Swimming in Taipei and Northern Taiwan

Taiwan Where Can I Find...?
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Hi there, wondering what is a good place to swim in summer time (for leisure, for sports I guess sports centers are the place).

I found this place: https://maps.app.goo.gl/kVaYTBMoNgTRs7xy9
and this:https://maps.app.goo.gl/5zcrb8PZFhhFkjNY8

Any of you went there?

Also interested if there’s interesting spots in rivers near Taipei or any other place you know good to have a good time in the water with family.

Looking forward to hearing your advise!

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This river pool is not too bad for a family https://maps.app.goo.gl/Kson5DAZSoa5t9c29
Kezilin, idk why it says is closed and I’m not sure if it’s the correct link. I went there like 3 years ago

I like this small beach

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I’ve been to the Heping Seawater pools (the second place you linked to). It would be a good place to go with the family. Safe and there’s some fish in the pools.

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Swimming quality changes a lot, whether because of typhoons or somebody drowning there and the government closing it down partially (looking at you, Dawulun) or completely. However, since I’m “training” for the Sun Moon Lake swim, I’ll share my experience from the last two months, not including snorkeling spots or waterfalls for bathing/light swimming.

Jinshawan: Currently my favorite.

  • Sandy beach with easy access and unlimited ocean to swim in.
  • Free parking, not crowded even on the weekends.
  • No official lifeguards or restrictions.
  • Cafe right on the beach to keep your swimless spouses in shade and happy.
  • Walking distance to a brilliant seafood restaurant.
  • Public transport only by bus from Keelung or Fulong.

Baishawan:

  • Long beach with a holiday vibe and many fellow Forumosans
  • Sumptuous cold Stella at Dazzler’s
  • Crowded, sometimes need to wait for (paid) parking
  • Takes ages before you walk to the swimmable deeper section

Qingtanyan in Xindian

  • River used by triathletes for training, works well for 100+ m laps.
  • Very close to the city, free parking.
  • Abeis are spitting in the water and washing themselves in the river with soap.
  • Need to share the lower part with fishermen and occasional dog swimmers.
  • Not the prettiest. Water is fairly clean but the air smelled a little funky last time.

Heping Island:

  • Great natural pool both for laps or relaxing, almost never crowded.
  • Good facilities although paid showers.
  • Beautiful sunsets.
  • Used to come here a lot before. Price increased to $120 per person last year + $50/hour for parking. I think it’s not worth it unless you’re going there for the first time and want to also go on the walk around the park.

Shen’ao:

  • Very pretty surroundings, now with less visitors since the elephant trunk fell.
  • Many great food options in the area.
  • Surprisingly close to Taipei through various modes of transport.
  • Access to water is not easy if you’re uncomfortable climbing a little. Or if you’re scared of sea urchins.
  • Need to share with SUPers and fishermen.

Keelung Haixiang Swimming Association:

  • 10 min from Keelung, less than 30 min from Taipei. Parking is free.
  • Extremely crowded on the weekends, even in the water, which is rare in Taiwan.
  • Industrial setting, not the cleanest water (maybe I was just unlucky)

I also heard that Candlesticks Beach is beautiful, but I was scared off by a barking doggo last time, so I can’t confirm unfortunately.

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Can you provide details? Do you mean somewhere in Jinshan (金山)?

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No, it’s this beach between Longdong and Fulong: https://maps.app.goo.gl/fTvmj2XGWbUJ9vuMA?g_st=ic

And this the restaurant with a view :slightly_smiling_face:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/tf1rVt7Fd7hyv1CN8?g_st=com.google.maps.preview.copy

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That looks really nice. Thanks. I’m going to Fulong in two weeks. I might drive over and take a look at Jinshawan Beach.

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Serious question… has anyone found a decent beach (even just a small one) west of the Danshui river mouth? We are in Luzhou which always has terrible traffic jams when accessing the north coast via Wugu and Guandu Bridge. TIA

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Also has clean public restroom on beach

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Used to go there a lot, safe beach for swimming and very quick to get to driving from Taipei.
Only thing it lacks is shower facilities.

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I kinda like Fulong beach. There’s a section where they charge admissions but another section where you’re technically not supposed to swim in, but people do, and often you see only foreigners there when you go during the ghost month. There is a nearby hotel where they charge admissions, where you can shower for free (they are not in the paid areas). It’s cold water, but in the summer, it doesn’t much matter.

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Ok, I’ll answer my post with another question. Has anyone been to Zhuwei Beach? It looks promising and there’s the fishing harbor with night markety snacks and stalls to keep non-beach going people occupied.

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Went there recently. It was really nice. There is a sign that says you should wear shoes while in the pool, but I found out that it is not a requirement.

Looking back, wearing at least some sort of water shoe/sandal is not the worst idea if you want to be safe – as I came really close to stepping on a sea urchin in my most recent visit. :skull_and_crossbones:

This pool is really sourced directly from the ocean, so there is always at least some fish and other sea life hanging out in it too.

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I tried wearing shoes in the beach… big mistake. The sandal/shoe/whatever just gets wet, and the water drag makes it VERY hard to walk, meaning you are more likely to trip and fall over and possibly drown.

If you are wearing shoes, it becomes wet and you’ll get foot fungus soon.

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To each their own I guess

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A little late in the year for this, but I am looking for a good waterfall that preferably has a pool/wading area that is close to Taipei as possible. It looks like Lingjiao Falls no longer has a swimmable area…

Any pointing in the right direction would be appreciated!

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7 posts were split to a new topic: Beach accidents in Taiwan

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Well, one year later I managed to go to one of the sea swimming pools in Keelung. Went during weekend (afternoon) and the place was quite busy but nothing crazy.

I’m used to the Mediterranean beaches which are top notch so I was a bit disappointed to be honest. I was expecting more kinda blueish and transparent water even though I was not expecting much from the pool structure itself.

The pool structure (bare concrete) felt a bit dirty, lots of seaweed sticked in there (pretty slippery).

The water it self was not transparent at all, probably not “dirty” in the strict sense but a mix of small bits of algae and maybe sand revolving in the water made it very dark. You could see however a few small fishes if you paid attention.

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