In this Taipei Taiwan travel guide, you find all things you’ll need to know when visiting Taiwan!
Getting From Taipei TPE Airport To The City Center
The Airport MRT is the fastest and cheapest way to get from Taipei TPE Airport to the city. This guide will show you all your options, what to expect and the associated time and financial costs.
Taipei Travel Guide: Taipei Airport To Taipei City Center
This Taipei travel guide is especially helpful if you’re looking for how to get to Taipei late at night or early in the morning.
Getting Around Taiwan
Getting around Taiwan is pretty easy via plane, car, scooter, bus, train or subway. The public transportation system in Taiwan is fast, reliable and best of all affordable!
Taipei Travel Guide: How To Get Around Taiwan
In this guide it will show you all the different modes of transportation around Taiwan and the expected costs: Airport Train, Trains, High Speed Trains, Subway, Bus, Uber and Taxis in Taiwan.
Layover At Taipei Airport
If you have an overnight layover at Taipei Airport or a layover of less than 4 hours, this guide will show you everything you can do at TPE Taipei Airport. You’ll be pleasantly surprised by the amount of features TPE Taoyuan airport has to offer!
Taipei Travel Guide: TPE Airport Layover Guide
This TPE Layover guide will also show you the best places to rest at Taipei Airport. If you have Priority Pass, you can also visit the Plaza Premium Lounge for a nice nap, otherwise the public facilities are still pretty good.
Arriving in Taipei Early In The Morning?
It’s too early to check-in for your hotel in Taipei! This is a problem that many people face when arriving in Taipei early in the morning which is common with a lot of long-haul flights and low cost carrier flights. There are a few solutions to this problem!
If you’ve arrived in Taiwan early in the morning, these are your Taipei Travel Tips if you can’t check-in to your hotel:
- If you want to get some rest, you can visit one of the many internet cafes in Taipei. Prices start at NT$60/hour and only get cheaper with more time. These prices are per person.
Blog Post: Internet Cafes in Taipei
YouTube Video: Internet Cafe Taipei - If you want to have some fun for a few hours and WITH the option to also rest, you can visit E7Play. Not many people visit early in the morning so you’ll actually get a discount. It’s also a great place to visit if you are departing Taipei late at night and are looking for something to do before your flight.
Blog Post: Taiwan’s Biggest Arcade
YouTube Video: Taiwan’s Biggest Arcade
Where To Stay in Taipei?
Taipei is made up of a lot of different neighborhood and your experience in Taiwan can be greatly impacted by where you stay in Taipei. Luckily, you found this Taiwan Taipei guide!
Taipei Trip Guide: Where To Stay in Taipei
I highly suggest staying by Taipei Main Station. In most big cities, the center train station area is normally not a good area, but lucky for you Taiwan is safe so it’s a really good area!
Safety: How Safe is Taiwan?
A LOT of people don’t know this, but Taiwan is one of the SAFEST countries in the world! For the past decade, it’s ranked in the top 10 safest countries in the world. As for 2019, it ranked 4 safest in the world for it’s safety and low crime rate (per capita).
Taiwan Safety Statistics Compared To Other Countries
So if you’re wondering if Taipei is safe at night, the answer is yes! If you’re in a more local neighborhood, it’s going to be safe. Like everywhere else in the world, the most dangerous areas are by nightclubs and bars so you should be aware of where you are.
You’ll find people still out at 3am, but funny enough, they won’t be drunk or coming home from the nightclub. There’s just a lot of night owls in Taipei!
Finance: Taipei Travel Tips
Always Have Cash!
- Taiwan is mostly cash based. Always have cash ready because most places don’t take credit cards.
- Some places add an additional charge if you use a credit card.
- You can expect chain restaurants and higher end shops to accept credit cards.
- For all public transportation in Taiwan, you’ll need to use cash or your prepaid EasyCard.
Exchanging Money
If you want to exchange money in Taiwan, you can exchange money at Taipei International Airport, local Taiwanese banks or just withdrawing money from the ATM.
Exchanging Money in Taiwan Banks
Local Taiwanese banks do charge a fee for exchanging money that works out to be around 8-12% depending on how much you exchange.
If there’s no line, it takes at least 20 minutes to exchange money in a Taiwan at a local bank. You can only exchange bills (paper money) and no coins. They will then take your money, verify each note, scan your passport, you’ll have to fill out some documents and then they will tell you how much they charge. Which can be a NT$100 or NT$200 fee depending on which bank.
It’s a huge inconvenience and I would recommend my ATM travel hack below.
Exchanging Money in Taiwan Airports
If you’re exchanging money at Taipei airport, you will lose about 10-15% in fees. The worst part about traveling is getting ripped off when exchanging money because you need the local currency.
Refunding ATM Bank Fees
I prefer just using the ATM and taking on the bank fees because percentage wise, it tends to work out in your favor.
You can get your bank fees refunded! At the end of your Taiwan trip you’ll accumulate a lot of international bank fees. When your statement arrives, just call up your bank and ask them as a one-time courtesy to remove those bank fee charges because you “didn’t know” there was a fee.
Exchanging Bitcoin in Taipei
If you want to exchange bitcoin in Taipei for New Taiwan Dollars (NTD/TWD), there is a bitcoin ATM located in Eslite Mall (K-Mall). To get there, you’ll need to go to Taipei Main Station and you can find it at the Trains toy store.
You can buy or sell bitcoins in Taipei. The bitcoin Taipei buy/sell rate tends to be +/-12% from the market rate making it more expensive to use than a local bank.
Taiwan Electrical Standards: Taiwan Travel Tips
Taiwan Electrical Voltage
In Taiwan the standard voltage is 110 V with a frequency of 60 Hz. For US, Canada Mexico and most South American travelers, you can use your electrical devices in Taiwan without an adapter and plug right into the Taiwanese electrical outlets!
You can use your electric appliances in Taiwan, if the standard voltage in your country is in between 110 – 127 V (as is in the US, Canada and most South American countries).
Taiwan Electrical Plug
The Taiwan electric plug shape is the same as you’d find in the North America and most of South America.
Depending on where you are, not all outlets will have a ground plug. In this situation, you will need an adapter for your 3-prong device.
Food: What To Eat In Taiwan
Taiwan has so many good places to eat! Since Taipei is the capital and most populated city in Taiwan, it’s going to have some great food. I’m still working on filling out these lists properly but here’s just a sample and preview of what you can expect:
Best Food to eat in Taipei
Top Restaurants in Taipei
Best Desserts in Taipei
Taiwan Night Market Guide
Best Cheap Places To Eat in Taipei
Best Street Food In Taipei