Everything You Need to Know Before You Go to Taiwan
This guide covers travel tips, and cultural do's and don’ts to make your travel as smooth, easy, and respectful as possible. Get ready for an unforgettable adventure!
✈︎ Where to go? What to pack? How much will it cost? We’ve got it covered in our ultimate Taiwan Travel Essentials guide.
Get an Easy Card or iPass
As soon as you arrive, you can buy your public transport card at the airport. We got some very cute key chains for $150 NT, but the regular easy card costs $100 NT. This card will be your one and only true love. You can use it throughout the country´s metro, buses and railways or even pay with it at some stores. You can always top it up at stations and convenience stores like 7-11 or FamilyMart.
The public transport will take you everywhere you want to go in Taiwan. It is cheap, punctual and easy to use. It is not necessary to rent a car, but for two cities we do advise you to rent a scooter. If you plan on renting a car, continue reading for more details.
Public Transport Etiquette
Queue respectfully before boarding any form of public transport, and always stand on the right side of escalators to let others pass on the left.
People generally stay quiet during rides—chatter and phone calls are kept to a minimum. Keep your voice down or continue conversations once you're outside.
Priority seats are reserved for those who need them most, so be ready to offer your spot.
Eating and drinking are not allowed on MRT trains and can result in fines. Intercity buses tend to be more relaxed, but it’s best to check for signs. This applies across Taiwan, especially in major cities like Taipei, where public transport etiquette is taken seriously.
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Take your Shoes off Before Entering Homes
In most stays you will be provided with indoor slippers, but we advise you to bring your own. Please be mindful and respectful and do not use these slippers outdoors.
Bow your Head
Taiwanese bow their head slightly when being greeted, for thanking and as a aign of apologies. As the say, “do as you see” and we think it shows respect and interest when experiencing a new culture. You will see locals bow their heads when entering a temple or bow three times with a lightened incense to offer prayers. If you have more questions about Taiwanese temple etiquette, go here.
Book your Accommodation in Advance
We book as we go and realized that during the weekends it was always difficult to find great accommodations for good prices. Specially, if you are visiting during summer, national holidays and the Lunar New Year book a couple of months in advance to guarantee yourself the best deals.
If you can, try to avoid major tourist activities on weekends—crowds are bigger, and prices often go up. Looking for last-minute hotel deals? Our eSIM kept us connected to real-time maps and booking apps, making it easy to find the best offers on the go.
English is limited
We recommend you to download the Google Translate App and to download the language “Chinese Mandarin” so you can translate, in case you have no signal or internet. In case, you haven´t used the camera translation option this will be the perfect opportunity. We used it to translate menus and pretty much everything we wanted to read that did not have an English translation.
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Tipping is Not a Custom
In Taiwan, tipping isn’t part of the culture and can even feel awkward or inappropriate. Most restaurants automatically include a 10–15% service charge, so there’s no need to leave extra. This also applies to taxis and hotels—no tip required.
Dress code guidelines
Temples do not enforce strict dress code rules as some other countries do. However, we believe in being respectful and conscious when traveling. Consider wearing shoulder and knee-covering clothing when visiting temples. We did see locals wearing shorts or short skirts at temples. Check our Taiwan Temple Guide, if you want to know more and which were our favorite ones.
Taiwanese clothing style is conservative. Most women wear T-Shirts and no cleavage-revealing shirts or tight clothing. Shorts and short skirts are widely used. The majority wears sneakers or closed shoes, but you can wear any shoe you like.
READ | What to Pack for Taiwan: A Traveler’s Essential Guide
Know the Restaurant Basics
Search at the entrance or by the cashier for a menu and a marker. A marker? Yes, in many restaurants you will mark the item that you wish to order on the menu and once you are done choosing, go back and hand it over. In most restaurants or food stalls, you need to pay upfront before they even start to make your order.
Be careful on how you place your chopsticks, correctly resting on the table or across your bowl. Do not use them to point or gesture. NEVER stick them vertically into the bowl.
Feeling Like Having a Siesta?
Most restaurants have a break and will close between 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. and will open again at 5 p.m. You will be able to find some options, but depending where you are maybe not as many. But hey, there is always a convenience store around the corner to save you from starving.
Street food is the way to your heart!
Taiwanese food comes in all shapes, sizes, and flavors. A delight to your senses, the street food markets are going to be the places you will only want to have food from, believe us we could not get enough. There are many night markets across the country and we created a guide of the food you must try and the night markets you can´t miss.
READ | Taiwan Food Guide: Must-Try Dishes & Local Favorites
Great for Vegetarians, Less for Vegans
We loved how many vegetarian restaurants can be found pretty much everywhere across the country. About 35% of the population is Buddhist, which explains why there are many local vegetarian restaurants portraying the typical and delicious Taiwanese dishes meat-free. 7-11 offers vegetarian and plant based meals in their ready-to-eat section.
As we experienced many meals have cheese, milk or eggs. At least it is not like in other countries where fish-sauce or oyster-sauce is part of their seasoning routine. You can probably ask some restaurants to leave away the animal products, but you will be probably just be left off with some salad.
Waste-reducing essentials
We always carry our reusable water bottlers and in Taiwan it is an absolute dream. You can get drinkable water for free almost everywhere. You will be able to find water dispensers at temples, museums, accommodations, and visitor centers. There is also an app that you can use nationwide to find the closest water refill station.
The thing in Taiwan is: you will almost never find a trash can. If you visit a night market, by the end of the night you collected tons of trash and have no idea what to do with it. To avoid this, we have our own collapsible food container, sporks, and metal straws which we always carry in our daypacks.
An addition to our regular packing list for Taiwan you might need: reusable chopsticks and thick straws for your boba drinks.
Sadly, in many dine-in restaurants they will give you single-use spoons and chopsticks as they prioritize convenience.
Do you want to know more about the Eco-conscious items we travel with?
READ | How to pack more sustainably
The Ideal Destination for a Solo Female Traveler and Just Anyone Really
Ingrid-tested and Ingrid-approved. She wondered on her own for a couple of days and felt absolutely safe at all times. The public transport, walking alone at night and in lonely dark streets, drove taxis during the day and at night, walked around with all her valuables around her neck and did not receive a single sign of a threat. No catcalling, no dirty stares, no one implied anything.
Taiwan is the third safest country in the world and it is definitely true to its rank. You do not have to worry so much about your valuables, but there are signs and emergency buttons in public places to press in case of pick-pocketing and sexual harassment.
Smoking? Not Here
Please check for the signs that warn you about the places where you can and cannot smoke. For example, smoking while waiting for the bus is not allowed in Taiwan. Most public transport waiting areas or restaurants will let you know about how high the fine is for smoking at their premises. Yes, even if you are outside.
Bring your International Driving License
If you plan on renting a scooter or a car, please make sure to have your International Driving License with you. In some renting places, you will be asked to prove that your license allows you to drive a motorbike. Bring your driving license, international driving license and passport with you, whenever you plan on renting a scooter. We were asked to show these three when we rented a scooter in Kenting.
No Visa Troubles
Make sure that your passport is valid for at least six months from your intended entry date to avoid any complications.
Many nationalities (U.S., U.K., E.U., Australia and New Zealand) do not need to apply for a visa, if your stay is up to 90 days. For most South American and East Asian countries, your stay should not exceed 14 days. Check here for the exact requirements according to your nationality.
German, Korean, Australian, Italian and Singaporean citizens can go through the faster e-Gate process. First register yourself in the small office at the airport, then fill the form online and go through the e-Gate. This allows you to skip the line without going through an actual immigration officer.
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