This short walking or biking route sees you following the waterways of Taoyuan's Pingzhen District. The scenery is gently rural — the perfect kind of low-energy, no-planning-required wander.
cycling
LIYU LAKE (鯉魚潭)
Liyu Lake (aka Carp Lake) is situated a short drive southwest of Hualien City. As the county’s largest lake, it has been spruced up with a round-lake trail to attract hikers and bikers. The lake can be visited by private car or public transport and is a relaxing outdoor excursion that’s suitable for the whole family.
TAOLIN BIKEWAY (桃林鐵路自行車道)
This gentle ride in Taoyuan has been deftly stitched together from the remains of the old Taolin coal railway. The scenery cannot be described as breathtaking, but it’s a fun way to explore part of Taoyuan that’s well off the tourist trail.
HSINCHU COASTAL CYCLE PATH
Stretching along Hsinchu's coastline you can find an expanse of easy cycle path to enjoy. The path takes you past mud flats and wind turbines, farms and war relics, and is easily accessible from the city.
DAHAN RIVER RIDE: XIMEN to DAXI (大漢溪自行車道)
This easy ride takes you from the heart of downtown Taipei to a Hakka town built around an old street in Taoyuan.
SANDIAOLING TUNNEL BIKEWAY
Since it reopened in 2022, Sandiaoling Tunnel has become a top spot for people wanting a short half-day adventure from Taipei.
BADE CYCLE LOOP (八德區自行車O型)
Taoyuan's Bade District is perhaps best known for its bald pine grove–a tourist trap that fills up with Instagrammers when the leaves turn deep orange, but there's more to this area than seasonally picturesque trees. There are grand old houses, odd shrines, and living relics of a lifestyle long-since forgotten in the cities.
TAITUNG MOUNTAIN OCEAN BIKEWAY (臺東山海鐵馬道)
Taitung Ocean Mountain Bikeway was designed as a great loop encircling Taitung City. It was meant to take riders along the old railway line, over the river, past huge mountains, before looping back to bring you along the seafront. Sadly, only a portion of the original trail is still there, but that doesn't mean you can't forge your own route!
TAIPEI GRAND HIKE 8 – WENSHAN to GUANDU (臺北大縱走8段 – 文山/關渡)
This is one for the picky completists out there. Back when the Taipei Grand Hike was first announced, I was excited by the idea of a Taiwanese long distance trail, but it always rankled that the trail didn’t encircle the city entirely. Well now it does. (Almost.)
TAMSUI RIVER CYCLE PATH
The west bank of the Tamsui River makes an excellent short excursion. To get the most out of your adventure make sure you leave time to enjoy some of Tamsui's street food and savour the sunset.
XIMEN TO XINDIAN RIVER CYCLE PATH (新店溪自行車道)
As with almost all of Taipei’s large rivers, the Xindian River has well-maintained cycle paths stretching for many kilometres along its banks. This gentle ride upriver towards Bitan is a great way to stretch your legs and enjoy scenery that becomes more and more dramatic the further south you go.
JINGMEI RIVER CYCLE PATH (景美溪自行車道)
A short and simple river bikeway which can be combined with a trip up to Maokong. For the more adventurous, you can turn this into an all day, three-modes of transportation trip by then walking down from Maokong via Yinhe Cave.
SANCHONG AND LUZHOU CYCLE LOOP
If you look at Sanchong and Luzhou on a map, they seem to form an island, cut off from the rest of Taipei by rivers and parks. Luckily for the residents of this area, these unbuilt-up spaces house a great network of cycle paths where you can enjoy either a good bit of exercise or a laid back bike ride depending on your mood and energy levels.
SHEZI ISLAND CYCLE PATH (社子島自行車道)
This easy cycle route will show you around a less often visited nook of Taipei City. Jutting out between the Keelung and Danshui rivers, Shezi island has lots to offer avian aficionados. Those less interested in the birds can still enjoy the scenes of a quieter way of life.
BALI LEFT BANK CYCLE PATH
A comfortable and straightforward ride along the banks of the Tamsui river all the way up to Bali. Join the casual strollers and serious cyclists as you ride through parks, past boats yards to Bali old street.