August 2020
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In a nutshell, these are the top 10 tips that you need when travelling to Taiwan. I hope you find them helpful and that you enjoy your stay in Taiwan, be it having delicious street food, shopping or even exploring around different cities. We can help you plan your Taiwan holiday, please contact us for more information.
If you are travelling to Taiwan for the first time without knowing how to speak Mandarin, fear not as many of the locals, especially the younger generation speak English. All of the metro stations, buses and trains have English signage so it will be very convenient for you to figure out where you need to go. The locals are incredibly friendly and they are more than happy to help you out if you do get lost. In addition to that, most of the restaurants have an English version of their menu, so feel free to ask for one.
Taiwan’s currency is called the New Taiwan Dollar (NTD). The bills come in denominations of 100, 200, 500, 1000 and 2000. The coins come in units of 1, 5, 10 and 50. When visiting Taiwan, do bring a lot of cash with you as the majority of places do not accept credit cards. This is especially true when you are taking the MRT or even when you are at restaurants or night market or even when buying bubble tea. In saying that, feel free to go to the ATM to withdraw some cash as they are available everywhere and they do accept foreign cards. Do remember to save your receipts so that you can exchange unused NT dollars before departing Taiwan.
The Easy Card is the best method to pay for transportation in Taiwan. You can use it on everything, from the bus, subway, train and even for bicycles (YouBike) on the street. This is exceptionally useful on the bus and for bicycles as you need to pay the exact amount if paying by cash. You can also use it to pay for stuff at the convenience stores. The card itself cost NT100 and you can load it up for use and top it up whenever you like.
Taiwan is famous for its street food that is sold at various night markets throughout the country. For some people, when they travel to Asia they may be concerned that street food will make them unwell. However, the street food in Taiwan is all clean and safe, so you don’t have to worry when trying it out. The food is so cheap and you can eat and walk as you explore different stalls and trust me, that can be your meal for the night as you will be very full from tasting the delicious snacks Taiwan has to offer.
As bubble tea has become immensely popular in Western countries, it is a must-try when in Taiwan and you can find this sweet drink everywhere. Tainan City is where bubble tea was first invented, so for the real connoisseur, this is the place to go. The drinks are easy to order as they also have an English menu.
Do keep in mind though, you need to tell them how much ice and sugar you would like in your drink. Ice is known as “bing” in Mandarin, and there are 3 options other than the standard level that you can choose from. “Shao Bing” less ice, “Wei Bing” little ice, “Qu Bing” no ice. The same goes for sugar as well. Sugar is known as “tang” in Mandarin, and it goes from “Shao Tang” less sugar, “Wei Tang” little sugar, “Wu-Tang” no sugar.
For the adults, alcoholic drinks are sold just about everywhere in Taiwan and this includes convenience stores such as 7/11, Family Mart etc. You can choose to drink while walking and no, you won’t get a fine, just as long as you behave appropriately. A lot of locals like to drink while they are at the park with friends or even at basketball courts, the only place where you are not allowed to do so is when you are riding the metro.
The MRT (Mass Rapid Transit) system in Taiwan is considered one of the best in Asia. When entering, you can see how clean and efficient everything is. The signs are in both English and Mandarin and you also don’t have to worry about running for the metro as the next one comes within 10 minutes. Everyone lines up in an orderly manner and will wait for people to get off the metro before boarding. The dark blue chairs inside the metro are only for the elderly, disabled or pregnant women. So, try your best to not sit in one, you’ll be receiving a lot of silent stares otherwise. Try to not talk as well as being silent is considered to be respectful in Taiwanese culture.
This is very important when taking the escalators in the MRT stations or shopping malls. Please keep in mind to stand on the right side of the escalators as people use the left side of the escalator to walk up.
When it comes to WIFI, Taiwan is among the most WIFI ready places in the world. There are free and paid WIFI hotspots all over every city and most towns, making it convenient for you to surf the net or connect with your loved ones.
It is a lovely time to visit Taiwan as the temperature isn’t too hot or too cold. Though if you choose to go hiking up in the north and in the mountains, do wear a jacket as the weather can be pretty chilly there. In contrast, the weather is always hot and sunny down in the south.
Summer in Taiwan is humid and typhoons can more frequent. It can be annoying as you will be trapped indoors for a day or two with food supplies and nothing to do. The good thing about the humidity is that you can wear shorts and t-shirts and the malls, movie theatres, as well as the subways, are fully air-conditioned, making it relaxing to stroll around.
The weather isn’t too chilly but is slightly damp as winter is about to sink in. Do dress in layers and bring rain gear in case of the rain. The Mid Autumn Festival falls during this period and it gets really crowded and festive as people will be eating mooncakes and also playing with paper lanterns.
Winter in Taiwan can get really cold, with temperatures as low as 8 degrees. Do layer yourself with a winter coat and scarf as you’ll be freezing otherwise.
Taiwan uses 110V AC, the sockets are made for standard American In a nutshell, these are the top 10 tips that you need when travelling to Taiwan. I hope you find them helpful and that you enjoy your stay in Taiwan, be it having delicious street food, shopping or even exploring around different cities. We can help you plan your Taiwan holiday, please contact us for more information. two-pin flat plugs. So do remember to bring an adapter so you can charge your electronic devices. Though, you can also buy plug converters or voltage converters in any electronic or hardware store.
In a nutshell, these are the top 10 tips that you need when travelling to Taiwan. I hope you find them helpful and that you enjoy your stay in Taiwan, be it having delicious street food, shopping or even exploring around different cities. We can help you plan your Taiwan holiday, please contact us for more information.
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