There are two international airports in the vicinity of Taipei. Taipei SongShan Airport is located inside the city and is used for short-haul flights. For long-haul international flights, Taoyuan International Airport is the destination. To assist international travelers to get to Taipei, the ways of reaching Taipei Main Station (TMS) from two airports will be explained first as the Station is usually the first stop for travelers in Taipei and is also a main hub for transporting passengers in and out of the city. The extensive metro network consists of six lines color coded for easy recognition. Additionally, a large number of bus routes cover the areas not directly accessible by metro lines. Nowadays, the information needed to take the bus and metro can all reside in the downloadable Apps of your smartphone, which makes traveling in foreign cities much less intimidating.
TMS is a rather complex railway and metro station used by Taiwan High-Speed Rail (台灣高鐵), Taiwan Railway Administration (台鐵), and Taipei Metro or simply MRT (台北捷運). Through underground passageways, the Station is further linked to the Taoyuan Airport MRT (桃園機場捷運) and the Taipei Bus Station (台北轉運站). If you have a problem finding your way, just ask people for directions. Taiwanese are noted for their friendliness.
Arrive from Taoyuan International Airport (TPE)
By Metro
Take the Express Train of airport MRT from Station A12 at airport terminal 1 or from Station A13 at airport terminal 2 to Taipei. The express train makes few stops and the travel time to TMS (Station A1) is around 35 min. The following map provides a handy reference of the metro route and click here for more detailed information about the timetable, fare, etc.
By Bus
A convenient bus service linking Taoyuan Airport and TMS is also available. The bus line numbered 1819 is operated by Kuo-Kuang Motor Transport Company and passengers can be picked up outside the arrival floors of both terminals. The travel time is about 55 min during non-rush hours. Click here for the information about fare and timetable.
By taxi
A safe, reliable taxi service is also available to passengers who prefer the convenience of taking a taxi or arrive at the hours when public transportation is no longer in service. The travel time is about 50 min and the metered taxi fare is around 1200 NTD.
Taxi can be found outside the Arrivals Hall of both terminals:
Terminal 1: Meeting point 26.
Terminal 2: Arrivals Lobby.
Airport taxi charges according to the meter in addition to highway tolls.
Arrive From Taipei Songshan Airport (TSA)
TSA, a small, regional airport in Taipei, is about 6 km away from Taipei Main Station (TMS). It is recommended that non-residents either take taxi or Taipei Metro to TMS so as not to be hamstrung by the language barrier. The metro station at TSA is named BR13 (Brown Line) and is only 5-6 metro stations away from TMS, depending on how to do the transfer. Note that TMS is accessible via Red Line or Blue Line and its station is labeled R10 as well as BL12.
