- Length
- 29.26 kmSource and notes below
- Route shape
- Path network
- Surface
- Surface not stated
- Traffic
- Shared walk and bike path
- Level
- Moderate
- Riding time
- About 2 h 5 min at an easy 14 km/h, not counting stops Estimate ride time
- Families
- Families: with care
- Climbing
- Not measuredNo official figure, so none given
- Start
- Houbi Station (TRA)
The map loads here. Official map
Line: national cycling portal (MOTC), with its road types. Base map: National Land Surveying and Mapping Center.
Rest stops and stations along the official line
Rest stops
- 後壁車站 (toilets, accessible toilet, drinking water, map board, first-aid kit)
Train stations that take bikes
- 後壁 · bike train times
Listed by the national cycling portal (MOTC). Services and hours can change: treat these as a guide, not a guarantee.
About the lengthLength of 後壁白河米蘭蓮花線自行車道 in the Tainan City Transportation Bureau's bikeway open data. The national cycling portal lists the same route (後壁白河米蘭蓮花線-營造友善自行車道) at 32 km, starting at Houbi Station's plaza. The portal's tour A23 (台南稻野荷鄉綠隧道環線), a loop from Houbi Station, is 39.0 km. The Tourism Administration's 2013 guide described a different 20 km Baihe Bikeway (Baihe Lotus Park, Lotus Explorer Museum, Zhumen green bikeway, Sheng'an green tunnel, Baihe pottery, Water and Fire Spring), and the city data also lists a 42 km 白河蓮鄉自行車道. These overlap and are not added.
Why these labels
Traffic and path type: The portal's road-type data codes every stretch of this line as a shared walk/bike path (自行車與行人共用道). Its name includes 營造友善自行車道 ('bike-friendly bikeway works'), and the official pages do not say whether local cars or farm vehicles also use these lanes. Getting to Baihe town and some sights may involve ordinary roads.
Families: The portal classes the line as a shared walk/bike path and grades tour A23 as level 1 (suitable for families). Because the official pages do not confirm that farm vehicles are excluded, and the full loop is long and hot in lotus season, ride a shorter section with children and stay alert.
Tainan City's open data lists the Houbi and Baihe rice and lotus line with nearby sights including the Xiaonanhai scenic area, the lotus park, the Linchupi kapok avenue and the Yufeng and Zhumen green tunnels, plus Jingliao Old Street and the Wushulin sugar recreation area in Houbi.
The portal's tour A23 explains that the Chianan Canal brought steady water to this area, so the rice fields turn gold around the summer and autumn harvests. The Linchupi kapok trees bloom in March and April, and the lotus season runs from June to August beside the Yufeng and Zhumen green tunnels.
The 2013 Tourism guide describes Baihe Lotus Park as a four-hectare park with viewing pavilions and boardwalks, and the Zhumen and Sheng'an green tunnels as a tree-shaded route several kilometres long.
Who it suits
Suits riders who want a flat countryside day by train, and flower-season visitors. Families should pick a short section.
The route
A ride plan, in order
- Houbi Station to the Chianan Canal laundry pavilion (tour A23: 4 km).
- Xiaonanhai scenic area and suspension bridge (2.5 km), then the Linchupi kapok avenue (3 km).
- Yufeng and Zhumen green tunnels by the lotus fields (3.2 km).
- Wushulin recreation area (12 km), then back to Houbi Station (6 km). Leg distances are from the portal's tour and are not added to the route length.
Getting there without a car
- By train: TRA to Houbi Station. The portal says the bikeway entrance is on the station's front plaza.
- By car: the portal's tour suggests parking at the Xiaonanhai scenic area car park and starting there.
- YouBike (Tainan) has stations at Houbi Station, the Houbi District Office, Houbi Elementary School and Houbi Senior High School, and in Baihe at the district office, sports park and other points.
Bringing your own bike: The portal's tour says to arrive by bike-service train at Houbi, but Houbi is not on TRA's current bike station list (Xinying is). Check before travelling with an unbagged bike. A bike fully packed in a proper bike bag (longest side 150 cm, 220 cm in total) can go on any TRA train. An unbagged bike can only use bike-service trains (兩鐵) between stations on TRA's bike station list, with a bike ticket and a limited quota per train; check the quota on the TRA site before you go.
Renting a bike
Verified public bikes: YouBike (Tainan) at Houbi Station and around Houbi and Baihe (see above). The 2013 Tourism guide mentioned rental shops along the Baihe Bikeway; not verified for 2026.
- YouBike (Tainan) YouBike微笑單車（臺南市）
Public bike · Tainan City
YouBike 2.0 single rental by credit card (no membership) on the Tainan and Kaohsiung rate pages: 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 8 hours, with a NT$3,000 credit-card pre-authorization. City rider subsidies do not apply to single rentals. Tainan resident-card and TPASS discounts are for members only. YouBike 2.0E (e-assist) single rental: NT$20 per 30 minutes for the first 2 hours, NT$40 per 30 minutes after.
Website
Confirm hours, rates and availability directly with the provider. Cycle.tw does not take bookings.
Toilets, water and food
The portal lists Houbi Station as a supply point with toilets, accessible toilets, water, a map and first aid. Other water and toilet points along the farm lanes are not listed.
Safety and conditions
- Lotus season is midsummer: the portal advises sun protection, frequent water and watching for afternoon thunderstorms.
- Watch for farm vehicles and local traffic on the lanes, and for parked cars and people at the green tunnels in flower season.
- Check the Central Weather Administration forecast before you go. Heavy rain, typhoons and earthquakes close paths, river parks and roads, sometimes for weeks.
- Wear a properly fitted bike helmet, whatever the law says for your bike.
When to go
March to April for the Linchupi kapok trees; June to August for lotus (portal tour A23). Ride early in summer.
Nearby and related
Emergency: 110 police, 119 fire and ambulance. From a mobile phone, 112 also reaches emergency services.
Sources
- 後壁白河米蘭蓮花線-營造友善自行車道 32 km, entrance at Houbi Station plaza, coded as shared walk/bike path (Taiwan Bike portal)
- taiwanbike.tw/bikeRoute/search/22145050001000/
- Tour A23 39.0 km loop from Houbi Station, level 1 (Taiwan Bike portal)
- Tainan bikeway data: 八田自行車道 6 km (Tainan City Government Transportation Bureau)
- Ershui Bikeway 5.5 km (Taiwan Tourism Administration)
- YouBike station names and addresses at Taichung Port, Gaomei, Dajia, Houli, Tai'an, Suantou, Dongshi,... (YouBike Co., Ltd.)
- TRA bike (兩鐵) station list: includes Dajia, Qingshui, Shalu, Houli, Tianzhong, Ershui, Dounan, Chiayi,... (Taiwan Railway Corporation)
Checked November 2026 Next review due February 2027.
Printed from https://cycle.tw/routes/houbi-baihe-lotus-bikeway/