Taiwan is one of the easiest places in Asia to travel independently — but a few things are genuinely non-obvious: there are almost no public bins, the garbage truck plays Beethoven, and a NT$100 card gets you onto every metro, bus and bike in the country. Here is what to sort out in your first hour, and what to know before you order dinner.
All three major carriers run counters in the arrival halls of Taoyuan (TPE), Songshan (TSA), Taichung (RMQ) and Kaohsiung (KHH) airports, open for every scheduled arrival. Bring your passport — registration is required by law. Carriers: Chunghwa Telecom, Taiwan Mobile, FarEasTone.
| Plan | Price (NT$) | Data |
|---|---|---|
| 3 days | 300–350 | Unlimited 4G/5G |
| 5 days | 500–550 | Unlimited 4G/5G |
| 10 days | 800–1,000 | Unlimited 4G/5G |
| 30 days | 1,000–1,500 | Unlimited 4G/5G |
Accepted card brands: EasyCard (悠遊卡), iPASS (一卡通), icash.
| Number | Service | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 110 | Police | Nationwide. English support is limited; the travel hotline can interpret. |
| 119 | Fire and ambulance | Nationwide, free from any phone. |
| 0800-011-765 | 24-hour Travel Information Hotline | Toll-free, English/Japanese/Chinese, run by the Tourism Administration. This is the number to call first if you are lost, stuck, or need to explain a problem in English. |
| 1922 | Health and epidemic hotline | Public health questions and disease reporting. |
| 1999 | Municipal service hotline | City-level help such as lost property and public facility problems, within the city you are in. |
| Chinese | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| 你好 | nǐ hǎo | Hello |
| 謝謝 | xiè xie | Thank you |
| 多少錢？ | duō shǎo qián | How much is it? |
| 這個 | zhè ge | This one (point at what you want — this single phrase solves most night market ordering) |
| 不要辣 | bú yào là | Not spicy |
| 不要香菜 | bú yào xiāng cài | No coriander |
| 內用 | nèi yòng | Eat in |
| 外帶 | wài dài | Take away |
| 廁所在哪裡？ | cè suǒ zài nǎ lǐ | Where is the toilet? |
| 我不會說中文 | wǒ bú huì shuō zhōng wén | I don't speak Chinese |
| 請幫我 | qǐng bāng wǒ | Please help me |
| 買單 | mǎi dān | The bill, please |
Taiwan uses Traditional Chinese characters, not Simplified. Translation apps set to "Chinese (Traditional)" will produce text people can read at a glance.
Most stalls sell one thing and have no English menu. The reliable method is to queue, point, and say 這個 (zhè ge). Pay in cash — many stalls still do not take cards, though more now accept EasyCard. Eat standing near the stall or walk with it; sitting at another stall's tables while eating food you bought elsewhere is considered rude. Some stalls hand you a basket and tongs: take what you want, then hand the basket over to be weighed or cooked.
Taiwan has almost no street bins, and household rubbish is collected by yellow trucks that play Beethoven's Für Elise or Badarzewska's A Maiden's Prayer. Residents come down to the street and hand bags to the truck in person. As a visitor you will mostly notice the music and the queue of people holding bags — it is not an ice cream van. Dispose of your own rubbish at your accommodation, convenience stores or MRT stations, and expect to carry it with you for a while.
Shoes come off at the entrance of private homes, most guesthouses and homestays, temple interiors in some cases, tatami rooms, and many clinics. The signal is a row of shoes or a step up in floor level at the doorway. Indoor slippers are usually provided, often with a separate pair kept just inside the bathroom door — those stay in the bathroom.
There are over 13,000 convenience stores in Taiwan and they are genuinely part of the infrastructure. You can pay utility bills and traffic fines, collect online orders, print and photocopy documents, buy high-speed rail and concert tickets, top up your EasyCard, send parcels, use clean free toilets, sit down with hot food, and get cash from an ATM. If something goes wrong at 3am, the nearest 7-Eleven or FamilyMart is a reasonable place to start.
People queue along marked lines on MRT platforms and let passengers off before boarding. Eating and drinking — including water — is prohibited inside MRT stations and trains, and is actually enforced with fines. Dark blue priority seats are usually left empty even when the carriage is full; sitting in them as a healthy young traveller will attract attention.
Taiwan has no tipping culture. Restaurant bills at mid-range and upmarket restaurants often already include a 10% service charge; everywhere else, the price you see is the price you pay. Taxi drivers do not expect a tip, though rounding up is common. Do not leave money on the table.
Nationals of around 65 countries — including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia and most EU and Schengen states — can enter visa-free for 90 days for tourism or business. A smaller group gets 30 or 14 days. You will normally need a passport valid for six months, a confirmed onward ticket, and an arrival card. The full, authoritative list is published by the Bureau of Consular Affairs and does change, so check it before booking.
All three major carriers — Chunghwa Telecom, Taiwan Mobile and FarEasTone — have counters in the arrival halls at Taoyuan, Songshan, Taichung and Kaohsiung airports, staffed for every scheduled arrival. Bring your passport, as registration is required by law. Typical airport rates run from about NT$300 for 3 days of unlimited data to about NT$1,000–1,500 for 30 days. City stores are usually cheaper, and eSIM is available from all three.
It is a stored-value contactless card that works on the metro in Taipei, Kaohsiung, Taichung and Taoyuan, on city and most intercity buses, on local trains, on YouBike shared bicycles, and as payment at convenience stores. The card costs NT$100 as a non-refundable deposit and is topped up with cash at any MRT station or convenience store. In Taipei it also gives a 20% discount on metro fares. It is the single most useful thing to buy in your first hour. High Speed Rail tickets are bought separately.
110 for police and 119 for fire or ambulance, both free from any phone nationwide. If the problem is not a life-threatening emergency but you cannot make yourself understood, call the 24-hour Travel Information Hotline on 0800-011-765 — it is toll-free, staffed in English and Japanese, and can interpret for you or connect you to the right service.
Taiwan is generally very safe, including at night and on public transport, and violent crime against visitors is rare. Lost wallets and phones are frequently handed in. The realistic risks are traffic — scooters turn across pedestrian crossings and drivers do not always stop — and typhoons between roughly July and October, which can close transport at short notice. Standard care with valuables in crowded night markets is enough.
⚠️ Disclaimer: Information on this page was last checked in July 2026 and is provided for reference only. Immigration rules, prices and policies can change at any time. Always confirm with the official government website or the ROC (Taiwan) representative office in your country before you travel. This site accepts no legal liability for the timeliness, completeness or accuracy of the information.