Taoyuan Airport to Taipei city centre: Airport MRT, bus 1819 or taxi, with fares and last trains

There are four ways from Taoyuan International Airport into Taipei: the Airport MRT, the 1819 airport bus, a metered taxi, or a ride hailing app such as Uber. If you land in the day or early evening with one suitcase, there is very little to decide. The purple express on the Taoyuan Airport MRT takes you to Taipei Main Station (A1) without a change.

Each terminal has its own station. Terminal 1 is A12 Airport Terminal 1 Station and Terminal 2 is A13 Airport Terminal 2 Station, one stop apart. Boarding at Terminal 2 therefore adds a few minutes to the ride. Check which terminal your flight uses before you land and the signs in the arrival hall will make sense straight away.

Paying is easier than many people expect. The gates take EasyCard, iPASS and icash 2.0, and a blank card costs NT$100 at the station. They also take contactless Visa, Mastercard, JCB and UnionPay cards, plus phones with Apple Pay or Google Pay, charged at the full single fare.

If you would rather not tap a card, buy a single journey token from the machines on the station concourse; the exit gate keeps it at the other end. If you plan to use the Taipei Metro for several days, buy an EasyCard on day one. The same card then covers the city metro and buses for the rest of the trip.

The table reflects the operators' own published information as of October 2026. Train times come from the Taoyuan Metro official timetable search for a weekday (14 October 2026), and the first and last departures are from Terminal 1 (A12). The bus figures follow the Kuo-Kuang timetable in force from 1 October 2026. Fares and times change, so check the operator's site before you travel.

The express and the commuter train cost the same NT$160. The express has a purple front and stops only at A1, A3, A8, A12 and A13. The commuter train is blue and calls at every station, which stretches the ride from Terminal 1 to about 49 minutes. At the same price, waiting for the purple one is the better deal. The express carriages have seats in a two by two layout, so a suitcase can sit beside your legs.

Bus 1819 is run by Kuo-Kuang. It calls at Terminal 2 and Terminal 1, passes through Sanchong and ends at Taipei Bus Station, right next to Taipei Main Station. The fare is NT$133 or NT$164 depending on the coach's seat layout. In the day the gaps between buses run from 30 to as long as 80 minutes, so the train wins. The bus earns its place after midnight, and from October 2026 it also takes QR payment apps such as Easy Wallet and iPASS MONEY.

A taxi makes sense for a family with heavy bags or a hotel far from any station. Airport taxis run on the meter, and the rate and any extra charges are posted on the board at the taxi rank, so read it before you get in. Uber shows the price before you book, which removes any haggling, but you have to walk to the pickup point the app gives you. For three or more people heading to the east of the city, a car can come out cheaper per head than you might think.

Airport MRT station A1 is linked to the Taipei Metro's Taipei Main Station by an underground passage, but it is a fair walk. Follow the signs and allow some time if you are pulling a suitcase. If you came on bus 1819, you get off at Taipei Bus Station, which also sits beside Taipei Main Station.

For a hotel in Ximending, take the blue Bannan line one stop west to Ximen. For Zhongshan, take the red Tamsui Xinyi line one stop north to Zhongshan. Both neighbourhoods are close to Taipei Main Station, which is why they pair so well with the Airport MRT.

For Xinyi, the district around Taipei 101, stay on the red Tamsui Xinyi line to Taipei 101/World Trade Center with no change. It is still a long haul across the city with luggage, so a group of three or more may find a taxi or Uber easier on the legs.

If you will ride the Taipei Metro a lot, look at the joint tickets. An Airport MRT round trip with a 48 hour Taipei Metro pass costs NT$520, and with a 72 hour pass NT$600. The Airport MRT round trip alone is NT$320, so the 48 hour version pays off once you ride the city metro more than a handful of times. They are sold at A1, A12 and A13.

On a late flight, look at the clock first. From Terminal 1 the last express leaves at 22:58 and the last commuter train at 23:37, reaching Taipei Main Station at 00:26. From Terminal 2 the last commuter train leaves at 23:35. A slow immigration queue or a late bag can make even that train tight.

Catching it does not solve everything. Arriving at A1 at 00:26, you may find the Taipei Metro has already closed for the night. Check the Taipei Metro's own last train times, and look up whether your hotel is walkable from the station before you fly.

The real late night answer is bus 1819. On the weekday timetable, departures from the airport (Terminal 2) come every 10 to 15 minutes between midnight and 2 a.m., and every 20 to 30 minutes between 2 a.m. and 5 a.m. Departures marked on the timetable as running via Nankan take longer, so pick a direct one if you are in a hurry.

With children or a pile of luggage, a taxi is the least tiring choice at night. The bus ends at Taipei Bus Station, which still leaves you another leg to the hotel. Travelling solo with a light bag, take bus 1819; travelling as a family, take a taxi.

The easiest way to leave Taipei is In-Town Check-In at A1 Taipei Main Station. The check-in area on B1 is open 06:00 to 21:30 and handles your boarding pass and checked luggage in one stop. It only covers flights leaving Taoyuan Airport the same day, and you must be done 3 hours before departure.

The airlines taking part are China Airlines, Mandarin Airlines, EVA Air, Uni Air, Cathay Pacific and STARLUX. If your airline is not on that list, check in at the airport as usual. Conditions can differ by airline, so read your airline's own page as well.

Once the bags are gone, you get a free afternoon in the city with empty hands. Check out of the hotel, have a last meal or do some shopping, then ride the express to the airport. Express trains leave A1 from 05:30 until the last one at 23:00, and take about 36 minutes to Terminal 1.

Taoyuan Metro repeats the airport's advice to be at your airline's counter 2 to 3 hours before departure. It also says its timetable is for reference only, so work back from your flight time and take the train before the one you think you need. Terminal 2 is A13, one stop further than Terminal 1.