Taiwan Travel: How to Get from Taipei to Taichung

Our flight landed at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport in the afternoon, by the time we cleared the custom check and collected our luggage, it was already 5+ p.m. In fact, we could have planned in such a way that we headed to Taichung on that day. However, after considering that the children and elderly parents would be tired after the flight with a transit in Hong Kong, we decided to go to Taipei on our first day.

In this post, we are sharing how you can get from Taipei to Taichung, and how you can get from Taoyuan International Airport to Taichung, and we are also sharing our experience so as to provide a comparison.

How to Get from Taipei to Taichung

Bus 

Travelling time is about 2 hours 50 minutes. Depending on where you are alighting, you can choose from the following 2 bus operators:

• Kuo-Kuang Motor Transport 國光客運 1826 or 1827 Bus (Adult NT290, Child NT155)
• UBus 統聯客運 1620 Bus (Adult NT290, Child NT160)

High Speed Rail
From Taipei Station, High Speed Rail would take about 1 hour to reach Taichung High Speed Rail Station. You may need to transfer to Taiwan Railways or bus to get to your accommodation. The normal adult fare to reach Taichung is NT700, of course you can enjoy some discount by booking online at least 5 days in advance.

Taiwan Railways (TRA)
The journey from Taipei Main Station to Taichung TRA station takes about 1 hour 37 minutes on Puyuma (the fastest train) or 2 hours 10+ minutes on Tze-Chiang Limited Express (the second fastest train). The adult fare for both types is the same, NT375. Therefore it is wise to check the train schedule and take Puyuma.

This is the old Taichung TRA station, the new station is behind it.

How to Get from Taoyuan International Airport to Taichung

Bus 

Travelling time is about 2 hours 10 minutes. Depending on where you are alighting, you can choose from the following 3 bus operators:

• Kuo-Kuang Motor Transport 國光客運 1860 Bus (Adult NT280, Child NT145)
• Free Go Bus 飛狗巴士 5503 Bus (Adult NT300, Child NT190)
• UBus 統聯客運 1632 Bus (Adult NT280, Child NT165)

High Speed Rail

You have to take shuttle bus (NT30) from Taoyuan International Airport to Taoyuan High Speed Rail Station. From Taoyuan High Speed Rail Station, the normal adult fare to reach Taichung is NT540, of course you can enjoy some discount by booking online at least 5 days in advance. 

While you may think that the travelling time via High Speed Rail is short (41 minutes), do factor in the waiting time and travelling time on shuttle bus  - shuttle bus journey is said to be about 25 minutes. In addition, you may need to transfer to Taiwan Railways or bus to get to your accommodation, so the total travelling time can be quite long!

Our Experience
Our accommodation at Taichung (53 Hotel) is located near Taichung TRA Station, so to be honest, it would be more convenient if we take Taiwan Railways, which would take 2+ hours.

But as our elderly parents have not taken High Speed Rail before, we decided to take High Speed Rail from Taipei Main Station to Taichung High Speed Rail Station, which took 1 hour. Then we walked a few minutes from Taichung High Speed Rail to Xinwuri TRA Station 新烏日. From there, we had to take Taiwan Railways to Taichung TRA Station which is 2 stops away.

Guess what, we missed the Taiwan Railways train, and had to wait 30+ minutes for the next one! The total travelling time turned out to be about 2 hours and much more expensive as compared to taking Taiwan Railways. So when we travelled from Taichung back to Taipei, we took Taiwan Railways.

Taichung High Speed Rail is linked to Xinwuri TRA Station, there were a few shops including Carton King. So while we were waiting for the train, we took some photos outside Carton King.

In summary, depending on which part of Taichung that you are staying, it is not always true that taking High Speed Rail would be faster!


Useful Links
Taiwan Railways Administration: https://www.railway.gov.tw/en/index.aspx
Taiwan High Speed Rail: https://www.thsrc.com.tw/en/Home
Kuo-Kuang Bus: http://www.kingbus.com.tw/
Ubus: http://www.ubus.com.tw/

Our Taiwan Travelogue 2017:

• Taiwan Family Travel 8D7N Free & Easy Itinerary (December 2017)
• 10 Tips for Planning a Trip to Taiwan with Children + Elderly Parents
• How to Get from Taipei台北 to Taichung台中
• Accommodation in Taichung: 53 Hotel 寶島53行館
• Accommodation in Taipei 台北: York Design Hotel
• Taipei 台北 – Shilin Night Market 士林夜市
• Taipei 台北 – Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall 中正紀念堂
• Taipei 台北 – Kao Chi @ Yong Kang Street 永康街高記
• Jiufen 九份
• Changhua 彰化 – Changhua Roundhouse
• Taichung 台中 – 玩One Pizza (DIY pizza buffet with indoor play area)
• Taichung 台中 – Taichung Second Market 台中第二市場
• Taichung 台中 – Miyahara 宮原眼科 & Fourth Credit Union 第四信用合作社
• Taichung 台中 – Fengjia Night Market 逢甲夜市
• Taichung 台中 – Rainbow Village 彩虹眷村
• Taichung 台中 – A Liang Mushroom 阿亮香菇園 and Master of Mushrooms Restaurant 菇神
• Taichung 台中 – Lavender Cottage 薰衣草森林
• Taichung 台中 – Chung-She Flower Garden 中社觀光花市
• Taichung 台中 – Gaomei Wetlands 高美濕地
• Nantou 南投 – Cingjing Farm Green Green Grassland 清境農場青青草原
• Nantou 南投 – Puli 埔里 – Guangxing Paper Mill 廣興紙寮, King Garden 元首館

Our Taiwan Travelogue 2015:

• Taiwan with Children 7D6N Free & Easy Itinerary and Accommodation (December 2015)
• 8 Tips for Planning a Trip to Taiwan with Children
• Taiwan Child-friendly Accommodations with Slides
• Free Gifts for Travellers @ Taiwan Visitors Association(Singapore Office)
• Shifen 十分 – Sky Lantern
• Yilan 宜蘭 – Child-friendly Accommodation with Slide自然捲北歐風格旅店
• Yilan 宜蘭 – Jimmy Square, Free Factory Tour, Themed Restaurants, Hot Spring
• Miaoli 苗栗 – Flying Cow Ranch 飛牛牧場
• Miaoli 苗栗 – Strawberry farm, Railway Museum, High Speed Rail
• Taipei 台北– Rilakkuma Cafe 拉拉熊咖啡廳
• Taipei 台北– BabyBoss 職業體驗任意城
• Taipei 台北– Raohe Street Night Market 饒河街觀光夜市
• Download our printable Taiwan 7D6N Free & Easy Itinerary

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