Guide to Taipei
Our Favorite City
Flying to Taipei
For those flying in, Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport (TPE) is generally the airport you will be flying into. It's about an hour away from Taipei and you can get to/from it via MRT, taxi, Uber, or booking a private shuttle transfer service (pretty worth it if you have a big group).
If you're making a stopover elsewhere in Asia beforehand, Taipei Songshan Airport (TSA) is significantly closer to central Taipei and will be more convenient/cheaper to go to your hotel/Airbnb from.
Airline Options
We recommend using Google flights - just be aware that the +2 means the number of days that'll pass on your flight as Taiwan's timezone is +13 from PST. For example, if you take the 11:00pm flight from SFO on Friday, you'll arrive on Sunday at 5:45AM (this is the absolute latest flight you can take if you want to make it in time for the wedding!)
- Starlux - This airline features newer planes. Aaron's parents like them, though they only serve limited routes (Seattle, SF, and LA)
- Eva Airlines
- United
- China Airlines
Transportation From the Airport to Taipei
- Private Shuttle- This is a great option if you're traveling with multiple people and have a lot of luggage, but we recommend pre-booking this in general via Klook or KKday. They'll be waiting outside immigration with a sign for you and you can book them with carseats (we do not have kids so we have no idea what those carseats are like). Cost is around $30-130 depending on what size car you need. Aaron generally uses this option and you can pre-book a return trip too.
- Uber - Uber works in Taiwan! Just make sure you have a Taiwan SIM card/eSIM or an international plan (look at the Essentials tab for how to get one). Cost is around $45.
- Taxi - There's an official line of taxis outside the station. Under no circumstances should you follow anyone that claims to be a taxi driver outside the official taxi line as you will likely get ripped off (rare in Taiwan, but it can still happen). Flat flee is around $45 as well.
- MRT - You can buy a one-way ticket from the MRT Taoyuan Station to Taipei Main Station, where you can then take an Uber/taxi or continue on the MRT to your hotel. This is the cheapest option and it takes roughly 50 minutes. The MRT starts running at 6AM.
- Bus - There are several bus services requiring separate tickets (not covered by EasyCard) that connects you to various hotels in the city. While Aaron has personally used the Evergreen bus service and found it convenient, you need to know your specific stop in advance. If this is your first visit to Taipei, you might want to skip this option.
#1 Most Important Thing in Taiwan
This is an EasyCard (or yoyocard) which can be used to pay for pretty much any kind of transportation - bus, metro, rentals...even snacks from convenience stores. They are available at the airport, but FamilyMart/7-11 offers cooler designs including keychains (Aaron has a Digimon one, Michelle has a keychain). When purchasing at convenience stores, look specifically for the EasyCard logo in the top right. Don't confuse it with iCash, which works only at select stores but not for transportation. If unsure, point at the card and ask the cashier "yoyocard?" for confirmation. EasyCards and iCash cards are typically located on the same rack near the cashier so make sure you're making the right distinction.
You load money into it at any FamilyMart / 7-11 / Hi Life / OK Mart convenience store by giving cash to the cashier along with the card. Every time you use it, you'll tap the card and it'll display your remaining balance.
You can use this balance to pay at convenience stores, as well as for bus and MRT fares. For buses, you generally need to tap when you get on and again when you get off.
I don't think there's an easy way to retrieve the remaining balance from the card, so either use it all up on snacks before leaving or load just 100-200 NTD ($3-6) at a time (convenience stores are plentiful, so reloading is never an issue).
For those of you that enjoy the night life / staying out late, the MRT closes at 1:00AM - if you're out later, take an Uber or taxi (Uber is recommended if you don't speak Chinese).
***CHILDREN UNDER 6 RIDE FREE: Kids under age 6 ride free on MRT/buses (height limit: 115cm - ID required if taller). No EasyCard needed for eligible children.
SIM Cards
Before visiting Taiwan, make sure your phone is unlocked and determine whether it accepts an eSIM or physical SIM Card. Book your data plan through KKday or Klook for the duration of your stay—unlimited data typically costs just $3-5 per day. This connectivity is essential for Google Maps (to navigate bus routes and schedules) and for ordering Ubers.
Cash
If your ATM card offers fee-free international withdrawals, you can use any bank or 7-11 ATM in Taiwan. Otherwise, exchange cash at your US bank before traveling. While many restaurants accept credit cards, night market stalls and small vendors may not. This is when cash comes in handy (and you will likely go to a night market at some point). Generally meals in Taiwan / night market things won't be very expensive so you don't need to withdraw large amounts (i.e. a few things at the night market may run you like $10-20 USD)
Essential Apps for Taiwan
- Google Maps: pretty self-explanatory - use it for bus schedules and directions
- Weather App: check forecasts daily - unexpected rain is common (bring umbrella/raincoat)
- Uber: more convenient than taxis and very affordable
- Google Translate (especially the image function): a lot of menus in Taiwan don't have English on them - I usually point at pictures to order food or take a picture with my Google Translate app to tell me what stuff is and what to order.
Our venue is located at the last stop of the Tamsui-Xinyi (Red) Line, which is away from central Taipei. We would recommend staying closer to central Taipei.
The area around Taipei 101 and luxury hotels like the Grand Hyatt are to the right n the red line. Aaron & Michelle typically stay along the yellow line near its intersections with the Green/Blue Lines, but any central location with good MRT access works well. It's really up to you.
Hotels
In no particular order, below are places where our friends have previously stayed. Feel free to do your own research and find ones that you like. While there are hundreds of good options throughout the city, we strongly recommend choosing accommodations near an MRT station to make your Taipei experience more convenient and enjoyable.
- Grand Hyatt Taipei (Aaron's mom said this was nice)
- Humble Boutique Hotel (our friend & photographer Sarah said this was convenient and right on top of a station. It is also near a DonDonDonki)
- Mitsui Garden Hotel Taipei ZhongXiao (Reddit recommended this place)
- Palais de Chine (our wedding is technically part of this hotel, but it is not near the venue)
Yang Ming Shan
Just outside of Taipei, there's a national park called yang ming shan. There's a ton of hikes and things you can do there - Aaron & one of his groomsmen Jordan hiked for a couple hours in Qingtiangang Grasslands (picture left) to find a good proposal spot. Didn't find one but it was pretty neat still. Check the weather before you go because it might be foggy/wet. You can take the bus there, book a tour, or even take an uber (around $20 from Taipei?)
If you're willing to travel further - Taroko Gorge in Hualien is beautiful and may have just reopened and Teapot Mountain near Jinguashi is very cool too.
Breakfast
Taiwanese breakfast is world-renowned and arguably unmatched. We might be a bit biased, but Taiwan does breakfast so well. There's a few famous stalls/restaurants, but honestly there are tons of street vendors and restaurants that are all pretty good. Notable ones include:
1. Fu Hang Soy Milk - There's always a long line but it moves fast. I recommend going early in your trip when you have jetlag since they open as early as 5:45AM. They're famous for the shao bing you tiao (bun wrapped around chinese donut + egg)
2. Liu Mama Fan Tuan - Purple rice balls, lots of different flavors, and there's an English menu.
3. Liang Su Shanghao - Fantastic breakfast egg sandwiches. Very cozy, chill vibes
4. Yong He Dou Jiang - Another popular breakfast spot
5. Almost any breakfast shop you see open - Dan Zhua Bing Jia Dan (scallion pancake with egg) or dan bing (Taiwanese egg roll), etc.. Aaron eats this every other day.
You can also check out this google map with locations our friend @eatwithnora made: Food Map of Taiwan
Jiufen/Shifen & Other Tours
Often touted as the place that inspired Spirited Away, Jiufen has a lot of tea houses and a pretty awesome view at night/day. It's a bit far away so we would recommend booking a trip with Klook or KKday as it will make your life a lot easier (a driver will pick you up and drive you there and wait for your return). A lot of these tours will also include other locations like Shifen (cool waterfall) and Jingshan (golden mountain, though I'm not sure why it's called this bc it's very green). You can pick and choose what tours and things you want to do.
Night Markets
There's a ton of different night markets in Taipei, each with their own specialties (e.g., Raohe Night Market has world famous black pepper buns near the entrance of the night market). Other notable ones include Ningxia and Shilin, though they're all good and great for a late night snack. They're generally open when it starts to get dark - around 6ish?
Google Maps, Instagram Reels, Tiktok Reels, Reddit etc. are your friend here. Taiwan is a beautiful country offering diverse attractions for every type of traveler.
If you want to go on adventures and hikes, there are some breathtaking scenery outside of Taipei in places like Taroko Gorge and Teacup Mountain. If you want to go on a food tour, you can travel south to Taichung or Tainan. If you want to go to the beach or a resort town, you can take the High Speed Rail to Kenting or the bus/train to Yilan in the north.
The possibilities are endless - would recommend searching around for sights you might want to see & visiting them! If you want any tips and advice, feel free to shoot us a message and we'll do our best!