Hsinchu is the beating heart of Taiwan's tech industry, home to the Hsinchu Science Park and two of the country's leading universities, NTHU and NYCU. If you are in engineering, science or computing, you are studying at the source, with internships and research on your doorstep. It is smaller and cheaper than Taipei but only 35 minutes away by high-speed rail, and the surrounding Hakka towns and hills add real character.

• National Tsing Hua (NTHU) and Yang Ming Chiao Tung (NYCU) are top-tier for science and engineering
• The Hsinchu Science Park means real internship and research links
• Taipei is about 35 minutes away by HSR

Life revolves around the leafy NTHU and NYCU campuses on Guangfu Road, which sit side by side and share a lively student strip of cheap eats and cafes. The East District and the streets around the City God Temple hold the night-market food and bars. It is quieter than Taipei, so students make their own fun through clubs, sports and weekend trips into the hills.

• The Guangfu Road strip between NTHU and NYCU is the student food-and-cafe hub
• The City God Temple night market is the classic evening haunt
• Join campus clubs and sports, as the social scene is what you make it

Hsinchu is affordable, so budget around NT$24,000-32,000 (roughly 700-950 euros) a month, though tech-driven demand can push central rents up. University dorms and shared flats near campus are the cheapest routes. Night-market meals keep food costs low.

• Live in a dorm or shared flat near Guangfu Road to keep rent down
• Eat at the City God Temple market, where rice noodles and pork balls cost a few coins
• Use an EasyCard or iPass for buses, as both work across Taiwan

University dorms are the easiest and cheapest option and worth securing early; off-campus, students look around Guangfu Road, the East District and neighbouring Zhubei near the HSR station. There is no metro, so factor in a bike or scooter and check parking. Read leases carefully and confirm what is furnished.

• Apply for an NTHU or NYCU dorm early for the best value
• Search 591.com.tw around Guangfu Road, the East District and Zhubei
• Ask the Hsinchu group on Studcasa for room leads and lease help

Hsinchu has no metro, so getting around means buses, bikes, scooters and the train. The TRA west-coast line serves the city centre, while the HSR station sits out at Zhubei (linked by a short shuttle-train) and reaches Taipei in about 35 minutes. Many students get a scooter or a YouBike for daily trips.

• Use city buses and YouBikes with your EasyCard or iPass for daily travel
• Take the HSR from Hsinchu (Zhubei) to Taipei in about 35 minutes
• A scooter is popular here, so get the right licence if you plan to ride

NTHU and NYCU are among Taiwan's most prestigious, leading in engineering, computer science, physics, semiconductors and life sciences, with strong ties to the neighbouring science park. Teaching is rigorous and research-focused, and English-taught courses are common in STEM. Free or cheap Mandarin classes are usually available, so take one.

• NTHU and NYCU excel in engineering, CS, physics and semiconductor fields
• Tap the science-park links for internships and lab projects

This depends entirely on your passport, so treat the below as a map, not gospel. Most European, UK, US, Canadian and Australian students get 90 days visa-free on arrival, fine for a short summer thing, not for a full semester. For a proper exchange you apply for a student Resident Visa at your nearest Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) before you fly, using the admission letter your host university sends.

Once you land, you convert that into an ARC (Alien Resident Certificate) at the local immigration office within a couple of weeks, this is your golden ticket for a bank account, phone contract and re-entry. Start early: TECO appointments and document legalisation can eat weeks. Your host uni's international office will hand-hold you through most of it.

• Short stay: 90 days visa-free for many nationalities
• Full semester: student Resident Visa via TECO before you fly
• After arrival: convert to an ARC within about 15 days
• Exact rules depend on your passport, check your own TECO office

Hsinchu is famous for its food: springy rice noodles (mifen) and pork meatballs (gongwan) are the local specialities, best eaten around the City God Temple. Hakka influence brings dishes like lei cha (ground tea) from the nearby hill towns. The wind is a local trademark, earning Hsinchu its Windy City nickname, and convenience stores stay open around the clock.

• Eat Hsinchu rice noodles and pork-ball soup at the City God Temple market
• Try Hakka lei cha (savoury ground-tea) on a trip to Beipu
• 7-Eleven and FamilyMart cover meals, coffee and parcels 24/7

The East District (Dongqu) is the commercial and nightlife core around the City God Temple; Guangfu Road links the two campuses and their student strip; and Zhubei, across the river, is the newer, fast-growing area around the HSR station. The old town centre keeps the temples and traditional markets.

• The East District for nightlife, shopping and the temple market
• Guangfu Road for student housing between NTHU and NYCU
• Zhubei for newer flats near the HSR station

Taipei is a 35-minute HSR hop for city weekends, while the surrounding countryside is the real draw. Neiwan is a charming old railway town at the end of a branch line, Beipu offers Hakka culture and lei cha, and Shei-Pa National Park's peaks are within reach for serious hikers. Taichung is also a short train ride south.

• Ride the Neiwan branch line to its old-street terminus for a half-day trip
• Visit Beipu for Hakka food and historic lanes
• Take the HSR to Taipei (about 35 min) or south to Taichung

Hsinchu's wind is no joke, especially in winter, so bring a windproof layer. With no metro, sort out a bike or scooter early, and if you ride, get the proper licence and helmet. Carry cash for markets and small stalls, and take shoes off indoors.

• Pack a windproof jacket, as Hsinchu's coastal wind is relentless in winter
• Arrange a YouBike habit or a scooter (with the right licence) for daily travel
• Keep cash for night-market meals and take shoes off inside homes