![\"Taipei-attractions\"](\"\/\/www.studymartialarts.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Taipei-attractions-702x336.jpg\")
<\/p>\nTaipei on the northern tip of Taiwan is the Island’s capital. This article is my travel guide to help you get the most out of your trip to Taipei.<\/p>\n
Taipei is modern, vibrant city steeped in history and culture. It has grown up with Chinese, Japanese and American influences and therefore the city is ordered, clean and is more comparable to Hong Kong than any other city in mainland China. With is colonial lanes, busy streets and contemporary buildings. The people of this city are educated, polite, speak Mandarin and use traditional Chinese Characters.<\/p>\n
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Before you plan your trip to Taipei or indeed Taiwan you should first check the weather.\u00a0Taiwan has a monsoon climate<\/a>, and so picking the wrong season could mean that your trip is a washout. Torrential rains and strong\u00a0winds can take the shine of seeing any tourist site.<\/p>\n Late Autumn and Spring are generally good times to visit. Summer and early Autumn would be best to avoid due to regular\u00a0downpours. Temperatures during the summer\u00a0reach 40\u00b0 so if you’ve no choice but to visit during that time bring both an umbrella and sun screen.<\/p>\n For those overly concerned with the weather\u00a0check with the site of the Central Weather Bureau<\/a>\u00a0this not only covers weather but also provides advice on what to do under dangerous conditions from earth quakes to extreme weather.\u00a0Download the app\u00a0here for the iPhone<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Android<\/a>.<\/p>\n Like the Chinese Mainland Taiwan uses the lunar calendar celebrating the the New Year and Mid-Autumn Festival.<\/p>\n Airports serving Taipei<\/p><\/div>\n Download Taipei Subway Map<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n As you would expect with its status as Taiwan’s capital Taipei is well connected and served both domestically and internationally.\u00a0Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport<\/a>\u00a0is the largest airport in Taiwan approximately 52 km from Taipei. Getting to and from the airport usually takes 45 mins. Another option closer to the city is Songshan Airport<\/a>. Songshan airport is only 4.5 km from Taipei and is only a 20 minute journey into the city. However, this airport is less well serviced and has fewer international connections.<\/p>\n Traveling from Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport\u00a0to Taipei can be done\u00a0by bus, fast train, taxi or MRT.<\/p>\n MRT Taipei<\/p><\/div>\n Getting around Taipei is easy. The cheapest and most fun way to explore the city\u00a0is by bike combined with the metro. Getting\u00a0public transportation cards on arrival makes this process much easier.\u00a0The following are the most suitable for tourists.<\/p>\n As of 2018 5 MRT\u00a0lines service Taipei and its periphery that are open from\u00a06 a.m. to midnight, a single one way ticket\u00a0costs NT$ 25. The cool thing about this subway is that you can bring your (rented) bike providing you pay for a ticket.<\/p>\n Check the subway map here<\/a>.<\/p>\n What is the Taipei Bus?<\/u><\/strong> Most buses are bilingual in Chinese and English, however, the bus system is not as standardised as the\u00a0MRT<\/a>. The bus system operated under cooperation between 15 private agencies, so translation and romanisation is not always consistent. It is recommended to always keep a Chinese written version of your destination for comparison.<\/p>\n Buses in Taiwan are commonly referred to as\u00a0g\u014dngch\u0113 (\u516c\u8eca)<\/em>, compared to mainland China’s\u00a0g\u014dngji\u0101och\u0113 (\u516c\u4ea4\u8f66)<\/em>.<\/p>\n Bus Transit Lines<\/u><\/strong> It is also important to note that if a route contains a colour marker with a letter or Chinese character (like R or \u7d05 for red, etc.), that route will eventually pass by an\u00a0MRT station<\/a>\u00a0along the red line.<\/p>\n How to Purchase a Ticket, and What is This \u4e0a and \u4e0b About?<\/u><\/strong> <\/p>\n Hours of Operation<\/u><\/strong> To view specific information about line and route info, and to visit the Taipei eBus Website,\u00a0click here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n For city tour buses check this site<\/a>.\u00a0This company in tandem with the Taipei City Government offer double decker sight seeing tours which are convenient and easy to use. You can easily buy a ticket that allows you to hop on and off at your pleasure. It even has audio guides!<\/p>\n Taxi’s in Taipei are easy to catch, clean and well serviced. But definitely more expensive than mainland China.<\/p>\n Taipei, is an excellent option if you enjoy biking. You can rent bikes easily with your\u00a0EasyCard, but as I stated earlier you\u2019ll need a local telephone number. Here are some\u00a0lists of itineraries<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0a city map with highlighted routes<\/a>,\u00a0to help you get started. Cable car<\/span><\/p>\n The\u00a0cable car connects Taipei Zoo to Maokong. As a tourist activity it is well worth it. From the cable car you will be able to see spectacular views in particular Taipei 101<\/a> and Zhinan Temple<\/a>.<\/p>\n The downside to the cable car is its popularity. Therefore you should expect long cues. Going early in morning is through the week is a good option because at weekends it is particularly busy. Taking a taxi up then going down by cable car is also a great option to outsmart the crowds.<\/p>\n New Taiwanese Dollar<\/strong>\u00a0(NTD or NT$) is the local currency which can be easily withdrawn from any ATM’s with\u00a0Visa, Mastercard or Unionpay. In terms of visas make sure you have a valid passport\u00a0with at\u00a0least six months left and a return ticket. If so your visa can be issued on arrival. To check if you need a visa in advance\u00a0click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Tourist information is now easier than ever to get your hands on. A travel app for Taipei, can be easily downloaded with\u00a0a calendar of events and info on tourist attractions. You can download the travel app for\u00a0iPhone<\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0Android<\/a>\u00a0very easily.<\/p>\n The National Palace Museum<\/p><\/div>\n Taipei has a host of accommodation options. When I visited Taipei I looked through a host of hotel options, and hostels. None came close however to the Love Hotels.<\/p>\n![\"Airports](\"\/\/www.studymartialarts.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Screen-Shot-2017-08-12-at-11.42.02-AM.png\")
Getting to\u00a0Taipei<\/h3>\n
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Getting Around the City<\/h2>\n
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Taipei’s Metro (MRT)<\/h2>\n
Bus<\/h2>\n
\nTaiwan’s public transit system is extremely well developed, especially in Taipei where it covers practically every possible destination with relatively few transfers. Along with the\u00a0Taipei MRT<\/a>, the bus system accepts\u00a0the EasyCard<\/a>\u00a0and provides an excellent, convenient way to get around the city.<\/p>\n
\nFor visitors, it is more practical to first look up the route you wish to take (by using a guide or Google maps, for example), then directly take that route, rather than try to understand the inner workings of the system.<\/p>\n
\nFares are calculated using a fare zone system. Most busses have three distinct fare zones. If the bus is showing a \u4e0a (pronounced\u00a0sh\u00e0ng<\/em>, “on”) character, pay\u00a0NT$<\/small>15 by cash or EasyCard upon boarding the bus. If the bus is showing a \u4e0b (pronounced\u00a0x\u00eca<\/em>, “off”) character, pay\u00a0NT$<\/small>15 by cash or EasyCard upon alighting the bus. If you are on the bus when the \u4e0a (first zone) switches into a \u4e0b and enters the third zone, pay a second time when alighting because you have crossed into another fare zone. You do not need to pay again if still in the second fare zone. The fare zones are indicated by small triangles on the route maps. The safest method is to\u00a0swipe an EasyCard<\/a>. If you do not have to pay fare again, the machine will simply reject the swipe.<\/p>\n![\"Taipei](\"\/\/www.studymartialarts.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Taipei-double-decker-sightseeing-buses-pass-by-well-known-Taipei-attractions-on-their-routes.-Photo_-Shi-Chuntai.jpg\")
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\nEach bus company has a different schedule for each route. In general, the first busses depart around 5AM and the last busses between 10PM and 12AM midnight.<\/p>\nTourist buses<\/h2>\n
Taxi<\/h2>\n
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Bicycle<\/h2>\n
\n![\"Martial](\"\/\/www.studymartialarts.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/Screen-Shot-2015-08-19-at-22.44.23-300x211.png\")
<\/a><\/span><\/p>\nMoney and Visas<\/h2>\n
![\"pic_4029\"](\"\/\/www.studymartialarts.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/pic_4029-1024x682.jpg\")
<\/p>\nTourist information<\/h2>\n
Taipei Highlights<\/h2>\n
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![\"Shilin-Night-Market-in-the-Shilin-District-of-Taipei-credt-Ronnie-Chua\"](\"\/\/www.studymartialarts.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/01\/Shilin-Night-Market-in-the-Shilin-District-of-Taipei-credt-Ronnie-Chua-300x200.jpg\")
<\/h2>\nThe Best of the Night Markets<\/h2>\n
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Where to stay<\/h2>\n
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