Taiwan Budget Travel Guide is created to help budget travelers plan their trip there. Taiwan is an island group located between the South China Sea and the East China Sea. It is under the administration of the Republic of China (ROC) since the Chinese Civil War of 1949.
Taiwan was known as Formosa, after the Portuguese name for it, Ilha Formosa, meaning "Beautiful Island". It is separated from mainland China by the 180-km-wide Taiwan Strait. The main island of Taiwan is 394 kilometres (245 miles) long and 144 kilometers (89 miles) wide. Taiwan is surrounded by mainland China to the west, the main islands of Japan to the northeast, the Ryukyu Islands of Japan to the east, the Philippines to the south. Apart from the main island, other islets which are part of Taiwan include the Pescadores, Green Island, Orchid Island, and Pengchia Island.
Taiwan experienced rapid economic growth in the decades after World War II, transforming it into an advanced economy. Technology industry plays a key role in the Taiwan economy. Taiwanese companies manufacture a large proportion of the world's consumer electronics, although most of them are made in their factories in mainland China.
Fast Facts about Taiwan
Official Name: Republic of China
Capital: Taipei (2,800,000)
Population of the Taiwan: 22,900,000
Languages: Mandarin Chinese (official), Taiwanese
Currency: New Taiwan Dollar
Religions: Buddhist, Confucian, Taoist, others
Size: 35,980 sq km (13,892 sq miles)
Region: Asia
Taiwan Hotels
Taiwan is one of the higher-priced travel destinations in Asia. It is wise therefore to check and compare the price of hotel rooms before making your booking. Different Hotel Booking websites actually offer the same hotel room at vastly different prices. Use our free Taiwan Hotel Search Engine to view hotel room rates from all the major hotel booking sites. It helps you in making an informed decision that will potentially save you a lot of money.
The Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport (TPE), formerly known as the Chiang Kai-Shek International Airport, is the main international gateway to Taiwan. The airport is located 40 km to the southwest of Taipei. It is the homebase for China Airlines and EVA Air. Other airlines flying to the airport includes, in alphabetical order, AirAsia, Cathay Pacific, Jetstar, KLM Asia, Malaysia Airlines, Northwest, Silkair, Singapore Airlines, Thai Airways, United Airlines and Vietnam Airlines.
The airport comprises Terminal 1 and Terminal 2. They are connected by a Skytrain that ply between the two stations between 2-4 minutes during peak hours, and 4-8 minutes during off-peak hours.
There are several public buses that can take you from the airport into Taipei. The Terminal I Bus Platform is on the southwest side of the Arrival Hall while the Terminal II Bus Platform is on the northeast side of the Arrival Hall. The bus fare is around NT$110 to NT$140 per adult.
You can of course catch a taxi from the airport to Taipei. Expect to pay around NT$1,100 for a trip into the city. This includes a 50% surcharge . The taxi queue is located just outside the Arrival Halls of both terminals.
Budget Travel within Taiwan
Probably the fastest way to travel in Taiwan is to take the new Taiwan High Speed Rail, or HSR. This is a bullet train built using the Japanese Shinkansen technology. The HSR connects Taipei to Zuoying in Kaohsiung, covering the journey of 345 km (215 miles) in just 90 minutes. The ticket price is NT$ 1,490 on Economy Class and NT$ 2,440 on Business Class.
Taipei Budget Travel Guide Taipei, the capital of Taiwan, is a city with a lot of exciting tourist attractions. In this budget travel guide, we show you all the places worth visiting in the city.
Yangmingshan and Tanshui Tourist Attractions Yangmingshan and Tanshui are scenic areas immediately to the north of Taipei. They are perfect for tourists who don't have much time to explore the island.
Northeast Coast Tourist Attractions The northeast coast is lined with fishing villages along the narrow strip between the mountains and the Pacific Ocean.
Before booking a hotel room, make sure you are getting the lowest price for it. Different hotel booking websites offers the same room at different prices. If you stick with one site all the time, you could be paying more for the same room. Now why pay more?
The form below is a Research Engine. It doesn't take bookings. Instead it lets you find the hotel booking website that offers the room you want at the lowest price. You can see and compare what different sites are offering, and then click to choose the one with the best price. Do this, and you're guaranteed to save a whole lot of money on your room reservations!
If you're flying somewhere, use our Flight Checker to compare the rates from different airlines. To use it, enter where you will be flying from, where you will be flying to, your departure date and return date. Select the number of passengers, and then click search.
Our engine will return you a list of possible flights that you can take. You can compare the fare of different airlines for your trip. Click on your selected airline, and we transfer you to the airline website.
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