearby. 

Check out our blog about Hsinpu Old Street to here. 

You can find more tours and activities in Hsinchu such as river tracing, wild hot springs, white water kayaking, backpack rafting, Little Ding Dong Theme Park, Leofoo Village Theme Park, Window on China Theme Park, glamping, camping, stone spa, horse riding, and more on Klook here or KKday here. 

You can check out our full guide to Hsinchu here.

You can also check out our full travel guide to Taiwan here. 

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