How to Get Around Taiwan

Getting in

Taoyuan International serves Taipei and is the main gateway, with Songshan in the city itself handling some regional flights and Kaohsiung covering the south. An airport metro line runs into central Taipei in about forty minutes.

High-speed rail

The HSR runs down the west coast from Taipei to Kaohsiung in around ninety minutes, at up to 300 km/h, and is the backbone of any itinerary. Stations are sometimes outside the city centres, with shuttle connections.

Conventional rail

Taiwan Railways loops the entire island, and the east-coast section between Hualien and Taitung is one of the best train journeys in Asia. Book express services ahead in holiday periods.

In the cities

Taipei, Kaohsiung and Taichung have metros, and buses cover everything else. An EasyCard or iPASS works on metros, buses, trains, ferries, bike share and convenience stores nationwide — buy one on arrival and stop thinking about fares.

Driving: the permit has to be validated in person

A hire car is the right way to do the east coast and the mountain roads, but the paperwork is stricter than most countries. You need a 1949 international driving permit as well as your own licence — and the IDP cannot be bought outside your home country, so get it before you travel. Once in Taiwan you must take your passport, the IDP and a passport photograph to a local Motor Vehicles Office to have the IDP validated; it then lasts up to twelve months. Longer stays need a new IDP validated again, or an exchange for a Taiwanese licence.

Roads, scooters and the alcohol limit

Roads and vehicles are well maintained, but scooters and motorcycles weave in and out of traffic and vehicles may not stop at pedestrian crossings — be alert crossing, not just driving. The drink-drive limit in Taiwan is about a quarter of England's. Over it you face a heavy fine and possible imprisonment, and a passenger may also be fined, which is unusual and worth knowing before anyone in the car agrees to drive home.

Verified against UK Government (GOV.UK; FCDO travel advice abroad), September 2026.

The HSR is the spine, the loop line is the pleasure

The high-speed line runs down the flat western third from Taipei to Kaohsiung in about ninety minutes at up to 300 km/h, which is where the cities, the population and most itineraries are. Its stations are sometimes outside the city centres with shuttle connections, so allow for that. Conventional Taiwan Railways trains loop the entire island, and the east-coast section between Hualien and Taitung — mountains on one side, Pacific on the other — is worth taking for itself. Book express services ahead in holiday periods.

One card for everything

An EasyCard or iPASS works on metros, buses, trains, ferries, bike share and in convenience stores nationwide. Buy one at the airport and the question of fares disappears for the rest of the trip. Taipei, Kaohsiung and Taichung have metros; buses cover the rest.

Driving: get the permit, then get it validated

A car earns its keep for the east coast and the mountain roads, where the buses are thin and the point is to stop. The paperwork is stricter than most places: you need a 1949 international driving permit alongside your own licence, you cannot buy the IDP after leaving home, and once in Taiwan you must take your passport, the IDP and a passport photograph to a local Motor Vehicles Office to have it validated. The validated permit lasts up to twelve months; beyond that you need a new one validated again or a Taiwanese licence.

Scooters, crossings and the quarter limit

Roads and vehicles are well maintained. The hazards are scooters weaving through traffic and vehicles that may not stop at pedestrian crossings — a pedestrian needs to be as alert as a driver. The drink-drive limit is about a quarter of England's, a heavy fine and possible imprisonment follow exceeding it, and a passenger can be fined too.

Typhoons will move your plans

Typhoons can affect Taiwan in June, are most active from July to September, and taper off through October. They close the HSR, the coastal highway and the mountain roads, and the government pushes automatic alerts to every phone on the island in Chinese and English. If you are travelling in that window, keep a day of slack and treat the alerts as instructions.

The mountains need a permit and a plan

National park permits exist partly so that someone knows where you are. Register your route; mountain rescue is coordinated through 119 and the park authorities. Altitude sickness is a real risk — the island goes from sea level to 3,952 metres, and the road up Hehuanshan gets you very high very fast.

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Sources & verification Covers the sourced claims on this page.

Checked against UK Government (GOV.UK; FCDO travel advice abroad) — To drive in Taiwan you need a 1949 international driving permit as well as your own driving licence, the IDP cannot be bought outside the UK so must be obtained before travelling, and once in Taiwan you must take your passport, IDP and a passport photograph to a local Motor Vehicles Office to get the IDP validated, after which it lasts up to 12 months, Roads and vehicles in Taiwan are well maintained but scooters and motorcycles often weave in and out of traffic, and pedestrians should be alert when crossing because vehicles might not stop at pedestrian crossings, The alcohol limit for drivers in Taiwan is about a quarter of that in England, driving over the limit may bring a heavy fine and possible imprisonment, and a passenger may also be fined, Driving in Taiwan requires a 1949 international driving permit alongside your own licence, obtained before travel and then validated in person at a local Motor Vehicles Office with passport and a passport photograph, valid for up to 12 months, Typhoons can affect Taiwan in June, the most active period is between July and September, and typhoon frequency gradually decreases in October, The alcohol limit for drivers in Taiwan is about a quarter of that in England, and a passenger may also be fined if the driver is over the limit, Altitude sickness is a risk in parts of Taiwan (September 2026).