Visas & entry
Visa-exempt entry is available to holders of many passports, including most EU, UK, US, Canadian, Australian, New Zealand, Japanese and South Korean passports, commonly for up to 90 days; other nationalities may need an eVisa or a visa in advance. Rules, permitted stay and onward-ticket requirements change, so verify with Taiwan’s Bureau of Consular Affairs before booking.
Getting in
- Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, Taipei area: The default long-haul gateway and the sensible start for Taipei or any island-wide trip. Airport MRT express reaches Taipei Main Station in roughly 35–40 minutes; use HSR from Taipei or Taoyuan HSR station for the west coast.
- Kaohsiung International Airport: The useful alternative for a south-first or open-jaw itinerary covering Tainan, Kaohsiung and Kenting. It has international connections but far fewer long-haul options than TPE; the MRT connects it directly to central Kaohsiung and Zuoying HSR.
- Taipei Songshan Airport: Conveniently central for a limited set of regional international flights and domestic routes, especially if connecting onward to offshore islands or east-coast airports. It is not the usual intercontinental arrival point.
Getting around
Use HSR for the dense west-coast spine: Taipei–Taichung–Chiayi–Tainan–Zuoying is fast, but several HSR stations are outside the city centre and need a local rail, bus, MRT or taxi connection. Use Taiwan Railway express trains for Hualien and Taitung; the east coast has no HSR, trains fill early around weekends and holidays, and earthquakes, landslides and typhoons can disrupt service. A car is useful rather than essential for the Rift Valley, remote mountain areas and Kenting; in Taipei and Kaohsiung it is mostly a parking problem. Domestic flights are for Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu, not a shortcut between the main west-coast cities.
Money
The currency is the New Taiwan dollar (NT$ or TWD). Contactless cards and mobile payment work well in urban chains, hotels and larger restaurants, but night markets, small eateries, rural businesses, taxis and temple areas still often mean cash; carry it. Tipping is not expected—rounding up a taxi fare is enough.
Daily budget · TWD (NT$)
- Value
- NT$2,200–4,500
- Mid-range
- NT$4,500–7,500
- High-end
- NT$9,000+
- These are per person per day, assuming two people share a room, and exclude international flights. Food and local transport are inexpensive; accommodation is the variable that changes the trip cost.
- Budget range: hostel or simple guesthouse, night-market and local-shop meals, metro/bus and occasional conventional train.
- Mid-range: clean central hotel, a mix of casual food and better restaurants, intercity HSR or express-train travel, and paid attractions or taxis where they save time.
- High-end: design or luxury hotels, serious dining, private drivers/taxis for mountain or east-coast access, and domestic flights or offshore-island stays.
- Taipei Friday/Saturday nights, Lunar New Year, Lantern Festival host cities, long weekends and Alishan/Kenting can push hotel costs sharply above these bands. Book early rather than assuming Taiwan is uniformly cheap.
- The west corridor is straightforward to do economically by HSR plus local transit. East-coast travel, mountain areas and offshore islands cost more in practice because limited rail seats, taxis/charters, rental vehicles or domestic flights can become necessary.
Eating well
- Treat Tainan as a food destination rather than a checklist: two nights is the minimum if eating is a priority, and three is better.
- Eat on local hours in Tainan. Small-bowl and breakfast specialists are part of the point; do not save every meal for late-night markets.
- Some Indigenous tribal dining experiences in the Hualien–Taitung corridor require reservations.
- For food breadth, pair Taipei with Tainan; add Kaohsiung/Meinong for Hakka cooking or the east for Indigenous food rather than expecting one city to represent the island.
- Tea is worth seeking out in its landscape: Maokong near Taipei for an easy introduction, and Alishan for high-mountain tea.
Book before you land
Alishan Forest Railway, particularly weekend, holiday and popular branch-line services · Domestic flights to Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu for weekends, school holidays and festival periods
- Book east-coast Taiwan Railway express trains as soon as sales open, especially for Friday–Sunday travel and Lunar New Year; a rail seat can be the bottleneck, not the hotel.
- Do not treat Taroko as a guaranteed hiking stop: following the 2024 earthquake, major gorge trails and services have remained subject to closure. Check park, road and rail status immediately before committing to Hualien.
- Load an EasyCard for Taipei/Kaohsiung MRT, local trains, buses and convenience-store purchases. It reduces friction but does not replace reserved intercity rail tickets.
- Taiwan is very safe for independent travel, but scooters are a real traffic hazard. Do not rent one without genuine road experience and the correct licence/permit.
- Typhoon alerts are operational, not decorative: transport, ferries, mountain roads and businesses can close. Keep at least one flexible night if travelling the east coast, mountains or offshore islands in typhoon season.
- Lunar New Year, Lantern Festival host cities, and long weekends sharply affect hotel prices, restaurant opening hours and rail availability; plan around them rather than assuming normal service.
Entry rules change — verify visa requirements for your passport before booking this country.
Season by season
March–May
Late March and April are mild, green and good for lowland travel, but the north can be cool and changeable and the March–May plum-rain period brings humid drizzle and overcast mountain views.
Taipei and west-coast citieslowland hikingfood travelspring blossoms
Cherry-blossom areas such as Alishan and Yangmingshan get locally busy; by May, rain and humidity can disrupt scenic mountain plans.
June–August
Cities are intensely hot and humid, June is wet, and July–August are the core typhoon-risk months; high mountains, Penghu and the far south offer the best relief.
beaches and divingPenghu and offshore islandstropical fruithigh-altitude escapes
Walking-heavy Taipei–Tainan itineraries are draining, and storms can interrupt mountain, rail, ferry and flight plans.
September–November
September can still be summery and typhoon-prone, but October through mid-November usually brings Taiwan’s most comfortable balance of lower humidity, workable city weather and clearer mountain conditions.
first tripswest-coast rail itinerariesmountain sceneryfood-focused travel
Early autumn still needs weather flexibility, especially for east-coast and mountain overnights; do not rely on a tight one-night sequence during typhoon season.
December–February
The south is pleasantly mild, while Taipei, Yilan and the northeast are often chilly-damp; high mountains can see frost or occasional snow.
Taipei and TainanKaohsiunghot springscycling
Do not expect reliable beach weather outside Kenting, and Lunar New Year can make transport and hotels difficult or expensive.
Events worth planning around
Lunar New Year · Usually January or February; dates move annually. · Nationwide
This is the one period to treat as a countrywide disruption: rail seats vanish, hotels rise, families travel, and some independent restaurants close or keep limited hours. Book transport and accommodation well ahead.
Taiwan Lantern Festival and Pingxi Sky Lantern Festival · Usually February, following Lunar New Year; host city changes for the national festival. · National-festival host city and Pingxi, New Taipei
The national host city can have exceptional accommodation pressure, while Pingxi becomes heavily crowded. Reserve rooms and avoid assuming normal local transport capacity.
Tomb Sweeping, Dragon Boat and Mid-Autumn holiday weekends · Usually April, May/June and September/October respectively; lunar-calendar dates vary. · Nationwide, especially rail corridors, resorts and domestic-flight routes
Long weekends create sold-out trains, higher hotel prices and crowded scenic areas; lock in east-coast rail and offshore flights early.
What to eat
Eat Taiwan as a chain of regional specialties, not as a single night-market menu: Taipei is strong for xiaolongbao, beef noodles and post-1949 regional-Chinese cooking, while Tainan rewards slow grazing through small bowls, soups, seafood and sweets. Build in proper breakfasts and early meals—many of the best specialists are daytime operations—and use the east for Indigenous ingredients and the south for Hakka and seafood traditions.
XiaolongbaoTaiwanese beef noodle soupDanzai noodlesMilkfish dishesTainan beef soupShrimp dishesSeafoodHigh-mountain teaChishang riceBamboo rice with wild greens and maqaw mountain pepper seasoning in the east
Taipei and northern Taiwan: Xiaolongbao · Beef noodle soup · Night-market food · Tea at Maokong · Post-1949 regional-Chinese restaurant cooking
Tainan: Milkfish · Beef soup · Danzai noodles · Shrimp dishes · Breakfast soups and congee-style dishes around the city’s small-eats specialists, including temple snacks and sweets
Kaohsiung and Meinong: Seafood · Hakka stuffed tofu · Bantiao rice noodles · Pork hock · Lei cha
Hualien, Taitung and the East Rift Valley: Indigenous cooking · Chishang rice · Bamboo rice · Wild greens · Slate-grilled meat and stone hotpot dishes flavored with maqaw
Alishan and the central mountains: High-mountain tea
Penghu: Seafood