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Arriving at Taoyuan Airport: getting to Taipei and beyond

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Take the Airport MRT into Taipei, or a taxi if you land outside train hours, roughly 06:00 to 23:30. Heading south, change to high-speed rail at Taoyuan HSR station and skip Taipei. File the online arrival card before you fly.

Where are you heading?

  • Taipei: take the Airport MRT express to Taipei Main Station: 39 minutes, NT$160. Express trains run from 05:59 to 22:58 from Terminal 1, and 05:57 to 22:55 from Terminal 2. Slower commuter trains run until 23:36 and 23:33.
  • Taipei, before the first train or after the last: take a taxi from the rank at Gate 12 (Terminal 1) or Gate 26 (Terminal 2) in arrivals. Taxis run 24 hours and charge the meter plus highway tolls, about NT$1,200 to NT$1,900 to Taipei.Taoyuan Airport Taxi (opens in a new tab)airport.mobile.com.tw
  • Taichung, Tainan or Kaohsiung: take the Airport MRT to Taoyuan HSR station (A18): 17 to 20 minutes, NT$35. Then take high-speed rail; see Taiwan trains and transit cards.
  • Taichung, without changing: take Kuo-Kuang bus 1860 or Ubus 1623, about 2 hours 10 minutes.
  • Yilan: take Ubus 1661, about 2 hours 30 minutes.
  • Nowhere, on a layover of 7 to 24 hours: join a free half-day tour, booked 5 to 90 days ahead. Details.

Sources: Airport MRT (opens in a new tab), buses (opens in a new tab) and taxis (opens in a new tab), all from Taoyuan Airport.

If it doesn’t go to plan

  • Missed the last train, or landed before the first? Take a taxi from Gate 12 (Terminal 1) or Gate 26 (Terminal 2); they run 24 hours. Or take bus 1819, which runs all night.
  • High-speed rail sold out from Taoyuan? Buy a non-reserved ticket on the day: it’s valid on any train that day.THSR (opens in a new tab)en.thsrc.com.tw For Taichung, take the direct bus instead.
  • Forgot the arrival card? Your airline’s check-in counter has a QR code to file it there. See Taiwan entry rules.

Getting into Taipei

  • Board the Airport MRT at Terminal 1 (A12) or Terminal 2 (A13). The first commuter trains to Taipei leave Terminal 1 at 06:07 and Terminal 2 at 06:04.
  • Pay at the gates with an EasyCard.Tourism Administration (opens in a new tab)eng.taiwan.net.tw
  • Airport taxis are vetted by the Aviation Police.
  • Bus 1819 runs to Taipei Bus Station in about 55 minutes. Board in the B1 bus area at Terminal 1, or outside the east side of the 1F arrivals hall at Terminal 2. It runs 24 hours in both directions: from the airport every 10 to 30 minutes through the night, and from Taipei Bus Station at least hourly.Highway Bureau timetable (opens in a new tab)taiwanbus.tw

On a long layover

When you fly out

  • Check in at Taipei Main Station and drop your bags before riding the Airport MRT: the in-town check-in is at A1 station, level B1, 06:00 to 21:30.Taoyuan Metro (opens in a new tab)tymetro.com.tw
  • Who can use it: China Airlines, Mandarin Airlines, EVA Air, Uni Air, Cathay Pacific and Starlux passengers on same-day flights from Taoyuan.
  • Check-in closes three hours before your flight leaves.Taoyuan Metro (opens in a new tab)tymetro.com.tw

If you’ve visited Taiwan since 2023

Enter the “Double Your Luck” draw for NT$5,000. It runs until 31 March 2027, or until the budget runs out.Tourism Administration (opens in a new tab)5000.taiwan.net.tw

  • Who can enter: foreign passport holders who have visited Taiwan since 1 January 2023, staying 3 to 90 days and not on a package tour. A companion who hasn’t visited since then can win NT$3,000.
  • Register 7 to 90 days before arrival. Draws are weekly. Registration closes on 24 March 2027.
  • Claim it after landing: upload your return ticket within 24 hours of entry, then collect at any 7-Eleven as credit on an EasyCard, iPASS or icash card.
  • There’s no airport counter. The earlier “Taiwan the Lucky Land” draw, claimed in the arrivals hall, has ended.