Getting Your Bearings
Taoyuan is a special municipality in Taiwan and the home of the country's main international airport, so most visitors' first experience of the area is the airport itself. The city is also close to Taipei, which shapes how people move around and how they arrive. Within Taoyuan, the downtown area is compact enough to cover on foot, and for longer hops you have a choice of rail, metro, bus, taxi and ride-hailing options.
Arriving at the Airport
Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport (TPE) is where most journeys to the city begin. Several ways of reaching Taoyuan and the wider region are available from the airport:
- Airport MRT: The Taoyuan Airport MRT is the fastest option to and from the airport. It connects the airport with Taipei Main Station and with the Taoyuan high-speed rail station.
- Local buses: Two local bus routes serve the airport, one heading to Taoyuan and one to Jhongli (Zhongli). These depart roughly once or twice an hour, take about 50 minutes, and do not have separate luggage space, so they are awkward if you are carrying bulky bags.
- Taxi: A taxi is a straightforward alternative, and is the recommended choice if you are in a hurry or would rather not use a local bus. The airport is about a 25-minute taxi ride from Taoyuan, and roughly 30 to 40 minutes from Taipei.
- Cheap bus option: A clearly marked bus (in English and traditional Chinese) leaves from the airport's bus terminal for around NT$60.
Rail: TRA and High Speed Rail
Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) operates several stations in the Taoyuan area, including Taoyuan Station in the downtown, Neili, Zhongli (Jhongli), Puxin and Yangmei. Every local train and most express trains stop at the two largest stations, Taoyuan and Jhongli, making the train a convenient way to reach Taoyuan from elsewhere in Taiwan. Fares are very affordable.
Taoyuan also has its own High Speed Rail (HSR) station, located in Zhongli District next to the Taoyuan HSR (A18) MRT station. The HSR station sits away from the main settlements, but free shuttle services run from it to the airport, Taoyuan City and Jhongli. The HSR links Taoyuan with Taipei very quickly, and covers almost the entire length of Taiwan.
One important practical warning: despite the similar names, Taoyuan HSR Station and TRA Taoyuan Station are far apart and are not connected by rail. Transferring between the two in Taoyuan is difficult. If you need to switch between HSR and TRA, the easier approaches are to take the HSR to Banqiao Station and transfer to TRA Banqiao Station in the same building, or to take the Taoyuan MRT to Laojie River in Zhongli and then walk or cycle to TRA Zhongli Station. If you are at the airport and need the TRA, take the Taoyuan MRT to Taipei Main Station instead.
Metro and Tram
The Taoyuan MRT is the backbone of the modern network. Its most useful role for visitors is connecting the airport with Taipei and with the HSR station at A18, and it also serves local points such as Laojie River in Zhongli. The MRT is the fastest way to move between the airport and the rail and high-speed rail hubs.
Buses
As elsewhere in Taiwan, every city and town in Taoyuan can be reached by bus, and the district has its own bus system covering the major parts of town. It is decent but not as convenient as Taipei's MRT and bus network. A significant practical catch is that English bus information is almost non-existent, so if you do not read Chinese, a taxi or a rental car may be your best bet.
The main bus stations for local, airport and regional services are:
- Taoyuan bus station — additional stops for multiple routes run along Zhonghua Rd on the north side of Tonlin Plaza mall, a couple of blocks north of the train station on Zhongzhen Rd.
- Zhongli bus station — located by the train station in its district.
Buses make multiple stops along their routes, so you can board and alight at many points. Inter-city buses are available at Taoyuan and Jhongli, and some other cities can be reached by express bus from Taipei. Bus travel in Taiwan is usually much cheaper than the train, though that advantage shrinks when coming from nearby Taipei. As a reference point, a bus trip to Taipei costs around NT$65.
For a concrete example of regional bus travel, reaching Longtan from Taipei Main Station means going to the Taipei Main Bus Station, checking the departure screens (in English and Chinese) for a bus going directly to or through Longtan, and buying a ticket from the operator — King Bus is the main one. Buses run frequently at peak times but are often late, seating is first come, first served, and the trip takes about an hour. Longtan itself is a small town where everything you'll want to see is within reasonable walking distance, so you can leave the taxi for another day.
Taxis and Ride-Hailing
Taxis are relatively cheap and are a practical fallback when language or bus information gets in the way. Metered fares start at around NT$100, plus NT$37.5 per kilometre and NT$275 per hour of waiting time. For airport runs, a taxi is the recommended option if you are in a hurry or carrying bulky luggage.
Walking
The downtown area of Taoyuan is small enough to cover on foot, which makes walking a realistic option for local sightseeing once you are in the centre. Outside the compact core, and in smaller towns such as Longtan, walking still works for the main sights, but you may want a scooter, a rental car or a taxi to reach more scattered destinations.
Driving
Taoyuan is well served by Taiwan's national highway system, which is useful if you plan to rent a car. National Highway 1 (Zhongshan Expressway) is the main north–south route along the urbanised west coast, and Taoyuan and its district cities are accessed from its exits. National Highway 2 (Taoyuan Loop) runs east–west, connecting National Highway 1, National Highway 3 and Taoyuan International Airport. National Highway 3 (Formosa Expressway) is reached via the Longtan Interchange. It is worth checking whether your destination suits travel by elevated road, since driving on them can help you avoid congestion on some flat roads.
Practical Summary
- Use the Airport MRT for the fastest airport connections to Taipei and the HSR station.
- Use TRA for affordable travel to Taoyuan and Jhongli from elsewhere in Taiwan.
- Remember that Taoyuan HSR Station and TRA Taoyuan Station are far apart — plan transfers via Banqiao or the MRT instead.
- Expect little English bus information; taxis or a rental car may be simpler if you don't read Chinese.
- Walk the compact downtown, and consider a scooter or car for outlying towns.