Things to do in Taipei, Taiwan: Scooter Traveling

If you want to enjoy nature, and have fun like local people do, scooter traveling can be one of the best experiences while you're visiting Taipei.

”Is it safe driving a scooter?”, you might ask. Inside the city it is quite busy and tiring to drive, so it's much more fun to get out of Taipei City to experience the surrounding mountains, the Pacific coastline, the countryside, and small towns. The traffic outside the city is actually fairly light, the road condition is usually safe, smooth and wide. The area to the west of Taipei is a bit more crowded, but to the north, east and south of the city, you can find plenty of great places to drive to.

Here are some routes which are easy to get to and have most beautiful scenery:

North Coast and Guanyinshan National Scenic Area
Spots: Guanyinshan, Danshuei, Jinguashi, Yeliu to Keelung
http://www.northguan-nsa.gov.tw/user/main.aspx?Lang=2

Northeast Coast National Scenic Area
Spots: Jiufen, Jinguashi, Fulong
http://www.necoast-nsa.gov.tw/user/Main.aspx?Lang=2

To drive to Jiufen or Fulong from Taipei, I would suggest this long but very scenic route that passes through Pingxi (Pingsi) up in the mountains. Depending on your driving speed and number of stops, this will take 4 to 6 hours (one way). If you just go as far as Pingxi, it will take about 2 hours.

First head towards the south side of Taipei City, and the district called Muzha. From the Taipei Zoo area and Muzha Station, drive East towards Shenkeng on Route 106 (this is just across the river from the Zoo, where it also has the name Mushan Road, Section 5).

Follow Route 106 through Shenkeng Town (past the Holiday Inn Hotel), and past the Shiding Interchange, and into the countryside. At the base of the mountains Route 106 splits (http://goo.gl/maps/YB8oR). Make a sharp left turn and follow the section of Route 106 which heads up into the mountains towards Pingxi (Pingsi). Do not take the road to Pinglin. There is a clear English-language sign at this junction.

You can explore the Pingxi area, or keep following route 106 through the mountains. At Shifen (http://goo.gl/maps/iBHXg), you have a choice. You can follow route 106 down to the large town of Ruifang and getting to Jiufen from there (this is a quicker but less scenic way of reaching Jiufen), or you can take Route 2 which brings you to the town of Shuangxi (http://goo.gl/maps/23tKp), from where you can follow Route 102 over the mountains towards either Jiufen or Fulong.

Yangjin Highway 陽金公路
Spots: Yangmingshan National Park, Jinguashi
http://go2taiwan.net/news_detail.php?sqno=234

Where to rent a scooter?

You will usually need to have some kind of driving license if you want to rent a scooter.

These are my friends in the Taipei area who rent scooters. I recommend them.
http://www.bikefarm.net/

If you can speak some Chinese or Taiwanese, then you will also sometimes find shops renting scooters in smaller towns which attract many visitors. It's probably most common to find these close to railway stations. They almost never have any signs in English.