Taitung Getting there & around

Getting there & away

Land

Bus

Taitung has four bus stations and finding which bus goes where can be confusing. Ask at any visitor centre for the latest. Listed below are the three most likely to be used by ­travellers.

The Dingdong Bus Station (333 343), near the Railway Art Village, runs about four buses a day to Hualien (NT479, three hours) along Hwy 11.

The Kuo Kuang Hao Bus Company (322 027) runs about five buses a day to Kaohsiung (NT455, 4½ hours). Buses to Tienchih (NT351, 4½ hours) on the South Cross-Island Hwy leave daily at 7.10am (but always confirm this time as some schedules still say they leave at 6.40am). There are no direct buses to Kenting.

The Dingdong Inland Bus Station (333 433) has about 10 buses a day to Chihpen Hot Springs (NT40, 40 minutes). There are also frequent buses to the new train station (NT22).

Train

There are about 15 trains a day between Hualien and Taitung (fast/slow train NT355/273, 2½/3½ hours). The train follows the inland route through the East Rift Valley.

If taking a taxi to the train station, be clear with your driver that you mean the new station. From central Taitung it will cost around NT200. Buses for the new train station (NT22) leave from the Dingdong Inland Bus Station about every hour.

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Air

The following airlines have booking counters at Taitung’s Fong Nian Airport (362 530; www.rcfn.gov.tw/en/en1.asp): Far Eastern Transport (362 677), Mandarin Airlines (362 699),Uni Air (362 626) and Daily Air Corporation (362 489).

There are flights to Taipei, Taichung and Lanyu and Green Islands. The airport has a nice tropical feel to it, and is a pleasant way to enter the south. There’s a visitor centre (9am-5pm) to help you out.

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