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| Taipei City from Elephant Mountain |
My Taiwan Blog will be divided into the following:
a. Taiwan Travel Guide (below)
c. Places to Visit in Taiwan
1 Taipei
Visa for
Filipinos
Starting
November 1, 2017, Filipinos/Philippine Passport Holder can now enjoy a
Visa-Free entry to Taiwan (tourism, business, visiting relative, attending
functions) for a duration stay of up to 14 days. This visa-free initiative
shall undergo a 9-month trial period until July 31, 2018.
Basic
Requirements:
1 - Passport
must have remaining validity of at least six months starting from date of
arrival in Taiwan
- Applicant
must possess an onward/return air or ferry ticket
- No
criminal record in Taiwan
- Proof
of accommodation
Those who
intend to stay for more than 14 days to study, work or do missionary work and
other activites are required to obtain the appropriate visas before entering
Taiwan.
For further reference, click here.
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| Taiwan's sky line viewed from plane |
How to
Reach Taiwan from Manila
During my
visit in Taiwan, I flew via Cebu Pacific. I got mine on promo for PHP 2,000
(RT). This excludes check-in baggage fee, meals and travel tax. Other airlines such
as Airasia and Pal offers flights to Taiwan as well. You may check the
airlines’ website to compare rates.
Climate
in Taiwan
Spring –
March to May
Summer –
June to August
Autumn –
September to November
Winter –
December to February
I visited
Taiwan in October. The weather was windy and cold. It was raining in northern Taiwan
and in Taipei while it was sunny & windy in Taichung.
Where
to exchange your PHP
Taiwan
uses New Taiwan Dollar. I had my PHP exchanged at Czarina Exchange. During the
time of my visit the exchange rate is 1 NTD = 1.71 PHP
Czarina –
1 NTD = 1.85 NTD
NAIA T3 –
1 NTD = 1.89 NTD
There are
also banks in Taoyuan Airport that are open 24/7 but with higher exchange rate.
You can
use your credit cards at some establishment (i.e. railway station, bus
terminals, restaurants) and the charge is the actual exchange rate plus 3%. You
have to call your local bank beforehand.
FYI. For
Czarina Exchange, you need to call their office to check if they have available
NTDs and when is the best time to pick it up.
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| Jiefun Old Street |
How to
get out of Taoyuan Airport
Taoyuan
International Aiport is Taiwan’s largest airport located in Tauyuan County.
Kindly
note that Taoyuan Airport has two Terminals. Terminal 1 and Terminal 2. There are three ways to get
out of the airport.
- Airport
MRT
First Train is at 6:00AM. You can either choose
the Express Train (violet) which has lesser stops or the Commuter Train (blue).
Fare is 160NTD. You can pay using Easy card, Ipass and HappyCash. Those who do
not have an electronic ticket can purchase one at the Airport MRT Station.
I used the Express Train and travel time to
Taipei Main Station was approximately 45
mins.
- Bus
Kuo-Kuang
Motor Transport 1819
Route: Taoyuan Airport to Taipei Main Station
Fare: NTD 125 with 7 stops
Business Hours: 00:10 - 23:55
Trip length: One hour with 7 stops
Intervals: 15-20
minutes
For further reference, click here.
Evergreen Bus 5201 Bus
Fare: NTD 124
Business hours: 06:15 –
00:30
Trip Length: 40-50
minutes
For further reference, click here. Reference:
Ticketing: Tickets sold
at bus counters.
Terminal 1 bus pickup
point: Bus pickup zone at B1 Arrivals
Terminal 2 bus pickup
point: Bus pickup zone at the northeast arcade of the 1st floor
Arrivals lobby
- Taxi/Hire
a Car
Taxis are located at the west side of the
terminal 1’s and terminal 2’s Arrivals Lobby. Taxi fare is based on meter,
highway tolls are not included.
Approx Fare: NTD 1,000
For further info about Taoyuan Airport, click here.
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| Lavanders at Chungshe Flower Garden |
How to
get around Taiwan
As with
getting out of the Taoyuan Airport, you can get around in Taiwan using bus,
train or taxis.
Buying
Easycard will make your transfers easy.
Where
to buy Easy Card
Easy Card
is a touch-and-go IC Ticketing system for the Taipei Metro, bus services, car
parks, stores and government agencies. You can get one from the convenience
store in the basement of the arrival hall. The card itself cost NTD 100 and you
have to top it up to add value to the card. You can top it up at vending
machines, stores and information area of the metro station.
If at the
end of your trip, you have remaining balance on your card. You can have it
refunded at the information area of the metro station. You can also opt to keep
it and use it again. These cards have a validity of 20 years.
Reference:
https://www.easycard.com.tw/english/easycard/index.asp
Pocket
Wifi
Pocket
Wifi is an essential in Taiwan! Most of the people do not know how to speak English
so Google Translate is there to save the day.
I used
Klook to reserve for a pocket wifi for only PHP 625 for 5 days!
- Provided by one of Taiwan's biggest providers for access all over Taiwan
- Unlimited data of 4G Wifi
- 8 hours battery life on one charge
- Can connect up to 5 devices at once
- Convenient pick-up and return at Taipei Taoyuan, Songshan or Kaohsiung airports
- Drop-off at the same booth even after business hours
- Business hours: 05:30 - 01:30
You will need credit card details to check out the device.
For Pocket Wifi Rental, click here.
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| Xinshe Castle at Summer Garden Resort |
Lockers
In cases
where you have your baggage with you, you can leave them at MRT Station. I left
my bag at Taipei Main Station and got it back after my Taiwan North Tour. The
lockers are coin operated. You can exchange your bills at the coin vending
machine nearby. Also, the fee depends on the size of the lockers. The service
hours are the same as the station operation hours (except Tamsui Station)
The
lockers generate a single-use electronic PIN. Be sure not to lose this. I took
a photo of my password just in case I lost it. Usage under one hour is
considered one hour. The maximum rental period is 1 day (24 hhours). After 24
hours, the PIN will become void and the items will be removed from the locker
company to another location and stored for a maximum period of 30 days for a
fee equivalent to the rate of the locker fees. Items not retrieved within 30
days will be disposed of.
Lockers info here.
If you
get to Taiwan by Midnight
I arrived
in Taoyuan Airport at midnight. Though there are buses/taxis that would take
you Taipei, most of the tourist attraction are still closed that time. Instead
of booking a hotel, I slept at the airport lounge. The airport have lounges
with free charging and free wifi. Also, there are good comfort rooms and free
warm and cold water at the airport.
As
mentioned above, the Airport MRT opens at 6:00 AM.
Klook
For Wifi,
and Taiwan tours I advise to use Klook for affordable packages.
Click here for travels, accommodations, transfers, tours, etc.
Click here for travels, accommodations, transfers, tours, etc.
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| Sun Moon Lake viewed from Xuanguang Temple |
Where
to Stay
There are
lots of hotel and hostels in Taiwan. You can use agoda, booking.com. etc. to search for accommodations that will suit you and your pocket.
I had hard time looking for one because
some of them (those with lower cost) do not cater large group. So I guess,
Taiwan is a backpacker haven! For larger group at a cheap fee, you can consider
using Airbnb.
I booked
Chance Hotel in Taichung and used Airbnb
in Taipei. Both were around PHP700 per night.
Time
Difference
There is
no time difference between the Philippines and Taiwan.
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| Rainbow Village |
Taiwan
uses military time
Most
Taiwanese use military time. So when they say 05:00, it’s 5 AM. 😊
Language
used in Taiwan
Majority
of Taiwanese speak Mandarin Chinese and would not understand English and cannot
read English alphabet. The most precious thing you can have would be your
Google Translate app 😊
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| Sun Moon Lake Ropeway |
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