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Getting There By Air:

Taoyuan International Airport (TPE)
Tel: (03) 398 2143 (T1) or 398 3274 (T2).
Website: www.taoyuanairport.gov.tw

Taoyuan International Airport is located 40km (25 miles) south of the city center.

Airport facilities: T2 is newer, with more services: a bank, post office, medical, nursery, duty free, hotel reservations, car hire, shops, beauty salon, massage and basic restaurants. Business facilities include executive lounges, limousine services, payphones, mobile-phone hire, Internet and meeting rooms. T2 has a business center and convention hall. The Skytrain provides free, regular transportation service between T1 and T2 until midnight.

Transport to the city: Hotels will arrange airport transfers by limousine or minibus. There is no direct rail connection, but taxis or an inexpensive private airbus take passengers into the city center in just under an hour.

Getting There By Water:

The ports of Taichung, Hualien and Suao are only visited by cargo ships. Weekly international passenger ferries run between the Taiwanese Keelung and Kaohsiung ports and Naha, the capital of the southern Japanese-island of Okinawa. The overnight ferry, which takes from 16 to 20 hours to reach Keelung, departs from Okinawa on Thursday or Friday. Star Cruises' Gemini is the most reliable (tel: + 81 (03) 6403 5188 in Japan or (02) 2731 0808 in Taiwan; website: www.starcruises.com.tw). There are also sea links between Kaosiung and Maca.

Getting There By Road:

As Taiwan is an island, you can't drive to Taipei from any other country. Two freeways run north to south. There are two major freeways into Taipei: Freeway 1 or the Chung-Shan freeway and Freeway 3 or the north-south freeway, known locally as the second freeway. Both go more or less north/south. From Freeway 1, take the Chung-Ching South Road and pass Chien-Kuo South Road to Chung-Hsio East Road to get into the city. From Freeway 3, take the Mu-Chia Road, pass Hsin-Hai Road and Fu-Hsing South Road to Chung-Hsio East Road. Taiwan has a higher car ownership per head than any country in the world, so the freeways are often congested.

Getting There By Rail:

The new Taiwan High Speed Rail link (tel: (02) 6626 8000; website: www.thsrc.com.tw) runs north-south from Taipei to Kaoshiung. The link has made it possible to travel in comfort from one end of Taiwan to the other in less than three hours at speeds of up to 300kph (186mph). There are eight stops with four expecting completion by 2010. Electrified train services run along the west coast and diesel trains along the east coast. Services are slow, but frequent, and less expensive than flying (tel: (02) 2381 5226; website: www.railway.gov.tw). The main city station is Taipei railway station, 3 Beiping W. Road, Jhongjheng District.

Getting Around:



Public Transport
Those using public transport have two options in the capital, the bus or the metro. The MRT Mass Rapid Transit System (tel: (02) 2181 2345 (24 hours); website: www.trtc.com.tw) has eight lines covering the major areas of the city. Trains are frequent and run all day until midnight. The system is efficient, cheap and not too crowded, and there are signs in English. A new one-day pass is valid for unlimited Taipei MTR rides valid from first use until midnight. Buses are plentiful and services frequent, reliable and comfortable, although they should be avoided during rush hour (0730-0930 and 1700-1900). Public buses are run by the Taiwan Bus Company (tel: 0800 088 626), while the largest private bus company is Tonglien Bus Company (tel: 0800 241 560). A pre-paid EasyCard can be used on buses and MTR.

Taxis
Taxis are the most convenient way to get around: they are also cheap and plentiful. They can be hailed on the street, picked up outside hotels, or a dispatch taxi may be called via an English-speaking radio calling system from almost any destination. Taxis are all metered. Writing destination addresses in Chinese is essential as many drivers do not speak English. To order a taxi, call the toll free taxi hotline (tel: 0800 055 850, press 2 for English) or Taiwan Taxi (tel: (02) 2192 6688).

Car Hire
Taipei's street numbering system is very confusing and traffic is congested, making driving in the capital difficult. As a result, hiring a car and driver is preferable to driving yourself. It is only worth hiring a car to drive out of Taipei, although traffic congestion means that it takes a long time to get out. Most people prefer to fly, as internal flights are cheap and the domestic terminal is situated at Sungshan, in the heart of the city. An International Driving License is required to hire a car, which needs to be taken, along with passport and a passport-sized photograph, to the nearest Vehicle Registration Department to apply for a ‘Driver's License Visa'. All vehicles need Compulsory Automobile Liability Insurance. Drink driving attracts heavy penalties. Driving is on the left, and speed limits range from 50kph (31mph) to 80-110kph (50-68mph) on freeways.

Major providers at the airport and in the city include Asia Rent-A-Car Service (tel: (02) 2500 6633; website: www.asiarent.com.tw), Easy Rent (tel: 0800 024 550; website: www.easyrent.com.tw), and VIP Car Rental Co (tel: (02) 2713 1111; website: www.vipcar.com.tw).

Bicycle Hire
Because of the heavy pollution, riding a bicycle in central Taipei is not recommended. However, in greater Taipei designated bike paths are gaining popularity. Taiwan Tourist Board (website: www.taiwan.net.tw) has the low-down. Bikes can be hired from Giant Bikes, 159 Bowuguan Road, Bali Township, Taipei County (tel: (02) 8630 4585).

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