Taoyuan Coastal Trail

Taoyuan County

Length: 40km round-trip

A fantastic ride cycling along the seashore through a coastal forest. This ride is just one part of a bike trail that goes along the coast for over 100km. This section will take you south along the coast, mostly through forest, to just across the river from Hsinchu.

Access: take a local train to Fugang station (1 hour from Taipei station), then a bus to Fu Xing Gong Temple (福興宮). For a faster way to get there take the train to Hukou Station then a taxi to the temple. The bus stop to go back is at the large tree in front of the temple. Check the sign here for departure times.

The Ride

There are numerous bike rental shops outside the temple.

The stretch of bike trail north from the temple to the fishing port is very popular. This 6km stretch is full of families on large tandem bikes. The trail is also very wide here so this is not a problem and you can still ride easily. There are also many snack and drink stalls along the way.

The fishing port is similar to Fisherman’s Wharf in Danshui. There are a lot of seafood stalls in the port and a Greek themed restaurant on the second floor, but there are no English menus anywhere.

fishing port

riding towards the temple

Around the temple area there are many snacks stalls and games for kids around here. Behind the temple is another Greek themed restaurant, but again there is no English menu. A little further back, up the main highway, there is another café, the Monet Coffee Shop. This is the only place around that has an English menu but it very popular and you may not be able to get a seat. The café can be reached by turning off the bike trail about 1km before the temple.

bike rentals at the temple

the trail south through the forests

Few people ride the trail heading south from the temple. Just follow the dashed lines painted on the road. These lines mark the route of the bike trail. The lines will lead you over a small creek, past a village, across the highway, and back into the forest.

After riding for 4.5km the trail crosses another river surrounded by mangroves. There are boardwalks going through the mangroves. The ground here is covered by thousands of little white crabs all swinging their one large claw around defending their few square inches of territory.

From here keep following the bike trail sign. The way is marked by signs and dashed lines in the road. After passing the mangroves there are even less people on the bike trail. The trail goes through a short stretch of forest, then turns to follow along the seashore for a couple of kilometers. Keep following the dashed lines. The trail the turns left and leads you to the main highway. The highway enters a tunnel here, look for a bike trail branching off from the highway just before the tunnel. The trail joins with the highway at the end of the road tunnel at a small village. Ride along the highway through here to rejoin the trail on the other side of the village a few hundred meters down the highway.

After 2km from the village you’ll come to beach. This makes for a good place to stop and rest before heading back. If you are interested in riding further, from here the bike trail continues on over the river and into Hsinchu, from where it continues south along the coast. Please see my Hsinchu entry for details on another great ride along the coast starting from there.