💡Travel Tips

Essential Apps for Taiwan Travel – Taipei, Kaohsiung, Taichung

February 20, 202520 min read

At a glance

High-speed rail, YouBike, metro, night markets — 14 must-haves for Taiwan.

Essential apps for Taiwan travel

Essential apps for Taiwan travel – TL;DR

Taiwan is a country where Google, YouTube, LINE, and the rest all work freely. Unlike mainland China, there's no internet censorship, so you can use the apps you already know. Here's what you'll need across Taipei, Kaohsiung, Taichung, Jiufen, and beyond.

Category	App
Rail & transport	Taiwan High Speed Rail (THSR), Bus+
Metro	MetroMan Taipei, Citymapper
Maps & navigation	Google Maps
Taxi	Uber
Bikes	YouBike 2.0
Translation	Google Translate, Papago
Bookings & tours	Klook, KKday
Food delivery	foodpanda
Weather & safety	AccuWeather
Accommodation	Agoda, Booking.com

1. Rail & long-distance transport

Taiwan High Speed Rail (THSR)

The official app for Taiwan's high-speed rail — the backbone of Taiwan travel, connecting Taipei and Kaohsiung in about 90 minutes. Since opening in 2007, it has carried over 60 million passengers a year, running 3–4x faster than conventional rail with an excellent on-time record.

App features: book tickets, get an e-ticket, and board with a mobile QR code — no station kiosk needed, just book right in the app.
Discounts: early-bird discounts (up to 35% off when booking 2–3 days ahead), round-trip discounts, senior discounts for 65+, and more.
Free upgrades: sometimes offered for free when a lower-class carriage is overbooked.
Language: the app is mostly in Chinese, but has an English version too. It's convenient to buy a discount pass on Klook and then book your time slot in the app.
Tip 1: Taipei Main Station is the hub where THSR, conventional rail (TRA), and the MRT all meet — THSR Taipei Station connects directly to Taipei MRT.
Tip 2: arriving at Zuoying Station in Kaohsiung, you can transfer straight to Kaohsiung MRT or buses.

Bus+

Covers bus routes, timetables, and real-time arrivals across Taiwan. Essential for attractions outside central Taipei reached by bus — Jiufen, Shifen, Alishan, and more.

Bus to Jiufen: take a bus toward Keelung from Taipei Main Station or Shilin. Check Bus+ for buses heading toward "Ruifang" (瑞芳).
Bus to Shifen: reachable by the Pingxi Line train or by bus — famous for releasing sky lanterns.
Live bus location: track a bus's current position in real time so you know how long you'll wait at the stop.
Tip: buses outside central Taipei take cash (have exact coins ready) or an EasyCard. Pick up an EasyCard (悠遊卡) in advance.

2. Metro

MetroMan Taipei

📱 Download: App Store | Google Play

Dedicated to the Taipei Metro (MRT). Covers station layouts, transfer information, nearby attractions, and fare estimates.

System map: covers every Taipei MRT line (red, blue, orange, green, purple, brown), including the Airport MRT (Taoyuan Airport ↔ Taipei).
Exit info: tells you which building or attraction connects to each station exit, so you know exactly which one to take.
Fare calculator: check the fare between your origin and destination stations ahead of time.
Tip 1: Taipei MRT is clean, well air-conditioned, and runs on time over 99% of the time. Standing on the right of the escalator and keeping the left clear is standard etiquette.
Tip 2: the Airport MRT gets you from Taoyuan Airport into central Taipei in about 35 minutes. The Express Train is a direct, faster option.

Citymapper

📱 Download: App Store | Google Play

Integrated transit routing for Taipei and Kaohsiung — metro, bus, and bikes all in one place. More convenient than MetroMan since it folds in bus information too.

Google Maps

📱 Download: App Store | Google Play

Maps, transit routes, real-time traffic, and offline downloads for all of Taiwan.

Night market search: search "Taipei night market" and you'll get recommendations for Shilin, Ningxia, Raohe, Gongguan, and more.
Save favorites: save restaurants, cafés, and night markets you want to visit — quick to navigate to once you're there.
Offline maps: save Taipei, Kaohsiung, and Taichung separately (roughly 50–100MB each).
Tip: Google Maps is highly accurate in Taiwan — even a well-known food stall tucked into a night market alley is often listed.

4. Taxi

Uber

📱 Download: App Store | Google Play

Available in Taipei, Kaohsiung, and Taichung, with a convenient English interface.

Uber vs. taxi: regular Taiwanese taxis (計程車) use the meter and are generally honest. Fares are similar to Uber, but Uber removes the language barrier, which is easier for visitors.
Payment: link an overseas credit card directly, with a cash option also available.
Tip: for Jiufen, Tamsui, or Shilin Night Market, the MRT is cheaper than Uber. But Uber is more convenient for a late-night return or when you're carrying a lot.
Caution: during Taipei traffic (especially 5–7 PM), Uber surge pricing kicks in.

5. Bikes — YouBike (UBike)

YouBike 2.0

A public bike-share system operating across Taipei, Kaohsiung, Taichung, Keelung, and more. Since Taipei City introduced it in 2012, the network has grown to over 15,000 bikes nationwide. Cheap 30-minute pricing (10 TWD/30 min in Taipei) makes it a great way to explore the city.

How to sign up: register with an overseas credit card in the official YouBike app, or link YouBike to your EasyCard.
How to return: return the bike at any designated YouBike station — check nearby stations and open docks in real time in the app.
Recommended routes: around Da'an Forest Park in Taipei, the riverside bike path along the Tamsui River, and the Keelung coastal road.
Tip 1: most Taipei MRT stations have a nearby YouBike station. Combining MRT + YouBike is a great way to save significantly on transport costs.
Tip 2: the riverside bike path along the Love River (愛河) in Kaohsiung is a popular YouBike route.
Caution: Taiwanese traffic law prohibits riding against traffic outside of designated bike lanes.

6. Translation

Google Translate

📱 Download: App Store | Google Play

Taiwan uses Traditional Chinese (繁體中文), with many characters shaped differently from Simplified Chinese — download the Traditional Chinese pack separately.

Chinese (Traditional) offline pack: essential for translating night market menus and signage.
Camera translation: point your camera at a night market stall's menu, a convenience-store bento's ingredient list, or a subway sign for an instant translation.
Basic phrases: "謝謝 (xièxie)" — thank you, "多少錢 (duōshǎo qián)" — how much is it?, "好吃 (hǎochī)" — delicious
Tip: since Taiwan uses Chinese characters, it helps to type your destination in Chinese in a notes app and show it to the driver.

Papago (Naver)

📱 Download: App Store | Google Play

Good translation quality for your language paired with Chinese. Useful for translating a written inquiry into Chinese for a Taiwanese hotel or restaurant.

Photo translation: use alongside Google Translate for night market menus.
Conversation mode: real-time two-way voice interpretation — useful when talking with a taxi driver.

7. Bookings & tours

Klook

📱 Download: App Store | Google Play

For tours, activities, and admission tickets in Taiwan. Good things to book on Klook:

Taipei 101 Observatory: skip the line with an advance ticket — a night view is highly recommended.
Jiufen day tour: a guided tour combining Jiufen, Shifen, and the Keelung night market.
Taiwan High Speed Rail Pass: a foreigner-only 3- or 5-day unlimited-ride pass.
Airport pickup: book a private car from Taoyuan Airport into central Taipei.
Scuba diving: a scuba tour to Green Island (綠島) off eastern Taiwan.
Tip: a Klook Taiwan pass bundles admission to several attractions at a discount.

KKday

📱 Download: App Store | Google Play

A Taiwan-based tour and activity booking platform, and alongside Klook one of the two most active tour-booking apps in Taiwan. Founded in Taiwan in 2014, it has grown into one of the largest tour booking platforms in Asia.

Taiwan-specific listings: a wide range of Taiwan-specific products — a THSR one-day unlimited pass, on-site EasyCard pickup, and SIM/eSIM pre-booking at Taipei's airports.
Private tours: sometimes offers a broader range of small-group and private tour options than Klook.
Tip: compare the same tour across both Klook and KKday, and book whichever is cheaper with better reviews.

8. Food delivery

foodpanda

📱 Download: App Store | Google Play

A food delivery app available in Taipei, Kaohsiung, and Taichung. Delivers local Taiwanese dishes — braised pork rice (滷肉飯), beef noodle soup (牛肉麵), dim sum, and bubble tea.

Late-night orders: Taiwan's strong night market culture means many restaurants stay open into the early hours. Order a late-night snack through foodpanda from your accommodation.
Drink delivery: get some of the best bubble tea (珍珠奶茶) in the world delivered straight to your room.
Tip: try a famous braised pork rice shop's food from your accommodation — many restaurants deliver even after 10 PM.

9. Weather & safety

AccuWeather

📱 Download: App Store | Google Play

Check the weather in Taiwan. Taiwan sees frequent earthquakes (it sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire), and typhoons can make a direct hit between July and September.

Earthquake info: AccuWeather also reports earthquake information — check the news immediately if one occurs while you're in Taiwan.
Typhoon alerts: track a typhoon's path, intensity, and expected landfall time in advance.
Tip: Taipei sits in a basin, so it's hotter and more humid than the surrounding mountains. If you're visiting in summer, always bring sunscreen and stay hydrated.

10. Accommodation booking

Agoda

📱 Download: App Store | Google Play

Book hotels and guesthouses across Taiwan — compare everything from downtown Taipei hotels to Kaohsiung beach resorts and Sun Moon Lake properties.

Central Taipei: hotels in Ximen, Da'an, and Xinyi offer great access to shopping and sightseeing.
Tip: hotel prices double or triple during Taiwan's national holidays (Lunar New Year, national holidays). Avoid those dates or book early.

App installation checklist

Why an eSIM matters for a Taiwan trip

You can buy a SIM at a Taiwanese airport, but it may involve a wait. Install an eSIM in advance and you can check your high-speed rail booking, use Google Maps, and call an Uber the moment you land. Taiwan has excellent eSIM support, so it's a great fit.

👉 Compare the best Taiwan eSIM prices on esimoa

Note: app details are current as of 2025 and service policies may change.

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