Transit Quick Reference — Taiwan

💳 EasyCard (悠遊卡)

Your all-in-one transit & payment card

Buy: Any MRT station, convenience store (7-Eleven, FamilyMart), or TPE airport
Cost: NT$100 deposit (non-refundable for tourists) + load amount
Load: NT$500–1,000 to start · top up at any MRT station or convenience store
Works on: MRT, buses, YouBike, TRA local trains, taxis (some), convenience stores, supermarkets, vending machines, parking
Discount: ~20% off MRT fares vs cash tokens · bus transfers free within 1 hr

💡 Pro tip: Tap in AND out on the MRT. Tap once on buses (when boarding). You'll hear a beep and see your remaining balance on the reader.

🚇 Taipei MRT — Key Stations

🏠 Your home station: Nangang 南港 BL23 — Blue Line terminus. Connected to TRA (national rail) and CITYLINK mall. First train ~06:00, last ~midnight.

Nangang (HOME)

南港

Your hotel station · Blue Line end

BL23

Taipei Main Station

台北車站

Central hub · TRA · HSR · Airport MRT

BL12R10

Taipei City Hall

市政府

Taipei 101 · Xinyi shopping

BL18

Dongmen

東門

Din Tai Fung · Yongkang Street

R07O06

Zhongxiao Fuxing

忠孝復興

Major transfer · East District shopping

BL15BR10

Zhongxiao Xinsheng

忠孝新生

Blue↔Orange transfer point

BL14O07

Songshan

松山

Raohe Night Market · 1 TRA stop from Nangang

G19

Jiantan

劍潭

Shilin Night Market

R15

Xinyi Anhe

信義安和

Tonghua / Linjiang Night Market

R05

Shuanglian

雙連

Ningxia Night Market · Dihua Street

R12

Xingtian Temple

行天宮

Addiction Aquatic Development (fish market)

O11

CKS Memorial Hall

中正紀念堂

Memorial, Liberty Square · Hang Zhou XLB

R08G10

MRT Lines at a Glance

Blue (BL) Nangang ↔ Dingpu — your main line, runs east-west
Red (R) Xiangshan ↔ Tamsui — north-south through city center
Green (G) Songshan ↔ Xindian — Raohe ↔ south
Orange (O) Luzhou ↔ Nanshijiao — Dongmen, Xingtian Temple
Brown (BR) Wenhu Line — elevated, airport direction
Yellow (Y) Circular Line — outer ring, newer

🕐 Service hours: ~06:00 to ~midnight daily. Trains every 3–4 min peak, 6–8 min off-peak. All stations have English signage. Listen for English announcements.

Metro Taipei (live) Google Maps Transit

🚄 Taiwan High Speed Rail (HSR · 高鐵)

Bullet train — Taipei to southern Taiwan

Speed: Up to 300 km/h · Connects Nangang to Zuoying (Kaohsiung) in ~2 hrs
Your station: Nangang HSR (南港) — same station complex as your hotel!
Booking: Buy at station, via app (T Express), or thsrc.com.tw
Tip: Early bird tickets (28 days ahead) save 20–35%. Non-reserved cars are cheaper.

Route	Time	Price (Standard)	Good for
Nangang → Taoyuan	~20 min	~NT$160	Airport connection
Nangang → Hsinchu	~40 min	~NT$290	Day trip
Nangang → Taichung	~55 min	~NT$700	Sun Moon Lake area
Nangang → Tainan	~1h 40min	~NT$1,350	Historic capital
Nangang → Zuoying (Kaohsiung)	~2h	~NT$1,530	Southern Taiwan

HSR Booking Timetable

🚆 TRA — Taiwan Railways (台鐵)

Regular trains — local & express routes

Key for you: Nangang → Songshan (1 stop, Raohe Night Market) and Nangang → Keelung (~40 min, direct)
Payment: Tap EasyCard — no separate ticket needed for local trains
Types: Local (區間車, stops everywhere, EasyCard ok), Tze-Chiang (自強號, express, may need reserved seat)

💡 For Keelung day trip: TRA direct from Nangang, ~NT$41, every ~30 min. Keelung is the end of the line — you can't miss your stop!

🚲 YouBike (Public Bike Share)

Taipei's bike share system — 2.0 stations everywhere

Register: Use the YouBike app with a credit card, or tap EasyCard (after linking at a kiosk)
Cost: First 30 min NT$5, then NT$10/30 min. Very cheap.
Stations: Every few blocks — look for bright yellow bikes
Best for: Riverside paths, short hops between MRT stations, exploring neighborhoods

YouBike Map

🚕 Taxis & Rideshare

Quick reference

Flag fall: NT$70 for first 1.25 km, then NT$5 per 200m
Night surcharge: NT$20 extra between 11pm–6am
Payment: Cash (most), some accept EasyCard or LINE Pay
Apps: LINE Taxi (local standard), Uber (also works well in Taipei)
Tip: Have your destination written in Chinese characters to show the driver. Screenshots work great.

💡 Taipei taxis are yellow, metered, and generally honest. No tipping expected. Drivers rarely speak English — show your destination in Chinese on your phone.

🚇 Transit Quick Reference