I will be visiting Taiwan for the first time for a couple of weeks in the middle of November, and bringing my road bike with me. Im hoping to do a fair bit of cycling, maybe one 2-day tour anywhere in the country, and two or three one-day trips from my base in the center of Taipei.
I know that there is a ton of information out there on cycling in the country, but am feeling a bit overwhelmed by it all so was looking for simple pointers in terms of routes, and some other info, just to get me started…
1- Best two day route?: I guess I am looking for 200-250km over two days on the flat (or appropriately shorter if climbing; either is OK). Where should I go? Are west coast to east coast rides (which of the island-crossing highways?) a good choice at this time of year good or will it be freezing at the top? Should I avoid the western plains (all urban sprawl?)? Follow the eastern coast only?
2- One day trips direct from Taipei (or not far on a train)? East, west, north, or south? Some mountains or coastal routes would be good. Where should a newbie go? Ive come across a couple of reasonable routes. What do you think? mapmyride.com/routes/view/25692570 mapmyride.com/routes/view/18030456
3- Clothing: I may need to buy some cycling/general sport clothing if it is going to be cooler up in the mountains. Can anyone recommend a good place either for large size sport clothing generally, or maybe a cycle clothing shop with a good range of clothing stock/sizes in Taipei?
4- Also, are there any 30-, 40-, 50+ km routes exclusively for cycles anywhere in the country? I always feel that these are good for basing a day`s trip on as you can really get some mileage in then.
I will probably be back with a number of more posts here over the next week or two (if anyone answers this one). Thanks in advance for any help.
For a couple day trip you will want to do the east coast. Hualien to Taitung. There are two hwys, coastal 9 and inland 11, and 4 mountain routes connecting them (as there is a mountain range between the two highways though they aren’t far apart). The great thing is the hwys are flat (mostly) and the connectors really steep. Best of both worlds. Conditions are excellent. Wide shoulders on both highways for bikes, connectors almost traffic free, and some lovely county roads that parallel hwy 11 that see almost no traffic.
Around Taipei there are also 200-300km of riverside paths which are bike only. You can ride as far as Shimen Reservoir now (maybe further) which is 60-70km from Taipei, one way. Or you can take the paths to Xindian/Bitan where you have numerous road options into the mountains: Wulai/Pinglin/Pingxi/and around the Xindian hills.
You can find directions for some great Taipei day rides here. There are also descriptions of longer rides.
The east coast is a good place for a multiday tour if you like very rural areas. Personally, I find staying on the main highways (the 9 and the 11) rather monotonous, and I’m not familiar enough with the area to suggest lesser-known routes. Also, if you want to get to the east coast you’ll have to take a train–something to keep in mind. If you really want to get off the beaten path, go along the southwest coast from Taitung to Kenting. That’s as far away from Taipei as you can get, but the scenery is spectacular.
On the west side, my favorite big road is the 3, which runs beside the foothills of the Central Mountain Range. The section in Miaoli County is particularly lovely. Further south, there’s a 1000-meter climb between Chiayi and Tainan that will take you past the Zengwen/Tsengwen Reservoir, another beautiful area.
If you want to climb, the Central Cross-Island Highway ascends higher than any other road to Taiwan, reaching 3275 meters at Wuling. At this time of year it shouldn’t be too terribly cold at the top as long as the sun is out. The Northern Cross (highway 7) only climbs to about 1200 meters, and while you could probably do the whole thing in a day, I’d recommend staying a night at Baling or Mingchi. The Southern Cross, unfortunately, hasn’t been open since Typhoon Morakot.
Of course, if you want, you could throw planning out the window, take a train to whatever part of the country you feel like exploring, and wander around for a couple days. I did that in southern Taiwan a couple years ago and had a great time. The south is so warm that you’d be comfortable riding around in a tank top. The north might get a bit chilly depending on the weather.
Have fun! And when you get back, tell all your cycling friends how awesome Taiwan is.
[quote=“haokaiyang”]…On the west side, my favorite big road is the 3, which runs beside the foothills of the Central Mountain Range. The section in Miaoli County is particularly lovely. Further south, there’s a 1000-meter climb between Jiayi and Tainan that will take you past the Zengwen/Tsengwen Reservoir, another beautiful area.
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Yeah, both are nice. The whole route from Guanziling down to Tainan is excellent. But would you really recommend these to someone new to Taiwan?
Open all the way through? That’s news to me. Last time I was down there, the east side was open but the west was still closed.[/quote]
Afaik, you still can’t pass after the Yakou tunnel but both sides are open. The highways department decided a few months back to keep the highway open, saying they only promise to make repairs and not to restore it. It’s going to be a rough route from now on which actually is better for cyclists as very few cars will bother anymore.
I guess a plan is forming for the two-day tour. Train down to Chang hua, then first day, start around route 3 and up to Sun Moon lake, stay there for the night. Second day, down to Hualien then along routes 9 and 11, crossing between the two, for some coastal and inland scenery, down to Taidong (this is the same as Tai tung on Google maps yeah?). Not sure how to get from Sun-Moon lake down to the coast… There seem to be a lot of roads that just stop in the middle of nowhere. I will put together a route online and then ask for some feedback, as well as checking the altitude profile… I don`t think I will be able to manage sea level to 3000+ meters… Which is the least challenging west to east coast option… Is it the northern one (which is a bit far from sun moon lake/hualian to taidong)?
So MuchaMan, the Shimen reservoir route seems like a good option for one day. Is it feasible to head there on the way out, then return to Taipei along the coast (is the coast west of taipei nice?)? Any particular sights or places to visit along this route? I particularly like cycling where there are a lot of other cyclists about. I guess that this route would be good in this regard on weekends?
Thanks for the link Haokaiyang. There seem to be some good Taipei routes there. Will also pass on the news of Taiwan cycling after Im done. Im Japan-based (my blog is at roninonabike.weebly.com, still working on the site though), and also recommend a cycling visit to Japan.
Your two day tour is impossible. Changhua to Taitung will take 4 days. From Puli you need to ride up to Wuling Pass which is at 3275m. Expect to go slow.
Also, as a first time visitor you may not want to expose yourself to the run down, grimy, blight ridden west coast around Changhua.
The easiest way to cross the island is County Rd 199 in the south (north of Kenting National Park). It’s also one of the loveliest country roads in Taiwan.
Supposedly from Shimen Reservoir the bike paths extend to Hsinchu now where supposedly again you can ride back to Taipei. No one seems to be able to confirm that the path are ready. I hope to have time next week to try.
Not sure what you mean by things to see but it’s a pretty route to the reservoir. Pass wetlands, rice fields, a cool ceramic museum, a large lake, Daxi where you can pop in to see some old buildings and try great tofu, and then a really lovely section where the river narrows and it feels very remote and primitive.
From Shimen Reservoir you can go east on the North Cross Island Hwy to the east coast. A grand mountain road with fantastic views and ancient forests.
Ah - I see what you mean… the route I proposed would be over 3000m a.s.l. (not a chance). So a good trip could perhaps be to travel south along the coast from the last stop on the high speed rail route, then to cross the island along route 199, and end up at Taitung, which works out at less than 200km, with not too much climbing. Any suggestions for a good place to stay halfway, which would be about the middle of route 199?
You do not want to be travelling south along the coast from Kaohsiung unless you love factories, oil refineries, pollution, blight, and scarred landscapes.
If you are going to do this you should take the train from Kauhsiung to Pingtung and start from there heading out to Sandimen and riding the rural roads that hug the central mountains.
But really, the east coast is your best first time two day trip. Easy to arrange (fast trains from Taipei will get you there in two hours and some now have bike carriages), lots of B&Bs, seaside cafes, hot springs, little towns, lush forests, rice fields, hiking trails, and so on.
The east coast has the population density of Costa Rica. It’s a great place to ride and you’ll see more cyclists on this route than others.
I’ll 2nd all of that. If you do end up riding the east coast, then there’s often a prevailing NE wind this time of year. So ideally you want to be going from N to S.
PM me if you want any route suggestions from Hualien.
[quote=“Nuit”]I’ll 2nd all of that. If you do end up riding the east coast, then there’s often a prevailing NE wind this time of year. So ideally you want to be going from N to S.
PM me if you want any route suggestions from Hualian.[/quote]
Yeah, Nuit’s the man for the east coast. OP, heed his advice.
OK - east coast it is. I was just thinking that starting from a high speed train station on the west coast would be easier, as it seems to take quite a long time to get from taitung to the capital, but two hours to Hualian means that getting to the start of the trip can be quite easy anyway.
Thanks for that Nuit. I`ll get back to you with some specific route questions from Hualian in a bit then.
Cool, I’ve been wanting to take my bike to Japan for some time now, but I keep running into snags.
In retrospect, I think some of my multi-day touring suggestions were overly ambitious. Now that you’ve got a guide for the east coast, that’s probably the way to go. I didn’t realize that the new Taroko trains were so fast!
East coast, east coast, east coast. Although I’m interested in the northeast also but there would be a lot more traffic.
I rode Kaohsiung-Kenting-Hualien-Kaohsiung and the first 40-50 kms out of Kaohsiung are awful for the reasons that MM mentions. And he didn’t mention endless stoplights.
Pretty much everything from Kenting to Hualien was awesome (except when you ride thru Taidong/Hualien). A great trip would be to go Hualien-Taidong on Hwy 9 and then return on Hwy 11. But it’s probably 3 days since it’s 300km I think. it is pretty flat though…
I would like to do an inland western route in the mountains or do a cross island highway but that’s not possible right now. I’m just not strong enough even if I had the vacation time.
I guess 3 days would be ok, with a long day of 170km at the start on routes 9 and 11 (or others) from Hualien to Taitung, especially if it is generally flat, then less on the second and third days, including Route 199 (max altitude only about 300 asl?) and finally a bit along the west coast, stopping before the urban sprawl of Kaohsiung starts… wherever that is, for a total of about 300 km. This way, I would have just two hours train from Taipei at the start, and would be close to the high speed train for a return to Taipei (could I just wrap up and post the bike back?) at the end.
This route is just based on all your suggestions that routes 9, 11, and 199 are pretty good, so any particular changes or info, such as alternative less busy courses parallel to 9 and 11, or places to stay at Hualien before I start, and at Taitung and Mudan, as well as a decent place to finish would be appreciated.
The first day is going to be very long with a very steep and long climb when you cross the coast mountains between the highways. Also, I would ride the first part of the coast as that is some of the best scenery. The mountain route between Shihtiping and Ruisui is one of my favorites. Also the stretch from Ruisui down is very lovely along the back roads (193). Further south are Loshan and Luye, some of the prettiest spots along the rift valley. IMO, your route is the opposite of what it should be for maximum scenery.
Finally, either end your route at Fangliao (Linbian is horrible) or go up the 185 to Sandimen and then the 27 across to Pingtung (around 90km altogether) where you can catch a train to Kaohsiung. The 185 is a really flat and lovely country road bordering the foothills. No blight though Michael Turton reported the road is a little rough in places. Might be better now.
Here’s a map of what I would suggest. Taroko’s world class. You won’t regret it.
Shoufeng seems to be spelled Sioufong on Google maps. Welcome to Taiwan.
Tell us the time you arrive in Taipei and we will advise you on trains–there are a number confusing but convenient option. Will you have a bike bag?
Stay off Highway 9. You want to be on 193 in the north part of the rift valley, on 197 in the south. Highway 11 is great and MM is right–the road from Ruisui to Dagangkao/shitiping is not to be missed.
Personally, I think you should skip Highway 9 south of Taidong. For the most part it is a big flat boring road with too many trucks.
I would start further north by getting off the train at Xincheng and riding up and down Taroko Gorge IF you can time it very early in the morning ON A WEEKDAY so as to avoid most of the tour buses.
Then hop back on a local commuter train and head down to Ji’an or Shoufeng to start your ride on the 193 heading south.
Instead of heading south from Taidong, spend the night in Dulan (a Sat. if possible for the music). Then ride over the Coastal Mountain Range again on 23 and then into Taidong on 197.
