Smart Self-Managed Tours

Country guide

Taiwan

A photograph of Taiwan
Photograph · Man Ng · CC BY 2.0

Taiwan is 394 km long and 144 km wide, and mountains take the eastern two-thirds of it — more than two hundred peaks above 3,000 m, the highest of them Yushan at 3,952 m. The 23,299,132 people counted in December 2025 are pressed into the western third, which is where the railway runs and where every city a visitor is likely to open sits: Taipei with New Taipei and Keelung at the north end, then Taichung, Tainan and Kaohsiung down the plain. The east coast is the other trip entirely, reached by crossing the ranges rather than skirting them.

Cities

Every city catalogued in this country so far, ranked by how much there is to see.

Practical information

Language spoken
Mandarin Chinese; Taiwanese Hokkien and other languages are widely used
National practical orientation; regional and minority languages may also be used
Dialling code
+886
International calling code; local area and mobile prefixes still apply
Currency
New Taiwan dollar (TWD)
Use the official local currency; card acceptance varies by place
Emergency number
110 police · 119 fire and ambulance
Use only for an emergency; tourist assistance may use a separate number
Plug type
Type A and B · 110 V
Check that chargers support the recorded voltage before using an adapter
Tap water
Not recorded
No verified nationwide visitor drinking-water statement was recorded

Planning a visit

  1. January: no seasonality data recorded
  2. February: no seasonality data recorded
  3. March: no seasonality data recorded
  4. April: no seasonality data recorded
  5. May: no seasonality data recorded
  6. June: seasonal closure recorded
  7. July: no seasonality data recorded
  8. August: no seasonality data recorded — this month
  9. September: no seasonality data recorded
  10. October: no seasonality data recorded
  11. November: no seasonality data recorded
  12. December: no seasonality data recorded

Top things to see

Ranked by importance — sitelinks, pageviews and heritage status, not editor preference.

  1. Lux Cinema
    03 2 hours

    Lux Cinema

    樂聲數位旗艦店

    • Notable
    • Entertainment venue
    • Taipei
  2. U2 Movie Box
    04 2 hours

    U2 Movie Box

    U2電影館

    • Notable
    • Entertainment venue
    • Taipei
  3. Vie Show Cinemas
    05 2 hours

    Vie Show Cinemas

    南港LaLaport威秀影城

    • Notable
    • Entertainment venue
    • Taipei
  4. Ambassador Theatre
    15 2 hours

    Ambassador Theatre

    國賓大戲院

    • Notable
    • Entertainment venue
    • Taipei
  5. Blossom Cinema
    16 2 hours

    Blossom Cinema

    梅花數位影院

    • Notable
    • Entertainment venue
    • Taipei
  6. Broadway Cinemas
    17 2 hours

    Broadway Cinemas

    百老匯影城

    • Notable
    • Entertainment venue
    • Taipei
  7. HURO WORLD
    21 2 hours

    HURO WORLD

    奇樂多歡樂世界

    • Notable
    • Entertainment venue
    • Taipei
  8. HYPER GAMER
    22 2 hours

    HYPER GAMER

    遊戲玩家 - HYPER GAMER

    • Notable
    • Entertainment venue
    • Taipei
  9. in89 Digital Cinemax
    23 2 hours

    in89 Digital Cinemax

    in89豪華數位影城

    • Notable
    • Entertainment venue
    • Taipei
  10. MASA MASA
    28 2 hours

    MASA

    • Notable
    • Entertainment venue
    • Taipei
  11. Miramar Cinemas
    29 2 hours

    Miramar Cinemas

    美麗華影城

    • Notable
    • Entertainment venue
    • Taipei
  12. Orange
    30 2 hours

    Orange

    橘子新樂園

    • Notable
    • Entertainment venue
    • Taipei
  13. PlanB Studio
    31 2 hours

    PlanB Studio

    • Notable
    • Entertainment venue
    • Taipei
  14. SHIN KONG CINEMAS
    32 2 hours

    SHIN KONG CINEMAS

    新光影城

    • Notable
    • Entertainment venue
    • Taipei
  15. Tom's World
    37 2 hours

    Tom's World

    湯姆熊歡樂世界

    • Notable
    • Entertainment venue
    • Taipei
  16. U2 電影館
    38 2 hours

    U2 電影館

    • Notable
    • Entertainment venue
    • Taipei
  17. U2電影館
    39 2 hours

    U2電影館

    • Notable
    • Entertainment venue
    • Taipei
  18. Vieshow Cinema
    40 2 hours

    Vieshow Cinema

    台北京站威秀影城

    • Notable
    • Entertainment venue
    • Taipei
  19. Vie Show Cinemas
    41 2 hours

    Vie Show Cinemas

    威秀影城

    • Notable
    • Entertainment venue
    • Taipei
  20. Vie Show Cinemas
    42 2 hours

    Vie Show Cinemas

    威秀影城

    • Notable
    • Entertainment venue
    • Taipei
  21. Wonderful Theatre
    44 2 hours

    Wonderful Theatre

    真善美劇院

    • Notable
    • Entertainment venue
    • Taipei
  22. 佳佳影城
    45 2 hours

    佳佳影城

    • Notable
    • Entertainment venue
    • Taipei
  23. 哈拉影城
    49 2 hours

    哈拉影城

    • Notable
    • Entertainment venue
    • Taipei
  24. 夢想夾
    52 2 hours

    夢想夾

    • Notable
    • Entertainment venue
    • Taipei
  25. 天臺影城
    53 2 hours

    天臺影城

    • Notable
    • Entertainment venue
    • Taipei
  26. 夾娃娃店
    55 2 hours

    夾娃娃店

    • Notable
    • Entertainment venue
    • Taipei
  27. 夾娃娃機
    56 2 hours

    夾娃娃機

    • Notable
    • Entertainment venue
    • Taipei
  28. 夾娃娃機
    57 2 hours

    夾娃娃機

    • Notable
    • Entertainment venue
    • Taipei
  29. 夾客村
    59 2 hours

    夾客村

    • Notable
    • Entertainment venue
    • Taipei
  30. 夾趣Play
    60 2 hours

    夾趣Play

    • Notable
    • Entertainment venue
    • Taipei
  31. 娃娃店
    61 2 hours

    娃娃店

    • Notable
    • Entertainment venue
    • Taipei
  32. 娃娃獵人
    62 2 hours

    娃娃獵人

    • Notable
    • Entertainment venue
    • Taipei
  33. 娃娃瘋
    63 2 hours

    娃娃瘋

    • Notable
    • Entertainment venue
    • Taipei
  34. 寶夾790
    64 2 hours

    寶夾790

    • Notable
    • Entertainment venue
    • Taipei
  35. 小時候
    65 2 hours

    小時候

    • Notable
    • Entertainment venue
    • Taipei
  36. 抓娃娃
    70 2 hours

    抓娃娃

    • Notable
    • Entertainment venue
    • Taipei
  37. 抓抓族
    71 2 hours

    抓抓族

    • Notable
    • Entertainment venue
    • Taipei
  38. 拉拉寶
    73 2 hours

    拉拉寶

    • Notable
    • Entertainment venue
    • Taipei
  39. 朝代戲院
    75 2 hours

    朝代戲院

    • Notable
    • Entertainment venue
    • Taipei
  40. 湳山戲院
    80 2 hours

    湳山戲院

    • Notable
    • Entertainment venue
    • Taipei
  41. 爪爪 CATCH
    81 2 hours

    爪爪 CATCH

    • Notable
    • Entertainment venue
    • Taipei
  42. 爪耙子
    82 2 hours

    爪耙子

    • Notable
    • Entertainment venue
    • Taipei
  43. 諾亞方舟
    90 2 hours

    諾亞方舟

    • Notable
    • Entertainment venue
    • Taipei
  44. 陽明戲院
    93 2 hours

    陽明戲院

    • Notable
    • Entertainment venue
    • Taipei

Source: OpenStreetMap contributors, Wikidata ·

Common questions

How long should a first trip to Taiwan be?

Seven to ten days can combine three or four days in Taipei with Tainan, Taichung or Kaohsiung on the western rail corridor. The east coast, central mountains and offshore islands require slower connections and should replace, rather than merely extend, that compact route.

What entry documents are needed for Taiwan?

Taiwan’s National Immigration Agency provides the current entry and online-arrival requirements. Check passport eligibility and permitted duration there, with consular guidance where relevant; do not assume a transit permission or previous visa exemption covers a different journey.

What is the best way to travel around Taiwan?

Taoyuan Airport connects to Taipei by airport metro, and high-speed rail makes western cities straightforward to combine. Conventional rail and buses reach the east and smaller places, but mountain roads take longer and are more vulnerable to weather disruption.

When is a practical time to visit Taiwan?

Spring and autumn often suit city and rail travel, while summer brings heat, heavy rain and typhoon risk. Mountain conditions can diverge sharply from Taipei or Kaohsiung, so check the Central Weather Administration outlook for the specific route.

What money and payment basics apply in Taiwan?

New Taiwan dollar is the recorded currency. Transit stations and urban shops increasingly support electronic payment, yet night markets and small regional businesses may prefer cash; withdraw TWD through recognised banking channels and verify any foreign-card fee.

What practical safety details should I save for Taiwan?

Use 110 for police and 119 for fire or ambulance; Taiwan uses Type A and B sockets at 110 V. Tap-water guidance is Not recorded here, and typhoon or earthquake instructions should be taken from official alerts rather than social-media summaries.