Taiwan: What to know before you go

Posted by: Josh and Liz, 16 January 2026

This is our short tip sheet to help you prepare for a trip to Taiwan.

While you can find more detailed information about various locations on our other guides, this page is to help you with some general tips and information about the Taiwan holiday experience.

Taiwan in one line

A mix of busy cities and hilly, rural areas with beautiful scenery, with a very distinct character to any other country in East Asia.

The outside of a large modern temple building, with traditional pagoda style roofs on its corners. The front left of the temple is covered by a large grassy hill

And in several more lines

Mountainous and rural areas in Taiwan are beautiful almost without fail, in a way that’s very distinct to other countries we’ve visited in East and South-East Asia. There are a huge amount of hiking and cycling opportunities, with Chishang, Sun Link Sea and Kending among our favourite places for this.

It’s suitable for travellers on any budget. There is an outstanding food scene in Taipei with a large number of high-end restaurants for those with money to spend. Budget travellers can find good quality food for much lower prices.

Fans of big cities might not find as much to love here as in some nearby countries – Seoul in South Korea, or Tokyo and Kyoto in Japan stood out more in this regard – but Taipei, Taichung, and Kaohsiung in particular are still well worth a visit.

Backpackers can find hostel accommodation at decent prices, even in Taipei.

Grassy light rail tracks stretch into the distance. In the background are skyscrapers, and left of the tracks are wharf buildings converted into shops

Public transport

Roads and driving behaviour were not as bad as we’d expected, based on what we’d read on other guides. Tha's not to say driving standards are the highest you'll find on your travels, but we've experienced far worse elsewhere.

Public transport is generally cheap, particularly compared to what Liz and I are accustomed to in the UK. High speed trains are more expensive than local trains but not unreasonably so.

Pavements can be very cluttered in cities, with scooters parked where you’re hoping to walk. It makes for a less relaxing stroll and some streets might be challenging for people with mobility impairments.

Get an EasyCard on arrival. At Taipei Taiyuan international airport, you'll find a machine selling these cards by the entrance to the Metro Station. You'll need a minimum of 500NT$ in cash at this machine, as card payments aren't accepted. You can also buy these cards at convenience stores like 7/11 and FamilyMart, but you might have to pay extra as we could only find cards with premium designs - cute cats and pop-culture references, that kind of thing.

Your EasyCard can be used on almost all public transport, including buses, metro services and local trains and rental Ubikes. You can top it up at a ticket machine at any train or metro station, or at the counter of convenience stores like 7/11 and FamilyMart.

Uber is available in most parts of Taiwan, but not in some places along the East coast. Other local taxi apps such as Yoxi require a Taiwan phone number to work properly. If you’re heading out for a hike or to explore, make sure you plan how you’re going to get back.

Journey information and announcements on bus, train and metro journeys are translated into English, so you’re unlikely to ever get lost once on your chosen transport.

A monkey in a leafy tree looks over its shoulder

On buses

Use Taiwanbus.tw to find out bus route information, and use Yunbus.tw for live bus tracking.

Buses are very cheap and generally on time. Unsurprisingly, you might face occasional delays if catching buses on longer routes, such as the tourist shuttle bus running between Khaosiung and Kenting.

Pay using EasyCard by tapping the reader, usually at the front of the bus next to the driver.

On trains and metro services

Train journeys on High Speed Rail services require a ticket, which you can buy from staffed counters or ticket machines at stations.

Metro services and local trains (TRA services) can be paid for by tapping your EasyCard on the reader at the ticket gates.

Seats on local trains are not reserved, so get to the platform early in order to be first on board.

Metro stations and train stations are very well signposted, with English translations. Taipei’s metro system signage will be familiar to anyone who’s visited Tokyo, with far fewer lines and ways to get confused.

There will sometimes be two train stations with the same name. Check to make sure you know if you’re travelling to the High Speed Rail station or TRA (local trains) station when planning your journeys, as these won’t always be next to each other.

A long distance shot of Fo Guang Shan Buddha Museum, focused on a large golden buddha statue with a row of pagodas leading to it

Eating and drinking

Restaurants often close very early, compared to in most Western countries. On more than one occasion we were turned away from restaurants at 7PM because it was closing time, or because last orders were an hour before the stated closing time. It’s not a big issue in the bigger cities, where there are more options, but plan to eat early if staying in smaller towns or villages.

If all else fails, there’s always 7/11.

There isn’t a big drinking culture in Taiwan. It’s certainly not impossible to find a bar, but nor will you be spoiled for choice.

The coffee options, in Taipei in particular, are outstanding.

If you decide the traditional Taiwanese breakfast isn’t for you, you’ll find plenty of Western-style brunch and breakfast places in the big cities too.

Avoid drinking the tap water. The issue isn't how water is treated but the potential for contamination once water is piped into buildings, particularly older ones.

For vegetarians and vegans

I’m vegetarian, but I'll be a little bit flexible on holidays to make sure I eat. I try my very best to get veggie food but I’m willing to pick around small amounts of meat that end up on my plate if there’s been a miscommunication. If this is you, you’ll be fine.

Stricter vegetarians and vegans can eat well in most parts of Taiwan. Looking for restaurants or night market stalls with the Buddhist swastika symbol is a good way to be sure you’re eating fully vegan food.

But in some rural areas, including on Green Island, vegans might struggle. Check there’s somewhere you can eat before booking a hotel if you’re outside the main tourist destinations. If you don’t mind a basic meal for one night or two, you should be able to find one or two vegan instant ramen choices in the 7/11 – which I quite enjoyed, after a couple too many nights of grilled corn from the night markets.

If using translation apps, write “I don’t eat meat or fish” as “vegetarian” might not translate exactly they way you need it to. And be clear when ordering a vegetarian or vegan main, that means any side dishes need to be veggie too – I’m not so flexitarian that I could eat the unexpectedly bacon-filled rice that came with a mushroom dish in Taipei.

Happy Cow lists vegetarian options in Taiwan. Google Maps is sometimes twicely unreliable – with some restaurants not open when listed, and a search for “vegetarian” restaurants often listing distinctly meat-heavy options.

For vegetarians and vegans

Tall tree trunks in a dense forest in Sun Link Sea, Taiwan

Money

Bring cash. A lot of places, including any night market stall you’ll visit, will be cash only.

If you need to withdraw more money with an international bank card, use the ATMs at 7/11. We had mixed results with ATMs at banks and in Family Marts.

You cannot withdraw money on Green Island with an international bank card.

The language barrier

Some Taiwanese people speak very good English, but many others do not. Translation apps will get you by in most places.

It’s worth trying to learn a few basic phrases in Taiwanese Mandarin (Guoyu) before you go. Here are a few simple words you can try:
- Ni hao (pronounced nee how) - Hello
- Xièxiè (pronounced shyeh-shyeh) - Thank you
- Bāibāi (pronounced... bye bye) - Goodbye

A view of Khaosiung's skyline, with mid-rise buildings in the foreground giving way to high-rise buildings behind

The weather

It’s warm, all year round. The lowest average temperatures in Taipei are in January, which gets down to 16 degrees Celsius. Temperatures are warmer in the South – in Khaosiung, the lowest average temperature in January is 18 degrees Celsuis.

Taiwan can also be very humid, so the mid-30-degrees average temperatures in summer months are going to feel a lot hotter.

Some islands become much harder to get to in winter. From October onwards, ferry cancellations are possible when trying to reach Green Island to the East and Orchid Island to the South due to strong winds and rain.

If you want to visit the Penghu Islands to the West of mainland Taiwan, plan a spring or summer visit.

Taipei is often wet. Rainy season in Taiwan runs from around the end of May to September, but Taipei has – well, I couldn't find a reliable precise average – more rainy days than most other parts of Taiwan. We visited in October and November and both times the weather was rainy.

A tree-covered mountainside on a mostly sunny day, with some misty clouds hanging over the peaks. There are fern trees in the foreground. Taken in Xitou, Taiwan

Things you don't need to worry about

Taiwan is a safe and welcoming country. Here’s a list of things you might be worried about before travelling, if you're anything like me, and why you probably don’t need to be.

I would only worry if:

I forgot my waterproof coat, particularly in rainy season from May to October.

I’d not remembered to bring long-sleeved, loose-fitting clothes and trousers while hiking. You’re likely to get a few insect bites if you’re not covered up.

I’d planned a shoulder season trip to Green Island, without having enough time to be flexible about which days I visited. Read more about Green Island on our guide.

Whatever you do...

Do not forget your waterproof coat.
Do not trust your phone's in-built weather app, when it tells you it will be sunny until long after you're back at your hotel.
Do not wear shorts, based on what your phone tells you.
Do not accept the bike hire salesperson's kind offer of a poncho, in case your weather app is wrong.
Do not wear said poncho when it inevitably starts to rain.
Definitely do not agree to pose for a picture when Liz asks you to.
And under no circumstances should you post said picture on a travel site where anyone can see it.

Follow just one of the steps above, and you just might avoid looking like this on the world wide web.

Don't worry about

Stray dogs
- That’s not to say you shouldn’t take care around any strays you encounter – you should be cautious around any wild animal. But some online comments about stray dogs didn’t really reflect our experience in Taiwan.
- Any dogs that try to follow you briefly are probably just checking if there’s any chance you’ll leave a scrap of food, or maybe are just curious about you.
- There are a lot of strays in some places but numbers are starting to be controlled by neuter and release programmes.
- We had no issues at all on our trip… but could see how a traveller nervous around dogs, and unsure how to react, could be concerned.
- There have been no documented cases of rabies in dogs in Taiwan in decades.

Mr Brown Boulevard in Chishang runs down the middle of this picture to mountains in the background. There are rice fields to either side

Mosquitoes
- There’s a good chance you’re going to get bitten by a mosquito while in Taiwan but we weren’t eaten alive to the same extent we have been in some other countries.
- If you’re someone prone to feeling anxiety about your health, it might reassure you to know that Taiwan has generally low rates of mosquito-borne disease.
- As of 10 November, there had been only 29 confirmed local cases of Dengue fever in 2025. The last major dengue outbreak was in 2023, when 26,429 indigenous cases were reported, predominantly in Kaohsiung and Tainan. Having had dengue before, I’d be ultra-cautious and arrange for a vaccine before travelling – in the UK, the vaccine is not available on the NHS, and doses are given three months apart.
- There is no risk of getting malaria in Taiwan.
- According to TravelHealthPro, there is no risk of Yellow Fever in Taiwan.
- Taiwan reported its first case of Chikungunya fever in 2025, in a traveller returning from an outbreak area in China. There have been no reported local cases of Chikungunya as of January 2026.

A coastal path on Green Island leading towards the ocean. A large rock covered in grass and bushy plants are in the middle ground, with the beach and sea behind

Feeling like a fish out of water
- You’ll face a language barrier if you’re a native English speaker. But Taiwanese people were always patient with us, and very pleased to welcome us to their country. The locals that did speak English often went out of their way to approach us and give us helpful advice.

Complicated social etiquette
- If you follow this advice on Rough Guides, you’ll be 90% of the way there.
- I also found this Reddit thread helpful for the comments on etiquette while eating, and for reassurance that I wouldn’t face scorn for holding Liz’s hand in public. Ignore the more alarmist comments about pedestrian safety.
- If you’re visiting a temple, dress conservatively, keep your voice quiet, and check for signs telling you if photos are prohibited. This guide on Travel.Taipei has much more detail.