Orientation
Toufen is a county-administered city in northern Miaoli County, Taiwan, and its city centre forms a continuous urban area with neighbouring Zhunan. That matters for getting around: the two places function as a single built-up area, so a visitor can move between them without any sense of leaving town. The surrounding area is a mix of plains and hills in the Zhonggang River valley, with Zhunan and Zaoqiao townships to the west and south, Sanwan to the east, and Hsinchu County to the north and northeast.
The practical consequence is that Toufen itself is compact and largely walkable in its core, while longer trips — to the railway, to neighbouring towns, or to the coast — rely on buses, taxis, or a short hop to Zhunan.
Rail: your main link to the outside
Toufen does not have its own railway station. The city is served by Zhunan Station of the Taiwan Railway, located in the neighbouring Zhunan Township, which is effectively the rail gateway for both places. For a visitor, this means planning your arrival and departure around Zhunan rather than Toufen itself — from there you can continue into Toufen by bus, taxi, or on foot if you are headed to the shared urban core.
Note that the Taiwan High Speed Rail passes through the central part of Toufen, but no station is currently planned in the city. High-speed rail travellers should therefore not expect to alight in Toufen; the conventional railway at Zhunan is the relevant rail connection.
Buses and public transport
Toufen is connected to other parts of Miaoli County by a network of buses. The main practical hub for visitors is the Kuo-kuang Motor Transport Toufen Station on Zhongzheng Road, with bus stations around the city also serving travel between nearby cities and townships. If you are staying in Toufen and want to reach surrounding communities, this is where you start.
Buying tickets is handled directly with the bus operators at these stations rather than through a single unified city system, so it is worth asking at the station counter about the route you need and paying there. Because services are regional rather than a dense urban grid, check departure times before you set out — frequencies on county routes tend to be lower than on city buses in larger Taiwanese cities.
Taxis and ride-hailing
The source material does not document a specific taxi or ride-hailing arrangement for Toufen. In practice, taxis are the flexible option for the gaps the bus network leaves — particularly the short run between Toufen's centre and Zhunan Station, and for reaching attractions that sit away from bus stops. Ride-hailing availability in a city of this size is not something you should count on; treat taxis as the dependable fallback and arrange one locally, for example by asking at your accommodation or at a bus station.
Walking
Walking works well for the central part of Toufen, because the city centre and Zhunan together form one continuous urban area rather than two separated settlements. If your destination is in the core — shops, the mall, the night market, everyday eating — you can reasonably expect to cover it on foot.
Beyond the centre, the terrain turns to plains and hills and the city spreads out, so walking becomes less practical for outlying attractions. For those, combine a bus or taxi with walking at the far end.
Getting in from the airport
The reference material does not describe an airport transfer into Toufen. What it does establish is the structure you would use: the rail gateway is Zhunan Station, and Toufen is reached from there by bus, taxi, or on foot into the shared urban core. Any airport journey should therefore be planned as a rail or road connection to Zhunan, followed by a short onward leg into Toufen — rather than as a direct airport-to-Toufen service.
Road connections
For those driving or being driven, Toufen is served by Freeway 1, Provincial Highways 1, 1B, 3, 13 and 13A, and County Routes 124, 124A and 124C. These link the city with the rest of Miaoli County and with neighbouring Hsinchu County. This road network is also what the regional buses use, which is why bus travel is the natural way to reach nearby townships.
Practical summary
- Arriving by train: use Zhunan Station in neighbouring Zhunan Township, then continue into Toufen.
- High-speed rail: passes through Toufen but has no station planned there — do not plan to alight in the city.
- Buses: regional services connect Toufen with the rest of Miaoli County; the Kuo-kuang Motor Transport Toufen Station on Zhongzheng Road is the main point of departure.
- Tickets: buy from the bus operator at the station; there is no single citywide ticket described in the sources.
- Taxis: the flexible option for short hops and outlying sights; arrange locally.
- Walking: best for the central area, which merges with Zhunan into one continuous urban area.
- By car: Freeway 1, several provincial highways and county routes serve the city.