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Tandem Tour on the Island Ring Road
There are several ways to explore a town and its surroundings. One of the most fun ways to get to know Xiamen's vicinity is to hire a bike and drive on the Island Ring Road. The fully developed bicycle lane beside the road offers you the possibility to explore the island on your own.
There are different places to hire tandems or other bikes here in Xiamen. If you want to do a trip on the Island Ring Road, you might probably start at Xiada Baicheng (buses: 2, 17, 20, 29, 47, 48... get off the bus at 'Xiada Baicheng Zhan'). Opposite to the beach, on the other side of the road, there is one place to hire tandems. It is hidden behind a white fence, but if you look through a breach you will already see various bikes. Try to get a new one, because some of the hills waiting for you are hard to get over with one of those old tandems. You only have to pay 10 RMB per hour and leave something behind as a deposit (money or an ID-card e.g.).
Besides that place, there are several more shops where you can hire bicycles on the Island Ring Road, so you can decide where to start your trip. Close to almost every bus-stop after Xiada Baicheng, you will find a bicycle shop.
Once you started your trip, you will recognise why hiring a bicycle is such a good idea. With a fresh wind in your face, the sun on your skin and a beautiful landscape to take a look at, a trip with the bicycle really means some fun (even more fun with a tandem, of course).
The bicycle lane alongside the seashore leads you to wonderful beaches, parks and several tourist attractions. On your trip on the Island Ring Road, you can come across the Taiwan Folk Village, the Music Park, Hulishan Fort and others. Large lawns beside the street offer a perfect place to relax and to enjoy the nice view onto the ocean. If you get hungry you can take advantage of all the restaurants on the side of the bicycle lane. At the Rasa Sayang International Club e.g. you can sit on a wooden terrace and gain new energy by drinking a cup of coffee while looking at the wonderful scenery.
Besides the major tourist attractions such as the Taiwan Folk Village or the International Conference & Exhibition Centre, there are small treasures everywhere along the Island Ring Road. Sculptures of all kind are worth a second look and the forest on the mountain e.g. invites to leave the bike for a minute and explore nature.
You should definitely take advantage of these late summer-like days and get to know another facet of Xiamen. No matter how crowded the city is, you will find a quiet place out here. So pack you stuff and some friends and hire a tandem.
Xiamen Guide -- Travel, Business and Cultural Guide to Xiamen and Fujian.
