Fulong Beach Taiwan: The Northeast Coast Paradise Behind Taiwan’s Biggest Summer Festival

If Taiwan has a summer capital, it’s Fulong Beach. Tucked along the dramatic northeast coast about an hour by train from Taipei, this crescent of golden sand draws millions every summer for one of Asia’s most beloved beach festivals — the Fulong International Sand Sculpture Art Festival — plus surfing, kayaking, camping, a famous railway lunchbox, and an old-railway cycling tunnel that’s become a bucket-list ride for visitors. This guide is everything you need to know before you go: how to get there, what to do, when the festival runs (with 2026 dates), and the easy-to-miss inner-lagoon beach that locals call the “real” Fulong.

Whether you’re catching the train out for a single day trip from Taipei or building a multi-day Northeast Coast itinerary around it, here’s the deepest Fulong Beach Taiwan guide on the internet — written by people who actually love this island.

Why Fulong Beach Is Taiwan’s Northeast Coast Crown Jewel

Fulong Beach (福隆海水浴場, Fúlóng Hǎishuǐyùchǎng) sits in Gongliao District of New Taipei City, where the Shuangxi River meets the Pacific Ocean. The result is a geographic oddity that explains everything special about the place: a wide three-kilometer arc of fine golden sand — long enough that crowds disappear into it — split into two distinct halves by the river mouth. The outer half faces the open Pacific with proper waves; the inner half is a sheltered lagoon, calm and shallow, perfect for kids and beginner paddleboarders.

That’s the geography. What makes Fulong the beach is what it represents culturally. When Taipei office workers want to flee the heat, they don’t trek south to Kenting — they hop on the train to Fulong. The vendors selling shaved ice know everyone by face. The Fulong train station — a tiny stop on the Yilan Line — was built specifically because the beach was already legendary in the 1960s. Even Taiwan’s beloved railway bento lunchbox tradition has a Fulong version that pilgrims travel out just to eat.

And from late spring through early autumn, the beach itself becomes an art gallery. That’s the festival we’re here to talk about.

The Fulong International Sand Sculpture Festival (2026 Dates, Tickets & What to Expect)

This is the single biggest reason most people visit Fulong, and it’s earned the hype. The Fulong International Sand Sculpture Art Festival (福隆國際沙雕藝術季) has been running since 2008 and now draws around 400,000 visitors per season. For 2026, the festival runs from May 29 through October 13 — that’s nearly five full months of access to one of the largest temporary sand sculpture exhibitions on the planet.

The 2026 edition features more than 40 sculptures crafted by 15 international master sculptors, with an unusual theme this year: licensed collaborations with Jurassic World, Shrek, Kung Fu Panda, and Back to the Future. So instead of generic dragons and dolphins, you’re walking past a six-meter T-Rex emerging from the sand next to Po from Kung Fu Panda doing tai chi next to the DeLorean. It’s odd, it’s joyful, and the craftsmanship up close is genuinely jaw-dropping — these sculptors are world-class, and several have won the international Sand Sculpting World Championship.

2026 Sand Sculpture Festival — quick reference

• Dates: May 29 – October 13, 2026
• Hours: 8:00 AM – 7:00 PM weekdays, 8:00 AM – 7:30 PM weekends and holidays
• Location: No. 41 Fulong Street, Gongliao District, New Taipei City (the festival is held on the inner beach, accessed via the suspension bridge)
• Ticket price: Around NT$120 for adults, NT$100 concession (children, students, seniors). Tickets are sold at the gate or online via Klook and Taipei Fun Pass.
• Best time to visit: Weekday mornings before 11:00 AM, or late afternoon after 4:00 PM. Midday weekends are the busiest.

One small but crucial tip: bring water. The festival area is full of food stalls but the sun on open sand is brutal between noon and 3:00 PM. If you can swing it, plan the festival for the morning and save the actual swimming for the cooler late afternoon.

The Famous Suspension Bridge & The Inner Beach Lagoon Locals Love

Walk down the path from the visitor center and you’ll see Fulong’s most photographed feature: a long, gracefully arched white pedestrian suspension bridge spanning the Shuangxi River. Cross it. This is the single most important move you make at Fulong, because the suspension bridge separates two completely different beach experiences.

The mainland side (free): A small swimming area, surf school, and easy access from the parking lot and train station. Most casual visitors stop here. Decent for a quick dip, but it’s where the day-trippers cluster.

The island side (paid, beyond the bridge): This is where Fulong becomes Fulong. The inner lagoon — formed where the river slows before the sea — is glass-calm, knee-to-waist deep for long stretches, and perfect for stand-up paddleboarding, kayaking, and letting small kids splash without worry. Beyond the lagoon, the outer Pacific beach stretches for what feels like forever, with proper waves and a real horizon. The sand sculpture festival sets up on the island side. So does the better camping area.

Here’s the local secret: the inner lagoon is at its most magical in late afternoon when the festival crowd thins. The water turns a slightly milky jade color from river minerals, the wind dies, and on summer evenings you can stand-up paddleboard out to a sandbar and watch the sun set behind the coastal mountains. Few foreign visitors realize it exists.

How to Get to Fulong Beach From Taipei (Plus the Legendary Railway Bento)

The best way to reach Fulong is by train — and it’s also the most fun way, because the journey itself is part of the ritual. From Taipei Main Station, take any TRA (Taiwan Railways) train heading toward Yilan or Hualien on the Yilan Line. Look for trains stopping at Fulong Station (福隆).

Train options from Taipei

• Local commuter train (區間車 / Local): Around NT$110, takes 1 hour 30 minutes. No reservations needed; just tap in with your EasyCard. Recommended for weekends when express trains book out.
• Tze-Chiang express (自強號): Around NT$180, takes 50–65 minutes. Faster, but you’ll want a reserved seat in summer — these trains fill up.
• Puyuma / Taroko express (普悠瑪/太魯閣): Around NT$190, takes 45–55 minutes. Fastest option, but reserved tickets only and often sold out weeks in advance during festival season.

Pro tip: if you’re going on a summer weekend, book your return train as soon as you arrive at the beach. The 4:00–6:00 PM trains back to Taipei sell out fast as the heat breaks and everyone heads home at once.

The famous Fulong railway bento

You cannot leave Fulong without eating the bento. The Fulong Railway Bento (福隆便當) is one of the most beloved tiěbiàn (railway lunchboxes) in Taiwan — a steaming wooden box of pearl rice topped with a pan-fried pork chop, braised tofu, pickled greens, a tea egg, and a slice of sausage. The original vendor is right outside the station, and you’ll often see lines stretching down the sidewalk. The whole thing costs around NT$80 and tastes like a perfect summer afternoon. Eat it on the beach — it’s tradition.

Things to Do at Fulong Beach: Swimming, Surfing, SUP, Camping & More

Beyond the festival, Fulong is a legitimate beach playground year-round. The water is open for official swimming roughly from May through October, but the rest of the activities run all year.

Swimming

The lifeguarded swim zones on both the mainland and island sides are clearly marked with buoys. Lifeguards are on duty during festival season (typically 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM). Outside swimming season, the water is still legal to enter — just at your own risk and without designated zones.

Surfing

Fulong has small-to-medium beach-break waves that are perfect for beginners and intermediate surfers. The local surf school Spot Surfing rents boards (NT$500/day) and offers beginner lessons (around NT$1,500 for a 2-hour group session). Best waves come in autumn typhoon swell and again in winter when the northeast monsoon kicks up shoulder-high days. Summer is usually mellow — great for first-timers.

Stand-up paddleboarding & kayaking

The inner lagoon is one of the best SUP spots in northern Taiwan because it’s flat, sheltered, and shallow. Multiple rental shops on the island side rent boards for around NT$500 for 2 hours. Kayak rentals run NT$400–600 for 2 hours. No experience required — the lagoon is forgiving.

Camping

The Fulong Beach campground sits on the island side just past the festival area. Sites cost around NT$1,000 per night and include access to washrooms and showers. Booking is strongly recommended via the official Northeast and Yilan Coast National Scenic Area site, especially on weekends and during summer.

What to wear

Sun protection matters here — the UV at sea level in Taiwan summer is intense, and the breeze fools you into not noticing you’re burning. A good rash guard is non-negotiable for long swim or SUP days, and a packable Taiwan-themed beach towel doubles as a sand mat and a souvenir. Our Taiwan Kawaii Flag String Bikini and matching rash guards in the Taiwan Merch shop are designed exactly for days like this — quick-dry, sun-friendly, and the kind of thing that gets a “where did you get that?” from every Taiwanese auntie on the beach.

Beyond the Beach: The Old Caoling Cycling Tunnel & Northeast Coast Loop

Fulong is also the gateway to one of Taiwan’s most underrated day adventures: the Old Caoling Tunnel (舊草嶺隧道) cycling route. The tunnel was originally a railway tunnel built in 1924, abandoned when the new tunnel opened, and converted in 2008 into a 2-kilometer-long bike-and-pedestrian tunnel cutting through the coastal mountain ridge. Riding through it feels like time travel — red-brick interior, cool 20°C air even at the peak of August, and a long curving glow at the end as the Pacific reveals itself on the other side.

The full ride is a 20-kilometer coastal loop: rent a bike at Fulong Station (NT$100–200 per day for a basic city bike, NT$400+ for an e-bike), pedal through Old Caoling Tunnel, follow the spectacular coastal road past Sandiao Cape (Taiwan’s easternmost point) and its iconic white lighthouse, then loop back along the highway. Total time: 2–4 hours depending on stops. Bring water. The view from the Sandiao headland — sea cliffs dropping into turquoise Pacific in both directions — is among the best on the entire island.

If you have a full day, combine Fulong with nearby Bitou Cape for sea-cliff hiking and Caoling Historic Trail for an old Qing-dynasty pilgrim path that climbs through wild grass meadows above the sea. Together they make Taiwan’s Northeast Coast Scenic Area one of the country’s most underrated travel days. For broader context, our complete Taiwan beach guide compares Fulong to every other major beach on the island.

Fulong Beach FAQs: Tickets, Weather, Camping & More

Is Fulong Beach free?

The mainland-side beach is free. The island-side beach (where the suspension bridge takes you, where the sand sculpture festival happens, and where the better swimming and lagoon are) requires a small entrance fee — around NT$120 during festival season — that bundles beach access with festival entry.

What is the best time of year to visit Fulong Beach?

Late May through early October is peak season — water is warm, the festival is on, and everything is open. Within that window, June and September are sweet spots: pleasant water, full festival, and fewer crowds than July–August school holidays. October is gorgeous on clear days but watch for end-of-season typhoons — check our Taiwan weather and climate guide for what to expect month by month.

Can you swim at Fulong Beach in winter?

You can enter the water, but the official swim season closes around mid-October. Winter water temperatures drop to around 18–20°C and the northeast monsoon makes the surf rough and unpredictable. Winter is great for surfing (if you have a wetsuit), cycling the tunnel, and walking the beach — but not for swimming.

Is Fulong Beach safe for kids?

Yes, especially on the inner-lagoon side. The lagoon is shallow, sheltered, and lifeguarded during festival season. The outer beach has small waves but watch for rip currents in the unguarded zones beyond the buoys.

How does Fulong Beach compare to Kenting or Penghu?

Fulong wins on accessibility — it’s the only major Taiwan beach you can reach by train from Taipei in under an hour. Kenting (in the deep south) has bigger waves and warmer winters but a 5+ hour journey from Taipei. Penghu’s islands are wilder, more dramatic, and require a flight or ferry. For a day-trip-from-Taipei beach, Fulong is unbeaten.

Is there a typhoon risk in summer?

Taiwan’s typhoon season runs roughly June through October, with August–September being peak. Most days are fine, but if a typhoon is forecast within 48 hours of your trip, the festival closes and trains slow down — always check the forecast before heading out.

What should I pack for a day trip to Fulong?

Sunscreen (high SPF, reef-safe ideally), sun hat, sunglasses, rash guard or UV shirt, swimsuit, beach towel, water bottle, a few hundred NTD in cash for food and rentals, an EasyCard for the train, and a dry bag for your phone if you plan to SUP or kayak. The vendors at the station can fill most gaps if you forget something, but bring your own sunscreen — it’s expensive on-site.

And don’t forget the Fulong Bento on the way home. It’s the unwritten rule.

Fulong Beach is one of those rare places that lives up to its reputation. It’s not the wildest beach in Taiwan, or the most exotic — but it’s the friendliest, the easiest to reach, and the one that feels most like a Taiwanese summer. Whether you come for the sand sculptures, the surf, the SUP, the railway bento, the tunnel ride, or just to lie on the sand and listen to Mandarin pop drifting from someone else’s speaker — you’ll leave understanding why this little crescent of golden sand has held the island’s heart for three generations. Pack light, take the train, eat the bento, cross the bridge. Fulong is waiting.