jan52938

The port of Keelung for the city of Taipei are often confused on cruise itineraries, they are 40 minutes away. See a Keelung Cruise terminals map

Keelung actually has its own hot spring, not widely published: The Wave Spring Resort, open from 1000-2200 hours.

Rather than go to Taipei and Beitou you can also consider Jinshan along the Northeast coast with many private hotels and hot springs on the road from there up to Yangmingshan. The biggest is Tienlai Hot Spring resort just outside Jinshan, offered on some cruise tours. About a 30 minutes drive from the port, you can do it on your own.

If you want to just venture around central Taipei on your own, the Keelung rail station sits just across the bay from where your ship is likely docked. You get off, stop at the tourist office on the way for maps and answers to your questions, and continue around the end of the bay to the train station (15 minutes max from the ship). You then catch a train (around $45HK--$1.50US) to Taipei and see bits of Taiwan along the way, some of it pretty gritty. From central Taipei, which seems very mellow if you've already been to Hong Kong, you can also catch the metro to whatever part of the city you want to see. Whatever you do, don't sign up for an expensive ship excursion called something like "Taipei on your own" where you are dropped in the central city for a few hours and then picked up, paying $50-$100 for the ride. The train will cost you less than $3 round trip!

Here is a handy map by Christine Wu to show you the way in Keelung

https://goo.gl/pT5ksF