- Where Hsinchu City's whole coast, from Nanliao (南寮) at the Touqian River mouth south to the Nangang bird-watching area on the Miaoli border; Zhubei's coast north of the river.
- Getting there car about 25 minutes from Zhubei HSR Station to Nanliao, outside rush hour (our estimate). 藍15區 city bus from Hsinchu TRA Station to Nanliao. Free weekend sightseeing bus along the coast.
- Bikes bike YouBike 2.0 docks along the coast path, including at the crab boardwalk and the Nangang bird area.
- When Late afternoon for sunset; avoid the strong northeast wind (九降風) days from October to February if you're riding south and have to come back into it.
The coast is where Hsinchu goes to breathe. The city's west edge is one long, flat bike and walking path, built along the seawall, with the tidal flats, wind turbines and fishing harbours on one side. You don't need to be a cyclist: a YouBike, a couple of hours and a low tide are enough. From Jason's years in Zhubei, the thing we'd add is the wind. Hsinchu is known as the Windy City, and in the dry season the wind off the strait is strong enough to make the ride back twice as hard, so plan your direction. → Hsinchu's weather and the wind
The Seventeen Kilometer Coastline (十七公里海岸線)
The city describes the coastline as about 17 km, from Nanliao in the north to the Nangang bird-watching area (南港賞鳥區) in the south, and it's flat all the way. The path links the main stops below, with viewing platforms and rest plazas on the way. You can ride the whole thing in a couple of hours each way at an easy pace, or pick one end.
| Stop, north to south | What's there |
|---|---|
| Hsinchu Fishing Harbor, Nanliao | Fish market, kite lawn, the fish-scale seawall steps, visitor center with slides |
| Sea-view park and the 海天一線 viewing area | Open sea views just south of the harbour |
| Gangnan Canal Park | Canal with arched bridges, lawns, kayaking |
| Fengqing Coast | 200 m viewing platform with wave-shaped pavilions, sunset |
| Xiangshan Wetland crab boardwalk | 250 m raised boardwalk over the tidal flats |
| Haishan Fishing Harbor | Sea-view deck over the wetland; Naluwan Amis community |
| Nangang bird-watching area | The southern end, by the Miaoli border |
Good to know: the city was strengthening the Rainbow Bridge (彩虹小橋) on the path from June 2025, due to finish in early 2026. We couldn't confirm the work is finished; expect a short detour if not.
Nanliao and Hsinchu Fishing Harbor (南寮, 新竹漁港)
Start here. Hsinchu Fishing Harbor sits on the south bank of the Touqian River mouth in Nanliao and has most of what you need: the Zhufeng fish market (竹風漁市), with a fresh-catch hall and a seafood dining area; a big lawn used as the international kite field, for the kite festival in August and September and for flying a kite any windy day; the fish-scale stepped seawall (魚鱗天梯) beside it; and the wave-roofed Boguang market. The harbour visitor center (南寮街261號) has a two-storey indoor slide and a lookout, and outside a slide, sandpit and summer-only paddling pool, which makes this the coast stop for small children. → Hsinchu with kids
Getting there: city bus 藍15區 from Hsinchu TRA Station to the 漁港口 stop, then about 5 minutes' walk. By car, Highway 68 from the Zhubei exit of Freeway 1 or the Zhulin exit of Freeway 3; park at Nanliao Shell Park (南寮貝殼公園) or around the harbour, but spaces run short on weekends.
Gangnan Canal Park (港南運河公園)
A couple of kilometres south of the harbour, Gangnan Canal Park (海埔路600號) is a canal with four Chinese-style arched bridges, waterside paths and lawns, and kayaking on the canal. It's one of the city's eight night views when the bridges light up. There's a YouBike dock here (港南濱海風景區).
Xiangshan Wetland and the crab boardwalk (香山濕地, 賞蟹步道)
The Xiangshan Wetland crab boardwalk is the highlight of the south half: a 250 m raised boardwalk over the tidal flats (中華路五段320巷35號), where more than ten kinds of crab, including fiddler crabs, and mudskippers come out at low tide. The wetland is a nationally important wetland and a stopover for migrating birds; in 2026 around 45 black-faced spoonbills were reported near the boardwalk. The whole boardwalk works as a viewing platform. Go at low tide for crabs, on the rising tide for birds, which come in to rest close to the boardwalk. Don't walk out onto the mud.
Two more viewing points: the 200 m platform at Fengqing Coast, the wetland's north entrance, and the one-storey sea-view deck at Haishan Fishing Harbor (海山探索區), which looks over the whole wetland. Next to it, the Naluwan cultural village (那魯灣文化聚落), opened in 2021, is the city's Amis community, with a viewing tower over the coast.
We couldn't confirm the boardwalk's opening hours on an official page; third-party listings say Tuesday to Sunday, 09:00 to 18:00. Check before a special trip.
Getting there: the YouBike dock 賞蟹步道 is right by it (中華路五段318號). TRA Xiangshan Station is a little over 2 km away. By car, about 30 minutes from Zhubei HSR (our estimate).
Nangang bird-watching area (南港賞鳥區)
The quiet southern end of the path, where the Nangang bird-watching area looks over the estuary near the Miaoli border. It has a YouBike dock, so you can ride one way and drop the bike.
The free coastal sightseeing bus
Hsinchu City's free Xiangshan sightseeing bus (香山巡迴線) runs on weekends and national holidays, hourly from 09:00 to 18:00, from 3 April to 29 November 2026. The north loop goes from Xiangshan Station to the fishermen's association stop at Nanliao, Gangnan Canal Park and Xiangshan Wetland; the south loop to Haishan Fishing Harbor, the Nangang bird area and the Sound of the Sea (海之聲) stop. Useful for a one-way ride: cycle down, bus back.
YouBike on the coast
YouBike 2.0 covers both Hsinchu City (175 docks) and Zhubei (141). Along the coast there are docks at Gangnan (港南濱海風景區 and 港南公園), the crab boardwalk (賞蟹步道), Xiangshan Station, Xiangshan Tianhou Temple, Yanshui Library and the Nangang bird area. There's no dock named for the fishing harbour itself; the nearest to Nanliao are 南華國中 and 蟹仔埔公園, a few hundred metres inland, and the Nanliao heated swimming pool dock. Hsinchu TRA Station and Zhubei HSR Station both have docks.
- Standard fare YouBike 2.0 in the Hsinchu region: NT$10 per 30 minutes for the first 4 hours, NT$20 per 30 minutes from 4 to 8 hours, NT$40 per 30 minutes after that. The e-assist 2.0E is NT$20 per 30 minutes for the first 2 hours.
- Hsinchu City offer Since 1 April 2026, Hsinchu City has made the first 30 minutes free on YouBike 2.0 and half price on 2.0E. We couldn't confirm who qualifies; check in the YouBike app.
- Insurance Since 1 January 2026 you must enrol in the free public-bike accident insurance to rent.
- Paying by card Single rentals by credit card carry a NT$3,000 pre-authorisation. An EasyCard or iPASS linked to a YouBike account is simpler.
The city mentions bike-rental services along the coastline; we couldn't confirm a current private rental shop at Nanliao, its prices or hours, so plan on YouBike. More on bikes, buses and scooters in getting around Hsinchu.
The Touqian River paths (頭前溪)
The river between Hsinchu City and Zhubei has long riverside bike paths on both banks, good for a flat ride from home if you live near it.
- Right bank, Zhubei side (頭前溪右岸自行車道). A network of about 24 km from the Shuiyue bridge over the Fengshan River in Zhubei east along the river to Xinpu, past the Yinhe tunnel path and the Tofu Rocks. In February 2026 the county said a rebuilt section was due to finish after the new year, with a detour in place; we couldn't confirm it's done.
- South bank (頭前溪南岸經典自行車道). About 17.2 km from under the Highway 68 bridge at the city and county boundary east to Zhudong Riverside Park.
- Hsinchu City left bank. The city side has riverside paths too, with a YouBike dock at the 中華路一段 left-bank entrance. We couldn't find an official length.
The Tofu Rocks (豆腐岩), Zhubei
The Tofu Rocks are lines of square blocks in the bed of the Touqian River on the Zhubei side, a favourite photo stop at sunset. The county warns that the gaps between the blocks are wide and asks people not to stand on them for photos. Late autumn, when the wild sugarcane flowers along the river, is the best time to see them (that tip is from local reports, not an official source).
Zhubei's coast
North of the river mouth, Zhubei's coast is quieter than Nanliao and closer if you live near the HSR station.
- Crescent Bay (新月沙灣), at 鳳岡路五段155巷68號, is a long stretch of fine sand with pavilions, seats and a free rinse area, and the venue of the Zhubei music festival every summer. There's a YouBike dock (新月沙灣). About 20 to 25 minutes' drive from Zhubei HSR (our estimate).
- The Zhubei Native Forest Reserve (鳳岡路五段415巷39號), at the north-west tip of Zhubei, is a 400 m strip of coastal forest that grew on the dunes, with a raised boardwalk.
- Farther north in Xinfeng, the Hongmao Harbor mangroves mix two kinds of mangrove, unusual for northern Taiwan, with walking paths and a viewing tower for sunset. The county promotes the 12 km of coast from Potou Fishing Harbor (坡頭漁港), with its century-old stone fish weirs, down to Crescent Bay for cycling. About 25 minutes' drive from Zhubei HSR (our estimate).
Above the Zhubei coast, the Fengqi Sunset Trail is the hill walk: see hikes near Zhubei.
→ The outdoors near Hsinchu · Where to eat in Hsinchu City · Things to do in Hsinchu
Sources: Hsinchu City Government tourism: Seventeen Kilometer Coastline, Hsinchu Fishing Harbor, Gangnan Canal Park, fish-scale seawall, Fengqing Coast, Xiangshan Wetland, crab boardwalk, Haishan Fishing Harbor, Naluwan, visitor centers; Taiwan Tourism Administration, Seventeen Kilometer Coastline; CNA (city release) on Nanliao transport; CNA (city release) on the Rainbow Bridge works; UDN on spoonbills at Xiangshan (May 2026); Hsinchu City sightseeing bus; YouBike Hsinchu fares and station data; UDN and CNA on Hsinchu City's free 30 minutes; Hsinchu County tourism: Touqian right-bank path, south-bank path, Tofu Rocks, Crescent Bay, Zhubei Native Forest Reserve, Hongmao Harbor, Potou Fishing Harbor. Drive times are our estimates. Checked November 2026.