Taiwan

Getting around

Boat

There is regular ferry service between Taiwan and its outlying islands (although in recent years air transport has become more popular). It’s a cheaper way to travel but some routes could make a Navy SEAL vomit. And if the weather doesn’t cooperate, forget it: you’re not going anywhere.

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Hitching

Hitching is never entirely safe in any country in the world, and we don’t recommend it. Travellers who do decide to hitch should understand that they are taking a small but potentially serious risk. If you do choose to hitch you will be safer if you travel in pairs and let someone know where you are planning to go.

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Car & motorcycle

Car, motorcycle & scooter

To reach certain choice areas and to get around once you’re there, your own transport is advisable, and sometimes absolutely necessary. Driving a car is not terribly difficult outside of the cities, especially on weekdays. Scooters are cheap to rent (average NT400 per day, but some as low as NT200), but not every place will let you rent one without a local licence. At the time of writing, you could rent scooters with just an International Driver’s Licence in Hualien, Kenting, Chiayi, Tainan, Sun Moon Lake and Jiaoshi.

Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org) has an excellent overview of Taiwan’s road and highway system, which includes explanations of the numbering system. Go to the website and type ‘highway system in Taiwan’.

Hire

Car rental fees typically run between NT800 and NT1500 for a half day, or NT1500 and NT2800 for a full day, depending on the type of vehicle and rental company. Typical long-term discounts are 10% for three to seven days, 20% for eight to 20 days and 30% for longer. Ask if there is a limit to the number of kilometres you can drive. All airports have car rental agencies (or else they do free delivery), as do most of the High-Speed Rail stations. You can also check with local tourist information offices for rental agencies in your area. The following are two possibilities:

Central Auto (02-2828 0033; www.rentalcar.com.tw) Long-running foreign-managed rental company with Taipei, Taichung and Kaohsiung branches. Good reputation.

Hertz (02-2731 0377; www.hertz.com) Many branches islandwide.

Insurance

Insurance laws were modified in 2007 but at the time of writing it wasn’t clear how this would play out in rental businesses. Many agency staff members seemed unaware of any changes. At the time of writing, the best deal we could find was decent third-party liability insurance and the option of buying comprehensive insurance with a NT10,000 deduction for damages. In the case of theft or loss, the renter would also be charged 10% of the value of the car. Not the best, but much better than years ago when you essentially were uninsured despite what rental companies might have told you.

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Bus & tram

Bus

While Taiwan has a long-established system of private bus companies, competition in recent years from trains, planes and automobiles has brought down the number of people using them, especially on rural routes. Between major cities you’ll never have to wait more than an hour for a bus, but congestion is a problem on the highways, and that five-hour trip to Kaohsiung could easily become seven hours, or even 10. On the positive side, buses are smoke-free and quite comfortable. The more pricey intercity buses have airplane-like seats and show movies. Buses along rural routes are more basic.

The main transit points are Taipei, Taichung and Kaohsiung. For intercity travel we recommend Aloha, UBus and Kuo Kuang Hao.

Reservations are advisable for weekend travel and especially during holidays. Note that some buses run 24 hours a day and fares can drop considerably from midnight to 6am.

Bus

Outside of Taipei, buses are the only public transport option in the big cities. It used to be difficult to catch a bus outside Taipei, but now most buses have signs in English at the front. You can usually find complete bus schedule information at the visitor centre in town (often right inside the train station). Take advantage of this. In smaller towns it’s easier just to walk than bother with sporadic bus services.

It doesn’t usually matter whether you enter at the front or the back, but be aware that sometimes you pay when you get on and sometimes when you get off (and if you cross a zone you pay when you get on and again later when you get off). Just follow the passengers ahead of you or look for the characters or on the screen to the left of the driver. means pay when you get on (pretend the character points up to tell you to pay when you step up on the bus). means pay when you get off (pretend the character points down to tell you to pay when you get down off the bus). If you make a mistake the driver will let you know.

Fares vary by city. The fare within a single zone in Taipei is NT15, in Kaohsiung NT12. The fare for riding within two zones is always double the one-zone fare.

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Train

The Taiwan Railway Administration (TRA) operates trains on two main lines. Major stops on the Western Line include Pingdong, Kaohsiung, Taichung, Taipei and Keelung, while the Eastern Line runs from Shulin via Taipei and Hualien to Taitung. The Southern Link connects Kaohsiung and Taitung. There are also several small branch lines maintained for tourist purposes, including Pingxi, Alishan, Jiji and Neiwan (closed at the time of writing for the next several years). For detailed timetable and fare information, you can pick up the Taiwan Railway Passenger Train Timetable at train station info centres, kiosks or 7-Eleven stores, or visit ­new.twtraffic.com.tw/TWRail_en/index.aspx.

Express trains are reasonably comfortable and they all offer reserved seating and carts coming through the aisles offering boxed meals (such as they are). Snacks are available on platforms at many stations, and there are always shops and convenience stores nearby.

Most major cities now have visitor information centres inside or just outside the train station with English-speaking staff. They are usually open from 9am to 6pm and are a blessing for getting local bus, food and accommodation information.

Reservations & fares

For the fast trains, especially on weekends or holidays, it is advisable to buy your tickets up to two weeks in advance. You can book online but many people report problems with this on the English-language pages.

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Tours

Taiwan Tour Bus (0800-011 765; www.taiwantourbus.com.tw/) is organised by the tourism bureau and has easy-to-understand half-day and full-day itineraries. Buses depart from train stations, airports and major hotels. See the website or pick up the booklet Taiwan Tour Bus: Route Handbook at any visitor centre. Tours range in price from NT600 to NT2000.

Green Island Adventures (0972-065 479; www.greenislandadventures.com) has tours to Taiwan’s outer islands and the mainland.

Taipei-based Fresh Treks (02-2700 6988; www.freshtreks.com) offers adventure tours around the island, including mountain climbing, river tracing and laser tag. Few tours are open to the public these days, however.

Edison Travel Service (02-2563 5313; www.edison.com.tw) has been around for a long time and can handle tours, flights, hotels and car rental.

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Local transport

Metro

Taipei’s MRT (Mass Rapid Transit) has made a huge difference to the city’s environment, traffic, cleanliness and general culture. Kaohsiung’s system should be ready by the end of 2008.

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Air

TPE airport is for international flights only, so passengers flying into Taipei and transferring elsewhere within Taiwan will have to travel to Songshan Airport (TSA; www.tsa.gov.tw). It’s north of central Taipei, but the city has pretty much engulfed it in recent decades.

Considering that Taiwan is such a small island, Songshan Airport is a very busy place. Four domestic-based carriers cover the country from about 7am until 10pm, with an average of about one takeoff or landing every three minutes. Destinations served include Hualien, Kaohsiung, Kinmen, Penghu, Taichung, Tainan and Taitung.

Songshan Airport facilities include a bank (with foreign currency exchange), a post office, food shops and restaurants, free wireless and a tourist information counter (02-2546 4741; 8am-8pm). Small/large coin-operated lockers cost NT80/120 per 24 hours and have a six-day limit.

From Taipei’s main train station take bus275 or 262. A taxi will cost around NT200. Several buses an hour make the run to/from TPE airport (average fare NT125, 60 ­minutes).

Although Songshan is the hub and most other destinations on the island are the spokes, the airports at Taichung, Tainan and particularly Kaohsiung also serve multiple destinations. Because of weather, flights to Taiwan’s islands can be hair-raising.

At smaller airports around Taiwan you’ll usually find a visitor centre or information desk (sometimes with English speaking staff), banking or ATM services, and a post office or DIY postal service.

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Bicycle

We don’t recommend biking as your usual means of transportation. Traffic in the cities is too intense and the air quality at road level is not good. Biking is recommended down the east coast of Hualien and also in other rural areas.

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