Taiwan tours & travel

TAIWAN VISA

Nationals of most countries are eligible for the visa exemption program, which permits a duration of stay of 30-90 days. Please check with your nearest consulate for your specific eligibility.

Tipping is not really common practice in Taiwan, except perhaps in the more high-class hotels. Most restaurants have a service charge built into the price, and taxi drivers will usually return your change to you.

As one of Asia’s more tech-savvy destinations, cyber cafes are common in the major cities. Free Wi-Fi can also usually be found at the local library.

Mobile phone coverage is excellent in Taiwan, apart from some of the more remote mountain areas. Ensure global roaming is activated before leaving home if you wish to use your mobile while travelling.

Modern flushing toilets are commonplace in Taiwan, although it can be hard to find a public toilet in the large cities.

Beer = 50 TWD
Simple lunch at a cafe = 60 TWD
Dinner in a restaurant = 150 TWD
Street meal = 40 TWD
Train ticket = 20 TWD
Bottle of water = 19 TWD

Water in Taiwan is usually filtered, and therefore safe, but use your common sense. Restaurants will generally filter their water, as will most of the drinking fountains. If you can’t find these in the more rural areas, bring some purification tablets to treat the water.

Most hotels and department stores accept VISA and Mastercard, but Diners and AMEX are not usually accepted. For restaurants and small stores, cash is the normal form of payment.

ATM access in Taiwan is exceptional, with most of their ATMs able to withdraw money from anywhere in the world using the Plus or Cirrus system. There is usually a TWD 20,000 limit for cash withdrawals.

Absolutely. All passengers travelling with Intrepid are required to purchase travel insurance before the start of your trip. Your travel insurance details will be recorded by your leader on the first day of the trip. Due to the varying nature, availability and cost of health care around the world, travel insurance is very much an essential and necessary part of every journey.

For more information on insurance, please go to: Travel Insurance

• 1 Jan New Year's Day
• 1 Jan Founding Day of the Republic of China
• 2 Jan New Year's / Republic Day Holiday
• 27 Jan Chinese New Year
• 28 Jan Chinese New Year
• 29 Jan Chinese New Year
• 30 Jan Chinese New Year
• 31 Jan Chinese New Year
• 1 Feb Chinese New Year
• 27 Feb 228 Peace Memorial Day (Additional Holiday)
• 28 Feb 228 Peace Memorial Day
• 3 Apr Qingming Festival /Tomb Sweeping Day (Additional Holiday)
• 4 Apr Qingming Festival /Tomb Sweeping Day
• 4 Apr Children's Day
• 29 May Dragon Boat Festival (Additional Public Holiday)
• 30 May Dragon Boat Festival
• 4 Oct Mid-Autumn / Moon Festival
• 9 Oct ROC National Celebration Day (Additional Holiday)
• 10 Oct ROC National Celebration Day

For a current list of public holidays in Taiwan  go to: http://www.worldtravelguide.net/taiwan/public-holidays

Taiwan generally has accessibility in mind when building new infrastructure, however as a mountainous place there are many natural barriers to those with limited mobility. Outdoor activities such as hiking or visiting national parks are common on itineraries and may be off limits to wheelchair users or travellers for who steps or uneven ground are an issue. Wheelchair accessible tour buses may be able to be booked in advance and taxis are good value. MRT trains have accessible facilities. Many hotels and guesthouses will have barrier free rooms, but often cafes and restaurants have seating on upper floors without lifts. Outside Taipei and Kaohsiung cities and towns can lack sidewalks. For some resources on accessibility in Taiwan see:

http://twaccess4all.wordpress.com

https://www.taoyuan-airport.com/english/services-facilities