Guides · Cycling in Taiwan
Getting from Taoyuan Airport to the Ten-Day Traverse Start Line in Kaohsiung
Riders who want to cross Taiwan in ten days often skip the full loop. They start in Kaohsiung in the south and head counter-clockwise up the island, leaving the city stretches of the western plain to public transport and saving the east coast and the mountain roads for their own legs. This traverse is almost a week shorter than a full circuit, but day one brings a practical problem. How do riders, bikes and luggage get from Taoyuan Airport to Kaohsiung, more than 300 km away? This guide compares the thresholds of the High Speed Rail, the Airport MRT and a direct transfer, so you know what arrival day looks like before you book the flight.
Why a traverse suits a ten-day holiday
A full circuit of Taiwan takes roughly two weeks, which does not fit a ten-day holiday. A traverse breaks the loop apart. The western plain is mostly cities and industrial zones, and many riders skip it by high speed rail or transfer vehicle, leaving the east coast and the Central Mountain Range for the ride itself.
The recommended direction is counter-clockwise, south to north. Taiwan drives on the right just as Korea does, so riding counter-clockwise keeps the coastline on your side of the road, with better views and fewer lane changes. Starting from Kaohsiung also helps because the first few days are largely flat, which gives your body time to adjust to Taiwan's heat and humidity. By the time the route reaches climbs like Taroko and Wuling, you already have close to a week in your legs.
Taking a bike on the HSR and the 220 cm limit
A standard reserved seat from Taipei to Zuoying costs about NT$1,490, and a direct train covers it in a little over an hour, so many traverse plans use this leg. Bringing a bike aboard is stricter than most people expect. No single item may be longer than 150 cm, length plus width plus height may not exceed 220 cm, and total weight may not exceed 40 kg. A bike that meets all three limits and is packed properly travels free like ordinary luggage, in the large-baggage area at either end of the car.
A package over those limits that still fits within 200 cm tall, 40 cm wide and 70 cm long needs an additional full-fare reserved seat at your carriage class, and the bike travels in that seat. On the Taipei to Zuoying run that is roughly another NT$1,490. The bike must also be in a proper bike bag with nothing exposed. Plastic bags, cloth sacks and improvised wrapping are not accepted, and staff check at the gate or on board and can refuse carriage. Against the 220 cm ceiling, removing only the front wheel is usually still over the limit. Most riders take the rear wheel off as well and drop the seatpost, so it is worth measuring at home before you fly.
The Airport MRT takes assembled bikes, but rarely works for groups
Since 10 March 2026, every station on the Taoyuan Metro Airport Line allows fully assembled, non-disassembled bicycles, which helps anyone who would rather not break a bike down at the airport. The conditions are substantial. On regular weekdays bikes are allowed only from 10:00 to 16:00 and from 22:00 until the last train, and not at any other time on a weekday. The size cap is 180 cm long, 120 cm tall and 70 cm wide. A dedicated bike ticket is required, adding a flat NT$50 to the normal fare, and bikes are only permitted on all-stop trains, never the express.
For a traverse, quantity is the binding constraint. Bikes may only be placed at doors 1-1 and 1-2 on the first car and doors 4-2 and 4-3 on the last car, with a maximum of two per door zone and eight per train. A group of more than eight therefore cannot ride together this way and has to split across departures. Bikes must also be walked via stairs or lifts, never escalators, so hauling luggage plus a bike through an interchange is hard work. A bike that is folded or disassembled and packed under 165 cm on its longest side, with combined dimensions under 220 cm, travels free as ordinary luggage with no time window or surcharge, though that means taking the bike apart again.
The third option is a direct transfer, with the bike left assembled
The cost of a connecting route is more than the ticket price. From Taoyuan Airport you take the MRT or an airport bus to Taipei Main Station, then transfer to the HSR for Zuoying. Everything has to come off and go back on at two stations at least, and the bike stays packed for the whole journey. The bike you boxed up at a Korean airport is not unpacked until Zuoying, and every transfer in between means carrying a box or bike bag through a crowd. If the bike goes over the size limits, there is an extra full-fare HSR ticket on top.
A direct transfer removes that entire section. The vehicle meets you at an agreed pole number in the arrivals hall, bikes go aboard fully assembled, nothing has to be taken apart a second time, and there are no metro time windows or per-train quotas to work around. One vehicle takes you to the start line in Kaohsiung or Kenting. A group of eight or more, each with a bike plus luggage, can travel together. Pricing depends on group size, number of bikes, destination and time of day. Send us your itinerary and we will come back with a matching option.
How to plan arrival day
Oversized items like bike boxes and bike bags cannot be processed at self-service baggage kiosks. On departure they go through a staffed airline counter, so allow more check-in time than an ordinary passenger on your way home. Arrival runs the other way. Clearing immigration and waiting for baggage usually take the longest, so there is no need to wait outside early, and the pickup vehicle can time its arrival around that buffer. Both T1 and T2 arrival halls at Taoyuan have numbered meeting poles outside, and agreeing on a pole number with the driver in advance means you do not have to find each other in a crowd by description.
Decide the start line in advance too. Kenting, at Taiwan's southern tip, is roughly another 80 km beyond Kaohsiung, which is a full extra day by bike. Setting the transfer's endpoint at Kenting saves that day and lets you start from the southern tip the next morning. Whichever you choose, spend arrival day confirming accommodation and the next day's resupply points rather than forcing distance, since a body fresh off a plane has not yet adjusted to Taiwan's heat and humidity.
FAQ
How long does it take from Taoyuan Airport to Kaohsiung?
By rail, the Airport MRT express reaches Taipei Main Station in about 36 minutes and a direct HSR train runs Taipei to Zuoying in a little over an hour. But with two transfers, luggage handling and waiting, budget most of a half day. A direct transfer runs straight through, with no connection or waiting time to account for.
How far do I need to strip the bike down for the HSR?
To travel free as ordinary luggage, the packed bike must be under 150 cm on any single side, under 220 cm for length plus width plus height combined, under 40 kg in total, and inside a proper bike bag with nothing exposed. Plastic bags and cloth sacks are not accepted. Against a 220 cm combined ceiling, removing only the front wheel usually still exceeds the limit, so most riders take the rear wheel off and drop the seatpost too. Anything over that spec but within 200 × 40 × 70 cm requires buying an extra full-fare reserved seat to carry it.
Can eight people with eight bikes ride the Airport MRT together?
In theory you are exactly at the cap. An all-stop train holds a maximum of eight assembled bikes, two at each of four designated door zones, so if any other passenger boards with a bike, your group cannot all fit. Combined with the weekday windows of 10:00 to 16:00 and after 22:00, the ban on express trains, and the requirement to walk bikes via stairs or lifts, groups of eight or more usually end up moving in one transfer vehicle instead.
Can the transfer go all the way to Kenting so I start from the southern tip?
Yes. Kenting is roughly another 80 km beyond Kaohsiung, which costs a full extra day by bike, so setting the transfer endpoint there removes that leg. The exact arrangement depends on group size, bike count and arrival time. Send us your flight and itinerary and we will reply with a matching suggestion.
Sources
Rules and road conditions change, so always check the official announcements before you travel.
Related guides
- Flying a Bike from Korea to Taiwan, Baggage Rules and What It Actually Costs
- Bring Your Bike to Taiwan｜Airline Baggage Rules
- TPE Taoyuan Airport Bike Pickup & Transfer
Elsewhere in the ecosystem
- siokiu · Group RidesTaiwanese for "let's go together", where local riders post routes and gather for weekend rides
Need a support vehicle?
Tell us your plan and we will suggest an option based on group size, bike count, and days.