Practical Information for visiting Taiwan

The currency is the New Taiwan dollar (NT$ or TWD). Taiwan has been more cash-oriented than its neighbours, and although cards and mobile payment are now accepted in chains, hotels and larger restaurants, night markets, small eateries, temples and rural businesses are cash.

ATMs are everywhere, including in every convenience store, and most accept foreign cards — those at 7-Eleven and FamilyMart are the reliable ones. Banks give good rates for cash exchange and the airport counters are fair.

The EasyCard and iPASS stored-value cards are worth loading with more than you need for transport: they also pay at convenience stores, many cafes and some museums.

Tipping is not customary and can cause confusion. Restaurants sometimes add a ten per cent service charge; beyond that, nothing is expected anywhere.

Coverage for mobile networks is excellent, with 5G across the cities and the west coast corridor and 4G almost everywhere else. It thins only in the high mountains and in the deeper gorges of the east.

A prepaid tourist SIM with unlimited data costs very little and is sold at every airport arrivals hall; bring a passport. Taiwan also runs iTaiwan, a free public Wi-Fi network at stations, libraries and government buildings, and free Wi-Fi is standard in convenience stores, cafes, hotels and on the high-speed rail.

Internet speeds are high and the country is well served by submarine cables, though a cable break can slow international traffic. If you are walking in the mountains, download offline maps and note that emergency calls may be the only thing that works above the tree line.

Taiwan is one of the safest countries in the world for visitors. Violent crime against foreigners is very rare, solo travel is straightforward, and lost property is routinely handed in. The real risks are natural and vehicular.

• Scooter and road traffic is the genuine everyday hazard. Scooters filter, turn across traffic and use pavements, and pedestrian crossings are treated as advisory by some drivers. Look both ways twice and do not assume a green man means clear.
• Typhoons between July and October close transport and occasionally cause landslides in the mountains and on the east coast. Official typhoon-day announcements are clear and worth following.
• Earthquakes are frequent. Buildings are engineered for them and most tremors are unremarkable; know the drill and where the stairs are.
• Mountains and rivers. Hiking above the treeline needs a permit and preparation, weather changes fast, and every year people get into trouble. River tracing and swimming at unpatrolled beaches account for most tourist deaths — currents on the east coast are strong.
• Drugs carry extremely severe penalties, including life imprisonment for trafficking.

An excellent system, paid at the point of use

Taiwan has one of the best health systems in the world and medical care is excellent, widely available and inexpensive by Western standards. Major hospitals in Taipei, Taichung, Tainan and Kaohsiung have English-speaking staff and international departments. Hospitals operate on a pay-as-you-use basis: visitors pay out of pocket, but costs are modest — a consultation and basic treatment often costs less than an insurance excess. Insurance covering treatment and repatriation is still sensible for anything serious, and you need accessible funds for the bill at the time.

Ambulances differ from what you may expect

Call 119 and ask for an ambulance. Unlike in the UK, a Taiwanese ambulance crew will not usually include a paramedic — worth knowing when deciding whether to wait for one or get to a hospital yourself.

Medication: the cannabis rule catches people out

Bring the prescription issued by your doctor, hospital or clinic showing that the medicine is for your personal use, and the amount you bring must match what the prescription states. You cannot bring cannabis oil or cannabis-derived medication into Taiwan even if it is legally prescribed where you live. CBD products are sold openly across Europe and North America and are not legal to import here.

Vaccines, dengue and altitude

Routine cover is sufficient. Hepatitis A and typhoid are sometimes advised for longer or rural stays, and Japanese encephalitis for extended time in farming areas between May and October. There has been a significant increase in dengue fever in the south of Taiwan, including Kaohsiung and Tainan, so take mosquito precautions there. Mpox is among the listed health risks. Altitude sickness is a risk in parts of Taiwan — the mountains here start at sea level and reach 3,952 metres.

Heat

Heat and humidity are the most common problem in summer, and heat exhaustion is easy to reach on a temple day in August. Drink more than you think you need and use the air-conditioned convenience stores that are on every corner.

Drugs: the penalties include death

Avoid any involvement with illegal drugs, including cannabis. Taiwan's drug laws are stricter than those in Britain and the legal definitions of supply or trafficking differ, including the quantities involved. If found guilty of smuggling, trafficking, possession or use — including when transiting through the airport — you should expect a severe prison sentence or, in some cases, the death penalty. Taiwanese airports scan the baggage of transiting passengers to a high standard. There is no version of casual here.

Carry ID

Always carry identification such as a passport. The police will usually accept a printed copy of the photo page, which makes this one of the easier countries in the region to comply in.

On the metro

Eating and drinking on the metro is prohibited in Taipei and Kaohsiung, including water, and fines are issued. It is the rule visitors break most often. Queue, and stand right on escalators. Priority seats are genuinely left empty even on a crowded train, and sitting in one as an able-bodied adult draws disapproval.

Temples

Enter and leave by the side doors rather than the central one, which is for the gods. Dress modestly, do not point at statues, and ask before photographing worshippers or rituals.

The table

Chopsticks should never be left standing upright in a bowl of rice — it resembles funeral incense. Do not stick them into food or pass food chopstick to chopstick.

Numbers, gifts and rubbish

Four is unlucky, as it sounds like death, and many buildings skip the floor. Do not give clocks, umbrellas or anything in sets of four as gifts. Rubbish is sorted strictly and public bins are scarce — carry your litter until you find the right one.

LGBT+ travellers

Taiwan has some of Asia's most progressive policies on LGBT+ rights and discrimination on the grounds of gender and gender identity is illegal. The Pride parade held annually in October is the largest regular LGBT+ event in Asia, drawing participants from across the region and internationally.

Numbers

110 for police and 119 for fire and ambulance; operators generally have access to English-language support. Two more the page has not carried before: 118 for the coastguard, which matters on an island where a lot of the best walking is coastal, and 113 for the domestic abuse and sexual assault hotline. 0800-024-111 is the Tourism Administration's 24-hour travel information hotline, staffed in English, Japanese and Korean, and is the right first call for anything that is not an emergency.

Medical

Large hospitals in every city have emergency departments and international medical services desks — among them National Taiwan University Hospital and Taipei Veterans General in the capital. Treatment is fast and cheap by international standards; bring your passport and a means of payment, since hospitals work on a pay-as-you-use basis. Note that an ambulance crew will not usually include a paramedic.

Mountains and sea

Mountain rescue is coordinated through 119 and the National Park authorities; permits exist partly so that someone knows where you are, so register your route. For anything in the water or on the coast, 118 reaches the coastguard directly.

Earthquakes and typhoons

The government issues automatic alerts to every phone on the island, in Chinese and English. They are loud and they are frequent, and they are not a malfunction. Earthquakes are a genuine risk here. Typhoons can affect Taiwan in June, are most active between July and September and decrease through October; if you are travelling in that window, plan around it and follow the warnings rather than the forecast you looked at when you booked.