First-Time Taiwan Travel Guide: What to Know Before Going
One of my favorite things to do is convince people to travel to Taiwan, and my first-time Taiwan travel guide will prepare you for the best and smoothest trip.
After all, I can tell you all the best things to do, but sometimes the best tips to be prepared for Taiwan are knowing how to take the trains or which ATMs to use.
My first-time Taiwan travel guide will cover everything you need to prepare and know ahead of time.
What to Prepare For Arriving at the Airport
Taiwan Arrival Form
Within 7 days of your arrival in Taiwan, you need to complete the official Taiwan arrival card.
There are third-party options, but just make sure you go to the official website; it’s very straightforward to fill out and free. This is the first of what to know before going to Taiwan, because well…you need to get into the country first!
I got an email confirmation that it’s complete, and at least with an American passport, I didn’t need to print anything out.
I just arrived at immigration, and they have it on file.
Pro tip: You can even fill it out on arrival, but doing so before your flight is best so you can get through immigration sooner.
Taoyuan Airport to Taipei Train
This one is for those of ya’ll who will be flying into Taoyuan, Taiwan’s largest airport just outside of Taipei.
I always take the train into Taipei (and back to the airport) as long as it’s within the running times (approximately 5:30 AM to 11:30 PM).
While some of the gates at Taoyuan Airport Train accept credit cards, not all do.
And lines to buy individual tickets can be long at the machines.
For the simplest way to take the train without worrying about buying tickets on-site or credit card issues, buy your airport train tickets online in advance and redeem them on arrival with your voucher. This is something I wish I knew about earlier!
eSIM vs Physical SIM Cards
Using eSIMs and physical SIM cards in Taiwan both have their own pros and cons. Let’s dive a bit into both of them so you make the best of this first-time Taiwan travel guide.
Klook.comPhysical SIM Cards (Buy at the Airport)
There are two main benefits of a physical SIM card in Taiwan: they come with a phone number and offer unlimited data.
Is buying a SIM card at the airport more expensive in Taiwan? The good news is tourist SIM cards cost the same whether you buy them at the airport or at the store in Taiwan. Whenever I want a physical SIM card in Taiwan, I just buy it at the airport.
If you’re planning to travel to Taiwan for an extended stay or think you’ll need a phone number, spend a bit more and get the SIM card with a phone number. There are also now eSIMs which come with phone numbers in Taiwan, too!
SIM cards with phone numbers in Taiwan are also more beneficial for using YouBike, but I’ll explain more later. You don’t NEED a phone number, but it might be more convenient.
eSIMs for Taiwan
The primary benefits of using eSIMs in Taiwan are being able to select how much data you’ll actually need.
Because while physical SIM cards at Taiwan airports only offer unlimited packages, if your data usage is typically low, you can save some money and pick what you’ll use with eSIMs.
Pro tip: Buy your eSIM from Klook, switch the currency to Taiwan Dollars (NTD), and the price may be much lower than in USD.
Last time I was in Taiwan, I used an eSIM from Airalo, which worked perfectly fine. If you haven’t tried Airalo yet, you can use my code
Best ATMs to Use
Taiwan is one of my favorite countries when it comes to ATMs. Why? Because the majority of them do not charge fees (at least for US debit cards).
Banks I’ve used in Taiwan that were free and had fair exchange rates were:
- Bank of Taiwan
- Mega Bank
- Taiwan Cooperative Bank
- E-Sun Bank
- Cathay Bank ATMs in the MRT (no fee/decline conversion)
Do the ATMs in Taiwan’s airports charge fees? I’ve used both Bonk of Taiwan and Mega Bank ATMs in the arrivals hall at Taoyuan Airport. Neither of them charged a fee.
Which ATMs in Taiwan do charge fees? The only ATMs I’ve gotten fee notifications from are the ones at 7/11, which I assume are privately owned. The 7/11 ATMs charge abut 100 ntd (~$3).
How to Pay in Taiwan:
Cash vs Card in Taiwan
Taiwan is a card-heavy country, but cash is still necessary to carry around.
You can use your card for almost everything, but when it comes to smaller shops and street food, you need cash. I usually take out about 3,000 ntd (~$100/usd) during my trips.
Getting Around in Taiwan
Buying Long-Distance Train Tickets
Time to talk about one of my favorite things in Taiwan: traveling by train. This Taiwan first-time travel guide breaks down the two most popular trains and how to reserve your tickets.
Pro Tip: ALWAYS check for holidays and long weekends in Taiwan. If you’ll travel during one, book those train tickets (and hotels) ahead of time! Like a month in advance, or more.
Taiwan High Speed Rail
Covers which side of Taiwan? The Taiwan High Speed Rail serves the western side of Taiwan, from Taipei to Kaohsiung. It makes stops in cities like Taichung and Tainan.
Taiwan HSR Reservation Tips:
I always reserve my seats on the Taiwan High Speed Rail in advance. There are even discounted tickets depending on the train time and how early you book.
While you can reserve through the official website, the Taiwan High Speed Railways has been offering special discounts through Klook.
Make the most of this first-time Taiwan travel guide: if you’re traveling as two people, you can get a Buy One, Get One HSR fare. Or as an individual, you can get 15% off your tickets!
Klook.comTaiwan Railways
My favorite route in Taiwan is along the East Coast. If there’s anything you take from this first-time Taiwan travel guide, it’s that take this route if you can!
Covers which side of Taiwan? Taiwan Railways covers all of Taiwan, including both the West and East Coasts.
Taiwan Railways Reservation Tips:
The Taiwan Railways doesn’t offer any third-party booking platforms online.
I suggest booking your tickets on the official Taiwan Railways website and paying with a credit card. Once you get your booking confirmation number, you can go pick up your tickets at 7/11 or FamilyMart.
You can also go to one of the lil’ kiosks at 7/11 or FamilyMart to buy tickets, but the train booking section of the machine is only in Mandarin.
When to Book Ahead of Time on Taiwan Railways:
There are a lot of regional trains that you don’t need to reserve tickets ahead of time, and others where it’s a good idea.
For example, if you’re just planning to go from Taipei to Ruifang (near Jiufen), you can buy your ticket at the station or use your EasyCard.
But if you want to travel from Taipei to Hualian, it’s best to reserve your tickets in advance for long journeys. You can likely reserve a day or two in advance, but check for holidays and weekends.
Transit Cards: EasyCard vs iPass vs TPASS
To make traveling around Taiwan as convenient as possible, get an iPass or an EasyCard.
Or if you’ll be staying in just one region for a month, maybe consider the Taiwan commuter TPASS. But if you’ll be traveling around Taiwan, visiting different cities and such, EasyCard and iPass are better.
What are the EasyCard and iPass? The EasyCard and iPass are cards you can use all over Taiwan to take buses and the MRT, and even pay for things at 7/11 and FamilyMart.
You’ll most likely use it for taking public transit, so you can really get either one, although the EasyCard does have more support and features overall.
Pro tip: EasyCards and iPasses come in all sorts of cute and interesting designs. You can find them at 7/11 and FamilyMart.
Best Apps to Have
There are a couple of apps that will make travel in Taiwan easier. Here are my favorites.
Taiwan Bus Apps
When traveling in Taiwan, taking the train or metro is usually preferable. But sometimes the best option (or the only option) will be taking the bus.
Taking the Bus in Taipei, Taiwan
Download the Bus Tracker Taipei for preparing to travel in Taiwan.
The app can be a bit difficult to understand, but this is how I usually do it. First, I search for bus routes on Google, then search the bus number in the app.
Some bus numbers are colors, starting with letters.
It’s not the easiest to use, but helpful as the bus times are live. Unfortunately, with Google, bus times are not always up to date.
Bus App for Taichung & Taitung, Taiwan
This is gonna sound strange, but the Bus Tracker Taichung App works in both Taichung and Taitung.
I learned this after I was totally lost in the center of Taitung, trying to take the bus back to Dulan, reading the bus times printed out on the stop. A local girl told me to download the Taichung Bus App, which does indeed serve Taitung as well.
And it’s a bit easier to use in Taitung than in Taipei, as there are fewer buses, making it easier to search for live times by number.
YouBike App
When do you need the YouBike App to rent a YouBike? It depends on how you want to pay for using the YouBike.
There are two ways to pay for a YouBike in Taiwan. The first is with an EasyCard or iPass. The second is with a credit card.
Option #1 Credit Card (no phone number): In my opinion, it will be easier to download the YouBike App to register and save your credit card information to rent bikes. Check this Reddit thread on YouBikes, which has some input from people who paid for YouBike with a credit card.
If you want to save money and get a Taiwan eSIM card, then you’ll have to rely on this method.
Option #2 EasyCard or iPass (phone number required): This option requires you to have a Taiwan phone number in order to register. Once you sign up, you can add your EasyCard or iPass to your YouBike account.
I no longer have a Taiwan phone number, but my EasyCard still works fine with YouBikes. You can even buy a Taiwan SIM card with a phone number for just a few days to connect your EasyCard or iPass to YouBike.
Klook.comWhat to Read after this First-Time Taiwan Travel Guide:
I have tons of recommendations for Taiwan, so don’t skip out on them if my first-time Taiwan travel guide helped you. There’s so much more to explore in Taiwan.
