Find out how to get to Taipei from abroad and from other cities around Taiwan.
The city of Taipei is located in the northern part of Taiwan. You can travel to Taipei by plane from other countries. Very few people travel to Taiwan by boat these days. The 2 biggest Taiwanese airlines are Eva Airways and China Airline.
From other Taiwanese cities, you can get to Taipei by bus, HSR (high speed train), or by normal train.
Travel to Taipei from abroad
Making your way to the island of Taiwan will usually happen via Taoyuan International Airport, which in fact lies about 50 kilometers outside of Taipei City. The Airport code is TPE. Direct flights to TPE are rare unless you are coming from Asia or the North American West Coast. Keep in mind that coming to Taipei is a great opportunity to take a couple-day stop in another Asian city – why not stay a tick in Hong Kong, Bangkok or Beijing? Kaohsiung, in the south of the island, also has an international airport.
Travel to Taipei from other Taiwanese cities
Taiwanese public transit makes getting from anywhere on the island to Taipei a breeze.
The principal options are buses and trains, though you can also opt to do a crazy scooter ride, rent a car or fly to Songshan Airport, the primarily domestic hub that rests in Taipei.
HSR to Taipei
Taiwan’s High-Speed Rail (HSR) trains are expensive but wicked fast, and can get you from the southernmost part of the island to Taipei in less than two hours. The HSR terminal in Taipei is at Taipei Main Station.
Here is what you should expect to pay to travel to Taipei by HSR from the following cities in Taiwan:
- Kaohsiung (Zuoying) to Taipei: 1490NT$ (1 hour, 30 minutes)
- Tainan to Taipei: 1350NT$ (1 hour, 45 minutes)
- Chiayi to Taipei: 1080NT$
- Yunlin to Taipei: 930NT$
- Changhua to Taipei: 820NT$
- Taichung to Taipei: 700NT$ (45 minutes)
- Miaoli to Taipei: 430NT$
- Taoyuan to Taipei: 160NT$ (25 minutes)
- Banqiao to Taipei: 40NT$ (10 minutes)
- Nangang to Taipei: 40NT$
Normal trains (TRA) to and from Taipei
If you’re looking for a more affordable or comprehensive option, you can always take the Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) trains, which are cheap and seem to stop in every small village in Taiwan. The train station in Taipei is at the MRT stop Taipei Main Station.
- Kaohsiung to Taipei: 845NT$ (4.5 hours)
- Taichung to Taipei: 375NT$ (2 hours)
- Tainan to Taipei: 745NT$ (3.5 hours)
- Hualien to Taipei: 445NT$ (2.5 hours)
Buses to Taipei
Buses are also available and are generally even cheaper than TRA trains. Most intercity buses in Taiwan are quite comfortable with soft cushy seats and satellite televisions. The mountainous terrain makes for a bit of an inefficient ride, so if you don’t want to waste time it’d be best to avoid the bus system. The main bus station in Taipei is behind Taipei Main Station.
The following fares to travel to Taipei are with the UBus Company.
- Taichung to Taipei: weekend – 260NT$; week – 230NT$
- Tainan to Taipei: weekend – 450NT$; week – 310NT$
- Kaohsiung to Taipei: weekend – 450NT$; week – 370NT$
- Taipei to Sun Moon Lake: weekend – 465NT$; week – 390NT$
- Taipei to Alishan: 620NT$ every day
Songshan Airport in Taipei
Taipei’s Songshan Airport, in contrast to Taoyuan Airport, is mostly domestic and lies within Taipei City itself.
Recently, the airport began offering flights to regional international stops like Tokyo and Shanghai. Aside from these destinations, the airport mostly services other small locations within Taiwan itself. Songshan Airport is very convenient to get to as it has its own MRT stop, along the Muzha-Neihu brown line. To travel to Taipei’s city center from Songshan Airport, you can also take public buses and taxis.
Getting to Taipei from Taoyuan Airport
Traveling to Taipei City from Taoyuan International Airport (in Taoyuan City) is easy:
As noted above, the main international terminal in Taiwan, Taoyuan Airport, actually lies about an hour’s trip away from Taipei’s city center. There are various ways to travel to Taipei from Taoyuan Airport.
- Buses (average cost NT$100): There are dozens of bus systems that offer services to and from the Airport. If you are going to a well-known hotel in Taipei, you should be able to find a bus that takes you there directly.
- Taxi (average cost NT$1,000): Taxis will be all over the place waiting to service visitors, and they can bring you anywhere you like. It will be about ten times more expensive than taking the buses, but the convenience arguably balances it out, especially if you’re not comfortable with navigating your way through foreign languages.
- Train (average cost up to NT$200): From the airport, you can also take a NT$30 shuttle bus to the Taoyuan train station. From there, you can jump on a High-Speed Rail (HSR) train to Taipei Main Station. However, I recommend you just take one of the city shuttle buses as the HSR is a bigger hassle, more expensive and can only take you to one destination.
Travel to other Taiwanese cities
If you travel to Taipei and you have extra time on your schedule, I suggest you visit the following tourist destinations in Taiwan
Taichung | Tainan | Kaohsiung | Hualien | Hsinchu | Kenting
Sun Moon Lake | Lugang | Taroko Gorge | Hehuan Mountain | Maolin
I wish you a safe trip to Taipei!