Taipei Airline Crew Layover Guide
Reviewed by Captain AL
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The TPE crew card
| Fastest into town | Airport MRT Express (purple) to Taipei Main Station: 36 minutes from Terminal 1 (A12) and 39 minutes from Terminal 2 (A13), departing every 15 minutes for almost the whole service day |
|---|---|
| First and last train | From Airport Terminal 1 Station (A12) toward Taipei Main Station the first Express is 05:58 and the last is 22:58; the first Commuter is 06:07 and the last is 23:37. There is no all-night rail service. From Terminal 2 (A13) the times differ and are earlier: first Express 05:55 and last 22:55, first Commuter 06:04 and last 23:35 |
| Payments | The Airport MRT takes EasyCard, iPass and HappyCash 2.0 stored value cards. Single journey tokens are sold at token issuing machines and the information counter, and are collected by the gate when you exit |
| Tap water | Safe to drink in Taipei |
| Emergency | 119 for fire and ambulance, 110 for police (Taiwan national numbers plus Taipei City lines. Read the VoLTE tip: a handset without 4G voice cannot dial any of these.) · non-emergency 02-2556-6007 |
| Solo & at night | Taiwan’s Tourism Administration advises hailing taxis only in proper locations or through trusted platforms, fastening your seat belt, watching your belongings, and confirming the fare with the driver before the journey starts |
| Crew knows | Express and Commuter charge the same TWD 160, so the blue train never saves you money. It only costs you about a quarter of an hour. Where it earns its place is at night: the last Express from Terminal 1 leaves at 22:58 and the last Commuter at 23:37, so once the purple train has gone the blue one is still running. |
| Crew deals | Verified car rental and hotel rates for airline staff: on this page, right below this guide. |
airlinecrewdiscount.net · TPE crew card · Checked Aug 2026 · Next check Nov 2026 · Screenshot this card for offline
Every number on this page comes from an official source. Where no official source gives a number, we say so instead of guessing.
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Getting from Taoyuan Airport into Taipei: the purple Express, the blue Commuter, or a taxi?
Taoyuan is not a city airport. It sits in Dayuan District, Taoyuan City, outside Taipei, so every layover here starts with a decision about the ride in. The Airport MRT does almost all of the work, and the choice that matters is Express or Commuter, because the two differ by roughly a quarter of an hour in each direction.
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| Mode | Time | Cost | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Train (Airport MRT Express, purple) | 36 minutes from Airport Terminal 1 Station (A12) and 39 minutes from Airport Terminal 2 Station (A13) to Taipei Main Station (A1) every 15 minutes, with a single 30 minute gap on weekday mornings (07:13 to 07:43); at weekends all 68 gaps are exactly 15 minutes and there is no long gap |
TWD 160 single journey from either terminal | Express trains are purple and stop only at A1 Taipei Main Station, A3 New Taipei Industrial Park, A8 Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, A12 Airport Terminal 1 and A13 Airport Terminal 2. First and last departures from A12 toward Taipei are 05:58 and 22:58. The Taoyuan City Government portal gives this ride as 35 minutes rather than 36; both readings are official. Two exceptions to the 36 minutes: the last two departures of the day, 22:43 and 22:58, are timetabled at 38 minutes. |
| Train (Airport MRT Commuter, blue) | about 49 minutes A12 to A1 on almost every run, up to 52 on the last trains of the night; about 52 minutes from A13, up to 55 late at night. At weekends the floor rises to 47, because the fastest runs are weekday peak skip-stops every 15 minutes |
TWD 160 single journey, the same as the Express | Commuter trains are blue and call at every station, which is the whole reason they are slower for the same money. They are worth taking only when one is standing at the platform and the next Express is not. The last Commuter from A12 toward Taipei is 23:37, roughly forty minutes later than the last Express, so the blue train is the late option rather than the cheap one. |
| Train (Airport MRT to Taoyuan HSR Station, A18, for high speed rail) | 16 minutes from Airport Terminal 1 Station (A12) and 12 minutes from Airport Terminal 2 Station (A13) on an Express, or 19 and 16 minutes on a Commuter train Commuter trains every 15 minutes; only 9 Express runs a day call at A18, the last at 19:37 from A12 and 19:41 from A13, so after that the HSR interchange is Commuter only |
TWD 35 single journey from either terminal | A18 Taoyuan HSR Station is the interchange for Taiwan High Speed Rail, so this is the move for a layover that leaves Taipei rather than heads into it. Not every Express stops here: the operator’s timetable marks the ones that do as Extended Express, calling at A1, A3, A8, A12, A13, A18 and A21. High speed rail fares and timetables are the rail operator’s own and none are quoted here, so price the onward leg with Taiwan High Speed Rail before you commit to it. |
| Taxi | metered on distance and travel time; the Tourism Administration states charges may be added for highways or late night travel | Cash is always accepted. Some taxis also take credit cards or mobile payments, and the Tourism Administration says to confirm that with the driver before departure if you want to pay that way. Taxis are usually yellow and show a small red light in the window when free. Complaints about taxis at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport go to +886-3-398-5558. No published fare, estimate or zone table for the ride into Taipei could be confirmed, so no price is quoted here. Ask at the rank before you get in. | |
| Freeway bus (intercity coach) | The Tourism Administration states that from Taoyuan International Airport passengers may take a freeway bus to any of the major cities in Taiwan, and that these routes are mostly run by private companies. It also warns, in its own words, not to take any bus offered by an unregistered company. No published fare, journey time or frequency for the airport coach routes could be confirmed, so none is quoted here. Buy at the counter and read the posted fare there. |
Best Areas for Crew Stays in Taipei, from Taipei Main Station out to Ximending, Da’an, and Xinyi
Zhongzheng and Taipei Main Station: Where the Airport MRT lands, and a transport knot rather than a destination, with the old government quarter and Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall within walking reach.
Ximending: The pedestrianised youth and street food quarter one short hop west of the main station, loud in the evening and open late.
Da’an and Yongkang Street: Tree lined blocks of tea houses, beef noodle shops and small boutiques, the easiest place to spend a few unhurried hours.
Xinyi: The tower district: department stores, the observation deck, and the widest pavements in the city, built for evening walking.
Zhongshan and Dadaocheng: Old wharf-era streets and lane cafes north of the station, quieter than Ximending and closer to the river.
What to Do on a Taipei Layover, from staying airside to a full evening in the city
Under 5 hours: Stay at the airport. Taoyuan is not in Taipei, and a return trip to the city plus the operator’s own advice to be back at the counter well before departure does not leave anything worth the effort in the middle.
5 to 9 hours: One clean move works: the Express to Taipei Main Station, one district on foot, and the same line back. Pick the return train before you leave the platform and treat it as fixed, because the last Express is earlier than most crew expect.
9 hours plus: A proper city run fits: the main station, a second district beyond it, and a sit-down meal, with the later Commuter trains behind you as slack if the evening overruns. A layover this long is also the one where dropping the bag before you go matters most, and the one sourced way to do that is the in-town check-in desk at A1, which takes checked luggage for same-day Taoyuan departures.
Crew Tips for Taipei and Taoyuan Airport: the flat fare, the VoLTE rule, and the buffer on the way back
The airport is not in Taipei: Airport Terminal 1 Station sits at No.17-1, Hangzhan S. Rd., Dayuan District, Taoyuan City, underground at B1. That is Taoyuan City, not Taipei City, and it is the single fact that drives every layover decision here: there is no short hop into town. The station opens at 05:30 and runs until the last train. Drinking water is next to the art exhibition area in the unpaid area on the concourse level, and the restrooms are inside the paid area, so fill the bottle before you tap in.
Leave a real buffer on the way back: Taoyuan Metro prints two warnings on its own timetable and both are worth reading as written. The first: the timetable is for reference only, and the actual arrival time depends on how the train runs on the day. The second, quoting the airport’s own announcement: passengers must reach the check-in counters of their respective airlines at least 2 to 3 hours before departure. The operator tells passengers to work out their own buffer on top of that. Build the return around the counter time, not around the train time.
What the ride actually costs: The operator’s published fare table gives TWD 160 for a single journey between Taipei Main Station (A1) and either Airport Terminal 1 (A12) or Airport Terminal 2 (A13). Express and Commuter cost the same, so the slower train buys nothing. Taoyuan HSR Station (A18) is TWD 35 from either terminal. There is no airport surcharge and no distance guessing: the fare is fixed per station pair.
Paying with a bank card or a phone: You do not need a local card. The Airport MRT accepts contactless Visa, Mastercard and JCB credit and debit cards, and contactless UnionPay CREDIT cards only, and NFC phones and watches running Apple Pay, Google Pay or Samsung Pay, charged at the full single journey fare. One trap: if you tap in with a card and then fail to pass the gate properly on the way out, the operator will settle the journey at the lowest announced single journey fare unless you make the payment up before the end of the next day’s service. Tap out cleanly.
Your handset has to support VoLTE or emergency calls will not go through: This is the one to read twice. Taiwan’s telecoms shut down the 3G network on 30 June 2024. The Tourism Administration states plainly that if your phone or SIM does not support 4G voice, that is VoLTE, you will be unable to make calls at all, including to the emergency numbers 112, 110 and 119. It advises using VoLTE capable equipment or a phone service from the rental operators at the airport. Check that your roaming SIM or eSIM does voice over LTE before you leave the terminal, not after something has gone wrong.
In-town check-in at Taipei Main Station: Taoyuan Metro runs a check-in desk in the B1 In-Town Check-In Area at Taipei Main Station (A1), open 06:00 to 21:30. It handles check-in and checked luggage for flights leaving Taoyuan International Airport the same day, and you must complete it at least 3 hours before departure. Only some airlines take part and each sets its own rules, so confirm with your carrier first: the operator publishes the current participating list and their phone numbers on the page cited here. A second desk operates on 1F at A3 New Taipei Industrial Park, 09:00 to 16:00, with a different airline list. The service has been suspended and resumed before, so re-check the page rather than an old note.
Emergency Numbers for Taipei and Taiwan
👉 Swipe sideways if the numbers do not fit
| Fire and ambulance | 119 |
| Police | 110 |
| Emergency call, free, works from a fixed or mobile phone and is the one to use on poor reception | 112 |
| Taipei City Police, Foreign Affairs Service Station (English, non-emergency) | 02-2556-6007 |
| Taipei City citizen hotline, non-emergency city services | 1999 (02-2720-8889 from outside Taipei City) |
| 24-hour toll-free travel information hotline (Mandarin, English, Japanese, Korean) | 0800-011-765 |
| Taiwan country code (calling from abroad) | +886 |
Save these before you fly; numbers work from any phone.
How do I get from Taoyuan Airport to Taipei?
Take the Airport MRT from the station under the terminal. The purple Express runs to Taipei Main Station (A1) in 36 minutes from Terminal 1 (A12) and 39 minutes from Terminal 2 (A13), every 15 minutes for almost the whole service day, for a flat TWD 160. The blue Commuter train costs exactly the same but calls at every station, so it takes 43 to 52 minutes from Terminal 1. Taoyuan is in Taoyuan City, not Taipei, so there is no short hop into town.
How much is the Airport MRT from Taoyuan Airport to Taipei Main Station?
TWD 160 for a single journey from either Terminal 1 (A12) or Terminal 2 (A13), on the operator’s published fare table. Express and Commuter trains are the same price, so the slower train saves nothing. Taoyuan HSR Station (A18), the high speed rail interchange, is TWD 35 from either terminal.
What time is the last train from Taoyuan Airport to Taipei?
From Airport Terminal 1 Station (A12) toward Taipei Main Station, the last Express leaves at 22:58 and the last Commuter at 23:37. The first Express is 05:58 and the first Commuter is 06:07. There is no all-night rail service, so after the last Commuter the only option we could confirm is a metered taxi.
Can I pay for the Airport MRT with a credit card?
Yes. The Airport MRT accepts contactless Visa, Mastercard and JCB credit and debit cards, and contactless UnionPay CREDIT cards only, and NFC phones running Apple Pay, Google Pay or Samsung Pay, at the full single journey fare. EasyCard, iPass and HappyCash 2.0 stored value cards also work, and single journey tokens are sold at the machines and the information counter. If you tap in with a bank card, make sure you pass the exit gate properly, or the operator settles the trip at the lowest announced fare and you have to make up the difference.
Is tap water safe to drink in Taipei?
Yes. The Taipei Water Department states that the water it supplies is definitely safe for drinking and comparable in quality to advanced countries, and the city runs a Direct Drinking project with public fountains that meet the drinking water standard. The one caveat the utility flags is the building rather than the supply: household water towers and tanks must be cleaned at least once a year.
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