Wednesday, July 26, 2017

Solo Travel Guide: Taiwan on a Budget (UPDATED)



I know. I can already foresee the onslaught of questions coming my way. "What's up with all this solo travelling?" My friends have already cornered me with questions after questions. I think next time magpapa press conference na po ako choz haha I cannot reveal the bigger reason..yet. Let's just say I just wanted to see the world as much as I can or more precisely as much 'as my bank account can'. After my recent trip to Bali cut a big slashed to my savings, I need to make a damage control. Kelangan galingan ko sa Taiwan bes haha Fortunately, Taiwan turned out to be really, really, really cheap for a solo traveller or for any kinds of traveller.

How To Apply for a Taiwan Tourist Visa for Filipinos

Note: TECO just announced that Taiwan is now visa free for Filipinos starting November 1, 2017 to July 31, 2018 (on a 9-month trial period) so yes everyone can now travel to Taiwan as long as the following requirements are met:

  • Stay no longer than 14 days.
  • At least 6 months validity of passport
  • With a return or onward ticket
  • Proof of hotel booking or host's contact details
  • No criminal record in Taiwan

Where To Stay in Taiwan
There are 3 things I always consider every time I booked a hotel/hostel namely 1) close to MRT transportation 2) free breakfast & 3) affordable. So I don't care whether I'll be staying in a backpacker's hostel or guesthouse for as long as these 3 conditions are met. But don't expect too much about the free breakfast though, its just free coffee, water & bread. I just think that if it's available in budget hotels, they really care about customer satisfaction so everything else follows-
free wifi, cleanliness, convenience & good facility. It's a good thing that a lot of this are being offered abroad, you just have to learn where to look.

I decided to stay in Next Taipei Hostel-Ximending & I have to say this is the best backpacker's hotel I've ever been to. I was already impressed that they actually send a direct email to me addressing my request that I will be arriving early because most of the time budget hotels won't even bother to contact you. They are very responsive & will reply to you within minutes. They actually took the time to answer all my questions i.e. thorough guide on how to reach their hotel from Ximen Station so it was easy to locate them. The hostel itself was superb, I can't say anything wrong with it. I definitely get more than what I pay for.



How To Get To Taipei City from Taoyuan Airport
Taoyuan Airport is around 45 minutes to an hour away from the airport & the two most efficient & affordable modes of transportation are MRT & Bus.

By MRT:
  • You can choose to take either Express (38 minutes) or Commuter Train (1 hour & 10 minutes)
  • Fare is NTD 160.00 or PHP 272.00
  • Operating hours is from 6:00AM to 11:00PM
By Bus:
  • Bus counters are located on the ground floor of Taoyuan airport & the buses are located just outside. 
  • Bus fare is around NTD 125.00-145.00
  • Operating hours is only until midnight so if you're arriving later than that, you can take Bus 1819 which can take you up to Taipei Main Station only. From there just take a taxi to your hotel.
I actually arrived in Taiwan after midnight & was cleared in the Immigration around 1:30A.M. so I decided to just sleep in the airport. Backpacker at its finest mga bes! I'm really allergic to taxis abroad, I only did it in Bali & will only consider it in extreme emergency cases haha Taoyuan airport offers sleeping lounges, free drinking water, free wifi & charging so it still feels like your sleeping in a hostel.



Taipei Currency
I was surprised to discover that Taiwan doesn't have any money changers scattered in the city so I was kind of sad that I can't play my little game with them haha You can only change money in the banks but are only open during weekdays. So if you're arriving over the weekend, just change in the money changers inside the airport although there's a 3% service charge per transaction.

Language Barrier
Mandarin is the preferred & most commonly understood language in Taiwan. I was kicking myself why I didn't even bother to review my Mandarin background, I am now more exposed to Korean thanks to K-dramas (aminin niyo kayo rin) haha I can just do numbers & the smallest phrases which is not very helpful in terms of asking around. Most locals especially locals who live in the far provinces like Jiufen, Pingxi & Shifen and even bus drivers do not understand English so I had a hard time communicating with them. I suggest translate the name of your destination to Mandarin or have it google translate & save it to your phone.

Chinese Food
Oh.my.god. the food! Food is everywhere in Taiwan. It's only my first day but I was eating like crazy and I wasn't even in the night market yet. My first & second day was spent visiting the Northern part of Taiwan namely Yehliu, Jiufen, Pingxi & Shifen and the food game in there was already intense. There are a lot of varieties to choose from, it will be a crime not to try their food. It doesn't help that everybody is eating so you will surely be tempted to hoard all the food. Don't worry with all the walking that you're going to do in Taiwan, you will burn everything right away.



Places To Visit in Taipei
The thing about Taipei is that almost all the tourist spot are FREE & transportation cost is also CHEAP so you will really save a lot. Be sure to buy a reloadable Metro Pass or Easy Card which is available in the airport and any MRT station. You can use this in taking MRT & buses across the city. For more information about Easy Card, visit Taipei Metro Pass

Yehliu Geopark
It is home to a number of unique rock formations located in the Wanli District, New Taipei, Taiwan.






By Long Distance Bus:
From Taipei West Bus Station - Terminal A (located at Taipei Main Station), go to the KuoKuang (國光) window and purchase a ticket for NT$96 to Yehliu Geopark (野柳地質公園). The journey takes around 90 minutes, and the bus will drop you on the main road just outside the park entrance. Walk down the lane on the left side to enter.

By Shuttle Bus:
Ride comfortably in a shuttle bus from Ximen to Yehliu, followed by the Ying Yang Sea, 13-Layer Remains, Golden Waterfall, Jiufen (九份), and Shifen Old Streets (十分老街), leaving at 9AM and returning at 17:45.

By North Coast Shuttle Bus (from Tamsui (淡水, Danshui) or Keelung):

Take the North Coast Shuttle Bus NT$200 all day unlimited rides from either MRT Tamsui Station or Keelung Railway Station.

Jiufen
Jiufen, also spelled Jioufen or Chiufen (Chinese: 九份; pinyin: Jiǔfèn; literally: "nine portions"), is a mountain area in Ruifang District, New Taipei, Taiwan. Jiufen Old Street is very interesting & unique place. I thought it's just a single aisle when you see it from the entrance but it's actually composed of numerous small alleys & lanes that snake around the area and sometimes even run beneath buildings.




By Train + Bus:
From Taipei Main Station, take the train north to Ruifang Station. After exiting the station and facing the Wellcome supermarket, take a left and walk 200 metres down Mingdeng Road. Next to the police station is a bus station (named Local Residents Plaza, 區民廣場) with routes 827 and 788 heading toward Jiufen. Please note that the bus stop next to the police station heads east toward Jiufen, and the bus stop across from the police station heads west toward Taipei. Route 825 provides weekend service only. From here, the bus trip takes roughly 15 minutes, and the fare is NT$15. It is recommended to take bus 1062 back to Taipei.

By Bus:
From MRT Zhongxiao Fuxing (忠孝復興), Brown Line 1 and Blue Line 5 interchange, leave from Exit 1 and take bus route 1062 (Keelung Bus) to Jinguashi, alight at Jiufen. The ride is about 1 hour and the fare is NT$102. Bus 788 is also available from Keelung.

Pingxi (平溪) and Shifen (十分)
Both towns are rich in culture and history that provides a nice glimpse of Taiwan's natural scenery. Events such as the Sky Lantern Festival draw visitors year round to create a Chinese Lantern (天燈) with a wish written on it to set into the sky, all for a modest price of NT$150-200. I personally think this 2 towns are very similar but Shifen is bigger & is well known for the Shifen Waterfall so if you only have limited time just go to Shifen instead.




How to get here:
From Taipei Main Station, take a northbound train (except Keelung-bound trains) towards Ruifang Station. Transfer to the Pingxi Line (平溪線) and purchase a One Day Ticket for the Pingxi Line, NT$52 or
From MRT Muzha Station (木柵, Brown Line 1), take bus 1076 towards Pingxi (平溪).







Tip: Alterntively you can visit Yehliu Geopark + Jiufen + Shifen in one day if you book through Klook. I was supposed to book this tour but all the tickets were sold out on my preferred travel dates so be sure to book early to save you all the hassle.

Yangmingshan National Park
The area is home to numerous parks, hiking trails, interesting plants and wildlife, and the internationally famous hot springs. I thought this is just a 'simple' park, a kind of park that you can just walk around but it turned out to be big enough to fit one city so taking the shuttle bus is highly recommended when visiting one park to another.






Yes naman uso din pala ang Pre-nup shoot doon..more wedding ideas mga bes!
How to get here:
From MRT 2 Jiantan station (劍潭), leave Exit 1 (Shilin Night Market), and walk to the left-side bus station, busses heading north. Take either the small bus S15 (PREFERRED) or S17 to Yangmingshan station (陽明山). Fare is NT$15, payable by cash or Easycard. It travels past the main transfer station to other destinations such as Xiaoyoukeng (小油坑), Lengshuikeng (冷水坑), and Qingtiangang Grassland Trails (擎天崗).

National Palace Museum










Andito lang pala yung nawawala kung bracelet choz!
This is the grandest & most glamorous museum in Taiwan & is sure worth the visit.
> Take bus Red 30, 304, 255, 815, S18 or S19 at Shilin Station.
> Operating hours: Fri-Sat 8:30-21:00; Sun-Thu: 8:30-18:30

Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall









> Exit 5 at Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall Station
> Opens daily from 9:00-18:00

Longshan Temple

> Exit 1 at Longshan Temple Station. Head north on Xiyuan Road for 5 minutes.
> Opens daily from 6:00-22:00

National Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hall








> Exit 4 at Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hall
> Opens daily from 9:00-18:00

Taipei 101





> Exit 4 at Taipei 101/ World Trade Center
> Entrance fee for Observatory is NTD 600.00 but you can buy it for a discount if you book through Klook
> Opens daily from 9:00-22:00 (last sntry 21:15)

Elephant Mountain
Also known as the Nangang District Hiking Trail and Xiangshan (象山), it provides the best view of Taipei City. Be sure to bring a drinking water with you, the trail is quite a long stairs up & pretty steep. Hihingalin ka bes! You sure will going to burn everything that you eat for the past 3 days lol.


> After arriving at Xiangshan station (象山), the terminus of Red Line 2, leave from Exit 2 and continue walking alongside the edge of the park. At the end of this road, take a left and follow until the entrance for Xiangshan Hiking Trail (象山登山步道), total 650 metres, around 20 mins.

Shilin Night Market



Eto talaga yung finale ko mga bes haha I think I went a little crazy shopping & eating here. I almost missed my flight just to shop here one last time lol Take note I was staying in the heart of Ximending Night Market but I still went out of my way just to go here. The prices in Shilin is actually cheaper compared in Ximending so this is the best place to buy pasalubong. I  did to try to haggle once but the vendor just look at me as if I'm from another planet so I don't think my charm works here haha Sorry naman hindi pa ako nkamove-on sa Bali
> Nearest MRT Station is actually Jiantan & not Shilin Station. Believe me I tried to both ways hehe

Below is my Itinerary for 5 days, 4 nights stay:

Day 0


12:30 AM
Arrival in Taoyuan International Airport

1:30 AM
Sleep in the airport
FREE



Day 1 (Yehliu Geopark, Jiufen, Ximending)
6:00-7:00 AM
Buy a reloadable Easy Card in the airport
Ride Bus 1819 to Taipei Main Station
NTD 100.00
NTD 125.00
7:00-7:15AM
Transfer to Blue line going to Dingpu & get off at Ximen Station. 5 min. walk to Next Taipei Hostel
NTD 20.00
7:20-8:20AM
It was still too early for my check-in but the hotel staff was kind enough to let me leave my luggage, allow me use to their bathroom to freshen-up (borlogs na ako bes) & access to their pantry.

8:50-9:00AM
From Ximen Station get off at Taipei Main Station. Walk to Taipei West Bus Station. Buy bus ticket at Kuo-Kuang Motor Transport & ride the bus going to Yehliu Geopark.
NTD 20.00

NTD 96.00
10:30AM
ETA Yehliu Geopark.
Pay the entrance fee

NTD 80.00
12:45AM
Lunch at the nearby eatery
NTD 150.00
1:00-2:00PM
ETD Yehliu Geopark to Jiufen. Ride Bus 790 to Keelung Train Station. Transfer to Bus 788* to Jiufen.
*Bus 788 is actually on the other side of the street from Keelung Station & it’s quite far so you better ask around. It took me around 30 minutes to locate the bus stop.
NTD 30.00

2:30-4:00PM
Ride the Bus 788 to Jiufen
NTD 30.00
4:00-6:00PM
Explore Jiufen

6:30-7:30PM
ETD to Taipei. Ride Bus 790 to Ruifang Station  
Train from Ruifang Station to Taipei City
NTD 15.00

NTD 49.00
7:30-8:00PM
Dinner at Ximending Night Market
NTD 100.00
8:30PM
Back at the Hotel
NTD 529.00
Day 2 (Pingxi, Shifen)
8:30AM
Walk to Ximen Station. Take MRT Blue line to Zhongxiao Fuxing Station
Transfer to Brown line & alight at Muzha Station
NTD 20.00

NTD 30.00
9:30-11:00AM
Ride Bus 795 to Pingxi
NTD 45.00
11:00AM
ETA Pingxi. Explore Pingxi Old Street
Lunch

NTD 100.00
1:15-1:45PM
Train from Pingxi Station to Shifen
NTD 20.00
1:45PM
ETA Shifen. Explore Shifen old street & visit Shifen Waterfalls
Note: Shifen Waterfall is quite a long walk from Shifen Old Street around 45 minutes or so but the scenery is good & the waterfall itself is amazing. You can also fly sky lantern in Shifen for NTD 200.00.

6:30-7:00PM
Train from Shifen to Ruifang Station
NTD 19.00
7:00-8:15PM
Buy ticket from Ruifang Station to Taipei
NTD 49.00
8:15-8:30PM
Ride MRT Blue line from Taipei Main Station to Ximen Station
NTD 20.00
8:30PM
Dinner in Ximending Night Market
NTD 100.00
9:00PM
Back at the Hotel
NTD 529.00
Day 3 (Yangmingshan National Park, National Palace Museum, Shilin Night Market)
7:30AM
From Ximen Station take MRT Blue line to Taipei Main Station
NTD 20.00
8:00AM
Take the Bus 260 outside of Taipei Main Station or located just one block from Kuo-Kuang Motor Transport
NTD 30.00
9:00AM
ETA Yangmingshan National Park. Purchase the unlimited ride ticket or you can use your Easy Card for Shuttle 108 around the park.
NTD 60.00
9:00AM-1:30PM
Explore Yangmingshan

1:30-2:30PM
Take the Small Bus S15 or S17 from Qingtiangang bus stop to Jiantan Station (MRT Red line)
NTD 15.00
3:00PM
Lunch in Jiantan
NTD 150.00
3:30-4:00PM
Take bus Red 30, 304, 255, 815 from Jiantan Station to National Palace Museum
NTD 20.00
4:15-6:30PM
Explore National Palace Museum. Pay the entrance fee.
NTD 250.00
6:30-7:00PM
Ride the bus from National Palace Museum to Shilin Station
NTD 20.00
7:15-9:30PM
Shop till you drop in Shilin Night Market 😊

9:30-10:00PM
Back at the hotel
NTD 529.00
Day 4 (Chiang Kai-Shek, Longshan Temple, Sun Yat-Sen, Taipei 101, Elephant Mountain
9:00-9:30AM
From Ximen Station take the Green line going to Xindian & get off at Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall
NTD 20.00
9:30-11:15AM
Explore Chiang Kai-Shek
FREE
11:15-11:30AM
From Chiang Kai-Shek Station go back to Ximen Station.
From Ximen Station, take MRT Blue line to Longshan Temple
NTD 20.00

NTD 20.00
11:30AM-12:00NN
Explore Longshan Temple
FREE
12:15PM
Lunch on the nearby eatery
NTD 100.00
12:30-1:00PM
Take the MRT Blue line from Longshan Temple to Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hall
NTD 20.00
1:00-2:15PM
Explore Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hall
FREE
2:15PM
Walk from Sun Yat-Sen to Taipei City Hall & Taipei 101. Explore Taipei 101
FREE
5:00-5:30PM
From Taipei 101 Station get off at Xiangshan Station MRT Red line
NTD 20.00
5:30PM
Take Exit 2 & walk towards the Elephant Mountain Trail. Start Trekking.

7:30PM
Hike down

8:00-8:30PM
From Xiangshan Station to Jiantan Station
NTD 30.00
8:30-10:30PM
Pasalubong shopping in Shilin Night Market
Dinner

NTD 200.00
10:30-11:00PM
From Jiantan Staion to Taipei Main Station
Transfer to Blue line & get off at Ximen Station
NTD 20.00
NTD 20.00
11:00PM
Check-out in the hotel

11:00-11:15PM
From Ximen Station alight at Taipei Main Station
NTD 20.00
11:15PM-12:15AM
Ride the Bus 1819 at Kuo-Kuang Terminal to Taoyuan Airport
NTD 125.00
Total
NTD 3,985.00/
Php 6,774.50

To sum it all up:
Plane Ticket: Php 4,026.76
Travel Tax: Php 1,620.00
Expenses in Taipei: Php 6,774.50
Grand Total: Php 12,421.76




23 comments:

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    Replies
    1. Hi! Egypt is actually one of my bucket list. I've always wanted to go there, still saving up though hehe Ok, I will keep that in mind :) Thank you also for visiting my blog :)

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  3. I really like this article is very interesting to follow the thank you
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    1. Hi! Thank you for reading my blog. Makes me want to post more. Appreciate it a lot🤗😊

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  4. You went there solo. Who took your pictures? :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yup I went there solo. I brought my tripod & set the camera on remote control so I can take as many pictures as I want :)

      Delete
  5. Hi I'm Jo Anne, would just like to ask how did u contact Next Taipei Hostel? # lng kasi nakita ko online. I also booked there after reading ur blog. Tha ks!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Jo Anne! I think you can contact them through Agoda.com if you also booked them under Agoda that is. Usually they will ask you if you have some questions regarding the hotel & they will redirect your message to the hotel itself.

      Delete
  6. wow thanks to this..going there solo in few weeks!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You're welcome! Thank you also for visiting my blog :)

      Delete
  7. Hi! Planning to visit to Taipei alone since I really want to go to china because of meteor garden and since may visa yung china medyo mahirap and I saw that free visa yung taiwan up until July 31, 2019. Can you please help me mostly ano ba initatanong sa immigration kasi mag isa lang ako and upon checking 4k lang yung ticket mo, help naman po. I'm checking kase now medyo malabo at mahal yung ticket nasa 7k di pa sya roundtrip. I hope you will respond on my email iamneyca@gmail.com. If ever naman matuloy, okay lang ba as 1st trip ko siya baka kasi ma question sa immig. Wala talaga ako idea regarding travel pero I really want kaso natatakot lang. Looking forward sa response mo! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Neca! Regarding about sa ticket, medyo mahal nga yung 7k. I think its best to wait for promo fare, you can actually get it for less than 3k if you're lucky :) About sa immigration, I wasn't ask a single question maybe because I'm a frequent traveller but I think ala nman magiging problema sayo. If anything they will just ask you how many days are you staying there, just normal question and be confident in answering the immig. I did not receive any email from you but you can email me if you want mimzgallos@gmail.com

      Delete
    2. Thanks for this useful tips. Planning to visit Taiwan this month since it is my birthday. And my first time abroad. Any tips/questions po sa immigration? Thank you :)

      Delete
    3. Hi neca :) planning also to travel this month. And solo and first time abroad. Same worries here. Anyway, when ka punta ng Taiwan?

      Delete
  8. Hi.��
    I'm going solo to taiwan this month and i just wanted to know in what terminal is the lounge you slept at right after your arrival located? I'll be arriving past midnight and exploring my options to just stay at the airport until dawn rather than hopping on the bus going to Taipei main station. I'm thinking it is safer plus it is free. Thank you for your answer

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hi.��
    I'm going solo to taiwan this month and i just wanted to know in what terminal is the lounge you slept at right after your arrival located? I'll be arriving past midnight and exploring my options to just stay at the airport until dawn rather than hopping on the bus going to Taipei main station. I'm thinking it is safer plus it is free. Thank you for your answer

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi! It was Terminal 1. I think there are a lot of sleeping area in their airport but I just choose the nearest area I can see since I was too tired to look around. I just sleep in the Subway (restaurant) lounge area. Hope this helps! :)

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  10. Hi asked ko lang po.Im planning to visit my boyfriend in taiwan and first time ko lang din po mag travel abroad any idea po where I can book a cheap plane tickect and any tips sa immagration.. Thanks you!��

    ReplyDelete
  11. Hi! Cebu Pacific usually offers the lowest fare so abang lang ng promo pra mkakuha ka ng murang ticket. If its your first time to travel abroad, the immigration will usually ask you how many days you're going to stay there or they might ask you for your hotel reservation/return ticket pro it usually depend sa officer so I can't give you a specific answer. Just be confident in answering the questions to avoid delay.

    ReplyDelete
  12. A solo and trip that comes in budget is really great. It looks quite enjoyable tour and travellers would also like to enjoy their trip of this place. compare airport parking

    ReplyDelete