- Length
- 8.1 kmSource and notes below
- Route shape
- Loop
- Surface
- Paved
- Traffic
- Shared walk and bike path
- Level
- Easy
- Riding time
- About 35 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
The map loads here. Official map
Line: national cycling portal (MOTC), with its road types. Base map: National Land Surveying and Mapping Center. The official line covers the whole bikeway network here, including branches, so it is longer than the ride described on this page.
Rest stops and stations along the official line
Rest stops
- 安平蚵灰窯文化館 (toilets)
Listed by the national cycling portal (MOTC). Services and hours can change: treat these as a guide, not a guarantee.
About the lengthLength of the single loop drawn on the MOTC Taiwan Bike portal page for this route (the profile's distance counter ends at 8.128 km back at the start). The same portal page gives a headline length of 15.54 km. The map draws both canal banks plus several short side branches, which is the likely reason for the larger figure, but the page does not explain it. Plan on roughly 8 km for one lap; the 15.54 km figure is not one continuous lap. Tainan's Transportation Bureau lists the canal bikeway at about 20 km in its open data, which counts the whole network of paths along the canal, not one lap. Other guides that say about 20 km are using that figure.
Why these labels
Traffic and path type: The portal classifies the whole route as a bicycle and pedestrian shared path (自行車與行人共用道). It runs through the city along both canal banks, so expect walkers, joggers and dog walkers, and street crossings where the loop meets city roads and where it crosses the canal. It is not a car-free trail from end to end.
Families: Flat, paved and shared only with pedestrians along the banks, but the loop meets city streets and crossings; fine for families who can walk bikes across roads.
The Round-the-Canal Bikeway (環運河自行車道) is a Tainan route listed on the national Taiwan Bike portal. It follows the Tainan Canal from the Anping end near the harbour toward the West Central District and back along the opposite bank.
The path is shared with pedestrians the whole way. It is a waterfront city ride rather than a nature trail: you ride past parks, housing and the canal itself, and you cross roads at the ends of the loop.
The portal lists dozens of YouBike stations along the canal, including 林默娘公園, 安億停車場 and 運河星鑽停車場, so it works well without your own bike.
Who it suits
Suits visitors staying in Anping or central Tainan, families, and anyone wanting a short evening ride. Riders looking for distance or a car-free path should look elsewhere.
The route
A ride plan, in order
- Start at the Anyi Road and Yonghua Road Section 2 entrance on the Anping side.
- Follow one bank of the canal east toward the West Central District end near 運河星鑽 and 民生轉運站.
- Cross the canal and return along the other bank to Anping. About 8 km for the lap on the portal's drawn route.
- Optional: from Anping you can continue to the separate Yanshui River levee path (see the Anping Levee route). Treat it as a separate ride; do not add the two official lengths together.
Getting there without a car
- From Tainan Station (TRA), the portal suggests city bus 19 toward 原住民文化會館, getting off at 德陽艦 and walking about 240 m north to the Anyi Road and Yonghua Road Section 2 entrance.
- YouBike stations listed by the portal near the start include 林默娘公園, 安億停車場 and 安平區公所. Check the YouBike app for live availability.
- By car, the portal names the 安億路 car park near the start, and 育平九街 and 育平七街60巷 public car parks along the route.
Bringing your own bike: Bringing your own bike to Tainan by train depends on TRA rules for that service (bagged bike, or an unbagged bike only on designated trains). Check the TRA bike-onboard timetable before travelling. Bus bike carriage on route 19 was not verified.
Renting a bike
YouBike public bikes are the verified option. 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. Private rental shops near the canal were not verified.
- 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 no certified rest stop directly on this loop. The nearest listed one is 安平蚵灰窯文化館 (toilets) near the Anping end. Convenience stores exist in the city but specific ones were not verified. Shade is limited along open waterfront stretches.
Safety and conditions
- Shared path: ride slowly, ring early and give pedestrians priority. Riding on ordinary sidewalks and zebra crossings is generally not allowed in Taiwan unless the path is signed as shared.
- Expect road crossings where the loop meets city streets and canal bridges. Walk the bike across if signals or kerbs are awkward.
- Southern Taiwan is hot for much of the year. Carry water and avoid midday sun on the open waterfront.
- Do not ride along the canal during typhoon warnings or heavy rain.
- 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
Late afternoon into evening avoids the strongest sun. Tainan's transport bureau has suggested evening canal rides, but that comes from news reporting, not a route page.
Nearby and related
Emergency: 110 police, 119 fire and ambulance. From a mobile phone, 112 also reaches emergency services.
Sources
- Round-the-Canal Bikeway: headline 15.54 km (MOTC Taiwan Bike portal)
- Road-type legend: dedicated bikeway, bike/pedestrian shared path, slow lane, mixed traffic (MOTC Taiwan Bike portal)
- Tainan YouBike single-rental rates and NT$3,000 pre-authorization (YouBike)
- Tainan tourism bike page links Taiwan Bike portal and Tainan YouBike (Tainan City Government Tourism Bureau)
- Tainan bike paths with lengths (canal bikeway about 20 km) (Tainan City Transportation Bureau (open data))
Checked November 2026 Next review due May 2027.
Printed from https://cycle.tw/routes/tainan-canal-loop/