10 Days in Taiwan / 5 days cycling

About the "must sees"
I'm not much of a museum person. I'm looking for something more scenic. I will probably check out the gorge as well as some mountains (when I don't have my bike)

1. Definitely the east coast.

2. You can take great photos almost anywhere.

3 & 4. Giant has a bike hire program where you can pick up the bike at one store and return it to another. Details are here. Note the list of shops on that webpage is incomplete. Send an e-mail to Giant via their Taiwan website if you want to know the locations of other shops. You can take bikes on buses and trains. Sometimes you will need to dismantle the bike and put it in a bag though.

Thanks Wix99. I was leaning heavily towards the East, it is a lot less developed.

That site seems great. Really appreciate it.

February is cool and rainy in Taiwan, so keep that in mind as you plan your trip.

That is a good point jman98. I hadn't considered the weather. I better pack a poncho.

What are some of the highlights of the East Coast?

What else should I see during my other 5 days?

Thanks.

Come across T+L Southeast asia blog and found this Taiwan-related travel ideas so just wanna pass it on here... http://blog.travelandleisureasia.com/destination/2009/12/01/24-hours-in-taipei/

If you do a search on the 'on your bike' branch you'll find a few detailed threads on cycling in Taiwan (a few in this branch as well).

East coast is definitely better for cycling, but there isn't a lot of options, just a handful of roads. Its very easy cycling. But you are missing out a lot if you don't at least try one of the cross-island routes - the climbs are huge, but the road quality is good and the landscapes are magnificent. The old growth forests deep in the mountains (usually over 2,000 metres) are very beautiful and maybe the most interesting places for photography - if you are lucky you'll see quite a bit of wildlife, even from the road.

My wife and I come to Taiwan every winter and do most of our moving about on bus and bikes. One pertinent fact is to remember you are 'at the bottom of the vehicular food chain'. That being said, just keep your eyes and ears open. Taipei can be a pretty rough place to bike on the streets. But further south and the east coast are just great. February will be abit wet and cool, but also very do able. The seafood along the east coast is fantastic and the people very very friendly. Take your time and get to know your hosts. They can be a wealth of local info and sites not seen by bus tourists. Taroko is one place not to be missed.........but be careful and consider doing it in a bus. Rockfalls are frequent and can be deadly. The south end of the island is superb. Get back off the beaten path and see the smaller towns and villages. Again, you will meet some of the nicest people.