This page is about Taichung travel and transportation – I will show you how to travel to other destinations around Taiwan. For scooter rental in Taichung, check out this page.
Basic Info & Orientation
- Taichung train station is located in the old part of town
- Taichung Airport is 15km away, west of the city
- The High-Speed Rail HSR station is in Wuri, 8km away from Taichung
Taichung High-Speed Rail (HSR)
The modern and fast high-speed rail (HSR) is the most convenient way to travel from Taichung to other parts of Taiwan along the west coast. Here are the fares and approximate travel duration for various cities:
HSR Fare and Duration from Taichung
- Nangan: 750$ – 70mins
- Taipei: 700$ – 55mins
- Banqiao: 670$ – 50mins
- Taoyuan: 540$ – 37mins
- Hsinchu: 410$ – 30mins
- Miaoli: 410$ – 24mins
- Changhua: 130NT$ – 10mins
- Yunlin: 230$ – 23mins
- Chiayi: 380$ – 37mins
- Tainan: 650$ – 44mins
- Zuoying (Kaohsiung): 790$ – 1 hour
You can get to Taichung’s HSR station by shuttle bus or normal train from the train station downtown. A taxi ride from downtown will cost you around 250NT$.
TRA Train Travel from Taichung
If the HSR is a bit above your budget, you can take the normal train (TRA) to most destinations around the island. You can check train schedules and fares here on the TRA website. Be warned that very often the website will show NO SEATS AVAILABLE for your selected dates.
Quite often, if you just show up at the station before your intended time of travel, you’ll be able to get a seat, as many travelers will have canceled and you can get the seat of a “no-show” passenger. Worst-case scenario is that you get a standing ticket with no designated seat, and you keep changing place as people get off the train along the way. It’s not ideal, but it’s better than waiting for hours at the station, or standing.
On weekends, that could be tricky as tons of people travel by train from Taichung, heading both south and north. On weekends and holidays, try to buy train tickets in advance, at the station if possible.
Train Fare and Duration from Taichung
- Taipei: 375$ – 02h 20m
- Taoyuan: 308$ – 01h 45m
- Hsinchu: 197$ – 01h 05m
- Chiayi: 224$ – 01h 15m
- Tainan: 363$ – 02h 05m
- Kaohsiung: 469$ – 02h 50m
- Hualien: 815$ – 5 hours
- Taitung: 641$ – 06h 30m
Bus Travel from Taichung City
With the convenience, affordability, and comfort offered by both normal and fast trains there are honestly very few reasons I can imagine why anyone would want to take the bus from Taichung. The main reason could be that TRA trains or the high-speed rail (HSR) doesn’t go to your intended destination. The other reason may be that you just like to be stuck in traffic. If you must take the bus, here are your options:
Kuo Kuang Hao Bus Company
Just outside Taichung train station is the brand new, and huge, bus terminal / transfer station which, at the moment, mainly operates buses from the Kuo Kuang Hao Bus Company. This new terminal has a really nice and modern ticket counter where people actually line-up, restaurants, and clean toilets.
The waiting area has lots of seats and monitors where you can clearly see the bus routes, as well as departure time. This may sound obvious, but the old station had none of that. So, hooray for the new station and all its modern bells and whistles!
Bus Fares from Taichung to:
- Keelung – 345$
- Taipei – 290$
- Banqiao – 290$
- Tucheng – 290$
- Longtan – 240$
- Taoyuan – 255$
- Nankan – 250$
- Hsinchu – 150$
- Taoyuan Airport – 280$
- Zhongli – 230$
- Jiayi – 190$
- Tainan – 250$
- Kaohsiung – 330$
- Pingtung – 350$
