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17 Best Motorcycle Rides and Road Trips in Taiwan

riding scooter matsu
Ruby on Matsu Island

Travelers to Taiwan often ask me: “What’s the ONE thing I absolutely must do while in Taiwan?” You’d probably expect my answer to include temples, food, night markets, or hot springs. Nope. My clear and definite answer has always been the same: Rent a scooter or motorcycle and go for a ride!

riding a motorbike at Hehuanshan taiwan
Central Cross-Island Highway, between Hehuanshan and Dayuling

With hundreds of kilometers of gorgeous coastline, a fierce mountain range that bisects the island from north to south, dozens of glorious valleys, dense forests, wild jungles, and one of the world’s most spectacular gorges, it’s not surprising that Taiwan offers some of the best riding experiences and adventures in the world!

taiwan triumph motorcycle
My latest toy – Triumph Street Scrambler 900cc – perfect for both city riding and more serious adventures in the mountains.

Table of Contents

    • What’s cool about riding in Taiwan
    • Ever-Changing Landscape!
  • Map of Taiwan Rides
    • Map of Outlying Islands Rides
    • I love bikes & I love to ride in Taiwan!
  • 1. Traverse the Central Cross-Island Highway
    • Taichung to Hualien by scooter / motorcycle
  • 2. Ride through Taroko Gorge
    • Hualien to Tianxiang by Scooter / Motorcycle
  • 3. East Coast / Highway 11
    • Hualien to Taitung
  • 4. Kenting to Xuhai
  • 5. Northeast Coast
  • 6. Orchid Island (Lanyu)
  • 7. Green Island (Ludao)
  • 8. Penghu Island
  • 9. Matsu Island
  • 10. Little Liuqiu Island (Xiao Liu Qiu)
  • 11. Yilan to Lishan
  • 12. Maolin
  • 13. South Cross-Island Highway
  • 14. North Cross-Island Highway
  • 15. Road #124 in Miaoli County
  • 16. Road #21 in Nantou County
  • 17. Sun Moon Lake to Alishan
    • Riding the West coast – NOT COOL!
    • Motorcycle Trips on Mainland Taiwan
    • Outlying Islands Loops

What’s cool about riding in Taiwan

After riding every kind of motorcycle around Taiwan for 19 years, the one thing I still find awesome (and absolutely unbelievable) is the fact that pretty much nobody knows that Taiwan has world-class roads and some of the best sceneries that exist on earth.

taichung qiqi
Riding in the concrete jungle!

Ever-Changing Landscape!

Another really cool aspect of riding around Taiwan is the ever-changing landscape, and the facts that you can see so many different things in such a short amount of time or distance. On a typical ride, you can zoom by traditional temples and modern buildings in cities, green rice fields on the edge of town, farmers villages with ancient Chinese houses, mountains, bamboo forests, waterfalls, fishing harbors, towering sea cliffs, and deserted beaches. Few places in the world offer so much in such a “small” place!

road to jialeshui from eluanbi
Road to Jialeshui, from Cape Eluanbi, at the souther tip of Taiwan

Somehow, it’s been kept a secret, like so many other things on Formosa. When the secret will be out, Taiwan could become as popular as Thailand’s Mae Hong Son Loop and the Golden Triangle Circuit, or the Ho Chi Minh Trail in Vietnam – both super-classic motorcycle circuits in Asia.

taiwan landscape pingtung
Pingtung County, in Southern Taiwan

When I say I’ve owned “every kind of bike” I really mean every kind of bike. Since moving to Taiwan in 2000, I’ve owned at least 15 scooters, a Yamaha SECCA 1982, a Harley, two Honda CB400, a Yamaha FZ6, an FZ1, a Suzuki GSX1400, a CB1300, and a Ducati Monster 1100. I am currently riding a 300cc Kymco scooter, and a Triumph Street Scrambler 900cc.

Triumph Scrambler 900
My Triumph Scrambler 900cc – made for Taiwan riding!

Map of Taiwan Rides

Make sure to click on the table of content icon (top left on the map) to see a list of all the rides.


Map of Outlying Islands Rides


I love bikes & I love to ride in Taiwan!

Taiwan has been my playground since 2000, I know it like the back of my hand, and I’d like to show you my favorite roads on the island, so that you can prepare your own motorbike trip.

Here’s a list of the best motorcycle rides in Taiwan:

taiwan coastal scenery
Road #26, Kenting National Park

1. Traverse the Central Cross-Island Highway

Taichung to Hualien by scooter / motorcycle

This road is the grand classic motorbike trip in Taiwan. It starts in Taichung, then Puli, a pretty uninteresting city on the west coast, then takes you right into the middle of the Central Mountain Range, at Hehuanshan, where you cross the range at 3275 meters in Wuling, then ride downhill east into Taroko Gorge all the way to the Pacific Ocean on the other side of the island. Most people finish this epic trip in Hualien City, just south of Taroko.

qingjing taiwan mountain
Qingjing, in Nantou County, on the West side of the Central Mountain Range. Good spot to spend a night.

Can be done in as little as 6 hours if you ride fast, non-stop but I highly recommend you break the journey in two days and make an overnight stop at Qingjing Farm or Tianxiang in Taroko Gorge.

Bring warm clothes, rain gear, gloves, and make sure you fill your gas tank before crossing the high pass at Wuling. You should only do this road trip on a proper, reliable scooter or motorcycle with decent tires and good breaks.

Roads: 14, 14甲, 8, from Puli on the west coast to Xincheng at the end of Taroko.

Central Cross-Island Highway in Taiwan
Central Cross-Island Highway

2. Ride through Taroko Gorge

Hualien to Tianxiang by Scooter / Motorcycle

If you don’t have the time to do the whole Central Cross-Island Highway, you could plan to “only” do this section from Xincheng to Tianxiang Village. Rich in both scenery and riding excitement, this journey is guaranteed to bring you tons of photo opportunities, and challenge your riding skills.

Bridge in Taroko Gorge, near Tianhsiang
Bridge in Taroko Gorge, near Tianhsiang

Itinerary: Xincheng to Tianxiang, Road #8. The road is actually quite nice passed Xincheng, so you could venture higher into the mountains, where the road gets steeper and has sharper turns. Lots of viewpoints along the way.

Taroko Gorge in Taiwan
One of the many tunnels in Taroko Gorge

Accommodation and restaurants in Taroko Gorge have never had a good reputation. I recommend you spend the night in Hualien where you can find tons of great and affordable hotels and places to eat. If you must stay in the gorge, or insist on sleeping in the outdoor, Tianxiang Village is your best option where you can even camp.


3. East Coast / Highway 11

Hualien to Taitung

Highway 11 offers the most scenic coastal ride on the island. The road is wide and there are not too many speed cameras along the way when compared to road #9, which also runs from Hualien to Taitung, in the East Rift Valley, inland.

My old Yamaha Secca, just outside Hualien along the East Coast

Itinerary and recommended stops along the way

Highway 11: Hualien City – Baqi Viewpoint – Jiqi Beach – Shitiping Scenic Recreation Area – Baxiandong – Sanxiantai – Chenggong – Donghe – Dulan – Taitung

Qingshui Cliffs, also part of Taroko National Park
Qingshui Cliffs, also part of Taroko National Park
Jici Beach
Jici Beach
Highway 11, near Taitung

Check out more interesting places along Highway 11.


4. Kenting to Xuhai

The second most beautiful coastal road trip on Taiwan main island is the southern tip of Taiwan, and the southeast coast. Kenting to Xuhai links both those sections in a short 2 to 3 hour ride. 

Southern tip of Taiwan

Start in Hengchun town, or Kenting village, then head all the way to the southern tip of the island. Along the way, you’ll pass through scenic spots such as Nanwan Beach, Little Bay, Shadao, Sail Rock, and Eluanbi Lighthouse. 

Beach in Kenting

From Eluanbi, ride along the coast, passing Longpan and Fengchuisha, all the way to Jialeshui Beach. From there, you head inland, deep in the heart of Manzhou Township, where you can see beautiful rolling green hills, waterfalls, and aboriginal villages.

Road to Jialeshui

Follow road 200 to the end, near Jiupeng, where the coastal views are some of the best in all of Taiwan. At this point, you switch to road 26, which skirts around rocky bays, military outposts, and a fishing port. Finally, you get to Xuhai Grassland, where the views are even better then everything else you just saw on your way up here. 

You now have two options to head back to Kenting village. You can ride back the same way you came, or you can take road 199 through Mudan and Checheng, which is also a super enjoyable road.


5. Northeast Coast

Coastal Village near Fulong
Coastal Road #2

6. Orchid Island (Lanyu)

My friend Ben braves the rain on Orchid Island

7. Green Island (Ludao)

Riding around the island is a must-do for most tourists

8. Penghu Island

Ruby, looking cool on her rental-scooter
Riding is the best way to discover old buildings and ancient Chinese architecture on Penghu Island

9. Matsu Island

Many “roads” on Matsu are quite narrow like this one

10. Little Liuqiu Island (Xiao Liu Qiu)

11. Yilan to Lishan

12. Maolin

13. South Cross-Island Highway

14. North Cross-Island Highway

15. Road #124 in Miaoli County

16. Road #21 in Nantou County

17. Sun Moon Lake to Alishan

sun moon lake taiwanSun Moon Lake

Road 21, 18, 169 : Sun Moon Lake – Dongpu – Tatajia (Tataka) – Alishan – Zhiqi – Fenqihu


Riding the West coast – NOT COOL!

Heavy traffic on Taichung Boulevard
Normal weekday traffic in cities along the west coast is just like that
Taipei City is a maze you may want to avoid during your road-trip around Taiwan
Big bikes are allowed on some highways, but NOT on the main freeways along the west coast

Motorcycle Trips on Mainland Taiwan


Outlying Islands Loops

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Hello, I’m Ugo

ugo taiwanese secrets websiteI’m the weirdo behind this site. I’ve been living in Taiwan since 2000, so basically I’ve spent half my life here. I have a big passion for everything Formosa and I’ve been working on this website since 2008 to share the beauty of Taiwan with the world! Read more about me.

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