How To Get To Taichung City

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Theodore
Travel Writer

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Unless you fly directly to Taichung, you can rent a car to reach Taiwan’s central city from anywhere in the country. Or, you can take the high-speed- and regular trains, buses, or Uber. Once you arrive, you can move anywhere throughout the city by rental vehicles, Taichung’s MRT, or bus.

To be able to do anything here, you’ll need to know how to get to Taichung, first. That inspired me to write this guide on getting to Taichung.


How To Get To Taichung From Taichung Airport

If this area is your first, or only stop, in Taiwan, then you may want to consider arriving at Taichung International Airport.

Once you arrive, to reach Taichung city, you can:

  • Rent a car or motorbike: driving will take you around 30 minutes
  • Hail a taxi or order an Uber: prices will range between NT$456 ($16) and NT$570 ($20)
  • Bus: take route A1 from the airport to Taichung HSR Station, which will cost you around NT$30 ($1) and apparently take 16 minutes
  • Taichung MRT: take this from the Taichung HSR Station into the city, costs start at NT$20 ($0.67) and maxes out at NT$50 ($1.75)

Here are a couple of tips to keep in mind:

  1. You can use Taiwan’s EasyCard smart card to pay for the Taichung MRT fare
  2. Keep in mind that while this is your most convenient option, often, it may be cheaper to fly to Taoyuan International Airport and take a train or bus to Taichung.

How To Get To Taichung From Taipei

If you decide to come from Taipei, you have several ways to get to Taichung. First, you can rent a car and drive, which allows you to go on a Taiwan road trip.


1. By TSHR

However, if you prefer public transportation, the quickest way, and most expensive, is to take the Taiwan High-Speed Rail (TSHR). You can depart to Taichung from Nangang (northeastern Taipei), Banqiao (New Taipei), and Taipei Main Stations.

You’ll need to pay the following for a THSR ticket:

  • Non-reserved seat: NT$675 ($23)
  • Reserved: NT$700 ($24)
  • Business: NT$1250 ($44)

If you’re close to Banqiao’s train station, you’ll usually save the most money since it’s a little closer to Taichung.

When taking Taiwan’s TSHR, it’ll take you about an hour to reach Taichung. However, once you reach Taiwan’s central city, you’ll need to rent a motorbike, take a bus, or take the Taichung MRT to reach the city center.


2. By TRA

Otherwise, you can take a TRA, or Taiwan Railway Administration, train.

These take an hour and a half to three and a half hours to reach Taichung and cost either NT$241 (normal train) or NT$375 (express) for a ticket. However, Taichung’s TRA Station sits in the middle of the city, which means you don’t need to take more public transportation.


3. By Bus

From Taipei Main Station, you can take the U Bus or Kuo-Kuang Bus operators to the National Taichung University of Education.

It’ll take you about two and a half hours and cost you around $9–$13.


How To Get To Taichung From Taoyuan Airport

Often, you’ll find that it’s cheaper to fly to Taoyuan Airport than any other airport in Taiwan—even if Taichung is your first destination.

There’s taking an Uber or driving. Or, you can take the train. However, you’ll need to take bus 5059 from Taoyuan Airport Terminal 2 to Hotel Today. From there, you’ll need to walk to the Taoyuan train station. Or, you can take the Taoyuan Metro to the train station.

From there, you’ll want to take the southbound train toward Taichung’s train station.

Otherwise, if you want to take a bus down south. You’ll want to take bus 5059 to Jingguo Zhuangjing Road Intersection and walk to Jing Guo Bus Station.

Afterward, take busses 3888 or 3999 to Chaoma Station in Taichung. You can either depart here or find some other way around the city. Or, you can transfer to Maple Garden Station and take buses 304, 307, or 324 toward Chungsing Hall station.


How To Get To Taichung From Kaohsiung

You could fly from Kaohsiung to Taichung, but it’ll take you four hours and cost you over $100. Moreover, you’ll probably spend more time trying to leave the airport than driving or taking the bus.


1. Via Bus

Speaking of, driving will only take you a couple hours. Whereas, if you took the bus, the cheapest option, it’ll take you around a few hours. You could take a U Bus (bus routes) from Jianguo to Taichung Station.


2. Via TRA

If you’re coming from Kaohsiung’s City Center, you’ll want to depart from Kaohsiung TRA Station and take the train north toward Taichung TRA Station.

You could take either of two trains:

  • Regular: takes four hours and costs NT$301 ($10) for a ticket
  • Express: takes two and a half hours and costs NT$469 ($16) for a ticket

3. Via THSR

Take Kaohsiung’s Zuoying HSR Station toward Taichung HSR Station. The costs for tickets include:

  • Non-reserved seat: NT$765 ($26)
  • Standard: NT$790 ($27)
  • Business: NT$1390 ($49)

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About Theo

Theodore began first experienced the wonders of traveling when visiting Vietnam. Afterward, he went crazy and ventured to at least… More about Theo