Taipei Transportation Tips by Ewingjr98

Flying to Taipei

I ended up planning a trip to Taipei in conjunction with my trip to Okinawa. The Okinawa to Seoul leg of the trip had a brief layover in Taipei. Since I had never been to Taiwan, I decided to extend my layover (for free!) and explore the city.

The country's main international airport is Chiang Kai Shek International Airport, but its name was changed by the opposition party in 2006 to the Taoyuan International Airport. It was completed in 1979 and is the home airport for Taiwan's China Airlines...the airline with no flag so as not to offend the People's Republic of China on the mainland. Terminal 1 is home to some Cathay Pacific and China Airlines gates, and numerous small, regional airlines. Terminal 2 was opened in 2000 and is home to the major global airlines such as KLM, United, All Nippon Airways, Japan Airlines, Asiana Airlines, and the main gates for Cathay Pacific and China Airlines. A third terminal is expected to be constructed in 2008 to help handle the expected 34 million passengers per year.

The airport is located about 50 minutes north of Taipei and is accessible by car or bus via Highway 1 (The Sun Yat Sen Freeway).

Mode: TO

Phone: (03) 398-3728

Type: Airplane

Bus - Chiang Kai Shek Airport to Taipei

I took the bus from CKS Airport into downtown Taipei. This was very easy and convenient. There is a ticket counter just outside of the international terminal where they speak English and are willing to help. A one-way ticket was TW$135 (US$4). The buses make stops at many major hotels downtown. The trip took 30-45 minutes.

There are at least two companies that offer this service: AirBus (0800-088-626) and Free Go (02-2586-3065). Free Go buses are recognized by the giant dalmatians painted on the side. Free Go has one bus route that covers all of the major hotel areas on Sungchiang Rd, Nanking East Rd, Tunhua Rd, and Cuangfu Rd near the Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall. Free Go buses go to the airport daily from 0400-2230 and from the airport to Taipei daily from 0530-0130.

AirBus has four routes to different geographic areas of the city: West Line (to Main Train Station and Chengshan Rd), East Line (to Fuhsing Rd and world Trade Center areas), West Express (directly to Chengshan Rd vicinity), and BanQiao Line (to the Banqiao Station vicinity). Prices range from TWD 100-140 depending on the route.

Mode: TO

Type: Bus

Taipei Subway

The Taipei subway system consists of 6 lines that cover a good portion of the city. The longest line is 23 km end-to-end. The two main lines (Blue and Green Lines) are the longest; they basically form a giant "+" covering the city. Taipei's subway is clean, modern, convenient, and inexpensive (TW$20-60 for a one-way ticket).

Much of Taipei's central downtown area is near the intersection of the Blue and Green lines, while the Sun Yat Sen Memorial is several stops out the east/west line.

Mode: AROUND

Other Contact: http://www.romanization.com/mrt/

Type: Subway/Metro

Website: http://english.trtc.com.tw/