Scenic Bike Ride from Shatin - Taipo - Tai Mei Tuk HONG KONG
First time biking since moving to Hong Kong and my goodness what a treat! Pierre and I had an annual Citibike membership back in NYC and we used it so often biking on the west side of Manhattan. Biking is something I truly missed since moving to Hong Kong and boy am I glad we got to try it for the first time under such wonderful circumstances!
The designated bike route, separate from vehicle and pedestrian traffic transverse through the Science Park and the Tai Po Waterfront Park. The beautiful scenery with Shing Mun River with Ma On Shan, high rise residential buildings, and even the Tze Shan Monastery Buddha in the backdrop truly highlight the stunning nature-filled wanders in this particular area of Hong Kong.
Bike Rentals
Plenty of bike rentals are available throughout the 3 neighborhoods, we got ours at Lung Kee Bike Rentals right next to the MX at University Station on the East Rail Line of the MTR and dropped it off with its location in Tai Po, next to the Hot Food Center.
Bike Rental Name: Lung Kee Bike Rentals
Location: University Station | Tai Po Hot Food Center
Price: $40/hr or $90/Day with additional $10 if dropping off at a different location than pickup
Not specified on Google Maps, the bike route is the same as the pedestrian walkway along the waterfront!
Bike Route
We started our journey at the University Station in Shatin and followed the bike lane towards the Science Park direction. The bike lane was a bit crowded at some parts, especially since it’s a long holiday weekend, but it is completely separated out from vehicle and pedestrian traffic, making it very safe and family friendly!
The bike route continues and you can stop at any point. The route we took was roughly about 14km in total and mostly flat, which is nice! Breaking it down, it’s roughly the following:
University Station - Tai Po Waterfront Park: 10km
Tai Po Waterfront Park - Tai Mei Tuk/Tze Shan Monastery: 4km
Points of Interests
Shing Mun River
2 minutes into the bike ride, we had to cross the Shing Mun River, and throughout the route, there are points where you can stop and admire the beautiful views.
Science Park Water Front and Taipo Waterfront
There were a lot of outdoor cafes and grassy areas that looked awesome for picnic but we didn’t stop to check out any this time. There are also lovely views of Ma On Shan along the way that make lovely photo spots.
Tze Shan Monastery
Realizing towards the end of the bike ride that we are only 1.6 km from Tze Shan Monastery, we made slight change of plans and cut across from the Tai Po Industrial Estate to ride up to the Buddhist Temple. Nestled in one of the villages along Ting Kok Rd, we followed the signs and rode up hill. Unfortunately, the Monastery was closed by the time we reached to it.
Tze Shan Monastery - Looks super beautiful and serene inside but too bad it was closed by the time we got there :(
Too exhausted, we decided to return the bikes to Lung Kee’s Tai Po location - which seems like a really cool spot with lots of local food offerings. We opted for a Spanish restaurant instead called Tapas Brew.
The entire trip took us about 3 hours but we really did take our time leisurely riding and stopping here and there for photos. Highly highly recommended and it can be easily done as an afternoon activity!
