Fulong Bike

Fulong is a beautiful corner of Taiwan. Situated east of Taipei on a small peninsula jutting into the ocean, it sports the best Taiwan has to offer: thick forests, rolling mountains with the occasional sharp face, clean beaches, blue/green ocean, and a couple intricately decorated temples.

This post will cover an activity that's easy enough for a family to do in ~5 hours but interesting enough to entertain anybody. It is a bike ride around the eastern peninsula of Fulong that features good ocean views, a ride through the historic 2km long tunnel, stops at several interesting locations (including slate faults, a lighthouse, and more), and ends at a clean and gorgeous beach.

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Cost and Time
Total: ~300TWD, ~5-8 Hours
- Train from Taipei to Fulong - 99TWD - 1.5hrs
- Bike Rental and Ride - 100-200TWD - 2-4 hrs
- Train from Fulong to Taipei - 60TWD - 1.5hrs



What to Bring
- A picture ID to be given to the bike rental people. Not your passport.
- The weather of Fulong is similar to that of Taipei, with an added blustery ocean breeze. In the colder months (October - March) bring at the very least a light jacket and tights. In the summer months, a long sleeve shirt is recommended to have in a pack for the really windy places.
- Water bottles (can be purchased at the 7/11 at Fulong)
- Whatever you're comfortable biking in for an extended period of time. I like shorts and a t-shirt with sneakers.
- If you're hitting the beach, sun screen, towel, swimsuit, and other beach things. There are lockers outside of Fulong train station (near the bathrooms) if you'd like to leave your beach things there and bike light.

What to Expect
- Historical sites (tunnel, lighthouse, overlooks)
- Fantastic ocean views
- Interesting geography
- Light hike opportunities
- Coastal views
- Swimmable Beach

Instructions Short
1. Get a TRA train ticket from Taipei Main Station to Fulong Train Station (~1.5 hours)
2. Walk directly out of the station and rent your bike of choice from any of the vendors.
3. Take the road that's to your right as you leave the station to the 2km Tunnel
4. Take a sharp uphill left from the tunnel to reach the main road / bike path
5. Follow signs for the bike path and bike ~2-4 hours, stopping when interested
6. Stop at Sandiaojiao Lighthouse, climb path to see the lighthouse. Continue biking.
7. Return bike before 5pm, get picture ID back
8. Get a train from Fulong Train Station to Taipei Main Station

Instructions Long
1. Starting in Taipei (recommend no later than 10am), go to Taipei Main Station and follow signs for "TRA." There are automatic machines that you can try to figure out if you'd like (tickets today -> eastern taiwan -> fulong) but your best bet is to go to the ticket window and say "Fulong." If they try to tell you times in Chinese, never fear, they will write the times down for you when they realize you don't understand. Just point and choose, and pay. Take your ticket to the corrals to the left and show the employee standing there, they will communicate via English or by writing down for you which platform you should go to. Don't lose that ticket, you'll need it when you leave Fulong station.

A train may be at the platform that isn't your train. The only way to know is to ask as many people as possible until you find one that speaks English. Sometimes the train arrives 1 minute before departure time, so it's always good to double-check before getting on a train. You can worry whether you're on the right car once you're actually on the thing. Trains depart every hour, so don't miss it.

The train ride lasts about 1.5 hours. It begins slow, with many stops, but picks up speed as it gets further from the city. I prefer the view out of the left side, particularly as you get closer to Fulong, as there are many ruined towns to see. About 20 minutes from Fulong there is an abandoned, bricked off tunnel buried in the forest visible from the left side of the train. See if you can spot it!

2. There's only one exit out of the station. Give the attendant your ticket, exit to the right. Immediately to your left will be bathrooms and lockers. Immediately to your right is the road you will be taking later. Straight ahead and downhill are the various bike shops you can choose your bike from. To rent a bike, just go up and point to the one you want, and indicate the number of bikes you'll be renting. I recommend getting the yellow Giant brand hybrid bikes from the first guy on the left for 150TWD each, but down the hill and across the road is a more comfortable hybrid/mountain Giant brand vendor for 100TWD each if you prefer a slower, more comfortable ride. They'll ask for your ID, which they'll keep until you return your bike. They will also generally show you a "contract" with rules on it in Chinese. Just agree, I promise you aren't signing your unborn children away. Bring your bike back by 5.

3. When you left the station, there was a road leading off to your right. Follow it and after about 10-15 min you will arrive at the 2km tunnel, as well as some bathrooms. It's about a 5-10 minute ride through the thing so settle in.

4. When you get out of the tunnel, and after taking in the wonderful views (you can see turtle island off in the distance), the road you want is up the hill to your left from the tunnel entrance. It'll be marked with various bike signs and runs alongside the main road (it's basically just a shoulder to the road.)

5. Start biking! There's a lot to see, and don't worry about stopping and leaving your bike unlocked. Theft is incredibly rare in Taiwan. Along the route there are some interesting shale faults sticking out of the ground that are great fun to walk around. There's tide pools there that are fun to check out. Also along the way are several viewpoints, including one a 3 minute walk up a hill called the Sandiaojiao Lighthouse. The entrance is right here.  Just go straight up the stairs.

The ride can get a bit confusing after this. Worse case scenario, just stick to the road's shoulder, however, you can follow all bike signs with confidence, as they will at one point (after the rainbow elementary school) diverge to the right towards a temple and then through a small fishing town.

6. Once you start getting near beaches, you are near Fulong train station. Here is the convergence towards the beach, make sure not to miss it! Follow the path along the beach, hang out at the beach, whatever, then cross this bridge, then left, and left again onto Fulong Street. From there, it's straight uphill to the station. Turn in your bike, and don't forget to get your ID back!

7.  Inside the station, ask the ticket window people for "Taipei." It's likely that their English will be terrible, so worse case scenario, copy this and blow it up on your phone's notes app: 請寫出列車時刻台北。Everyone is generally very helpful, so just keep asking "Taipei?" to get to the right platform. Again, make sure you're on the right train! The platform changes all the time, so unfortunately I can't specify here. It would be good to ask when you get on a train if people on it are going to Taipei. Good luck!


Add in the comments your experience, or any suggestions you have for this route!