Here is a step-by-step guide to help those unfamiliar with Taiwan and wants to get from Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport to Taipei by shuttle bus.
Please note the photos and details provided under this post is for departure from and arrival at Terminal 1. If you are taking the bus from Terminal 2, you need to add another 10-15minutes to the journey.
From Airport to Taipei
Once you have cleared immigration, collected your luggage and exited the restricted area, you should turn left.
There will be signs like these and you follow them to go to the “Bus Station”. There will come to a point where you have to take the escalator down 1 floor. Don’t worry, just continue to follow the sign/instruction.
When you reach the Bus Station level, turn right to the “Ticketing Counter”.
Then, you should see a row of counters and they all sell bus tickets to different parts of Taiwan.
Go to counter 7 or 8 (Kuo Kuang) to buy your bus ticket to go Taipei Main Station. The schedule of the buses are shown on the TV screen right in front of the counter plus there are buses leaving at every 15 to 20 minutes interval so you don’t have to worry about missing the one that just left.
The ticket cost NT125 each for an adult and NT65 each for a child, one way. The bus ticket look like this which basically says “Taoyuan Airport to Taipei Bus Station Terminal A” and “Full Fare at NT125”.
I discovered on my last trip that the round trip ticket is slightly cheaper at NT230. I will try buying that next time! Anyway, the person behind the counter will tell you which bus bay to go after getting the ticket (we were at bay 5, not sure if it’s the same everytime). Before boarding the bus, the bus captain will paste a sticker on your luggage and give you the baggage tag so you don’t have to worry about losing them. However, note that you have to load the luggage yourself.
The bus journey will take about 45-55minutes, depending on traffic conditions. There are actually a few other stops along the way so you could check whether your hotel is anywhere on-route to Taipei Main Station. Here are the stops for your reference:
From Taoyuan International Airport to Taipei Main Station
1) Terminal 2
2) Terminal 1
3) Taipei School for the Hearing Impaired
4) Kulun Street Entrance
5) Taini Building (Mackay Memorial Hospital)
6) The Ambassador Hotel
7) TRA Taipei Station East 3rd Exit (i.e. final stop: Taipei Main Station)
We understand that Kuo Kuang also provide complimentary transfers to those staying at Ximending but you need to alight at Taipei Main Station before transferring to another bus. Check with the shuttle bus driver.
From Taipei to Airport
The place to buy tickets and board the bus is at Taipei West Bus Station Terminal A, which is opposite the Taipei Main Station. DO NOT go to the Taipei Bus Station. We happily walked around the Underground Mall and arrived at the Taipei Bus Station and thought it look very different from what I remember ;p
If you are in the Taipei Main Station Underground Mall, look for Exit K12 which will take you right outside the Bus Terminal A. Taipei Bus Station Terminal A should look like this, simple and basic.
sorry for the shaky hands
Go to the Kuo Kuang counter to buy your ticket again.
The bus takes a different route to go to the airport and stop at different places as well:
1) Taipei West Bus Station Terminal A
2) Sanchong Station
3) Chongyong Station
4) Airport Hotel
5) Terminal 1
6) Terminal 2
I personally prefer taking the shuttle bus since no transfers are needed unlike the High Speed Rail. The Kuo Kuang shuttle buses are clean, new and efficient. Best of all, it is also probably the cheapest option!
Happy travels!
