It’s true that Japan has the most vending machines in the world per capita, but I think you can agree that Taiwan has the most variety of unique vending machines in the world. Best of all, they are all functional and useful!
You can spend your time doing the usual Taipei Tourist attractions, or if you’re weird like me you’ll find more unusual things to do in Taipei. You wouldn’t think of what to see in Taiwan are vending machines, but this list might inspire you!
When looking for what to do in Taiwan, consider going on a vending machine tour. They say the best things in life are free, so make friends and try out the best things to do in Taipei vending machine tour!
Full video here if you want a better experience.
#1 Hot Food, Fresh Salads and more Vending Machines
Location: Taipei 101 – 1st floor of the business building
Summary: Taipei 101 is one of the essential Taipei tourist attractions. You can buy an observatory ticket to see Taipei from the 89th floor for about $20USD [discounted tickets on Klook] or pay about $8USD by visiting the Taipei 101 Secret Starbucks.
On the first floor of Taipei 101’s business tower, you can find multiple vending machines that serve the many workers of Taipei 101. They have vending machines for hot food, fresh salads, frozen food, fresh juices and teas. If you’re looking for what to do in Taiwan, just seeing these machines will impress you!
These pictures don’t accurately describe how awesome the vending machines are at Taipei 101. Check out the video on my YouTube Channel for more details.
#2 Haagen-Dazs Ice Cream Vending Machine (Packaged)
Location: Q-Square Mall 4th floor
Summary: It’s not uncommon to find ice cream vending machines in some of Taiwan’s more popular malls. Ice cream is very popular in Taiwan and you’ll find that you can even get unlimited Haagen-Dazs Ice Cream from hot pot restaurants in Taiwan.
#3 Ice Cream Robot Vending Machine
Location: Q-Square Mall 4th floor
Summary: This is a true ice cream robot vending machine! It serves up fresh soft serve right into a cup with the use of a robot arm. The menu is available in Chinese and English with prices from NT$40-80.
#4 Coffee Robot Arm Vending Machine
Location: Q-Square Mall 4th floor and Taipei Main Station Airport MRT
Summary: I was pleasantly surprised to find that you can get fresh coffee served to you from a robot arm in Taipei! It’s truly one of the best Taipei tourist attractions for tech nerds like me.
A lot of the coffee machines you’ll find at convenience stores in Taiwan use fresh coffee beans and only require a few buttons to be pressed. This robot arms takes the place of the convenience store employee to serve you up fresh ground coffee.
You’ll find the coffee from robots to be more expensive than a convenience store with the same quality, but still cheaper than mid-tier cafes in Taipei. I got a latte for NT$90 and it was ok. They don’t do iced coffee drinks and you have to add the sugar yourself (additional cream is optional).
#5 Meal Ticket Vending Machines
Location: Multiple (mostly Japanese Restaurants in Taipei)
Summary: If you’ve been to Japan, you’re probably familiar with the meal ticket vending machines. You select anything you want to order and pay at the vending machine, then hand your ticket to the server or chef. This is a common feature in Japan and Taiwan because it saves the employees time from having to handle orders and money, while at the same time keeping their hands clean so they can work on your food.
You can find these meal ticket machines at many Japanese restaurants in Taipei. In this video, I demo some of the vending machines in Japan at a theme park.
#6 Metro Cards And Souvenirs Vending Machine
Location: Most Big City Stations in Taiwan (How To Get Around Taiwan)
Summary:
You can find these vending machines in popular places that have a lot of foot traffic like Taipei 101 MRT Station, THSR stations and more throughout Taiwan. If you want more of a selection of Taiwan MRT souvenirs, they have an official Taiwan MRT Merchandise shop at Taipei Main Station.
#7 Shopee Free Samples Vending Machine
Location: Airport MRT Taipei Main Station
Summary: If you’re not familiar, Shopee is a popular online retailer in Asia. It’s like Asia’s Amazon. Many people use it to buy things and have it delivered to their home or the pick up their packages at convenience stores in Taiwan.
At the Airport MRT Taipei Main Station entrance, you can find this Shopee vending machine that provides you FREE samples. The samples can range from snacks to soaps.
Unfortunately, the machine is only in Chinese and you’ll need to use the Shopee app to get a free sample from the vending machine. This is to limit samples to one product per account. I love free samples and would like to see this Taipei attraction back in the United States.
#8 7-Eleven Vending Machine
Location: Airport MRT Taipei Main Station
Summary: I’ve only see one of these vending machines and you can find it in the walking path between the Airport MRT and the Subway MRT at Taipei Main Station.
It’s a 7-Eleven vending machine with a little bit of everything that you would find at a full sized 7-Eleven. So you can get snacks, drinks, sandwiches and even salads. Everything is updated daily so you won’t get a stale meal. I especially like how the prices at the vending machine are the same price you would pay at regular 7-Eleven in Taiwan.
#9 OK Mart Halal ONLY Vending Machine
Location: Taipei International Convention Center (TICC)
Summary: So I haven’t actually visited the Halal only vending machine in Taiwan by OKMart, but I have visisted an OKMart vending machine. For the full story and photo you can find it at TaiwanNews.
Taiwan is an amazing place for food and very inclusive. Even if you don’t eat meat, you can find good vegetarian restaurants in Taiwan. If you’re Muslim, Taiwan has you covered with Halal food. Even better, there’s now a Halal only vending machine by OKMart at the Taipei Convention Center.
#10 Gift Box Gambling Vending Machines
Location: Multiple – You’ll See It
Summary: When traveling around Taiwan, even at the popular Taipei tourist attractions you may find these Gift Box Vending Machines. Personally, I would avoid playing these.
These are just boxes filled with junk items. I’m not sure what kind of regulation there is for actual winning prizes.
This is how it works: You pay NT$100 (US$3.30) for a “mystery box.” The exterior of the prize vending machine will show you would you “could” win: scooters, Nintendo Switch, iPhone, AirPods and other very high value items. The gift box vending machine won’t show you what you might actually win, a cheap keychain.
If you happen to play this game, you just place the empty box on top/side of the machine when you’re done. Even if you lose, let them recycle and reuse these boxes. BUT if you win, you’ll get a voucher and will need to contact the vending machine owner for your prize.
I’ve tried this and only got a lousy keychain. Gift box vending machines and the crane games are the biggest scams in Taiwan that you’ll find in MANY places.
#11 Whey Protein Vending Machine
Location: Taipei Nangang Sports Center 南港運動中心
Summary: Bro, do you even lift? Cause if you do you’re in luck! Taiwan support you in putting on that muscle mass by providing convenient whey protein machines.
I found this protein vending machine at the Nangang Sports Center. The Sports Centers in Taiwan are government facilities created to keep the people of Taiwan active and healthy. Using the gym at a Taiwan sports center will cost you only NT$50/hr and no membership is required!
I wasn’t trying to put on mass, but I was very interested in their yakult yogurt protein drink and their protein ice cream.
#12 Hot Chocolate Vending Machine
Location: Carrefour in the Ximen Area
Summary: This hot coco vending machine is a more standard style vending machine that you could find dispensing hot drinks in the United States. It also serves up hot tea and coffee. Not too impressive or something you think of when looking for what to see in Taiwan, but it’s an option!
#13 Fresh Coconut Water Vending Machine
Location: Carrefour in the Ximen Area
Summary: Dang, fresh coconut water from actual coconuts! The coconut vending machine takes fresh coconuts and drills into them for you so you can drink that sweet coconut water. The drink is served up in the coconut shell so be prepared to carry that around. I do like how this is an eco-friendly drink container…since it’s just nature.
I’ve only seen this type of vending machine at Carrefour in Taipei, but there could be more.
#14 Fresh Orange Juice Vending Machine
Location: Carrefour in the Ximen Area
Summary: This is the freshest orange juice you can get from a vending machine since is made from real oranges! As your orange juice is made, you can see how it’s squeezing the oranges for your juice making for an amusing show while you wait.
I was only able to find this in Carrefour in Taipei but the could be more in Taiwan!
#15 Full Sized Cake Vending Machine
Location: Multiple (Most Taipei MRT Stations and some full shops)
Summary: Like a cup cake ATM? Nope. These are full sized cakes since Taiwan doesn’t mess around with their tasty baked goods! This is the Yannick cake vending machine in Taipei! They sell full-sized cakes (it’s a little too much for 1 person) and the vending machines serve up 3 different flavors.
It’s very popular and they sell out often. They have rotating monthly special flavors to keep things tasty. Is it old cake? Nope. This is fresh cake delivered, cleaned and maintained daily.
Yannick is a popular bakery in Taipei and you can often find their cake vending machines in the Taipei MRT Subway stations. Yeah I know, getting “fresh” cake in a subway doesn’t sound appealing but give it a shot while you’re in Taiwan. You might find on of the best things to do in Taipei is eating cake in a subway!
#16 Diaper Vending Machine
Location: Q-Square Mall 2nd floor by the restrooms near Woosa Pancakes
Summary: I was very impressed by this diaper vending machine in Taiwan. It’s SUPER considerate to families that are shopping in the mall.
So say you’re traveling in Taiwan with your family and your run out of diapers. Not a problem at Q-Square mall since they have them right next to the restroom for only NT$15 a pack.
It’s actually the only one I’ve seen but there could be more in the family friendly place in Taipei.
#17 Flowers Vending Machine
Location: Taipei Main Station Airport MRT (Taipei Airport MRT Guide)
Summary: There is a fresh flower vending machine at the Taipei Airport MRT station with prices ranging from NT$290-NT$790. The higher ticket items here are a wreath for NT$1490 and a Pokemon Pocket Egg device for NT$2450. I’m not sure what that actually does but at that price I don’t want to find out.
This flower vending machine is genius when considering the location. The Airport MRT at Taipei Main Station is the hub for anyone arriving or departing Taipei for international flights out of TPE airport. If someone you care about is arriving and you forgot to get them something, you can just buy them flowers!
But personally, I’d rather have vending machine cake.
#18 Travel Accessories Vending Machine
Location: TPE Taipei Taoyuan International Airport (TPE Airport Layover Guide)
Summary: Here you can find luggage locks and other travel accessories that you may need when traveling. I found this Travel Accessory vending machine at TPE Taipei Airport. Right after checking-in for my flight, I was walking towards the boarding area and found it right before going through the first level of security. Great placement and super useful.
#19 Standard Drink Vending Machine
Location: Everywhere (Getting Around Taipei Guide)
Summary: You can find drink vending machines all over Taiwan. Some even sell cold milk peanut soup. I think I’ve seen more convenience stores in Taiwan than drink vending machines. But that’s great for me because I prefer the convenience stores in Taiwan for the variety.
#20 Champagne Vending Machine!
Location: Breeze Xinyi Mall (Limited Release)
Summary: The champagne vending machine was a limited time promotion to celebrate the anniversary of one of the popular high end stores. In the Xinyi area, you can find all the ULTRA expensive shops in Taipei. This is where you can find real products by Balenciaga, Dior, LV and more. I’ve been to the malls, but I’ve never gone in the stores becaues it’s expensive.
I’ll assume this champagne vending machine didn’t turn much of a profit since it’s no longer available. It’s kind of ghetto fancy. As in, you drink champagne right out of a small bottle while shopping. I won’t hold it against you if you try to be ghetto fancy, I’m just jealous poor.
#21 Snack Vending Machines
Location: Multiple Throughout Taiwan
Summary: There isn’t a high density of snack vending machines in Taiwan, but they do exist. The low numbers could be due to public health reasons or it’s just more convenient to go to one of the many convenience stores in Taiwan.
You can find some specialty vending machines around the airport MRT that sell Taiwanese snacks like peanut butter, pineapple cake, pork paper and more.
#22 Taiwan High Speed Rail Ticket Vending Machine
Location: THSR Stations in Taiwan (Taiwan High Speed Rail Guide)
Summary: With the exception of the THSR, all the other transportation in Taiwan you can use your prepaid Easy card to get around. When traveling on the Taiwan High Speed Rail, you’ll need a physical ticket.
If you purchase your ticket online, you can print them out at convenience stores or at the THSR ticket vending machines. They have these since there is a high volume of peope using Taiwan’s High Speed Rail.
It’s not a flashy vending machine, but it’s simple, functional and extremely useful.
#23 Book Vending Machines
Location: Taipei Main Station THSR Entrance (Taiwan High Speed Rail Guide)
Summary: This is probably the most impressive vending machine in Taiwan. It’s a book vending machine that’s completely free to use and it’s conveniently located at the entrance/exit of the Taiwan High Speed Rail (THSR).
All you need is an EasyCard registered with a Taiwanese phone number and you’ll have access to these books! The placement at the train station is perfect because you can check out a book while waiting for your train or just borrow it for your train trip.
Books are available in English and Chinese!
This list of vending machines in Taiwan is in no particular order, since it’s all just vending machines. Surprisingly, Among all your options for Taipei attractions, I found the vending machines in Taiwan to be extremely interesting. Well, I guess there are Taipei tourist attractions if you haven’t seen it before and just normal everyday conveniences for the people of Taiwan.
My favorite thing about Taiwan is that they don’t do price gouging. If you’re at the airport, the beach or a music festival, the price of food and drinks stay the same. They don’t increase the price because they know you have no other option. I’m looking at you $13 USD cold tuna sandwich at LAX airport.
If these pictures aren’t enough for you, I’ll have a video up on the ProBlorger YouTube Channel. Help me out by subscribing so I can make more content!
How many of these types of vending machines have you seen before?