Asia / Destination guide
Taiwan
Plan your journey city by city. Explore destination facts, arrival planning, and practical travel guides.
13 of 40 guides checked against official sources · others are editorial previews- Capital
- Taipei
- Currency
- TWD
- Languages in source
- Chinese
- Geographic region
- Eastern Asia
Source-imported reference data; not an entry or visa guide. Source & verification notes ↗
Explore the country
Find your city
Prepare for your trip
Travel essentials
The practical guidebook
Planning for Taiwan
Banqiao / Transportation
Transferring between train lines at Banqiao Station
How Banqiao Station's TRA, THSR, and Taipei MRT systems connect, what changes between concourses, and what to expect when transferring with luggage.
Editorial preview · factual review pendingBanqiao / First-time visitor
Arriving in Taiwan for the first time through Banqiao Station
Orient yourself if Banqiao Station is your first real stop in Taiwan, covering SIM and EasyCard setup, luggage, and continuing into central Taipei.
Editorial preview · factual review pendingKaohsiung / Day trips
Planning a Cijin Island day trip from Kaohsiung
Build a half-day or full-day Cijin Island plan around the ferry crossing from Kaohsiung, covering the beach, seafood street, and old lighthouse and fort.
Editorial preview · factual review pendingKaohsiung / First-time visitor
First 24 hours in Kaohsiung: what to sort out and do
A first-time visitor's plan for the day you land in Kaohsiung, covering arrival, getting around by MRT and light rail, paying, and connecting to the internet.
Editorial preview · factual review pendingKaohsiung / Transportation
How to use the Kaohsiung MRT with an iPASS card
A step-by-step guide to buying and using an iPASS card on the Kaohsiung MRT, plus the mistakes first-time riders make with tokens and tap-in rules.
Editorial preview · factual review pendingNew Taipei City / Day trips
Yingge and Tamsui in one day: a New Taipei City day trip
How to combine Yingge's ceramics old street and Tamsui's riverside sunset in a single day trip from Taipei, and how the MRT connection between them actually works.
Editorial preview · factual review pendingTaichung / Practical information
Betel nut stands in Taichung: what they are, by the numbers
Taiwan's neon roadside betel stands are shrinking on every official measure. Here are the government's own crop, health and tax figures, dated, and what a stand actually sells.
Editorial preview · factual review pendingTaichung / First-time visitor
First-time guide to Taichung: what to know before you go
What a first-time visitor to Taichung should know about getting around, paying, connecting, and using the city as a base before exploring further.
Editorial preview · factual review pendingTaichung / Transportation
How to use buses and an iPASS card in Taichung
Taichung runs on buses more than rail. Here's how to load an iPASS card, read route numbers, tap on and off correctly, and spot your stop without reading Mandarin.
Editorial preview · factual review pendingTaichung / Practical information
Joining a Taiwanese temple procession: what the Dajia pilgrimage asks of you
The Dajia Mazu pilgrimage is open to anyone who walks, and nothing is arranged for you. Two designated pilgrimages compared, and what each level of taking part costs.
Editorial preview · factual review pendingTainan / First-time visitor
First-time guide to Tainan: what to know before you go
How Tainan's temple-dense, food-focused, scooter-and-foot scale differs from Taiwan's bigger cities, and what to sort out before and during your first visit.
Editorial preview · factual review pendingTainan / Day trips
One day in Tainan's historic district: a walking itinerary
A one-day route through Tainan's old town and temple district, with the logic behind the order of stops and when to switch from walking to a scooter-taxi or bus.
Editorial preview · factual review pendingTaipei / Day trips
Beitou Hot Springs from Taipei: MRT, Public Bath, Foot Baths
Take the MRT Red line to Beitou and change for Xinbeitou. The Beitou Park public bath is shut for rebuilding, so soak at a certified hotel or the free foot baths (closed Mondays).
Official sources checked 2026-10-12Taipei / Money & payments
Cash or Card in Taipei: Where You Still Need Cash
Taipei's Metro, Airport MRT, 7-Eleven and airport taxis take contactless bank cards. Carry cash for stalls with no reader; 24-hour ATMs in 7-Eleven accept foreign cards.
Official sources checked 2026-10-03Taipei / Practical information
Taiwan's convenience store density claim, checked against the figures
Taiwan's convenience store density is real, but the world ranking is undocumented. Official counts, both density bases, and the services a visitor can use.
Editorial preview · factual review pendingTaipei / Shopping
Who actually makes the own-brand snacks in Taipei convenience stores
The brand on the front and the maker on the back are often different companies. Group structure from the filings, and how Taiwan's label law lets you check.
Editorial preview · factual review pendingTaipei / Practical information
How to buy CPBL baseball tickets in Taipei and choose your side
CPBL seats are split by team and the cheering is led from a stage. Compare six clubs ticket platforms, what a passport gets you, and verified 2026 prices.
Editorial preview · factual review pendingTaipei / Transportation
EasyCard vs iPASS in Taipei: Which Should Visitors Buy?
For a Taipei trip, buy EasyCard: same NT$100 card fee and fares as iPASS, but easier to refund at Taipei and Airport MRT station desks. iPASS refunds at service centres or by post.
Official sources checked 2026-10-03Taipei / Practical information
How Taipei's garbage truck system works on a long stay
Taipei has almost no public bins and takes household rubbish only from a truck you meet in person, using a paid city bag. Here is what each stay type actually has to do.
Editorial preview · factual review pendingTaipei / Practical information
Taiwan Hiking Permits: Which Trails Need One?
Taipei's city trails and Yangmingshan's main paths need no permit. High routes in Yushan, Taroko and Shei-Pa need a free park permit and usually a police mountain permit.
Official sources checked 2026-10-03Taipei / Practical information
What Taiwan's hot spring law requires of you in Taipei and Beitou
Taiwan regulates hot springs by law, and most public pools require swimwear rather than ban it. What each bath type expects and how to check a venue is legal.
Editorial preview · factual review pendingTaipei / Practical information
Taiwan's temple count, checked against the convenience store claim
Taiwan registered 12,397 temples at the end of 2025, fewer than its convenience stores. The claim holds only if churches count too. Every figure dated.
Editorial preview · factual review pendingTaipei / Food
How to Order Luwei in Taipei: Reading the Braised-Food Counter
Taipei luwei counters make you pick ingredients yourself with tongs. Decode the ordering sequence, what each item on the tray is, and cold versus hot luwei.
Editorial preview · factual review pendingTaipei / Day trips
Maokong Gondola Tickets, Hours and Crystal Cabins
The Maokong Gondola costs NT$180 a ride or NT$300 for a day pass, and EasyCard taps stop at NT$300 a day. Hours, crystal cabin surcharge, Monday closures, weather stops.
Official sources checked 2026-10-08Taipei / Food
What the dishes on a Taipei night market menu actually are
Taipei night market signs name dishes English translations distort. Decode 14 items by verified ingredient: offal, shellfish, pork, egg.
Editorial preview · factual review pendingTaipei / Food
How many stalls Taipei's night markets have, by city classification
Taipei sorts night markets into three legal categories and counts only one of them. Here are the dated city figures and what each basis leaves out.
Editorial preview · factual review pendingTaipei / Day trips
Pingxi Line and Shifen from Taipei: Pass, Trains, Lanterns
The Pingxi Line one-day pass costs NT$120 (NT$60 concession) and covers Badouzi–Ruifang–Jingtong only. Trains, Shifen Waterfall hours and track rules.
Official sources checked 2026-10-12Taipei / Transportation
Renting a Car in Taiwan: IDP Rules and Freeway ETC Tolls
Which foreign licences let you rent a car in Taiwan, what changes after 30 days, how distance-based ETC tolls are billed to a rental, and a worked Taipei to Taichung toll.
Editorial preview · factual review pendingTaipei / Practical information
Taipei 101 Observatory Tickets: Prices, Hours and Booking
Taipei 101 observatory tickets cost NT$600 for adults, NT$980 with the 101st floor and NT$1,200 for the fast pass. Hours, last entry, booking and weather rules.
Official sources checked 2026-10-08Taipei / Practical information
What to know before visiting Taipei for the first time
An orientation to Taipei's layout, transit basics, and pacing decisions for first-time visitors, pointing toward deeper guides on transit, money, and arrival rather than repeating them.
Editorial preview · factual review pendingTaipei / Day trips
Taipei Zoo Tickets, Hours and a Maokong Gondola Day
Taipei Zoo costs NT$100, NT$50 for children 6–11 and is free under 6. Open 9:00–17:00, last entry 16:00; indoor houses close on set Mondays. How to pair it with Maokong.
Official sources checked 2026-10-12Taipei / First-time visitor
Taiwan Arrival Card (TWAC): How to Fill It In Online
Taiwan's arrival card is online-only and free at twac.immigration.gov.tw. Submit it up to 7 days before landing; who must file, visa-free stays and e-Gate rules.
Official sources checked 2026-10-08Taipei / Transportation
Taiwan High Speed Rail Tickets: Taipei Fares and Booking
Taiwan High Speed Rail from Taipei costs NT$700 to Taichung and NT$1,490 to Zuoying in a reserved seat. Booking opens 29 days ahead; discounts, passes and refunds.
Official sources checked 2026-10-08Taipei / Airports
Taoyuan Airport to Taipei: Airport MRT, Bus or Taxi?
The Airport MRT express reaches Taipei Main Station in 36–42 minutes for NT$160, every 15 minutes until about 23:00. Here is how it compares with the bus, a taxi and late arrivals.
Official sources checked 2026-10-03Taipei / Late-night travel
Late Arrival at Taoyuan Airport: Last Trains and Night Bus
The last Airport MRT trains to Taipei leave around 23:35. After that, bus 1819 runs through the night from Terminal 2, taxis queue 24 hours, or you can wait airside.
Official sources checked 2026-10-03Taipei / Tax refunds
Taiwan Tax Refund in Taipei: Rules, Limits and Counters
Spend NT$2,000 or more at one TRS store in a day, leave within 90 days and get the 5% VAT back, minus a fee. Refund in store up to NT$48,000, otherwise at the airport.
Official sources checked 2026-10-03Taipei / Food
How to Order Bubble Tea in Taipei: Sugar and Ice Levels
Sugar and ice tiers at Taiwanese tea shops are set per drink, not per country. Decode the Chinese terms and see which chains publish real gram figures.
Editorial preview · factual review pendingTaipei / Practical information
How to pray at a Taipei temple, and why the incense may be gone
Longshan Temple publishes a six-step route that never tells you to light incense, and Xingtian Kong removed its burner in 2014. The order, the moon blocks, the changes.
Editorial preview · factual review pendingTaipei / Shopping
Is the tea in Taipei souvenir shops actually grown in Taiwan?
Taiwan imports more than twice the tea it grows. Official figures, what each mark on the tin certifies, and how to verify origin before you pay.
Editorial preview · factual review pendingTaipei / Shopping
Why Taiwanese Tea Makes a Distinctive Taipei Gift
Taiwan imports tea and sells premium leaves. Explore the trade figures, Dadaocheng history and Muzha producers to choose a Taipei tea gift with a clear origin.
Editorial preview · factual review pending