Getting around Taiwan

One tap card for MRT, buses, TRA trains, YouBike and even 7-Eleven. Buy it at any MRT station or convenience store.

• Load NT$500 to start. Top up at MRT machines or 7-Eleven counters (cash only).
• It also works in Taichung and Kaohsiung, so one card covers the whole trip.
• The card fee isn't refundable, so keep it as a souvenir or for your next trip.

Fastest way from TPE to the city. The purple Express train reaches Taipei Main Station in about 35–40 minutes.

• Take the Express (purple), not the Commuter (blue).
• Runs roughly 6:00 to 23:30. For late-night arrivals, take a taxi (~NT$1,200) or bus 1819.
• Some airlines offer in-town check-in at Taipei Main Station (A1) on your way home.

Clean, cheap and signposted in English. Six color-coded lines reach almost every sight in Taipei.

• No eating, drinking or chewing gum past the gates. Fines start at NT$1,500.
• Stand on the right of escalators and leave the left side free.
• Dark blue seats are priority seats. Leave them empty even when the train is full.

Bullet trains down the west coast. Taipei to Kaohsiung in about 1 hour 35 minutes.

• Book reserved seats online or on the T Express app. Fridays and Sundays sell out.
• Foreigners can buy discounted THSR passes and tickets on Klook or KKday. Compare below.
• HSR stations sit outside city centers. Budget time for the TRA shuttle, MRT or a taxi.

The regular railway, used for day trips to Ruifang, Shifen and Keelung. Tap in with your EasyCard.

• Unreserved local trains are fine for short trips. Just tap and board.
• The Pingxi Line One-Day Pass (NT$120, bought at Ruifang) covers Shifen, Houtong and Pingxi.
• TRA fares rose about 27% in June 2025, so older blog prices are out of date.

Yellow taxis are metered and honest. Uber works in Taipei. YouBike stations are everywhere.

• Show the Chinese name of your destination (we list it under every stop).
• Taxis are worth it for groups of 3–4 on short hops.
• YouBike 2.0 accepts EasyCard after you register on the app.