Taipei Transportation

The "Taipei Pass" is quite a good bargain for tourists. It comes in 4 categories: 1-day pass, 2-day pass, 3-day pass and 5-day pass. We bought the 2-day pass for NT450 each. This pass could be used to take the subway and buses (unlimited rides).

Using this pass, we travelled to Tamshui, Fort San Domingo, Huwei Fort, etc etc...

The pass comes with a small guide book, which includes some discount coupons. We used the coupons to save up on our admission tickets to the National Palace Museum, Huwei Fort, Fort San Domingo, etc. There are also discount coupons for various restaurants and other places of interest.

The pass could be purchased at the subway train stations.

From keelung Harbour. There's a building with Burger King and Starbucks here. Cross over to the opposite side (there are 3 bus stops there), look for the bus-stop with the sign going to Jinguashi. Take the bus with the panel indicating Jinguashi. The ride will take around 40min and cost about NT44. The bus passed by the Ruifang train station and then upwards to Jiufen. Just before you reached the bus stop at the top of Jiufen mountain town, you will see a temple nestled in the side of the mountain, and you will pass by a rest stop. (that's the bus stop at the bottom of the jiufen town.) get off where most people get off the bus - you're in the heart of Jiufen!

The Taipei MRT is a convenient way of getting across the city fast and cheap. Fares start from NT20. Most of the major tourist destinations in Taipei county, including Danshui, Wulai and Peitou are accessible by the MRT. If you are making a few trips on the MRT in a day, I suggest that you purchase a one-day card for NT150. There is a refundable deposit of NT50 for the contact card.

Station names and route maps are in English and Chinese with announcements made in Mandarin, Hokkien, and English.

Although the subway is cheapest, taxis are a great alternative. They are cheap and plentiful and I found a decent amount them spoke enough English to make traveling hassle free. As well, I never felt like I was getting ripped off like in Vietnam or some other Asian countries.

I took the bus from CKS Airport into downtown Taipei. This was very easy and convenient. There is a ticket counter just outside of the international terminal where they speak English and are willing to help. A one-way ticket was TW$135 (US$4). The buses make stops at many major hotels downtown. The trip took 30-45 minutes.

There are at least two companies that offer this service: AirBus (0800-088-626) and Free Go (02-2586-3065). Free Go buses are recognized by the giant dalmatians painted on the side. Free Go has one bus route that covers all of the major hotel areas on Sungchiang Rd, Nanking East Rd, Tunhua Rd, and Cuangfu Rd near the Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall. Free Go buses go to the airport daily from 0400-2230 and from the airport to Taipei daily from 0530-0130.

AirBus has four routes to different geographic areas of the city: West Line (to Main Train Station and Chengshan Rd), East Line (to Fuhsing Rd and world Trade Center areas), West Express (directly to Chengshan Rd vicinity), and BanQiao Line (to the Banqiao Station vicinity). Prices range from TWD 100-140 depending on the route.

The Taipei subway system consists of 6 lines that cover a good portion of the city. The longest line is 23 km end-to-end. The two main lines (Blue and Green Lines) are the longest; they basically form a giant "+" covering the city. Taipei's subway is clean, modern, convenient, and inexpensive (TW$20-60 for a one-way ticket).

Much of Taipei's central downtown area is near the intersection of the Blue and Green lines, while the Sun Yat Sen Memorial is several stops out the east/west line.

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Taipei's immensely convenient MRT (Mass Rapid Transit) is the easiest way to get around Taipei. Essentially, there are three main lines: Muzha (Brown), Yongning (Blue), and Danshui (Red). The Danshui Line splits up past the CKS Memorial Hall stop. There are also a few short lines, like the one leading to Xinbeitou. Prices are reasonable (You can get from SYS Memorial Hall to Danshui for just 55 yuan).

The train is awsome. There are three types of train, but if you want to go to smaller towns in Taiwan you often don't have a choice. So I won't bother listing the three types. The earlier you can get your ticket, the better your chance of getting a seat. ( I went swimming once and had no seat for the two hour air conditioned ride home, frozen, sick and totally void of energy by the end of the ride)