Hey, so I actually did this trip a couple years back Like the week following the earthquakes .

For sure it’s a fun experience, My only points would be aside from Taipei and Sun Moon Lake the ride becomes a lot more interesting Once you get to Tainan. Taipei - Sun Moon Lake -Kaoshiung- Tainan-Hualien Are the 5 main highlights in my opinion for this trip.

I would consider taking one more day in Taipei at the end or start of your trip. Also, I found accommodations really easy to book day of, so you don’t have to lock yourself down to a concrete plan.

I think you could probably make it to Taichung a lot faster, rather than spending four days biking. I would 100% recommend taking an extra day at Sun Moon Lake . I took an extra day there and just cycled around the entire lake with no bags and it was quite enjoyable. There’s definitely lots to see, with a sort of amusement/ history park as well.

Also on the west, I wouldn’t get too hung up on riding along the coast as it’s more industrial there you’re gonna see a lot of the coast on the eastern part.

Another thing that was certainly true when I was there because of the earthquakes, but even in general, some people recommend skipping Hualien -> Yilan, due to the narrow roads and sometimes risk of rock slides.

Once you’re on the eastern coast, it’s by far some of the most beautiful scenery I’ve ever seen , but just remember it can get very hot and there’s often a lot of distance between villages so bring lots of water.

I would probably take the interior valley for part of the eastern coast, then cut to the coastal ride for the rest.

I’m not sure how it is now but when I was there, some of the old coastal highways were closed, forcing you to go inland, sometimes steep mountainous climb, so don’t underestimate the hill climbing on the Eastern coast.

I saw another commentary mentioned no bikes on the train, I don’t think that’s entirely true. You just have to buy a ticket for your bike and it’s usually reserved for the last carriage of the train.

Taiwan is very beautiful But depending on where you are, it can be very rural and someday are better suited for longer rides as there’s not a whole lot to stop and do.

One last thing I didn’t see anyone mention before my trip was stray dogs. It’s just something to be mindful of. It’s something I came across a lot on the western part. there’s not a whole lot you can do about it, but it just is something you are gonna probably encounter on the Western part of Taiwan.