The short answer

Highway 11 runs 170-odd kilometers between Hualien and Taitung with the Pacific on one side and the Coastal Range on the other, and it’s Taiwan’s best road trip. The fine print: you want your own car or scooter, because buses are sparse (one through service, a few partial routes, plus a Taitung-end tourist shuttle that’s really a day tour). Plan around one closure: Sanxiantai’s famous eight-arch bridge is closed for renovation until the end of 2027. No wheels? The inland rail line through the rift valley is the no-car alternative, a different and also lovely trip.

The east coast is Taiwan with the volume turned down: black-sand coves, terraced rice meeting the sea, surf towns, and traffic measured in scooters per minute. Between the anchor cities of Hualien and Taitung, Highway 11 is the scenic route and the rift-valley Highway 9 (and its railway) the fast one; this page is about doing the coast properly.

The transport decision

Drive or ride. A rental car from Hualien or Taitung (see the car rental guide) or a 125cc scooter for licensed riders turns the coast into what it should be: a two-day drift with stops on impulse. The road is well-surfaced, lightly trafficked and impossible to get lost on.

The bus reality, so nobody plans around a fantasy: one through coastal bus (Hualien Bus 1127) runs the full Hualien-Taitung coast just 2-3 times daily; partial routes (1140 to Shitiping, 1145 to Chenggong) add a few more. On the Taitung end, the Taiwan Tourist Shuttle 8101A “East Coast line” is a guided one-day loop bus (Taitung station 08:30, back 17:15) hitting Little Yehliu, Jinzun, the Amis Folk Center, Chenggong and Dulan; it’s a solid car-free day tour, but it’s a tour, not a hop-on service. Chain the coast on public buses only if slow travel is the point.

The no-car alternative: the TRA line down the East Rift Valley (Hualien-Yuli-Chishang-Taitung) runs frequently and beautifully; it’s the valley’s rice-paddy scenery rather than the coast’s, and our Taitung guide covers its stops. Many itineraries do rail south, then day-trip bits of coast from Taitung.

The stops, north to south

  • Qixingtan, just outside Hualien: a curved pebble beach with mountain backdrop, the warm-up act.
  • Shitiping: wave-cut stone terraces you scramble over, tide pools included; the coast’s best geology stop.
  • Sanxiantai: the island of the three immortals, whose much-photographed eight-arch footbridge is closed for renovation from May 2026 through the end of 2027. The coastline, visitor area and islet views remain open and worthwhile; you just can’t cross. Adjust expectations, not necessarily the stop.
  • Chenggong: the working fish harbor with an afternoon auction and the coast’s best seafood lunches.
  • Dulan: the surf-and-arts town in an old sugar factory’s shadow, the coast’s overnight of choice, with boards for rent and bars that know every traveler by Friday.
  • Jialulan and Little Yehliu on the Taitung approach: sculpture headland and eroded shoreline, both easy pull-offs.

Two days with one Dulan night is the itinerary that fits the road; one long day works but spends the coast’s main asset, which is not being in a hurry.

FAQ

Can you do Taiwan’s east coast without a car?

Partially. The through coastal bus runs 2-3 times daily, the 8101A shuttle covers the Taitung-end highlights as a one-day guided loop, and the inland railway substitutes valley scenery for coast. For the full Highway 11 experience, rent wheels.

Is the Sanxiantai bridge open?

No. The eight-arch bridge closed for renovation in May 2026 and is scheduled to reopen at the end of 2027. The site and its coastline stay open; only the islet crossing is off.

How many days does the east coast need?

Two, with a night in Dulan, covers Highway 11 without rushing. One long driving day technically works. Add days for surfing, the rift valley or the islands.

When is the best season for the east coast?

October-November and March-April: typhoon-free odds, mellow heat, clear water. Summer is beautiful between storms; check typhoon tracks in season, because this coast takes the hits first.

Keep planning

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