Taiwan’s Most Beautiful Coastal Cycling Route: Riding the North Coast from Keelung to Yilan

The northeast coast of Taiwan is one of the island’s most spectacular coastlines—dramatic rock formations, crystal-clear waters, ancient settlements, and sweeping views of the Pacific Ocean. Riding from Keelung City along the North Coastal Highway (Provincial Highway 2) all the way to Yilan, covering roughly 100–120 kilometers, is a must-ride route for cycling travelers in Taiwan.

Route Overview

Basic Information

Item	Data
Starting Point	Keelung City (Qidu or Keelung Railway Station)
End Point	Yilan City (or near Guishan Island)
Total Distance	Approximately 110 km
Cumulative Climb	Approximately 1,200–1,500 meters (rolling terrain)
Recommended Duration	1–2 days
Difficulty	Moderate (some climbs, but not extreme)

Segment Highlights

The entire North Coast route can be divided into several distinctive segments:

Segment	Section	Highlights
Keelung Harbor Section	Keelung → Badouzi	Fishing port culture, food
Heping Island Section	Badouzi → Shen’ao	Unique rock formations
Jinshan Wanli Section	Shen’ao → Jinshan	Coastal farmland, Baisha Bay
Shimen Sanzhi Section	Jinshan → Tamsui	Wind turbines, North Coast scenery
North Yilan Road Entrance	Tamsui → Yilan	Crossing the mountains via Provincial Highway 2C

Choosing Your Starting Point

Taking the Train from Taipei to Keelung

• Taipei Railway Station → Keelung Railway Station: approximately 40–50 minutes
• Frequent service; bicycles must be bagged

The First Kilometer from Keelung City

After exiting Keelung Railway Station, head along Ai 3rd Road toward Badu, or take Ren 3rd Road directly toward Heping Island, and you can connect to Provincial Highway 2.

Detailed Segment-by-Segment Introduction

Keelung → Shen’ao (Approximately 20 km)

Badouzi Fishing Port:

• One of Taiwan’s most famous fishing communities
• Agenna Shipyard Ruins: abandoned industrial landscape, a paradise for photographers
• Chaojing Bay: natural scenery featuring Fuji Reef rocks

Heping Island (if you take the detour):

• One of the northernmost points of the Taiwan mainland
• A wide variety of bizarre sea-eroded terrain: mushroom rocks, honeycomb rocks, tofu rocks
• Seawater swimming pool (paid)

Shen’ao:

• Shen’ao Fishing Port: a traditional small fishing harbor
• Elephant Trunk Rock: a sea-eroded arch that resembles an elephant’s trunk from certain angles

Shen’ao → Jinshan (Approximately 30 km)

Nanya Strange Rocks:

• Unique terrain along Provincial Highway 2
• Sandstone eroded by wind and rain into various human and animal shapes
• Designated as a national scenic area

Ruifang → Jiufen:

• If time permits, take the detour up to Jiufen (but the climb is steep)
• Jiufen’s mountain-town scenery and rich nostalgic atmosphere

Jilong Mountain (Jinguashih) Section:

• Provincial Highway 2 has a section with significant ups and downs here
• Views of Keelung Islet (an offshore island) on the sea

Wanli:

• Near Yehliu Geopark (if you don’t ride into Yehliu, you can view it from a distance)
• Home of Wanli crab (swimming crab); the food season runs from late spring to early summer

Baisha Bay:

• One of the few white sand beaches in northern Taiwan
• Very crowded on summer weekends; watch out for roadside tourists while riding

Jinshan:

• Traditional snacks on Jinshan Old Street (duck meat, taro ice cream)
• Country lanes near the Juming Museum
• Yehliu’s Queen’s Head (a world-famous geological wonder) is 10 km away

Jinshan → Tamsui (Approximately 25 km)

Shimen:

• Shimen Cave (sea-eroded arch): one of Taiwan’s most famous sea caves
• Shimen Ancient Battlefield Memorial Park
• Linshanbi: a sunset viewpoint in Shimen

Sanzhi:

• Li Tian-lu Puppet Museum
• A well-known training ground for Taiwanese cyclists (the Sanzhi–Shimen area)
• Landscape dotted with wind turbines

Tamsui:

• The meeting of river and sea at the Tamsui River mouth
• Tamsui Old Street (heavy tourist crowds)
• Fort San Domingo
• If continuing to Yilan, you need to take Provincial Highway 2C or Provincial Highway 2 from Tamsui to reconnect

Tamsui → Yilan (Beiyi Highway, Approximately 45 km)

This is the most challenging part of the entire route, requiring a crossing of the northern mountain ranges:

Route Option	Characteristics
Continue on Provincial Highway 2 along the North Coast	From Tamsui to Toucheng, a big loop along the coast, relatively gentle
Provincial Highway 2C → Provincial Highway 9	More direct crossing of the mountains, but steep climbs
Beiyi Highway (Provincial Highway 9A)	A legendary road, but very steep and dangerous

Recommendation: Continue south along Provincial Highway 2, looping around from the Taiwan Strait to the east coast, and enter Yilan more safely (though longer).

Food Recommendations

The North Coast’s food culture is centered on seafood, with many specialty snacks along the way:

Keelung

Food	Recommended Location
Ren 3rd Road late-night eats	Miaokou Night Market
Pao Pao Ice (shaved ice dessert)	Keelung Miaokou
Ding Bian Cuo (wok-edge noodles)	Local specialty

Wanli/Jinshan

Food	Highlights
Wanli Crab	Swimming crab, in season from April to November
Jinshan Taro Ice Cream	Local specialty frozen dessert
Duck Meat	Jinshan duck rice is a local signature dish

Tamsui

Food	Highlights
Fish Ball Soup	A must-eat on Tamsui Old Street
A-gei	Fried tofu skin stuffed with cellophane noodles (Tamsui specialty)
Iron Eggs	Braised hard-boiled eggs, a famous souvenir

Safety Notes

The Impact of the Northeast Monsoon

From autumn to winter (October to March), the North Coast is strongly affected by the northeast monsoon:

• Riding northward/northeastward means riding into the wind, consuming significant energy
• Strong crosswinds can affect riding stability
• Recommended route direction: Ride from Yilan toward Keelung (downwind, more efficient)

Summer Typhoon Season

The typhoon season in summer (July–September) has impacts:

• Heavy rain brought by typhoons can make coastal sections dangerous
• Some sections may have falling rocks or road damage after typhoons

Traffic Safety

• On holidays (especially in summer), Provincial Highway 2 carries heavy tourist traffic; stay alert
• Many tour buses and sightseeing coaches near Yehliu
• The Badouzi to Shen’ao section has some slopes; control your speed on descents

Best Time to Ride

Season	Characteristics	Riding Suitability
Spring (March–May)	Mild, occasional rain	★★★★
Summer (June–September)	Hot, typhoon season	★★★ (watch for typhoons)
Autumn (October–November)	Most stable, northeast monsoon begins	★★★★★
Winter (December–February)	Strong northeast monsoon, frequent rain	★★ (strong winds, but no summer heat)

Most recommended: mid-October to mid-November, the brief golden window after summer typhoons have passed and before the northeast monsoon reaches its peak.

Accommodation Suggestions

If you choose to complete the ride over two days:

Accommodation Location	Highlights
Jinshan	Convenient, small-town atmosphere
Shimen	Fewer tourists, rural scenery
Tamsui	Complete facilities, but crowded with tourists

Conclusion

The northeast coast of Taiwan is a geology textbook and a coastal highway filled with human stories. Behind every strange rock lies a story of tens of thousands of years of the sea; inside every small fishing harbor are generations of memories of people living off the ocean.

Riding slowly through this stretch of coast by bicycle gives you enough speed to cover the distance, yet enough slowness to stop and look at a mushroom rock, smell the salt in the sea breeze, and taste seafood just unloaded from a fishing boat.

This is Taiwan’s most beautiful coastline, waiting for you to experience it firsthand.

Related Reading

• North Coast Cycling Route: Riding the Coastline from Tamsui to Keelung
• Complete Guide to Taiwan’s Northeast Coast Golden Coastline Cycling Route
• Taiwan North Coast 200 km One-Day Challenge: A Double Century Ride from Taipei
• Taiwan Cycling Around the Island, Northern Section: Scenery and Challenges from the North Coast to Yilan