Taiwan has several top tourist spots that draw visitors from around the world. These attractions offer a mix of natural beauty, cultural significance, and historical importance. Recently, Taiwan announced the extension of their visa-free passes for Philippine passport holders. That visa-free privilege for the nationals of the Philippines will continue for another year from August 1, 2019, through July 31, 2020. Because of that news, we booked our plane tickets for 4 days of visiting the beautiful country of Taiwan.
Planning wasn’t easy because we only had less than one and a half months to prepare. A lot of research happened. As much as possible the goal was to prepare everything for a smooth trip.
Taiwan Travel Guide
Where to stay in Taipei Taiwan?
We stayed at FUN TAIPEI at Shilin Market. I like that the hotel is just a walking distance of Shilin Train Station. Very easy to go around Taipei.
You can book through AGODA. Please use the link below.
TRANSPORTATION:
One of the things that I spent most of my time knowing and researching for our Taiwan Travel Guide is transportation. How can we go around the city?
Public transportation – All of the major cities have public transportation that is fast, safe, and reliable. Fares start at 15 TWD and go up depending on how far you travel. Taipei and Kaohsiung both have metro systems with tickets costing between 20-65 TWD. A single-day pass in Taipei costs 150 TWD, while a day pass in Kaohsiung costs 180 TWD.
Bus – The bus is the cheapest way to get around Taiwan. Intercity coach buses are available to all major cities around Taiwan, including Taipei, Taichung, Tainan, and Kaohsiung. They are comfortable, modern, safe, and have air conditioning (too much, usually, so bring a sweater). The two main intercity bus companies are Ubus and Kuo-Kuang Bus. For fares and timetable information, visit taiwanbus.tw.
A bus from Taipei to Kaohsiung takes around five hours and costs 600-1,000 TWD while the three-hour trip from Taipei to Taichung costs as little as 90 TWD.
Train – The high-speed trains (HSR) in Taiwan are super convenient, however, they only go down the west side of the island and are very expensive. For example, a ticket from Taipei to Kaohsiung costs around 1,500 TWD.
The “local” trains are much more affordable, often 50% cheaper. The trip from Taipei to Kaohsiung on a local train costs just 845 TWD. It’s also just 515-800 TWD from Taipei to Tainan and 675-800 TWD from Taipei to Taichung via the local train.
The HSR line doesn’t pass through city centers, so you either need to take a bus or train from the HSR station, which also costs more time and money.
We bought a 3-day unlimited HSR Pass through Klook for only Php 3,100. Here’s the link : [Rail Passes] Taiwan Joint Train Pass
CHECK THE WEATHER:
Always check the weather. This will help you pack the right clothes and shoes to use on the trip.
Spring is from March to May.
Summer is from June to August. It is usually hot and humid.
Autumn is from September to November. The weather is cooler but still warm and sunny.
Winter is from December to February.
PRE-BOOKED TICKETS:
For a budgetary traveler like me, it’s always a must to book tickets ahead of time. This helps me lessen the things I need to think about while on the trip. Here are the pre-booked tickets we had for our Taiwan travel guide.
I used KLOOK in all of these. You can click each item to direct to the exact deal we purchased.
- 4G WiFi (TW Airport Pick Up) for Taiwan – Php 415 for 4 days ( a max of 4 devices to connect to the router)
- Yehliu Geopark, Jiufen, and Shifen Shuttle Bus (with Golden Waterfall and Shifen Waterfall) – Php 975 each
- 3-Day THSR Tourist Pass – Php 3,074 each (This is optional only. Recommended if you’ll visit Taichung, Chiayi and Kaohsiung)
ADDITIONAL REMINDER:
-There’s a 7eleven in the airport, so make sure to buy an easy card to be used on their MTRs before the start of your Taiwan travel
– Google Translate App – Taiwanese can hardly speak and understand English, so asking for help is always a struggle. This app helps us translate what we want to say into Chinese and vice versa. Also, a lot of signage there is in Chinese but with the help of this app that problem was resolved. You just simply point your camera to the signage and they will translate it for you.
-Don’t bring any meat to Taiwan. It’s not allowed even in the form of hamburgers or siopao. You’ll pay a fine if you do so. They are checking your bags in the arrival area.
-Having an internet connection is a must. You will never be lost if you have it because you can simply search for direction. We purchased ours through Klook, please use the link above.
I hope somehow, I was able to add up information to your Taiwan Travel Guide.
Also, here’s our Taiwan itinerary if you are interested.
TAIPEI TAIWAN ITINERARY:
DAY 1: Taiwan Blog Day 1: North Coast Tour (Yehliu Geopark, Juifen, and Shifen)
DAY 2: Taiwan Blog Day 2: Taichung – Shilin Night Market
DAY 3: Taiwan Day 3: Meteor Garden Filming Location – Ying De University
DAY 4: Taiwan Day 4: Taipei Tour
Where to stay in Taiwan?
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