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Above: Taipei
main station, used by both conventional trains & the new high-speed trains
to Kaohsiung. Photos courtesy of James Chuang |
Taiwan is a large island south of Japan and east of the Chinese
mainland. When the communists took over in China in 1949,
ousted leader Chiang Kai Shek retreated to Taiwan with his
government, defiantly retaining the name 'Republic of China'
(ROC). It should not be confused with The People's
Republic of China (PRC) on the mainland!
Taipei - Kaohsiung by 300 km/h high-speed train.
Keelung - Taipei -
Kaohsiung (western main line)
Taipei - Hualien - Taitung (eastern
main line)
Tourist trains around the island
Other train routes in Taiwan
Europe to Taiwan
without flying, via the Trans-Siberian railway
Ferries from Japan/China to Taiwan
Hotels & accommodation in Taipei &
Taiwan
A modern rail
system links most large towns and cities in Taiwan, and a new
high-speed (300km/h) railway opened in January 2007 between
the two biggest cities, Taipei and Kaohsiung.
Map of Taiwan rail network.
Taipei - Kaohsiung
(by 300 km/h high-speed trains)...
A brand-new high speed (300
km/h) train service using Japanese bullet train technology started
running in January 2007 between Taipei and Kaohsiung. It
is run by the Taiwan High Speed Rail Corporation,
www.thsrc.com.tw (English button top right).
-
300km/h
trains link Taipei and Kaohsiung every 15 minutes throughout the
day, at times more frequently;
-
journey time 1
hour 40 minutes on the limited-stop trains, 1 hour 55 minutes on
other services;
-
There
are 3 classes: Unreserved economy, reserved seat
economy, & business class;
-
Full-price
fares are 1,490 Taiwan dollars (£31 or $44) in reserved
economy, or 1,950 Taiwan dollars (£41 or $61) for business
class, though off-peak departures offer 15-35% discounts.
-
The station in
Kaohsiung is actually at Zuoying in the north of the city.
You can take a frequent Taiwan Railway Administration local train from New Zuoying
station (in the same building as the Zuoying high speed
station) to Kaohsiung main station in the city centre, journey
time 10 minutes, or you can take the Kaohsiung Metro (red
line), also taking 10 minutes, metro website
www.krtco.com.tw. You can buy tickets for the local
train from the ticket machines or staffed kiosks, and metro
tickets from the machines near the metro platforms. Buses
& taxis are
available to the city centre. An extension of the high-speed line to a station in Kaohsiung
city centre is planned for the future.
-
In Taipei, the
high-speed trains use the same station as the Taiwan Railways
Corporation conventional trains. Taipei metro:
http://english.trtc.com.tw/.
-
For times, fares
& online booking,
see
www.thsrc.com.tw (English button at upper right).
 |
|
 |
|
 |
| Taiwanese high speed
train |
|
Business class |
|
Economy class |
|
Photos
courtesy
of Shigeyuki
Kaneko |
The western main line
links Keelung, Taiwan's capital Taipei and its second city and
major port, Kaohsiung. For a route map, see
http://service.tra.gov.tw/EN/index.aspx or
http://johomaps.com/as/taiwan/taiwanrail.html, for train times, fares
& online booking see
the official Taiwan
Railways Administration website,
www.railway.gov.tw (English version available, online
booking only available 06:00-21:00). The best trains are the 'Tze
Chiang' expresses which run at up to 130 km/h (80mph), are
fully air-conditioned and take as little as 4 hours.
Only one very comfortable class of seating is provided on
these trains, with an at-seat trolley refreshment service.
The Tze Chiang train fare from Taipei to Kaohsiung is NT$ 845 (£14 or $27) one-way.
 |
|
 |
| A Tze Chiang train on the
line to Su Ao. Photo courtesy of
Peter Voelger |
|
Inside the Tze Chiang train Photo courtesy of
Peter Voelger |
The next best
train type, with slightly less comfortable seating but also
air-conditioned, is the Chu Kuang train service,
Taipei-Kaohsiung fare NT$ 544 (£9 or $17), journey 6.5
hours. The next train type down the range is the Fu
shin, with less legroom.
Taiwan Rail Administration provides generally hourly express
trains on the scenic eastern line. From late 2007 new 'Taroko
express' high-speed (130km/h) electric tilting trains were
introduced, providing an hourly service between Taipei and
Hualien, with several services continuing along the scenic
valley to Taitung. All seats must be reserved. For
times, fares & online booking, see
www.railway.gov.tw.
 |
|
 |
| Above: Taroko
Express between Taipei & Hualien...
Photo courtesy of James Chuang |
|
Above: Inside a
Taroko
Express...
Photo courtesy of James Chuang |
From May 2008, two
daily tourist trains started running right around the island in
one day.
One service leaves Taipei, via Hualien, Taitung on the eastern
mainline, around south coast and return to Taipei via western
mainline in clockwise direction (train number 2080), the other
goes anti-clockwise via the western mainline first, around the
south coast and along the eastern mainline back to Taipei
(train number 2079). These trains offer a higher class
of travel with large aircraft-style first class seats, lounge
and buffet car. The cost for the whole trip around the
island is approximately 2,200 Taiwan dollars (£37 or $58).
There are also tours available in various places on the way
for those wanting to stop off. Seats on the tourist
train must be reserved. The train is a joint venture
between Taiwan Rail Administration & a private company called
EZ Travel, for information see www.eztravel.com.tw/event/2008formosa/2.html?fr=hmbgflh.
3
scenic railway branches are also worth a visit. The
Neiwan
Line takes in a river, Hakka museums, temples, Hakka culture
cafes and restaurants. The
Pingsi line takes in waterfalls, a river, tourist coal mine,
cafes and restaurants and various culture festivities.
The Jiji
line passes mountains, historical village and houses, cafes
and restaurants, several through services available from
Taichung TRA railway station and Taichung high speed rail
station. These three lines offer a special tourist
ticket, allowing tourists to get off where they like and
reboard any train throughout the day for 80 Taiwan dollars.
This special tourist ticket is available at all major railway
stations across Taiwan. All branch line trains are air
conditioned.
Sponsored links...
London to Taipei by Trans-Siberian
Railway...
This is perfectly
feasible, and not even hugely expensive. The whole trip
will probably take about 14 days, unless you choose to stop off
in Moscow, Siberia or China for longer.
-
Travel by train from
London to Moscow as shown on the London to
Russia page. Journey 2 nights, fare around £200.
-
Take the
Trans-Siberian Railway from Moscow to Beijing, as shown on the
Trans-Siberian page.
Journey 6 nights, fare from around £555.
-
Travel by train from
Beijing to Fuzhou by train. A modern 'Z' category sleeper
train leaves Beijing West daily at 15:08, arriving Fuzhou at
10:51 the next morning. In the other direction, the train leaves
Fuzhou at 16:52, arriving Beijing West at 12:38 next day. Fare
around £70 for soft sleeper. See the
China page for more information on Chinese train travel.
-
Take the ferry from
Fuzhou to the Taiwanese Matsu island group, then the next day
the ferry from Matsu to Keelung on mainland Taiwan. See
below for details of these ferries.
-
Travel by train from
Keelung to Taipei, see above for train information within
Taiwan.
-
You can also travel
via the new weekly ferry from Xiamen on mainland China direct to
the Taiwan mainland at Keelung, see below.
-
Naturally, you will
need visas for Belarus, Russia, Mongolia (if you take the
Trans-Mongolian train), China.
Japan to Taiwan by ferry:
Currently no service available...
Sadly, the twice-weekly ferry
run by Arimura Sangyo Lines links between Japan & Taiwan was
discontinued in June 2008. For the record, the Arimura website
is
www.arimuraline.co.jp but it's in Japanese only, sailing
times in English used to be posted on
www.tokai-kyowa.co.jp
which may have info on alternatives or any resumption in
service, though this seems unlikely. It's reported that
Star Cruises (www.starcruises.com)
may have occasional cruise sailings between Japan & Taiwan, you
fill out a form and they contact you if they have anything
suitable. But they're not cheap, and it's not clear if they will allow
one-way voyages.
China to Taiwan by
ferry...
You can travel
between mainland China and mainland Taiwan in two stages, by
first taking a short ferry ride from Fuzhou in China to the
Matsu island group (part of Taiwan), then a ferry from Matsu to
Keelung on mainland Taiwan. With Trans-Siberian trains
linking Europe with China, you can travel all the way between
Europe & Taiwan this way. Here are the ferry timetables
and fares for these two services:
Fuzhou (China) ► Matsu
(Taiwan)
|
|
Matsu (Taiwan) ► Fuzhou
(China)
|
| Ferry
service... |
Daily |
Daily |
Ferry
service... |
Daily |
Daily |
|
Fuzhou (Mawei ferry terminal) depart: |
09:15 |
14:00 |
Matsu (Fu-ao) depart: |
09:40 |
14:00 |
|
Matsu
(Fu-ao) arrive: |
11:30 |
15:30 |
Fuzhou (Mawei ferry terminal) arrive: |
11:10 |
15:30 |
Fare:
NTD 1,300 one-way, NTD 2,500 return. Board the ferry at
least 30 minutes before departure.
Train
connections: For train services
between Beijing & Fuzhou, see
www.chinatravelguide.com.
A modern 'Z' category sleeper train leaves Beijing West daily at
15:08, arriving Fuzhou at 10:51 the next morning.
Northbound, the train leaves Fuzhou at 16:52, arriving Beijing
West at 12:38 next day. For train service between Europe & Beijing via the
Trans-Siberian Railway, see the
Trans-Siberian page.
Matsu ► Keelung
(mainland Taiwan)
|
|
Keelung (mainland Taiwan) ►
Matsu
|
| Taima-Iun
Ferry service... |
Daily
except
Tuesdays |
Taima-Iun Ferry
service... |
Daily
except
Tuesdays |
|
Matsu
(Fu-ao) depart: |
09:30 |
Keelung
(mainland Taiwan) depart: |
21:50 |
|
Keelung
(mainland Taiwan) arrive: |
18:30 |
Matsu
(Fu-ao) arrive: |
08:30 |
Fares
(one-way, per person): Keelung to Matsu in 1st class
2-berth cabin NTD 1,890, in business class 4-berth cabin NTD
1,575, economy dormitory NTD 1,050, economy seat NTD 630.
For more
information about this ferry, try this link:
www.matsu-nsa.gov.tw/User/Article.aspx?a=128&lang=2.
Traveller Matt Gauthier reports: "I
took the ferry from Fuzhou to Matsu, and then
Matsu to Keelung in September 2011. It was a
simple process, but there were some quirks. The
ferry terminal in Fuzhou is a bit of a lengthy
walk from the terminus of the closest bus
terminal. It is much faster to go there by taxi
- especially when it is hot. Boarding the ferry
in Fuzhou was easy - it was 300RMB though, which
is not exactly cheap for the short ferry ride.
It is pretty much impossible to make the
connection to the Taiwanese mainland-bound ferry
in time so you will have to spend a night on
Matsu. The ferry to the Taiwanese mainland
leaves early in the morning, and on alternating
days it makes a brief stop in Dong Yi - Taiwan's
northernmost island - on the trip. The strange
thing about the ferry is that you have to
buy a berth (1000NT) unless all the berths are
full - they won't even let you buy a seat if
there are available berths."
Traveller Kevin Goold reports (2010): "I
travelled
Fuzhou - Matsu - Keelung. As the timings in this direction necessitate an overnight stay in Matsu, I was a little concerned that there might not be anywhere to stay there. Fortunately there are rooms available upstairs of the building next to 7-11, and there is a hotel just at the end of the port road as you reach the village (5 mins walk). Failing that the tourist info desk in that building was open when we arrived and they can arrange homestays. In terms of getting cash, there are no exchange facilities there. There is an ATM in the same building, but it only accepts Taiwanese cards. The hotel were willing to accept RMB in payment in an emergency however."
Traveller Simon
Grove-White reports: "Restrictions on sea travel for
foreign nationals were lifted around March 2009. You can
now take the Taima ferry from Keelung to Nangan Island in the Matsu group, then a small ferry from here to Mawei near Fuzhou.
Worth noting that it's impossible to change Taiwanese dollars in
China and there are no cash points near the port so changing
money in advance is a must. The last section between Matsu
and Mawei is an awesome first view of China - gorgeous coastline
giving way to a dystopian nightmare of smokestacks, cranes and
unfinished concrete, as you travel up the river. And our captain
was so excited at having a pair of foreigners on board that he
burst into a spontaneous rendition of Tom Jones. The
Taima leaves from the northern terminal of Keelung harbour at
11pm [see timetable above for current times] and takes around 10 hours to reach Nangan Island - this is
the second stop after Dongquan. In May 2009 this cost around
NT$500 (£10) for a 3rd-class bed alongside the military
conscripts. At the time we went it wasn't possible to do
the journey the other way but this was set to change as
diplomatic relations continue to thaw. There was also talk of a
direct ferry between Kaohsiung and Xiamen but I don't think
that's materialised yet.
The Macau-Taiwan ferry has been permanently suspended.
There are also ferries between the Taiwanese
outlying island of Kinmen to Xiamen in southern China (30 minute
crossing, as the islands lie just off the Chinese coast), and
also from the island of Matsu, although there are now no ferries
between mainland Taiwan and Kinmen, over 200 kilometres away.
China
to Taiwan: New direct ferry, mainland to mainland...
A new weekly ferry started between mainland China at Xiamen
and mainland Taiwan at Keelung in 2010. The website is
www.coscotw.com.tw/cht/asp/star-main.asp but it's in Chinese
only.
Xiamen (China) ► Keelung
(Taiwan)
|
|
Keelung (Taiwan) ► Xiamen
(China)
|
|
Cosco
Ferry service... |
Tuesday |
Thursday |
Cosco Ferry
service... |
Sundays |
Wednesdays |
|
Xiamen
International Cruise Centre
depart: |
18:00 |
18:00 |
Taichung: |
- |
21:00 |
|
Keelung
(mainland Taiwan) arrive: |
| |
08:30 |
Keelung
(mainland Taiwan) depart |
19:00 |
| |
|
Taichung
(mainland Taiwan) arrive: |
08:30 |
- |
Xiamen
International Cruise Centre arrive |
09:00 |
09:00 |
Fares:
The fare is around NTD3,500 ($112 or £70) per person in
6-berth 'luxury' cabin. RMB 620 ($96 or £62) for a berth
in a 4-berth cabin.
How to buy tickets: For info &
booking contact
gracewang@mail.coscotw.com.tw or try the emails on
www.coscotw.com.tw/cht/asp/star-cont.asp. Try calling
(0592) 2616737
or faxing (0592) 2392018.
If you have any problems, it's reported that you can also arrange tickets
for a $30-$40 fee via
www.absolutechinatours.com.
For overland travel from
the UK & Europe to China, see the
Trans-Siberian page.
Traveller Amaya reports (Nov 2011):
"The ferry is very comfortable and clean.
Breakfast is included and there is a free Sauna
and bathing area."
Traveller Armin Cebron reports (Jan 2011): "The
ferry is indeed operational but with
limitations. I just booked a ticket from
Xiamen (China) to Taichung (Taiwan) for the 11th
January 2011. The limitation is that you
can only buy the ticket on the day of departure.
You can reserve the ticket before but not buy it
until the day of departure because if there are
not enough passengers the ferry simply stays
put, for both directions! Prices are as
follows:
510
CYN for standard cabin - 60 passengers shared
bathroom (I guess the bathroom in the hall)
620 CYN Luxury cabin - 16 passengers shared
bathroom (I guess the bathroom in the hall)
690 CYN Superior Luxury cabin - 6 passengers
private bathroom (private for the 6 passengers)"
"They don't answer any e-mails, not even on the
Taiwan pages! Phoning them is also a waste
of time as they do not answer and if they do
they just tell you to come to the terminal in
person. The only way to buy or reserve the
ticket (from China to Taiwan) is in person at
the International ferry terminal Pier 2, Xiamen
[May also be called the Xiamen International
Cruise Centre].
Actually you don't even need to go to Pier 2,
because they sell the tickets at all the
windows. Don't take the bus, take a taxi
for about 13CYN from city centre. Bring an
interpreter or make sure they understand you
want to go to mainland Taiwan by ferry otherwise
they will sell you a combo ticket for a ferry to
one of the islands and then by plane to Taipei!"
Feedback needed!
If you've any
information or photos that would help improve this page for
future travellers,
please e-mail me
|
|
Find a hotel in
Taipei or anywhere else in Taiwan & the Far East...
|
Search by hotel name
Powered by
Hotelscombined.com |
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◄◄◄◄◄ Search all the major hotel
booking websites at once...

www.hotelscombined.com
is probably the best hotel search system I've seen, a free search tool
which checks all the main hotel booking sites (Opodo, Expedia,
Booking.com, Hotels.com, AsiaRooms, Travelocity, LateRooms and
others) to find the cheapest hotel rates. Set up in
2005, it's probably the best place to start for booking any
hotel online in any country, worldwide.
|
Other hotel sites worth a look...
-
www.tripadvisor.com
is a huge resource, a good place to browse independent travellers' reviews of all the main hotels.
-
www.booking.com is my own preferred hotel booking system
(Hotels Combined being a booking site comparison system). It
has a simple interface, a good selection in most countries
worldwide, useful online customer reviews of each hotel, and
decent prices, usually shown inclusive of unavoidable extras
such as taxes (a pet hate of mine is systems that show one
price, then charge you another!).
Backpacker hostels...
If you're on a tight budget,
don't forget the hostels. For a dorm bed or an
ultra-cheap private room in backpacker hostels in most
worldwide cities use
www.hostelbookers.com.
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Overland travel by train around
Taiwan is an essential part of the experience,
so once there, don't cheat and fly, stay on the ground!
But a long-haul flight might be unavoidable to reach Taiwan in
the first place. For flights to
Taipei, start with
www.e-bookers.com. Seat61 gets a small commission through this link.
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