How to Plan a Trip to Taiwan

1. 1
   Know if you need a visa. Some countries allow for a visit to Taiwan without a visa as long as their passports are valid for at least half a year (six months) when it comes time to arrive. However, there are other countries in which a visa is required to visit Taiwan. Below, you can see how long you can visit Taiwan without a visa, or whether you need a visa, dependent on the country you live in. ^[2]

   • For up to 90 days without a visa: states of the European Union, Canada, Iceland, Israel, Japan, Liechtenstein, Monaco, New Zealand, Norway, United States and Vatican City. With that, citizens of Belize, Burkina Faso, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nauru, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, São Tomé and Príncipe, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Eswatini can also visit for 90 days, under the condition that they have official, service or diplomatic passports.
   • For up to 30 days without a visa: Australia, Malaysia, Singapore and South Korea.
     • If people residing in these countries show an "emergency" or temporary passport, it will be necessary to complete an application for a landing visa. This will need to be done by giving out a passport photo and paying a fee of 2,400 Taiwanese dollars.
   • People who reside in India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam -- as long as they have obtained a permanent resident card from a Schengen country -- can secure a 30-day visa when arriving after applying online. Residents of Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States can also do so.
   • Japanese citizens only need to show a passport of at least three months' validity when entering. US citizens can visit Taiwan on a passport that is valid for under six months if they include a passport photo and pay $184 (in US dollars) or 5,600 in Taiwanese currency.
2. 2
   Travel by plane. There are five main airports in Taiwan, in addition to several others.

   • The main international airport in Taiwan is the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport (桃園機場) near Taipei with very restricted international service to Taichung and Hualien. It has great connections to well-known Asian cities, as well as several places in North America. In addition, the airport has buses that go to Taipei, Taichung and other cities close by. ^[3]
   • In Kaohsiung International Airport, international and domestic airports are found in the same network. International flights are limited to other cities in Asia, such as Hong Kong, Bangkok, and Singapore. Flights to mainland China are also provided.
   • Taipei Songshan Airport (台北松山機場) is located in downtown Taipei. It mainly provides domestic flight service, in addition to everyday flights to mainland China and to the Haneda airport (東京国際空港) in Tokyo.
   • Taichung Airport (台中機場) contains both domestic and international flights to Hong Kong, Vietnam, Japan, Korea, as well as cross-strait and charter flights to the mainland portion of China.
   • Hualien Airport has mainly domestic flights, but some charter international flights to Japan, Macau, and South Korea. It is also eligible to serve direct cross-strait flights.
3. 3
   Take the boat. For an alternative experience besides flying, you can also travel to Taiwan by boat. There are several ways to make a boat trip, especially from China.

   • For instance, you can take one of the two daily boats to Matsu from Fuzhou, Fujian Province in China. Go to the Fuzhou train station, and then make a trip from there to Wuyilu on bus 69. After that, you'll need bus 73 to Mawei harbor, which is the ending station. This is a two-hour trip. Once you have finished the train ride, you will need to find one of the two daily ferries to Keelung. One of them is TWD1050, which has a bed since the trip takes ten hours!
   • You can also purchase a ticket to Taipei from the Mawei harbor in Fuzhou. That will cover the Fuzhou to Matsu ferry as well as a flight from Matzu to either Taichung or Taipei.
4. 4
   Figure out how you will get around during your trip. There are several methods of transportation in Taiwan, such as trains, buses and metros. See the "Getting Around" section for more info on transportation.
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1. 1
   Look into some of the festivals. Festivals in Taiwan include the Spring Scream, Buddha's Birthday, and Dragon Road Festival, and they are described below.

   • The Spring Scream (春天吶喊) is an annual three-day rock concert held in the outdoors in Kenting. For every day, tickets cost $1,400 with all venues. This is a crowded festival.
   • In the Buddha's Birthday festival, there are simple and colorful rituals held at Buddhist monasteries. During these ceremonies, people often wash statues of the Buddha and hold a vegetarian feast. This festival is always held on the eighth day of the fourth month, according to the Lunar calendar.
   • The Dragon Boat Festival (端午節) is held in remembrance of the loss of Qi Yuan, a patriotic Chinese poet. He felt intense melancholy that Chu, the country he always loved, was being stolen by a neighboring country because the people who belonged to him betrayed him. Thus, he drowned himself in a river. This festival always takes place on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month.
2. 2
   Check out one of the beaches or national parks. Taiwan offers a lot of wonderful beaches and marvelous national parks; many of them contain hot springs. There are several of these, such as the Baishawan Beach, the Fulan Beach, and the Taroko Gorge (which is a national park).
3. 3
   See Taroko Gorge, one of the most common tourist destinations of Taiwan. It contains canyons with marble walls, lavish vegetation, and mountainous scenery, and many tourists find it to be a beautiful sight. ^[4]
4. 4
   Check out Taipei 101. As mentioned earlier in this article, it is the fourth-largest skyscraper in the entire world, and it has 101 floors. There are beautiful sights that can be found in observation decks, and even an outdoor deck if the weather is pleasant. There is even a food court as well as several malls. It is also the largest "greenhouse" in the world. ^[5]
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By Train

1. 1
   Know the two train systems in Taiwan. They are the Taiwan High Speed Rail and the Taiwan Railway Administration. ^[6]
2. 2
   Use the Taiwan High Speed Rail, or TSHR. It is a system of high-speed trains that go 345 kilometers, or 215 miles, on the West Coast of Taiwan, from Taipei to Kaohsiung in only an hour and thirty minutes. Stops during the train ride include Banqiao, Taouyan (桃園), Hsinchu (新竹), Taichung (台中), Tainan (台南), and Chiayi (嘉義)
3. 3
   Use the Taiwan Railway Administration, or TRA. There are TRA stations located in every well-known city, and one can often find train stations in the middle portions of most cities and towns. The train system provides leeway to bypass highways, which can get very, very packed on holidays as well as weekends.

   • If you are traveling by train during the weekend, it is highly advisable that you book tickets, especially if the trip you are taking is long-distance. You can get tickets at the TRA website . Note that purchasing a ticket online will only work between 8 A.M. and 9 P.M., and you will need to pay a fee of $7 if you are booking online. You will need to book your ticket no later than two weeks in advance.
     • In order to receive your tickets, you will need to pay them at the local train station or post office. Children under 45 inches, or 115 centimeters, can ride for free, and taller kids that are shorter than 57 inches, or 145 centimeters, or are under 12 years of age, will be eligible for a half-price ticket.
4. 4
   Take one of these three trains: the Tzuchiang, Chukuang, or Commuter.

   • The Tzuchiang train is the most pricey and the fastest, and it includes assigned seating. There are three types: regular Tzuchiangs, Puyumas, and Tarokos.
   • The Chukuang train is the second fastest train, and assigned seating is also provided.
   • The Commuter train is the cheapest; there are stops at all train stations. There is no assigned seating. If you are looking to go to a nearby city, the Commuter train is the best choice since they stop about once every 10-15 minutes.
5. 5
   Find your destination before it's time to embark on the train. That way, you won't miss it. Find the destination in English, and then look for the Taiwanese characters that match the destination in English. You should also have your destination written in Taiwanese before you embark on the trip!
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By Bus

1. 1
   Know about the bus network. The bus network in Taiwan is very extensive, and the private bus companies mostly operate it. Typically it is cheaper to get around with the intercity bus than on the train. However, note that travel time may take much longer on holidays due to traffic, and it is more probable that holiday tickets will be sold out.
2. 2
   Keep in mind that local buses are available in most cities in Taiwan. That being stated, route maps are almost completely in Taiwanese, but the destinations shown on the front of the bus are available in English. Ask for route advice from the clerk if you are staying at a hotel, and find your destination on the map and circle it.
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