Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport Access MRT

The launch of the long-awaited MRT from Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport to Taipei City meant that first-time travellers to Taiwan no longer have to scratch your brains or search the internet for guides to Taipei City, and frequent travellers can now use your EasyCard (悠遊卡) to conveniently get around Taoyuan and Taipei City.

1. Taoyuan International Airport to Taipei City

• The easiest way to get to Taipei City is to alight at Taipei Main Station from Taoyuan International Airport Terminal 1 and 2.
• Taipei Main Station runs on Tamsui–Xinyi Line, Bannan Line and Songshan–Xindian Line.

2. Two kinds of trains

Named commuter and express train services, the two trains will arrive from different MRT platforms.

• The commuter train service is blue in colour, and stops at 23 stations, catering to travellers between Taipei, New Taipei and Taoyuan. 
• The express train service is purple, and serves mainly as a bridge for travellers between Taipei to Taoyuan International Airport, making a total of only 5 stops (6 stops, when Taoyuan International Airport Terminal 3 is launched).

3. Stations

There are 23 stations in total, spanning from Taipei, New Taipei to Taoyuan.

The express train service only stops at the stations highlighted in purple.

• Taipei Main Station     台北車站
• Sanchong     三重
• Erchong     二重
• New Taipei Industrial Park     新北產業園區
• Xinzhuang Fuduxin     新莊副都心
• Taishan     泰山
• Fu Jen University Hospital     輔大醫院
• Taishan Guihe     泰山貴和
• National Taiwan Sport University     體育大學
• Chang Gung Memorial Hospital     長庚醫院
• Linkou     林口
• Shanbi     山鼻
• Kengkou     坑口
• Airport Terminal 1     機場第一航廈
• Airport Terminal 2     機場第二航廈
• Airport Terminal 3     機場第三航廈
• Airport Hotel     機場旅館
• Dayuan     大園
• Hengshan     橫山
• Linghang     領航
• Taoyuan HSR Station     高鐵桃園站
• Taoyuan Sports Park     桃園體育園區
• Xingnan     興南
• Huanbei     環北
• Laojie River     老街溪
• Zhongli Railway Station     中壢

4. Duration from Taoyuan Airport to Taipei Main Station

5. Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport Train Timetable

• First train — 6am
• Last train — 10:58pm 
• Frequency — one train every 15 minutes

6. Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport Train Fare

• Varies from NT$30 to NT$160, depending on your departure (~SGD $1.40 to $7.60)
• Travelling from Taipei Main Station to Taoyuan International Airport Terminal 1 or 2 costs NT$160 (~SGD $7.60)
• There are also 30, 60, and 90 days concession passes for frequent travellers

7. Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport Train Carriages

• You can charge your phones from selected seats on Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT
• Reading lights and a tray table to make your travel as comfortable as possible
• Free WiFi (TyMetro) provided

8. Other ways to get from Taipei City to Taoyuan International Airport

You can still take the bus, high speed rail, taxi or private airport transport to Taoyuan International Airport following my 2017 Taipei - Taoyuan travel guide.

All information is accurate as of 2 May 2020.

Did you know that other than Taipei MRT stations, Taoyuan Airport, and train stations' luggage storage centre — with costs ranging from NT10 per hour to NT70 per day — there are FREE lockers in Taipei city, operated by SOGO departmental stores, located just minutes away from prominent MRT stations?

I did an online search before writing this post. While most blogs document the lockers in Taipei MRT stations and Taoyuan Airport, various train stations' luggage storage centre or the new initiative Lalalockers (with Lalalockers, you can store your luggage with store owners for greater convenience) there are little to no recommendations about the SOGO's free lockers for luggage storage in Taipei.

To be honest I was initially sceptical when I first read about them in Taiwanese forums. Free luggage storage with no terms and conditions? Sounds too good to be true. I had expected to be pressurised to buy something in SOGO in exchange for the luggage storage services, or show proof of purchase before I can store my luggage with them.


Imagine my surprise when I realised the free lockers, tucked into a small corner, were unmanned! There was even ample space for me to unpack and repack my luggage so I could fit everything into the locker.

As you can tell from the size, the biggest locker should a piece of 24-inch luggage comfortably. I used a 20-inch one and still had ample space above to fit my soft toy LOL.

Instructions for the free lockers

Don't worry even if you're a non-Chinese speaker as there are instructions in English as well. It's pretty straightforward and fuss-free. If you're afraid of forgetting which locker you used, just snap a photo of your locker with the locker number after locking it like I always do!


There are four SOGOs around Taipei, but only two that offer the free lockers for storage. the lockers are usually tucked away in a quiet corner so look out for that hint of lime green, or ask the shopkeepers. If you're utlising SOGO's free lockers, it'll be nice to purchase something from the stores as well :)

SOGO Fuxing Store (SOGO復興館)

Address: 

No.45, Sec. 4, Zhongxiao E. Rd., Da’an Dist., Taipei City 106, Taiwan
(106台北市忠孝東路三段300號)

Level: 

Basement 3

Operating hours:

9am to 9:30pm daily | 9am to 10pm on eve of public holidays

SOGO Zhongxiao Store (SOGO忠孝館)

Address: 

No.300, Sec. 3, Zhongxiao E. Rd., Da’an Dist., Taipei City 106, Taiwan
(106台北市忠孝東路四段45號)

Level: 

Basement 2

Operating hours:

9am to 9:30pm daily | 9am to 10pm on eve of public holidays

I stayed in Plan A Hostel in Taichung, located a convenient 15-minute walk from Taichung Train Station. Since I was heavily reliant on public transport in Taichung, staying near the train station — thus, also the bus interchange — made it easier to get around Taichung. Plan A Hostel is near lots of suncake (taiyangbing) shops, a Taiwanese specialty that originated from Taichung, making it easy to stock up on souvenirs!

Room

I stayed in Plan A Hostel's 'Standard 12 Bed Female Dorm' for two nights. Upon entering, I was immediately impressed by how clean the rooms were. Because it was Taiwan's low travel season, I was allowed to pick any bed I like.


Each bed comes with its own nightlight (in the shape of a macaron, how adorable!), mini platform for you to put your belongings, 2 USB cable points, a Type B power socket, and a Type G power socket.


Guests are requested to keep quiet and off the lights from 11pm onwards, which made the hostel a condusive place for resting after exploring Taichung for a day.

I had to go through the 'Standard 8 Bed Female Dorm' to get to my room. While slightly inconvenient, I prefer my 12-bed to the 8-bed dorm — I can only imagine how annoying it must be for doors to swing open every now and then, and having random people walk through your room. The 12-bed dorm was also more spacious.

Toilet

A peek at the male bathroom

Of all the hostels I've been to around Taiwan, Plan A Hostel has the cleanest toilet.


Not to mention, they have a stash of toiletries for all ladies, ranging from oil-based make up removal to facial cleanser. They even have nail polish removals, different sizes of pads and tampons, and cotton wool. Talk about impressive hospitality!


Toilet cover sheets if you're that anal about hygiene. As someone who's extremely icky about using public toilets, I love it! Plus, look at their puns :')


There are four shower cubicals, and Plan A Hostel provides different scented shower gel and shampoos for each cubical. What?! It made showering so fun!

Common Area

Plan A Hostel plastered directions to popular Taichung tourist spots around the walls. They even included a short description and opening hours! Should you need further information, Plan A Hostel also had two desk tops for guests to utlitise during their stay.


I did my laundry here for NT50 (SGD $2.30). Plan A Hostel has two washing machines but there weren't anyone else using the washing machines.


However, Plan A Hostel doesn't have a dryer so I had to hang my laundry to dry. It wasn't an issue for me but if there were others doing their laundry, the laundry line might get filled up pretty quickly.


Plan A Hostel provides free breakfast every morning up to 11am. Yay, who doesn't love free breakfasts?

Atmosphere

I shared the room with one other female traveller my first night there; the second night, we have around five girls in the room, and it was quite entertaining trying to communicate in our different languages and accents! Times like this I realise how important bilingualism is.


The first night I was there, Plan A Hostel was had a gathering. Guests and staff were mingling over some games and drinks, and I later learned that it's a common occurence.

Service

A lot of staff were on working holidays when I was there. Meaning, you'll enjoy exchanging travel stories and they probably have a lot to share. But they weren't that knowledgable when it comes to best places to buy souvenirs or getting around Taichung. Nonetheless, it didn't hinder me much because the information is easily Googleable.

The boss, upon seeing that I was checking out Taichung guidebooks one night, offered me some tourist spots he thought I might enjoy. Most of the staff could speak English.

Will I return to Plan A Hostel?

I don't see why not.

Plan A Hostel

Address

No. 201, Section 1, Taiwan Boulevard, Central District, Taichung City, Taiwan 400

Phone Number

+886-933728625

Email

aforangeltw@gmail.com

Price

SGD $21.15 per night on average

Booking

I made my booking through Hostelworld.

Disclaimer
I paid for my stay in Plan A Hostel and none of the staff knew I was a blogger so I didn't receive any preferential treatment. Everything written in this review is based on my own opinions and expectations after staying in different hostels in Taiwan.

My plan for Tainan was easy — find a hostel near the train station. Since I was arriving in Tainan at night, I didn't want to get lost in a foreign city after dark. Old Man Captain Hostel happens to be the old office of Tainan Train Station so naturally, it was located within walking distance of the train station.


Note: if you key 'Old Man Captain Hostel' into Google Maps, it'll lead you somewhere 10 minutes away, which is NOT where the hostel is.


The hostel, identifiable by its bright orange doors, is at the doorstep of Tainan Train Station.

Knowing how inconvenient the public transport in Taitung is, I decided to book a room in Summer Guest House, a hostel nearby the attractions I wanted to visit, namely Tiehua Rural Village, Taitung Railway Art Village and Liyushan Park. Summer Guest House was the cheapest option available so I went ahead with my booking despite the hostel not being near Taitung Train Station.

Taiwan — my first business trip, my place of growth and healing, the perfect ending to my gap year. I initially wanted to stay in Taipei for a few days before travelling to Hokkaido but as luck would have it, all the cheap flights were quickly snapped up. Unwilling to pay more, I decided to stay and travel around Taiwan for 11 days, exploring the other counties that I've never set foot in, mainly Hualien, Taitung, Tainan and Taichung. Here's a brief itinerary of how I spent my time in Taiwan this summer!

I spent the bulk of my time in Taipei, and met up with my Taiwanese friends since I was starting school soon and wouldn't be travelling to Taiwan anymore for the next two years. Because of this, I had a good mixture of touristy stuff and local hunts in my itinerary, which I really liked since I got to see two sides of Taiwan. I also slowed down my itinerary since it was my upteempth time in Taiwan and I wanted to travel at a relaxing pace instead of rushing to places.

I found Free & Slow Hostel at the very last minute — before leaving for Hualien — and made my booking right away because of the hostel's unique concept. I mean, Free & Slow Hostel allows you to go camping on a trip in an air-conditioned room? Yes, please! To make things better, Free & Slow Hostel is just five to ten minutes away from Hualien Railway Station, where you alight after taking the train from or to Taipei.

Taipei Main Inn is located conveniently at Taipei Main Station — the very reason I chose to stay this hostel. Upon arrival, I was delighted to find out that the hostel is literally opposite Taipei Main Station's Y13 exit and a stone's throw away (5-minute walk) from Taipei Railway Station. Although not as fancy as some other hostels in Taipei, Taipei Main Inn prime location paired with its affordable price made it a perfect choice for my four nights in Taipei.

Literally 50 meters away from Taipei Main Station's Y13 exit

I'm a solo budget traveller and hostels are my go-to whenever I need cheap accommodation. But my terrible experience with a mixed room with shared bathroom in a hostel in Taipei is where I draw the line. I could pay a little more for comfort and safety.

After checking in, I was uncomfortable upon learning that the bathroom is in the room — I had expected a gender segregated bathroom — but I could live with it. I thought. My experience was mortifying. Shavers, with hair from god knows where, left on the toilet bowl. Toilet paper stained with you-know-what left in plain sight. Hygiene standards? Sorry, what hygiene?

With the walls paper thin, I could hear every movement in the bathroom. Yeah, go figure. They also knew my every move, which made things awkward when I had to rip off my pad.

Additionally, males are, I'm sorry, less considerate. They often switch off and on the lights as they wish and make loud noises. If you're unlucky, you get a group of male friends travelling together. You know how males are around their friends — obnoxious. Loud chatters can be heard throughout the night as they nudge each other on doing stupid things.

Because most hostels have the option of females only or mixed dormitories, the mixed dormitories are dominated by males. I was a single female with five males in that room. It was slightly intimidating and my mom would have screamed bloody murder if she knew. Granted most of the males I spoke to were polite and merely wanted a cheaper accommodation alternative but I had better experiences with females-only room during my hostel stays.

Thankfully, as I continued travelling around Taiwan, I had better experiences in other mixed hostel rooms, thus slightly changing my initial stance about never booking a mixed room ever again. Will I stay in mixed room in the future? Yes, only if the bathrooms are gender segregated or at the very least, located outside of the mixed rooms.

(Read my full review of the hostel here.)

For our post-graduation trip, Joanna and I travelled to Kaohsiung for two main reasons. 1) Kaohsiung is a relatively small city, just enough for us to finish exploring at a comfortable pace when we only have 4 days. 2) I love love loveeee Taiwan, and I haven't been to Kaohsiung yet!

Flight (Singapore to Kaohsiung direct)


We decided to travel to Kaohsiung at only the eleventh hour so we didn't manage to secure good deals for our flight. Since Scoot only flies to Kaohsiung thrice weekly, and Scoot is the only airline that flies directly from Singapore to Kaohsiung, our choices were limited. To save cost, we decided to only check in our luggages on our way back from Kaohsiung (because we know we were going to be shopping a lot).

Our flight departed Singapore at 6:00am and we reached Kaohsiung at 10:20am.

Kaohsiung International Airport to Kaohsiung City


Compared to Taoyuan International Airport to Taipei City, it was way easier to get from Kaohsiung International Airport to Kaohsiung City.

There's a direct train from Kaohsiung Airport to Kaohsiung City, which costs about NT$20 one way. Take note that you can use Taipei's EasyCard (you-you-ka) in Kaohsiung, but you can't top up there. It takes only about 15 minutes to get to the hearts of Kaohsiung by Kaohsiung Rapid Transit Corporation (KRTC). You should familiarise yourself with their KRTC system as it is Kaohsiung's main form of transport.

During my recent holiday to Kaohsiung with Joanna (yes my third time travelling to Taiwan in half a year!), we stayed at Hotel R14 Kaohsiung. We were lucky to chance upon this hotel, aptly named after the train station it's located at, because it was so convenient! For one, we never had to remember what station was our hotel located at — R14 is the number of Kaohsiung Arena Station, on the red line, and Hotel R14 Kaohsiung was right across the road of Kaohsiung Areana Station.

We were initially worried about locating Hotel R14 Kaohsiung since neither of us have travelled to Kaohsiung before, but our worries were completely unfounded. When you exited from Kaohsiung Areana Station Exit 2, you'll spot a playground and Hotel R14 Kaohsiung is opposite the playground, across a road.

Because we landed at 10am, we had plenty of time to spare before the hotel's check-in time of 3pm but the hotel staff's impeccable hospitality warmed our hearts from the very beginning of our trip. From taking care of our luggage before check in to guiding us to the toilets (so we vain girls can apply our make up), the staff of Hotel R14 Kaohsiung went out of their way making sure we had everything we need for a pleasant stay.


After a day of exploring Kaohsiung, we finally returned to Hotel R14 Kaohsiung to check in to our Tree Sea Family room that comes with two queen size beds. I love that their pillows are anti-bacterial and anti-mite because hygiene is a huge deciding factor when I travel!


When we entered our room, I was blown awed by... Hotel R14 Kaohsiung's toilet. Pardon me for sounding like an old lady, I was blown away by Hotel R14 Kaohsiung's high tech toilet bowl with smart washlet (the kind that is usually found in Japan).

From anti-smell technology to warm seat cover perfect for winter — there was absolutely nothing more I need. My favourite function has still got to be the bidet function, adjustable right down to water temperature and water pressure Like what I told Joanna, I'd find it hard to adapt to peasant toilets again in Singapore.