Kinmen must-sees and bikes

Travel Taiwan Travel
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I’m going to spend about 5 days in Kinmen. I’m mostly interested in attractive scenery and traditional architecture and culture, only interested in military sights if there’s something impressive about them; I’m not that interested in bird watching however. So far my list of things to do is:

-Kincheng
-Shuitou
-Qionglin
-Mount Taiwu
-Ceramics Factory
-Folk Culture Village, Chen Jian’s Tomb
-Lie Yu, incl. Jiugong Tunnels

I’m thinking of skipping:

-Shuangli Wetlands area
-Gugang Lake
-Zhongshan Park
-Tai Lake area

Will I miss anything unmissable? And is there anything not in the guidebooks that I should really check out?
Also, is there a place on Kinmen where I could rent a bike? How practical is getting around on a bike, and is there a lot of interesting stuff (villages, ruins, etc.) that I would be able to see on the back roads? A scooter is not an option, btw.

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The view from the TV tower (or whatever it is) on the central “mountain” (100-200m high :p) is really good:
[googlemaps]24.460614,118.409512[/googlemaps]
The last hundred or so meters of road that leads there are off-limits. But honestly, if you can’t read the smallish Chinese sign saying so (I couldn’t), there is nothing else that would indicate so. So I guess just check if there are any workers etc. around, it looks pretty safe to go there. It is not military, after all.

Anyway, the walk over the central “mountain” is nice even if you don’t go to that tower.

The one thing I would suggest doing, even if you are not so much interested in the military history of that place, is going to the knife factory of “Maestro Wu”. It’s just impressive to see those hundreds of artillery shells (don’t worry, all inert - propaganda shells, not explosive), and also fun to watch how they are cut and made into knifes by hand. The knifes are very affordable, look good IMHO, and are very easy to keep really sharp: in my kitchen even my Japanese Kyocera ceramic knife had to make way for the few-hundred-NT$-artillery-shell-knife from Kinmen.

For the military stuff (even I am quite interested in that) I would give almost everything a miss… There is a nice, big museum with lots of heavy equipment somewhere is the western/central area (edit: That should be the “Rushan Old Barrack”).

One more thing I liked is the smallish observation bunker museum here:
[googlemaps]24.527509,118.408455[/googlemaps]
When you go though the tunnel to the observation post, you can use the binoculars there to see the Chinese fishermen just ~2km away pick their noses :wink: Also if I remember correctly, right in front of that observation post there is a little rock island which has been fortified to the extreme - a nice look into the past.

In the village Jincheng there is the probably only bar worth mentioning on this islandn named Bar Sa. Cute communist propaganda decoration, and they offer the only way in which I think Gaoliang liquor is enjoyable: Their “Kinmen Battlefield” series of cocktails, you can read more about it in this thesis paper on pages 104 ff.

Oh, and skip Little Kinmen :wink: Taking a day trip by ferry to Xiamen /Amoy (China) can be interesting, if you want to see a bit of the mainland. It’s not very different than Taiwan anyway, except for bored policemen hanging out at every street corner.

Maybe I will add some more info later when I have time…

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We had a scooter and circled the island. I believe there are buses which go around too. A lot of the main tourist sights (and on Little Kinmen) have free bicycles to hire - you just show some form of ID and can borrow them for the day to ride around the area. They vary in quality, from new Giants and Meridas to really old bikes that look like they found them abandoned somewhere. This might be a good option, and then you could get buses for longer distances. Lots of homestays also rent bikes for free. There are lots of cool old villages everywhere, unfortunately I can’t remember any of the names.

I really enjoyed riding around Little Jinmen, it took us about half a day and we stopped a lot. If you’re there for 5 days I think it’s worth the trip.

One place I would have liked to visit are the tunnels under the main city. The entrance is from the second floor of the bus station building. Someone had told us to go there but as it was on the second floor we thought it was just a museum, and by the time we actually bothered to go and look we didn’t have enough time to do the tours.

If you’re interested, my photos of the trip are at:
axiconphotos.shutterfly.com/1009

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Can international driver’s license enable one to rent a scooter or do one need a Taiwanese motor license in order to rent one? I plan to visit Jinmen this fall and would be incredible if I can rent one. Does anyone know?

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You don’t need anything. Just ask your hotel and they will have one delivered. I was just there last week.

Also you should try to stay in one of the homestays in the old villages such as Shuitou. Most are around Nt1000-1200 a night which is what crappy hotels charge.

I think Jinmen is one of the best places in Taiwan.

Oh and for the OP you can rent free bikes all over the island. And don’t miss the wetlands. Beautiful areas with lots of old villages around and a few buildings riddled with bullet holes from the communist attack on Guningtou.

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Thanks so much Mucha Man! I look forward to visit Jinmen this fall and will take on your tips.

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For people who use this thread for reference later, I’ll answer some of my own questions:
-Ceramics factory is not worth the effort- far from Jincheng and nothing interesting on sale. Seeing the artisans at work was alright but not really special.
-If you go to Little Jinmen definitely check out the mazelike Iron Hamburger- I mean fort.
-Jincheng’s tunnels are far longer than Qionglin’s, so unless you object to following a tour stick with Jincheng’s. The museum above Qionglin’s is worth a peak either way.
-Stay in a homestay unless you’re in a rush and unable to rent a scooter- they’re great. MM- why no homestays in the LP?
-Tourism bureau bikes are only available at Jincheng, Little Jinmen and Shanwai, and Shanwai’s bikes are pretty small. If you want to bike away from those places you might be able to find a homestay or other business that will rent one.
-Shuangli Lake is mediocre, unless you want to see the old houses in Beishan. Ci Lake is the place to go for natural scenery.

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And thanks to everyone for the advice, btw!

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I didn’t cover the islands last time and in any case I don’t think they were around. Most have only recently opened. Trust me, some will be in the next guide.

Thanks for confirming that the ceramic factory is not worth seeing. I was underwhelmed as well. I am going to cut it out of the text and just leave it on the map as a landmark.

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Thinking of going to Kinmen this weekend, and I’ve got a few questions:
I want to stay in one of the homestays, and I don’t feel like researching or arranging anything ahead of time. If I go to the tourist information place at the airport, will they be able to suggest places and help me arrange one? Any suggestions for which village to stay in?
I don’t want to rent a scooter. Sound like I can get around the whole island by bicycle, is that right?
Oh, and is the fact that today is the Moon Festival likely to have any effect on the weekend crowds?
thanks!

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They might be able to help but homestays often need you to book ahead so they can prepare food (if they serve meals) and also your room. Also, I don’t think it is really viable to stay at a homestay and try to bike it (unless you don’t care about seeing that much). You need a scooter to be able to get around and see the sights in a reasonable amount of time and also to be able to get back to town for meals. If you just show up at a homestay you are goign to have to eat somewhere else. Even by scooter it was 15 minutes or so back to Kincheng from the nearest old village.

If you don’t want to rent a scooter you should stay in town and use the tourist buses to get around. Some are coordinated with bike rentals so you can take the bus to the area and then bike around. This is a fine way to explore Kinmen but again you really need to stay in town for this. Riding around the whole island is possible but the bikes they rent out are not exactly the best.

There’s actually a cozy little homestay right in Kincheng but I think you are talking about one of the old villages.

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I want to take my parents to Jinmen next April, is car rental possible and does anyone have a homestay recommendation?

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[quote=“Mucha Man”]They might be able to help but homestays often need you to book ahead so they can prepare food (if they serve meals) and also your room. Also, I don’t think it is really viable to stay at a homestay and try to bike it (unless you don’t care about seeing that much). You need a scooter to be able to get around and see the sights in a reasonable amount of time and also to be able to get back to town for meals. If you just show up at a homestay you are goign to have to eat somewhere else. Even by scooter it was 15 minutes or so back to Kincheng from the nearest old village.

If you don’t want to rent a scooter you should stay in town and use the tourist buses to get around. Some are coordinated with bike rentals so you can take the bus to the area and then bike around. This is a fine way to explore Kinmen (Jinmen) but again you really need to stay in town for this. Riding around the whole island is possible but the bikes they rent out are not exactly the best.

There’s actually a cozy little homestay right in Kincheng but I think you are talking about one of the old villages.[/quote]
Thanks, good to know. I guess I will have to rethink my plan…

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bump.

Anyone have any good advice on where to stay on Jinmen?

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bump.

Anyone have any good advice on where to stay on Jinmen?[/quote]

Hotel or homestay? Can you speak Mandarin? Some great homestays in preserved old houses in gorgeous old villages.

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Either homestay or hotel. My wife’s Taiwanese, so language isn’t a problem.

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This is the list of the 49 homestays on Kinmen. The best trad villages to stay are Shuitou and Zhushan, both old but lovingly restored, and close to Jincheng (Kincheng).

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Thanks very much