Biking around Cijin Island was one of the highlights of my recent solo trip to Kaohsiung, Taiwan. For first-time tourists who have half or a whole day to spare, this small island is one place you can easily visit for beach breaks with safe walking and biking trails.
Getting there is a cheap and short ferry ride from the mainland, you can spot some fun art installations along the coast, visit temples, bike through a tunnel, and hike up to a lighthouse overlooking the city.
For non-bikers, the main sights (including the beach and lighthouse) are completely walkable. But those who want to explore faster can easily rent bikes or e-scooters. If you want to try biking around Cijin Island for yourself, here are some tips I can share from my visit in March 2025.
How to get to Cijin Island
The easiest way to get to Cijin Island is to take the ferry from Gushan Ferry Port to the northern end of Cijin. Gushan Ferry Port is an 8-minute walk from the Hamasen (formerly called Sizihwan) station on the orange line of the KMRT, or a 10-minute walk from Hamasen Station on the new LRT green line.
As of March 2025, ferry rides from Gushan cost NTD$30 if you’re paying with cash or you can use an Easy Card or Ipass. You won’t get change if you’re paying with cash but can get coins from the vending machines before riding.
Klook.comTrips take 5 minutes and depart at frequent intervals, so it’s very easy to get to the island. The lower section even allows bikers and motorcycle riders to bring their rides with them from the mainland for a slightly higher fee of $NTD50.
I made the mistake of walking to the Kaohsiung Port Warehouse No. 2 (KW2) first, where some cruises and cultural yachts depart. Technically you can also get to Cijin Island through here, but boats don’t depart as often (only from 1:30-4:30) and cost more at NTD $80. The boats here seem to be more for scenic cruises rather than passenger ferries.
At any rate, if you’re already here, you can grab some food and drinks, or check out the souvenirs. This area contains the KW2 Hostel with container-van style rooms overlooking the sea if you want to stay overnight near the port. You don’t need to, since the trains and ferries run regularly from the city.
Where to rent bikes on Cijin Island
As soon as you dock, you’ll see bikes for rent across the pier in front of 7-11. There are a row of rental shops here, all offering manual bikes, e-bikes, e-scooters, bicycles built for two, and quad bikes for up to 4 people with somewhat cartoony designs ideal for families or if you’re in a group with a non-biker. Ask around the shops to find a good price before you rent.
Most of the ones near the port will say manual bikes start at NTD$200 and e-bikes and scooters charge by the hour (NTD$300-400 an hour) so they’re more expensive. But if you walk to the right side of the market going towards the temple, you’ll find that bikes there cost only NTD $100 for the whole day.
I rented a simple manual bike with a basket, which came with a bike lock. Since the terrain is mostly flat, you don’t need a high-speed bike. Helmets aren’t necessary either.
Bike route
Once you get a bike, you’re free to explore Cijin Island’s trail, which will easily take you 1-2 hours. If you visit all the spots, the bikeable area is roughly about 17km back and forth to the port.
The Kaohsiung Lighthouse, Fort, and Tunnel of Stars are nearer the port area, but I saved those for last because it was too hot to climb the lighthouse at noon when I started.
I biked the flat route first by the beach to reach the end and checked out the Tunnel of Stars and Kaoshiung Lighthouse on the way back. The tunnel leads to one of the most scenic sections of the trail going back towards the port, so you can loop here several times for some extra kilometers if you want.
Anyway, the great thing about being on a bike is you can decide where to go first and how much time to spend in each spot. I appreciated the public areas where people can park bikes, sit on benches in the shade, and use clean restrooms and gazebos with beach views.
Here are the landmarks and art installations you’ll encounter on Cijin Island.
Kaohsiung Lighthouse
Kaohsiung Lighthouse, which sits atop Cihou Mountain, is a stately white structure that’s become a symbol of Kaohsiung. This is the tallest point on Cijin and directs ships to the entrance of Kaohsiung Port. The lighthouse contains a mini-museum, plus you can get the best views of Kaoshiung from the top.
The path going up to the lighthouse is better done on foot rather than by bike. Signs posted in the area show that cyclists have to walk their bikes on this section and using a manual pedal bike with no gear shifts will make it very hard to pedal up with the steepness. There’s an area to park bikes below and stairs near the dock area for easier climbs.
Aside from getting access to the best views here, you can enjoy iced coffee and pastries from the modern cafe beside the lighthouse. There’s also a postal shop and stamping area.
Cihou Fort
About 5 minutes from Kaoshiung Lighthouse is Cihou Fort, a historic red-bricked gate that formerly guarded the northern entrance to Kaohsiung Harbor. Like the lighthouse, it sits atop the hill and offers panoramic views of the ocean and island. There’s a stairway leading to the parking area below near the entrance to the Cijin Star Tunnel.
The Cijin Star Tunnel
The Cijin Star Tunnel, which passes through Cihou Mountain, was originally a military tunnel that now offers a scenic section to a wooden plank with beach views. The tunnel itself has been decorated with lights and glow-in-the-dark paintings.
The other end of the tunnel leads to a scenic tree-lined trail with a view of Cihou Mountain. This reminded me of Corregidor’s Malinta Tunnel, except it’s much shorter and narrower. More than the tunnel, I enjoyed the trail from here leading out to the docks, so I circled it twice when fewer people were passing through it.
Rainbow Church
While biking around the trails of Cijin Beach, you’ll come across various art installations. The Rainbow Church refers to several architectural features at Cijin Seaside Park where people can pose for photos.
The Rainbow Arch built over a pool of shallow water with the ocean in the background is located at Section 3, Qijin Road by the Visitor Information Center in Qijin Coastal Park. It’s a colorful Insta-famous installation that’s much smaller than it looks. When I visited there was a caution tape in front of it so you can’t go in anymore.
Cijin Shell Museum
Nearby is the small Cijin Shell Museum, which displays almost 3000 types of seashells. If you’re into seashells, you can take a look inside. I was more interested in biking outdoors, so I didn’t go in anymore, but based on other reviews, it’ll cost you an extra $NTD 30 to enter. There’s a cute art installation on the coast by the museum called Double Snail Platform.
Sea Pearl
Further down the bike path is a giant tunnel-like clamshell known as the Cijin Sea Pearl that makes another interesting photo backdrop for the gram.
You can walk right into the large shell’s shiny interior and hear echoes of waves from the sea. However, bicycles are not allowed on the platform and there were people recording videos when I passed by so I just snapped photos from afar.
Windmill Park
The Cijin Windmill Park is the furthest south on the trail where most visitors to Cijin go by bike. The park is named after the row of windmill towers along the beach. I found it peaceful and windy here, with an interesting art installation providing shade.
Based on signs posted, bikers are not allowed on the main roads – and penalties/fines may be imposed, so if you’re a tourist, stick with the route.
I doubled back using different paths on the trail, stopping by for photo ops at a nice temple, and a forested walking path before reaching the beach again.
Where to eat in Cijin Island
For affordable full meals, the best option is the market near the port where you get the rental bikes. There are lots of street stalls there for cheap eats and a convenience store to buy snacks. For coffee lovers, the Shoreline Coffee & Roaster at Kaoshiung Lighthouse offers a scenic spot to enjoy coffee and pastries.
If you’re a beer drinker, you can chill out and have drinks at Sunset Bar overlooking Cijin Beach in the late afternoons. I had a taco and happy hour beer here (surprisingly they served San Mig Light).
Though this was pricier than local food, I had to drink here since it seemed to be the only bar on the beach.
If you want to save some cash, it’s better to bring snacks and drinks and have a picnic along the beach to enjoy the view.
Strava route
Follow me on Strava to see the exact route. I was aiming for at least 20km, but my smartwatch died on me before I biked back to the port to return the bike.
Travel tips
- Cijin Island is pretty small, so you only need a couple of hours or half a day to explore the whole island. If you want a more chill experience, you can spend the whole day.
- It’s very safe, organized, and tourist-friendly. It’s easy to bike around solo or if you’re with family and kids.
- The best time to bike would be in the morning when it’s not too hot or in the mid-afternoon until sunset. However, those are also the times when spots and landmarks get more crowded.
- If you don’t mind the heat, you can still bike around noon and early afternoon.
- Based on the local guidelines, bikers should give way to pedestrians and slow down when riding past them. Bikers should ring their bells or get attention by polite vocal warnings before overtaking them.
- Bikers need to slow down when riding downhill, and should not accelerate or hustle pedestrians away from the path.
