Taiwan Travel Guide: How to go around Taipei
Jiufen, April 2023
“You’re lucky it’s a sunny day! It is raining about 85% of the time in Northern Taiwan.” - our guide
Flying out to Taipei from Manila only takes an average flight time of 2 hours and 15 minutes. Along with Hong Kong, it is one of the nearest international destinations for Filipinos or anyone coming from the Philippines’ capital. With Filipinos continuing to enjoy visa-free tourist privileges for another year, this means that it remains to be one of the most popular destinations for first-time Filipino travelers! In fact, Taiwan ranks as the number 7th most visited country for Philippine travelers.
DID YOU KNOW…
“Filipinos were first given visa-free tourist privileges on 01 November 2017. ”
GETTING TO TAIPEI FROM THE PHILIPPINES
As of the time of this writing, there are direct flights to Taipei from the following locations:
Manila: 12 non-stop flights per day;
Cebu: 3 non-stop flights per day;
Clark: 2 non-stop flights per day; and
Caticlan: 1 non-stop flight per day.
These flights are run by Philippine Airlines, Air Asia, Cebu Pacific, EVA Air, China Airlines, and STARLUX, so you will never really run out of options. It’s just a matter of preference and budget.
I have personally tried the first four. I can say that EVA Air remains a favorite because of their impeccable service, comfortable seats with wide legroom (even for economy), great in-flight food, and entertainment. With all of this at hand, it tends to be the most expensive among the choices as it is, of course, not a budget airline.
For budget flights, either it’s a juggle between Air Asia and Cebu Pacific, although I do appreciate that Air Asia’s seats are much more cushioned than the latter’s.
Here’s a comparison of the flights for a sample booking 3 months away.
September 2024 sample booking through flights.google.com
GETTING FROM TAIPEI TAOYUAN AIRPORT TO TAIPEI
Welcome to Taipei! Let’s figure out how you can get from the airport to your hotel.
By taxi
I’ve personally never tried using a taxi from the airport to the main city, because of how far the airport is and how expensive it is. A one-way taxi fare from Taipei Taoyuan Airport can range between 1,200 to 1,500 NTD (2,100 to 2,700 PHP). If you’re traveling solo, this can leave quite a dent in the pocket. However, if you’re arriving after midnight, this might be one of your few choices; a pre-booked airport transfer being the other option.
Through a pre-booked airport transfer
If you’re the kind of person who would prefer everything to be pre-planned, then you can also pre-book an airport transfer through aggregators like Klook or KKday. This way, you can learn and pay in advance for the ride, especially if you know you’re arriving after midnight when the trains are already closed. Pre-booking also prevents the possible hassle of not having a card functioning internationally, or not having any NTD on hand.
By train
The train from Taipei Taoyuan Airport to Taipei City opens at 06:00 am and closes after its last trip at 11:37 pm. If your arrival time is within this schedule, then taking either the express or commuter train might just be your best bet!
A ticket from Taipei Taoyuan Airport to Taipei Main Station only costs NTD160 (PHP288) — almost 90% less than taking a taxi! If you purchase it in advance, you can sometimes get a discount.
DID YOU KNOW…
“There are 2 types of train that you can board: (a) express or the purple train, or (b) commuter or the blue train.”
2023 Taipei MRT map from Wikimedia Commons
GETTING AROUND TAIPEI
Now that you’ve settled in your hotel. It’s time to get around the city!
There are several ways to get around Taipei. If you’re coming from the Philippines, I’m sure you’d appreciate the public transport infrastructure of Taiwan’s capital. So, I’d recommend you try to get around by train or bus! Understanding how to utilize Taipei's MRT and taxis effectively can greatly enhance your travel experience in Taiwan's capital.
Just remember: the service hours of the Taipei MRT is from 06:00 am to midnight
WHAT YOU MUST ABSOLUTELY NEED TO GET AROUND TAIPEI
If there’s one thing that will make your commute easy around Taipei, it’s the Easycard! The EasyCard is a contactless smartcard system that you can use in just about all public transportation in Taipei, as well as in some businesses like convenience stores. Neighboring countries like Singapore and Japan have a similar smartcard system.
You can get an Easycard from most convenience stores!
Now that you know the basics, go on and book that ticket to Taipei! Have fun!
