When in Taiwan: How to Get to the City from Taoyuan Airport without Breaking the Budget

I love to explore different places as much as eating. And last January, I had a grand time in Taiwan, stuffing myself with delectable yummy finds and being immersed in its interesting history and culture. I always smile whenever I tell my friends the things I've done and places I've visited while I was there. But one of the common concerns I hear whenever we talk about Taiwan is airport transportation. True, there's the subway to bring us to places but it's a totally different story when your flight arrives past 12 midnight. Several blogs and forums say that it leaves you no choice but to hail a cab to bring you to wherever you have to go to. But that's not right. There's a cheaper way to get to your destination. 

Hello, Taoyuan International Airport.

It is not unusual to see rent-a-car placards and cab drivers near the airport's exit points whenever a flock of tourists arrive. I even heard a fellow Filipino who now works in Taiwan as a cab driver tell tourists to either get a cab or wait till the subway opens. I would have ended up paying a lot more just to get to Ximending if R and I didn't explore the airport to look for a convenience store. 

Hungry for missing dinner, we headed down hoping to see a 7-Eleven. And we did! It was near the escalator and it serves those delectable tea eggs! We got one each and some sausages to keep our tummies calm. And as we savor our quick meal, we noticed that there were several people lining up for something. And it turns out that it was the line to the airport bus heading to Taipei Main Station with a free connection to Ximending!

We quickly bought our tickets costing NTS125 each and lined up alongside other travelers. 

Though the queue was long and waiting outside the airport made us shiver, the wait time was just about half an hour. We got inside the bus without any delay and soon, we were on our way to the city. 

We were even able to get a few Pokestops (yes we still play) in between our transit as there are hotspots everywhere in Taiwan! 

Unfortunately, the bus didn't go all the way to Ximending. The driver just pointed out the way for us, the lone passengers who were supposed to get off at the shopping district of the city. Good thing it was just about 2 kilometers away so we decided to burn some calories and walked.

So if ever you're heading to Taiwan soon and have a flight arriving past Cinderella's curfew, you might want to consider taking the bus instead and save extra cash for those night market finds. 

Happy trip!