Taipei → Fuxing 台北 → 復興
into the hills south of Taipei
Dashed lines are the options for this stage, see below.
Stage 1
What better place to start off your journey than at the foot of the iconic Taipei 101 Tower? The main road out of the city centre is as iconic as it is hectic, so watch out in traffic.
With 53 km and 970 m up, your first day is a gentle start, which also leaves room for a late departure from Taipei. Expect a great deal of desolate mountain roads and stunning views as soon as you've left the city behind. The mountain town of Fuxing 復興 makes for a quiet first overnight stay.
Options for this stage
Prefer to skip the hills on your first day? Provincial Highway No. 3 takes you straight to Neiwan with way less climbing, and on to Nanzhuang in one day, saving you a day.
easierProvincial Highway No. 3130 km (−24) · 1,940 m up (−1,000) · saves a day · compared to stages 1 and 2 together
Taipei – Provincial Highway No. 3 – Neiwan – Nanzhuang
This is what most cyclists actually do: take the famous Provincial Highway No. 3 (台3線 tái sān xiàn) down south, also known as the “romantic route”. A few minor hills should form no big impediment and you'll have plenty of refuelling options. Remember that you'll have to share the road with relatively a lot of traffic.
Sights along the route include the Shimen Reservoir dam, and the “old streets” in Sanxia, Daxi and Guanxi. Pick one to have lunch, or wait until Neiwan 內灣 (77 km), from where you'll follow stage 2 over the hills to Nanzhuang 南庄 for the night.