How do I get from Taipei Airport to Taichung City: 4 Easy Ways!

Most visitors to Taichung will find themselves flying into Taipei Airport, and if you are one of them, you will want to know the fastest and easiest way to get from Taipei Airport to Taichung City.

As Taichung sits somewhere in the middle of a 394km long island, it does take some effort getting there. The good thing is that inter-city transport in Taiwan is quiet well constructed, meaning you can transfer from one city to another pretty easily and in comfort too.

So we made this guide to show you the various ways to do that, how much it will cost, as well as how long it will take you. Check out the table below for a summary, and read on for the details.

Recommended: Guide to Taipei with Useful Itinerary

Method	Time needed	How much?
By Taiwan High Speed Rail (THSR)	1 hour	NT$575 per person
By Bus	2 hours 10 minutes	NT$280 per person
By Taxi or Car App	2 hours	As low as NT$2200 per car
By Driving (Car Rental)	2 hours	NT$2100 per day excluding expenses

What's covered in this post

How far is Taichung from Taipei Airport?
Terminals in Taoyuan Airport
Ways to get from Taipei Airport to Taichung City
Conclusion
Logistics before visiting Taichung Taiwan

How far is Taichung from Taipei Airport?

The distance from Taipei Taoyuan Aiport to Taichung City centre is approximately 148km.

Terminals in Taoyuan Airport

There are 2 terminals in Taoyuan Aiport, with Terminal 1 being the smaller sized and older terminal. Both terminals serve international flights, but it is more likely that you will arrive in the newer and larger Terminal 2.

If somehow you have a need to transfer between the 2 terminals, there is a free Skytrain service that runs from 6am to 12am daily. You just need to follow the well placed signs to locate it.

If you prefer taking the free shuttle bus, you can do so by following the signs to the bus station located right outside the terminals.

Ways to get from Taipei Airport to Taichung City

1. By Taiwan High Speed Rail (THSR)

The THSR (bullet train, modeled after the Japanese Shinkansen) was built in 2007 to connect the northern part of the island with the southern end. This meant a lot to travelling within Taiwan, as you can now get from tip to tip in less than 2 hours!

If you wish to take the THSR to get from Taipei to Taichung, you will first need to get to the train station. Unfortunately, there isn’t a THSR station within the airport, so you will need to get to the nearest one at Taoyuan HSR station.

To get from the airport to the HSR station, you will need to use the MRT (metro service) to arrive at Taoyuan MRT, where you will make a transfer to get on the HSR.

From Taoyuan HSR, take the bullet train to Taichung city.

Once you arrive in Taichung city, you will need to take a bus or taxi to get to your hotel since there is currently NO metro service in Taichung. It is slated to open by the end of 2020.

While this method may be the fastest, do bear in mind the cost as well as the need to transfer twice. So it might not be such a great idea if you are lugging around big bags.

Time needed: 1 hour
Cost: NT$35 (MRT) + NT$540 (THSR) = NT$575 per person

2. By Bus

There are 2 bus companies that you can use at Taoyuan Aiport to get to Taichung, namely Kuo-Kuang Motor Transport and UBUS. Please take note that Free Go Bus is no longer available.

Both lines run on different routes, but that should not make much of a difference to you unless you intend to make a pitstop somewhere. Both lines pass through townships and make use of freeways, so don’t expect too much of sceneries.

Time needed: 2 hours 10 minutes
Cost: NT$280 per person

3. By Taxi or Car App

If you are travelling in a group of 4 and not carrying much luggage, this might be a good option to consider. Taxi service is readily available at the both airport terminals.

Taking a taxi can cost quite a fair bit, but do know how much is the taxi fare from Taipei Airport to Taichung?

It will set you back approximately NT$5000, so you need to consider this huge expense before opting for taxi service. The total time taken is roughly 2 hours, but this is highly dependant on traffic conditions. An advantage though is that you can reach your destination directly without any transfers.

However, we found a way better method to get to Taichung cheaply from Taipei!

Our recommendation is to use Tripool. For 4 persons, they will arrange a 9 seater (!) van so that you can travel in comfort and style! The best part is it cost less than NT$3000. If you are travelling light, they will arrange a SUV MPV, which costs less than NT$2200.

The only drawbacks are that they operate from 6am to 10pm only and only accepts credit card.

Time needed: 2 hours
Cost: ~NT$5000 per taxi; ~NT$2200 per Tripool ride

4. By Car Rental

We love road trips, but this is a great opportunity to embark on one since Taiwan has great roads to drive on and the conditions are excellent. Driving from Taipei to Taichung is pretty straightforward, and takes about 2 hours to get there.

The best part is that you can always decide to stop by a random town to explore or maybe venture out to an undiscovered spot for some photos.

Renting a car from the airport is very easy, and you should actually pre-book online first. We typically use Rentalcars.com as they offer some of the most competitive rates online and we like the option to include full insurance at reasonable rates. We simply hate it when renting directly from car companies (Sixt, Hertz etc) as they charge an arm and a leg for insurance.

Do take note you will need an International Driving Permit, and Taiwan drives on the right (same as USA).

Time needed: 2 hours
Cost: NT2100 per day excluding petrol and other related expenses

Conclusion

As you can see, there are a number of transport methods for you to get from Taipei Airport to Taichung City. The main thing to balance is the time you have and the budget you intend to set aside for this.

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Additional reading:

Logistics before visiting Taichung Taiwan

Find cheap flights.
Air tickets are usually the bulk of your expenses. Set up an alert and snag cheap fares with Skyscanner.

Find the best accommodation.
Find the best place to stay in Taichung and book a place ahead of time to get good rates. Booking.com has transparent fees and excellent rates.

Handy travel guide.
For the old school kid in you, get a travel guide book and get lost exploring the city.

Photos.
Your mobile phone can do a pretty good job, but if you need an upgrade, we recommend the Sony A6000 (US) (International)

Travel insurance.
You don’t need us to teach you to be a responsible adult, do you? Get a quote here.

Planned for you activities in Taichung.
Need a guide to show you and your group around? Lots of operators here to choose from here. You know who they are and how they are reviewed.

More resources to help you.
What other useful travel resources we use when we book our trips.