The Hukou Old Street (湖口老街)
This place may not be on your travel list, but I'm telling you, this town will take you back in time. You'll be missing a lot in Taiwan culture if you don't pay a visit to this historical area of Hukou, Hsinchu. Old-fashioned Taiwanese brick architecture, antique pieces of stuff for sale, and local food are just some of the few things that collectively made the ambient of this area artistic and unique.
What to expect: There isn't much to see here aside from the old buildings and antiques, and you can pretty much explore the entire old street for half an hour or less. You may find a lot of locals here on busy days, but the streets can get almost empty on ordinary days.