Taiwan

Getting there & away

Entering the destination

Entering the country

Most visitors enter through Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, where the immigration procedures pose few hassles. Guards are basically efficient.

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Air

Airports & airlines

Taiwan’s main international airport is Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport (TPE; www.taoyuanairport.gov.tw/) in Dayuan, 50km (40 minutes) west of central Taipei. It was formerly called Chiang Kai-shek and may still be referred to as CKS Airport. Taiwan’s other international airports are Siaogang Airport (KHH; www.kia.gov.tw) in Kaohsiung and Cing Cyuan Gang Airport (RMQ; www.tca.gov.tw/English/Introduction.htm) in Taichung. TPE handles traffic from around the world, while most of the international traffic into and out of Siaogang Airport and Cing Cyuan Gang Airport comes from Hong Kong and Southeast Asia.

TPE airport has two terminals connected by a small skytrain. Terminal 2 is newer and by far the more attractive of the two. Both terminals have signs in English for every service and facility. There is also a tourist information booth in each. You can contact the booth in Terminal 1 on 03-383 2790, or Terminal 2 on 03-398 3341. Both are open from 7am to 11.30pm and can help with hotel bookings and bus information, as well as with getting a Youth Travel Card.

Other facilities include showers, free wireless internet, a post office, several banks for currency exchange and ATM withdrawals, mobile-phone service desks (for buying prepaid SIM cards, renting phones etc) and Lost & Found (03-398 2538).

Getting to/from TPE is simple. Several bus companies run the route (average fare NT125, 60 minutes) every 15 minutes from the airport to the main train station in Taipei from 4am to midnight. Some buses also go to the domestic airport, Songshan. You can buy bus tickets in the arrival areas of both terminals. Look for the ‘Express Bus’ signs in Terminal 2 and ‘Bus Stop’ (Station) signs in Terminal 1. If you want to get dropped off at a particular hotel let the staff at the ticket counters know, as there are different routes.

Buses also connect with the High-Speed Rail (HSR) station in Taoyuan, which can then whiz you off to Taipei in 25 minutes. From Taipei to Taoyuan station the HSR fare is NT160. From the airport to the station by bus costs NT20. Buses run every 20 minutes. However, because trains were not that frequent at the time of writing, this was not the best way to travel to Taipei except during rush hour when buses were slowed by traffic.

Taxis from the airport to downtown Taipei will cost around NT1200, and NT1000 going the opposite direction.

Note that the domestic terminal is nowhere near the international. If you want to fly within Taiwan you need to go to Songshan Airport in Taipei, about an hour away by bus.

Airlines flying to & from Taiwan

If the names of the airlines listed below sound familiar but not quite right, there’s a reason. Owing to agreements with China, many large international carriers operate flights to Taiwan under different names. For example, All Nippon Airways becomes Air Nippon.

Taiwan has two major international airlines: China Airlines and Eva Air. While Eva Air started operation in 1991 and has had no fatalities to date, the same cannot be said of China Airlines, which is somewhat infamous for its safety record. However, incidents so far this decade have been far fewer than in the ’90s; officials credit this to new training practices (with pilots training at US flight schools) and a new corporate culture.

Air Macau (NX; Taipei 02-2717 0377, Kaohsiung 07-251 0860, TPE airport 03-398 3121; www.airmacau.com.tw/default.asp; hub Macau)

Air New Zealand (NZ; Taipei 02-2567 8950, TPE airport 03-398 3018; www.airnz.co.nz; hub Auckland)

Air Nippon (EL; Taipei 02-2501 7299, Kaohsiung 07-330 9019, TPE airport 03-351 6805; www.ana.co.jp; hub Tokyo)

Ankor Airways (G6; Taipei 02-2504 6522, TPE airport 03-398 3968; www.angkorairways.com; hub Phnom Penh)

Asiana Airlines (OZ; Taipei 02-2581 4000, TPE airport 03-398 6010; www.flyasiana.com; hub Seoul)

Cathay Pacific Airways (CX; Taipei 02-2715 2333, TPE airport 03-398 2501; www.cathaypacific.com; hub Hong Kong)

China Airlines (CI; Taipei 02-2715 1212, Kaohsiung 07-282 6141, TPE airport 03-398 8888; www.china-airlines.com; hub Taipei)

Continental Airlines (CO; Taipei 02-2719 5947, TPE airport 03-398 2404; www.continental.com; hubs Newark, Houston)

Dragon Airlines (KA; Taipei 02-2518 2700, Kao­hsiung 07-201 3166, TPE airport 03-351 6805; www.dragonair.com; hub Hong Kong)

Eva Air (BR; Taipei 02-2501 1999, Kaohsiung 07-337 1199, CKS airport 03-351 6805; www.evaair.com; hub Taipei)

Far Eastern Air Transport (EF; Taipei 02-4066 6789, Kaohsiung 07-801 2311, TPE airport 03-398 3170; www.fat.com.tw; hub Taipei)

Japan Asia Airways (EG; 0800-065 151, TPE airport 03-398 2282, Kaohsiung 07-237 4101; www.jal.co.jp; hub Tokyo)

Jetstar Asia Airways (3K; Taipei 02-8176 2288, TPE airport 03-398 8888; www.jetstar.com/sg/index.html; hub Singapore)

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines (KL; Taipei 02-2711 4055, TPE airport 03-398 2769; www.klm.com; hub Amsterdam)

Korean Air (KE; Taipei 02-2518 2000, TPE airport 03-383 3248; www.koreanair.com; hub Seoul)

Malaysia Airlines (MH; Taipei 02-2514 7888, TPE airport 03-398 2521; www.malaysiaairlines.com; hub Kuala Lumpur)

Mandarin Airlines (AE; Taipei 02-2717 1230, TPE airport 03-398 2620; www.mandarin-airlines.com; hub Taipei)

Northwest Airlines (NW; Taipei 02-2772 2188, TPE airport 03-398 2471; www.nwa.com; hub Detroit)

Pacific Airlines (BL; Taipei 02-2543 1860, Kaohsiung 07-338 1183, TPE airport 03-398 2404; www.pacificairlines.com.vn; hub Ho Chi Minh City)

Palau Trans Pacific Airlines (GP; Taipei 02-3393 5388, TPE airport 03-398 3170; hub Koror, Palau)

Philippine Airlines (PR; Taipei 02-2506 7255, TPE airport 03-398 2419; www.philippineairlines.com; hub Manila)

Qantas Airways Limited (QF; Taipei 02-2559 0508, Kaohsiung 07-566 6516; www.qantas.com.au/international/tw/index.html; hub Sydney)

Singapore Airlines (SQ; Taipei 02-2551 6655, TPE airport 03-398 3988; www.singaporeair.com; hub Singapore)

Thai Airways (TG; Taipei 02-2509 6800, Kaohsiung 07-215 5871, TPE airport 03-383 4131; www.thaiair.com; hub Bangkok)

TransAsia Airways (GE; Taipei 02-449 8123, Kao­hsiung 07-805 7861, TPE airport 03-398 2404; www.tna.com.tw; hub Taipei)

UNI Airways (B7; Taipei 02-2518 2626, Kaohsiung 07-791 7977, TPE airport 03-351 6805; www.uniair.com.tw; hub Taipei)

United Airlines (UA; Taipei 02-2325 8868, Kaohsiung 07-273 5544, TPE airport 03-398 2781; www.united.com; hub Chicago)

Vietnam Airlines (VN; Taipei 02-2517 7177, Kaohsiung 07-227 0209, TPE airport 03-398 3026; www.vietnamair.com; hubs Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City)

Baggage transport

If you don’t feel like dragging your luggage between TPE airport and central Taipei, Pinoy Express (Taipei 02-2591 0888, TPE airport 03-Airlines in TaiwanDaily Air Corporation (02-2712 3995; www.dailyair.com.tw) Far Eastern Air Transport (02-2715 1921; www.fat.com.tw) Mandarin Airlines (02-2717 1230; www.mandarin-airlines.com) China Airlines affiliate.TransAsia Airways (02-2972 4599; www.tna.com.tw) UNI Air (07-801 0189; www.uniair.com.tw) Eva Air affiliate.398 3652; 294-2 Chungqing N Rd, Taipei; 6am-11.30pm) can transport it for you. Same-day service is available if the bags arrive before 10pm at the Pinoy Express counter (in the arrival hall of each terminal). To arrange pick-up of luggage from your hotel or residence in Taipei, ring Pinoy Express one day in advance.

One-way rates to/from central Taipei are NT340 for the first bag (up to 20kg) and NT300 for each additional bag. Cash only.

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