Taiwan
One card pays for the metro, the bus, and the convenience store.
Most asked
Do you tip in Taiwan?
No. Sit-down restaurants may add a service charge, and where they do, that settles it.
Read the answerAt a glance
- Tipping
- Not expected
- Cards
- Cities yes, night markets cash
- Tap water
- Taipei certified drinkable; not beyond
Arriving
One line runs from the airport into Taipei — the choice is which train on it.
How do I get from the airport into Taipei?
The Airport MRT. One line, two kinds of train — take the Express, not the Commuter, and it runs straight to Taipei Main Station.
Does it matter which Taipei airport I land at?
Yes, pleasantly. Taoyuan is the main international gateway outside the city; Songshan sits inside Taipei itself and handles domestic plus a handful of regional routes.
Can I check in my bags downtown before heading to the airport?
Yes — at A1 Taipei Main Station, for same-day Taoyuan departures on six airlines. Drop the bags, ride the MRT empty-handed.
Getting around
The metro is spotless, and the law is why.
Do I need to buy a ticket for every ride?
No. One EasyCard from any convenience store covers the metro, buses, trains and even the high speed rail — and pays at the shops in between.
How do you get a taxi?
Flag a yellow cab on the street — the meter does the rest. There is even an English-language hotline, 0800-055-850, that orders one for you.
Can I take a phone call on the MRT?
Yes. The operator asks only that you lower your voice. The rule that carries a fine here is eating and drinking — national law, NT$1,500 to 7,500 — and the phone is not on that list.
Can I eat or drink on the MRT?
No — and it is a national law, not a house rule. Eating, drinking, even chewing gum in the paid area draws a fine of NT$1,500 to 7,500.
Can I rent a public bike without a local account?
Yes — YouBike's one-time rental is built for exactly this, but it is credit-card only and runs through the app. Your EasyCard will not open a bike unless you register as a member.
High speed rail or the regular train — which one am I looking at?
Two separate railways with separate tickets and separate gates. High speed rail runs twelve stations down the west coast at up to 300 km/h; the conventional railway covers everywhere else, including the east. In Taipei they share a building and nothing else.
Why is nobody sitting in the dark blue seats?
They are priority seats — dark blue, next to the doors, in every single carriage, kept for elderly, pregnant and disabled passengers. Nothing forbids sitting there; the expectation is that you stand up the moment someone needs it, and the norm is strong enough that a full train will still leave them empty.
Money
EasyCard, cash habits, and where foreign cards stop.
Do you need cash in Taiwan?
Some. Convenience stores and chains take cards, but night markets and small kitchens run on cash — and on the transit card.
Can you get a tax refund on shopping?
Yes: spend NT$2,000 in one day at one store carrying the Taiwan Tax Refund label, then claim at the airport before you check your bags.
How do I change money, and what about leftover cash?
Change at designated banks or your hotel — and keep the receipt. Without it you cannot convert leftover NT dollars back before you fly home.
Can I pay for things with the transit card?
Yes — up to NT$1,500 in a single purchase and NT$3,000 in a day at shops that take it. Those ceilings do not apply to government fees, medical and school payments, parking, or anything counted as transport, so the card is capped as a wallet and uncapped as a ticket.
Why does everyone here keep their receipts?
Because the receipt is a lottery ticket. Winning numbers are drawn on the 25th of every odd-numbered month, the special prize is NT$10,000,000 and the smallest is NT$200, and you have three months from the sixth of the following month to claim. A passport works as identification, so visitors are not excluded from any of it.
At restaurants
Night market etiquette and how ordering usually works.
Do you tip in Taiwan?
No. Sit-down restaurants may add a service charge, and where they do, that settles it.
Can I eat vegetarian or vegan here?
More easily than almost anywhere in the region. The tourism administration's own guide opens with "Taiwan — a great place to be vegetarian!" and lists restaurants across the whole island.
How do night markets actually work?
Graze, don't dine: each market has its own specialties, portions are snack-sized on purpose, and the queue is the menu recommendation.
Is night market food safe to eat?
Taipei does not leave this to your judgement. Since 2018 the city has certified night market stalls with a Food Safety Smile mark, awarded in gold and silver after an inspection covering four things: the people, the environment they cook in, where the ingredients came from, and pest control. The mark is displayed where you order.
Phone and internet
There is a real national free wifi network — and a limit to what it covers.
Everyday basics
The numbers to save, and the voltage nobody warns you about.
Can you drink the tap water?
In Taipei, yes — the city's water department certifies it directly drinkable. That certification is Taipei's own, and it does not travel with you.
What number do I call in an emergency?
110 for police, 119 for fire and ambulance. If your phone has no usable signal, 112 still connects.
Do I need a plug adapter here?
Taiwan runs on 110V with flat two-pin sockets — the American pattern. European and Australian plugs need an adapter; some devices need more.
Are public toilets free, and where do I find one?
Free and easy to find — every metro station has one, and staff will let you cross the fare gates to reach it without paying again. The local twist is the paper: toilet paper goes in the bowl, and the bin beside you is for the paper that does not.
Where can I smoke, and where can't I?
Indoors is banned by national law, with one narrow exception for a properly sealed smoking room. The part that catches visitors is the vape: an e-cigarette is not merely restricted here, it is illegal to import, sell or use — and using one carries the same fine as smoking where you must not, NT$2,000 to 10,000.
Why can't I find a trash can anywhere?
Because household trash here goes hand-to-truck: collection happens at designated hours and locations, so the city does not run on public bins.
What happens if there's an earthquake or a typhoon?
You get warned, in English, by the state. The weather agency's app pushes an earthquake alert 10–15 seconds ahead of shaking and issues typhoon warnings every six hours.
How other countries compare
For a trip that crosses borders — the same question, answered country by country.
- Do I need to buy a ticket for every ride?
- Can I eat or drink on the MRT?
- Can you get a tax refund on shopping?
- Do you need cash in Taiwan?
- Do you tip in Taiwan?
- Can I use my own phone, and is there free wifi?
- Where can I smoke, and where can't I?
- How do I get from the airport into Taipei?
- Does it matter which Taipei airport I land at?
- How do you get a taxi?
- Can I take a phone call on the MRT?
- Can I eat vegetarian or vegan here?
- Can you drink the tap water?
- Are public toilets free, and where do I find one?
- What number do I call in an emergency?
- Do I need a plug adapter here?
- Why can't I find a trash can anywhere?
