Fulong (福隆) is a beach village in Gongliao District (貢寮區), New Taipei City, on the far side of the northeast coast from Taipei. The Shuangxi River (雙溪河) meets the sea here, so the beach has a river on one side and the ocean on the other. Come in summer for the sand and the sand sculpture festival, or any time of year to cycle through an old railway tunnel and on to the lighthouse at Taiwan's eastern tip.
- Train Taipei Main Station to Fulong Station, about 1 hour 5 minutes on a fast local train
- MRT None. Take the train from Taipei Main Station
- Where Gongliao District, New Taipei City
- Best for Summer beach days, cycling the Old Caoling Tunnel
- Time A full day
Good to know: a typhoon hit this coast in late October 2026. The National Scenic Area's update of 30 October lists Fulong Beach as closed for repairs until further notice; the Old Caoling Tunnel and the Sandiaojiao Lighthouse trail have reopened. Check the latest closures list before you set out.
How to get to Fulong from Taipei
Train to Fulong Station
Take a Taiwan Railway train from Taipei Main Station toward Yilan or Hualien and get off at Fulong (福隆). On the Saturday timetable we checked (7 November 2026), 29 direct trains ran between 06:09 and 22:07, with gaps of up to about an hour and a half. Fast local trains (區間快) took 1 hour 5 minutes to 1 hour 18 minutes, ordinary local trains 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 55 minutes, and the few Tze-Chiang and Puyuma express trains that stop took 1 hour to 1 hour 14 minutes. Not every express stops at Fulong, so check the timetable for your day. Local trains take your EasyCard.
By bus along the coast
The Taiwan Tourist Shuttle Golden Fulong Line 856 (台灣好行黃金福隆線) starts at Ruifang Station, runs past Jiufen and Jinguashi and down the coast through Nanya, Bitou and Longdong to Fulong, then on to the Sandiaojiao Lighthouse. The fare is NT$15 a section for adults, and the route has two sections, split at Shuinandong (水湳洞). It takes EasyCard. Keelung Bus 791 runs from Keelung to Fulong along the same coast. → The Northeast Coast on the way
What to see
Fulong Beach (福隆海水浴場)
A long beach of golden sand, with the river running behind it and a crescent-shaped footbridge, the Rainbow Bridge (彩虹橋), joining the two sides. Summer is the main season: the Scenic Area lists sailing, kayaking and surfing on the calm river as well as the beach itself. Hours and entry fees are set by the beach operator, so check them for the day you go, and swim only when and where the beach says you can.
- Status: closed for repairs from 22 October 2026 until further notice, after typhoon damage. The Fulong seaside park and its stretch of sand by Dongxing Temple (東興宮) reopened on 29 October.
- Where: No. 40, Fulong Street, Gongliao District. Fulong Station is close by.
- Access: accessible toilets and parking, and wheelchairs to borrow.
The Fulong International Sand Sculpture Art Festival
Every summer, large sand sculptures go up on Fulong Beach. The 2026 festival (福隆國際沙雕藝術季) ran from 29 May to 26 October, with tickets at NT$220 for adults. It has now closed; dates for 2027 were not out when we checked, so look for them on the Scenic Area's site in spring.
The Old Caoling Tunnel (舊草嶺隧道)
A railway tunnel built in 1924 between Fulong and Shicheng (石城), reopened in 2008 as a cycle path, the first old railway in northern Taiwan turned into one. It is 2,167 meters long and takes about 20 minutes to ride one way. The north end is in Fulong, New Taipei; the south end comes out at Shicheng in Toucheng, Yilan County, with the coast road and the sea beside you. Shops outside Fulong Station rent bikes, so most people rent there and ride.
- Hours: 08:30 to 17:00 from 1 October to 31 May (last entry 16:30); 08:30 to 17:30 from 1 June to 30 September (last entry 17:00). The control center takes a lunch break from 12:30 to 13:30.
- Entry: free.
- Rules: bicycles and people on foot on weekdays; bicycles only on weekends and public holidays. No motor vehicles and no side-by-side tandem bikes.
- Access: accessible toilets and parking, and hand-cranked cycles to borrow.
- Status: reopened on 25 October 2026 after the typhoon.
The Sandiaojiao Lighthouse (三貂角燈塔)
A white lighthouse on the cape at Taiwan's far east, where the island sees its first sunrise. Around it are a radar dome, a small Greek-style pavilion and a heart-shaped art piece. It is open all year and free.
- Where: No. 38, Magang Street, Fulian Village, Gongliao District.
- Getting there: Taiwan Tourist Shuttle 856 to the Magang (Sandiaojiao Lighthouse) stop (馬崗(三貂角燈塔)), then walk. The lighthouse trail reopened on 28 October 2026.
Fulong Station and its bento
New Taipei City's tourism site says Fulong is as famous for its bento as for its beach, and that you smell it as soon as you step out of the station. The shops outside sell lunch boxes, rent bikes and sell beach things, so it is the natural place to pick up a bike and lunch before the tunnel.
Timing tips
- Beach in summer, cycling all year. The beach and the sand sculptures are a summer trip. The tunnel ride works in any season, but it closes earlier from October to May.
- Mind the winter sea. From October to March the northeast monsoon often brings long, heavy waves to this coast, and the Scenic Area asks people to stay away from seaside activities then.
- Weekday if you are walking. On weekends and holidays the tunnel is for bikes only.
- Caoling Historic Trail. The old hiking trail over the hills from Gongliao is closed after storm damage until 13 November 2026, and its silver grass festival has moved to 14 November to 13 December.
- Make it a coast day. Ride bus 856 from Ruifang in the morning, stop at Nanya or Bitou on the way, and take the train home from Fulong. → Jiufen, at the start of the 856 route
Sources
Train times from Taiwan Railway's timetable search (Saturday 7 November 2026). The beach, its facilities and the festivals from the Northeast and Yilan Coast National Scenic Area's Fulong Beach page; 2026 festival dates and tickets from its 2026 sand sculpture festival site. The tunnel's history, hours, rules and buses from its Old Caoling Bicycle Tunnel page, the lighthouse from its Sandiaojiao Lighthouse page, bus 856 stops and fares from its Golden Fulong Line page, the winter sea warning from its Longdong Rock Field page, and closures and reopenings from its typhoon update (30 October 2026). The station and its bento from New Taipei City's Fulong Train Station page. Checked October 2026.