📱 Essential Travel Apps for Taiwan

Book HSR tickets from Taipei to Taichung, Tainan, Kaohsiung. Taipei to Kaohsiung in 90 minutes. Trains every 15–30 minutes on the west coast. Early discount fares available. Real-time departure boards and mobile ticket display.

💡 Book early discount fares for savings of 35–65%

Book TRA tickets for the east coast — Taipei to Hualien (2 hours), Hualien to Taitung along the Pacific coast. One of Asia's most scenic rail routes. Also covers the Pingxi Line for Jiufen, Shifen, and sky lanterns. Book 5+ days ahead for weekends.

💡 East coast routes sell out — book as early as possible

Taipei's public bike-share system with 1,600+ stations. Register your EasyCard via the app. First 30 minutes free, NTD 10 per 30 minutes after. Also operates in Taichung, Tainan, and Hsinchu. Perfect for riverside cycling paths and flat city exploration.

Official Central Weather Administration app. Typhoon tracking, mountain weather, and rainfall alerts. Essential June–October when typhoons move through Taiwan. Check before any outdoor plans — mountain trails can close overnight after typhoon alerts.

Best overall flight search. Price tracking, flexible dates, and the cleanest interface. Use the calendar view to find the cheapest days to fly. EVA Air and China Airlines — Taiwan's carriers — are both excellent long-haul options.

"Everywhere" search shows cheapest destinations from your home airport. Perfect for spontaneous trips. Whole-month search helps find cheapest travel windows. Good for finding connecting routes via Tokyo, Seoul, or Singapore to Taipei.

Predicts when flight prices will rise or drop. Set alerts and book at the perfect moment. Can save significantly on long-haul flights to Taiwan from Europe and North America.

Best for complex multi-city routes. Can combine airlines that don't normally work together. Great for Asia multi-stop itineraries — Taiwan + Japan + South Korea, for example.

Works excellently in Taiwan. Shows real-time MRT, bus, and HSR routing. Download offline maps before your trip — essential for mountain areas. Night market hours, temple locations, and restaurant reviews are generally accurate and recent.

💡 Download Taipei, Hualien, Tainan, Kenting offline maps

Detailed offline maps with hiking trails. Better than Google for Taiwan's national park trails — Taroko, Alishan, Yangmingshan. Completely offline once downloaded. Essential for mountain routes where cell coverage can be patchy.

💡 Download Taroko, Alishan, Yangmingshan national park maps

Plans routes combining HSR, TRA, bus, and ferry. Useful for complex journeys — Taipei to Alishan, Hualien to Green Island ferry combinations. Shows all options with approximate times and costs.

Operates across Taipei and major cities. Use for areas not well-served by MRT, late-night rides, or airport transfers. Local taxis also reliable and metered — fares start at NTD 85. Both easy to hail from your hotel.

Largest selection of hotels, guesthouses, and hot spring resorts in Taiwan. Many small mountain guesthouses only available here. Free cancellation on most bookings. Genius loyalty program gives discounts. Book east coast accommodation early — it sells out on weekends.

Good for apartments and unique stays in Taipei. Also has farmstay (農宿) listings in the Rift Valley and countryside. Useful for longer stays of a week or more where a kitchen matters.

Best for budget stays and hostels in Taipei, Tainan, and Hualien. Taiwan's hostels are generally excellent — clean, social, and well-located. Many offer private rooms at hostel prices. Good for solo travellers.

Book hotel rooms just for the day to nap, shower, or recharge during long transit days in Taipei. Better than sleeping at the airport and cheaper than an extra night. Useful for early arrivals at Taoyuan before check-in time.

Download the Traditional Chinese offline language pack before arriving. Camera translation mode reads menus, temple signs, and street signs instantly. Most younger Taiwanese speak some English but Traditional Chinese helps a lot in rural areas and with older residents.

💡 Download Traditional Chinese offline — not Simplified

The messaging app of Taiwan — everyone uses it. Hotels, restaurants, tour operators, and locals communicate via Line rather than WhatsApp or SMS. Hotels often send check-in details via Line. Set up your profile before arrival.

Store your luggage anywhere — cafés, hotels, shops. Perfect for those hours between checkout and your flight, or day-tripping from Taipei with bags at the station. Insured and secure.

Get discounted "surprise bags" of food from restaurants and cafés at end of day. Works in Taipei and increasingly in other cities. Save money and reduce food waste. Great for buying bakery surplus at night.

Enter your destination, dates, and activities — builds a packing list based on weather. Essential for Taiwan's wide climate range: hot and humid in Taipei, 10°C cooler in the mountains, typhoon season gear vs dry season light packing.

Recent reviews help find authentic spots and avoid tourist traps. Particularly useful for checking if small restaurants and guesthouses are still operating as described. Filter by recent reviews for Taiwan.

Large selection of tours and experiences in Taiwan. Good for Taroko Gorge day tours, Jiufen trips, and night market food tours. Read reviews, book instantly, get mobile tickets. Owned by TripAdvisor.

Good prices and instant confirmation for Taiwan tours. Excellent for Taipei walking tours, east coast day trips, and canyoneering experiences in Taroko. Often cheaper than booking directly with small operators.

Private tours and food experiences with Taiwanese locals. See the authentic side of Taiwan — neighbourhood night markets, tea ceremony with a local host, traditional craft workshops. Unique experiences not available through mass-market operators.

Plan hiking and cycling routes with turn-by-turn voice navigation and offline maps. Taiwan has excellent community-shared routes for Yangmingshan, Taroko, Alishan, and the Rift Valley cycling path. Essential for self-guided outdoor adventures.

Best exchange rates for New Taiwan Dollars. Use the Wise card to withdraw NTD from ATMs with minimal fees. ATMs at every 7-Eleven and FamilyMart accept international Visa/Mastercard. Load NTD before arrival for best rates.

💡 NTD 500–1,000 cash is useful for night markets

Expense splitting for groups. Track who paid for dinners, accommodation, trains, and night market runs. Taiwan is affordable but costs add up on east coast day trips and guided tours — track from day one.

110: Police
119: Fire and ambulance
1957: Foreigner services hotline (24 hours, multiple languages)
0800-011-765: Tourist hotline (free, English)

Save before traveling:
• Your embassy or consulate in Taipei
• Travel insurance emergency number
• Bank fraud line (in case of card theft)
• Your accommodation's address in Chinese characters (for taxis)