Getting in
- Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport: Take the Taoyuan Airport MRT Express to Taipei Main Station: about 35–38 minutes from Terminal 1 (roughly 38 minutes overall), NT$160 cash ticket or about NT$150 with EasyCard. It is the clear default: faster and more predictable than a taxi. From the Airport MRT station, allow another 10 minutes of underground walking to the red/blue MRT lines. The commuter train takes about 50 minutes and is only worth it if your hotel is at an intermediate stop. Airport buses cost roughly NT$120–150 and take 50–70 minutes; use one only when its hotel-area stop saves a difficult MRT transfer. A taxi is typically NT$1,000–1,200 and makes sense for a late arrival, a family, or serious luggage—not for a solo traveler going to central Taipei.
- Taipei Songshan Airport: This is the convenient in-town airport. Songshan Airport MRT station is on the Brown Line; reach central Taipei with one transfer or a short taxi ride, generally 15–30 minutes depending on destination. It is vastly easier than Taoyuan when your flight uses it, but handles far fewer international routes.
- Taipei Main Station: Taiwan High Speed Rail (THSR), conventional TRA trains, intercity buses, the Airport MRT and the Red/Blue MRT lines converge here. It is the right arrival point for almost every domestic rail journey, but it is a huge underground complex: follow the specific line signs and allow 15–20 minutes to find platforms or make an airport-MRT connection. Do not assume ‘Taipei Main’ means one simple station.