How to get from Taoyuan International Airport to Taipei city center?

You made it! You have just arrived in Taoyuan International Airport  to start your grand adventure in Taiwan. One problem though, you need to get to the city center first.

There are several transportation options you can choose from in order to go to Taipei from Taoyuan International Airport. You can take the bus, hail a cab, rent a car or arrange for a limo company to pick you up. 

Take the bus

If you are arriving at Terminal 1, you need to go to pickup zone B1 in the arrivals section. Zones are clearly marked by sign posts so don’t worry about finding them. 

Once there, you need to get on the bus numbered 1819. This will take you straight to Taipei Main Station in city center. The bus fare is 125 New Taiwan Dollars (4 USD) and the trip takes around 1 hour. 

You can buy tickets at bus counters in the terminal. For that, you will need to buy some local currency at one of the exchange offices in the terminal first. 

If you are arriving at Terminal 2, you can take the bus at bus pickup zone at the northeast arcade of the 1st floor arrivals lobby.


Hail a cab

You can hail a taxi once you exit the terminal, don’t fret about finding one, the cab drivers come to you asking if you need a ride when they see you come out of the arrivals building. 

Taiwanese taxi drivers are quite trustworthy, they would not drive you around the city for a few extra bucks. The trip from Taoyuan Airport to Taipei city center costs about 1200 New Taiwan Dollars (40 USD approx.).

Important notice: If you don't speak Chinese, make sure you have the address of the place you are going to written/printed on a piece of paper in Chinese characters, so you can show it to the driver. 

Most drivers do not speak English and they cannot read Latin characters, so pinyin is out of the question. Make sure you will be able to communicate with them. 


(Don't) Rent a car

Car rental offices are located on the entrance floors (entrance floor is called 1st floor in Taiwan) of both terminals. I do not recommend renting a car as traffic is somewhat chaotic in Taipei and all traffic signs are printed in Chinese characters. So newcomers should steer clear from driving until they are accustomed to the layout of the city and the flow of traffic, in my opinion. 


Arrange for a chauffeur

Lastly, you can arrange for a driver to come pick you up at the airport. Limo companies offer a variety of cars to choose from and prices vary accordingly. As of November 2014, prices start at 1300 New Taiwan Dollars (42 USD). 

Easy Rent is one of the companies that provide limo services. You can find their rates here.


Not going to Taipei?

If you are going to a city other than Taipei, you can take a shuttle bus to the nearest high-speed railway station and catch a train there. You will need to go to UBUS service counters at arrival terminals. The fare is 30 New Taiwan Dollars (90 US cents).


I hope you find this post helpful, if you have any questions, you can ask them in the comments section or send me an e-mail at everythingtaiwan@gmail.com 

Enjoy you trip!

-DS