Travel around Taiwan along coastline

When I came back from Fulong event, I re-experience the beauty of Taiwan’s coastline. It brought back happy memories from my youth to me.

I want to travel around Taiwan along its coastline by scooter, probably traveling in several days.

Did everyone here have the similar trip before?

Any rountes suggestion?

Hey Obasan: It’s been done by many people before, but it’s a great experience. The East Coast is much more beautiful than the West, so maybe do the West Coast first. Your bum will get sore driving too much, so take it easy. You might follow the following itinerary: Day 1: Go to Taizhong along the coastal route. Have dinner at the fishport, stay the night in town and check out a few pubs. Day 2: Go to Tainan, check out some temples. Day 3, down to Kending. You might even want to spend two nights here, as the beaches and National Park forest areas are quite nice. Day 4: To Ziben, near Taidong. Soak your sore bum in a hot spring. Day 5, up the coast or through the rift valley to Hualien. If you have time, you can spend an extra night here and check out Taroko Gorge, which is truly spectacular. Day 6, Hualien to Taipei. Follow the coastal route - Highway 2 - all the way to Keelung, as there is some great stuff to see, which you’ll miss if you take a shortcut through the mountains. This last day may be your most beautiful, so don’t do it in the dark! Hope this helps, JOHN

[quote=“kate.lin”]…

I want to travel around Taiwan along its coastline by scooter, probably traveling in several days.

Did everyone here have the similar trip before?

Any rountes suggestion?[/quote]

You probably need several days by scooter … :slight_smile: should be around 800-1,000 km

[quote=“BigJohn”]Hey Obasan: It’s been done by many people before, but it’s a great experience. The East Coast is much more beautiful than the West, so maybe do the West Coast first. Your bum will get sore driving too much, so take it easy. You might follow the following itinerary: Day 1: Go to Taizhong along the coastal route. Have dinner at the fishport, stay the night in town and check out a few pubs. Day 2: Go to Tainan, check out some temples. Day 3, down to Kending. You might even want to spend two nights here, as the beaches and National Park forest areas are quite nice. Day 4: To Ziben, near Taidong. Soak your sore bum in a hot spring. Day 5, up the coast or through the rift valley to Hualian. If you have time, you can spend an extra night here and check out Taroko Gorge, which is truly spectacular. Day 6, Hualian to Taipei. Follow the coastal route - Highway 2 - all the way to Keelung (Jilong), as there is some great stuff to see, which you’ll miss if you take a shortcut through the mountains. This last day may be your most beautiful, so don’t do it in the dark! Hope this helps, JOHN[/quote]I agree with the route but think that it would be better done over 9 days/8 nights (two weekends plus the weekdays in between). Taipei to Taichung, Zhiben to Hualian, and Hulian to Taipei are fairly long days on a scooter, and it would be a pity not to have time to stop and enjoy the sights along the way.

How does one get from Hualien to Suao? As far as I know there are several long tunnels … dirty breath choking tunnels that I wouldn’t enter without a gas mask … are they even allowed to enter by scooter …

[quote=“Belgian Pie”]How does one get from Hualian to Suao? As far as I know there are several long tunnels … dirty breath choking tunnels that I wouldn’t enter without a gas mask … are they even allowed to enter by scooter …[/quote]Yes, there are a few tunnels and yes, scooters are allowed through. It can get a bit dusty sometimes. Worth it for the cliff views though.

you should try it on a bicycle!

carefully, with lights, pedalling fast. not sure how else to get around the whole island by bicycle.

I wouldn’t want to do the whole island on one trip. I’d rather opt for an eastern coast tour. Between Taipei and Yilan you can take the coastal route and the mountain route and between Hualien and Taitung you can take the coastal route and the valley route. So there is not much in terms of going back the same way you came, except for the Suao/Hualien stretch. You might consider taking the ferry to Green Island as well.