Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport (台灣桃園國際機場, formerly Chiang Kai-Shek International Airport 中正國際機場) (IATA: TPE) is the primary international airport of Taipei and Taiwan.
The airport is a hub for various airlines including EVA Air, UNI Air, Tigerair Taiwan and Taiwanese flag carrier China Airlines. The airport received over 44 million passengers in 2017. The airport opened in 1979 as Chiang-Kai Shek International Airport to relieve Songshan Airport, which now serves as a domestic and charter airport with limited international flights to China, Japan and South Korea. It was re-named to its current name in 2006 by the incumbent pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government as part of its de-Sinicization policy.
Taoyuan Airport is divided into two terminals. China Airlines operates from both terminals, with the departure terminal depending on the flight destination.
Terminal 1
China Airlines flights to Hong Kong, South Korea, India, Southeast Asia & Europe
AirAsia, AirAsia X, Air Macau, Cathay Dragon, Cathay Pacific, Cebu Pacific, Eastar Jet, Emirates, Garuda Indonesia, JC International Airlines, Jeju Air, Jetstar Asia Airways, Jetstar Japan, Jetstar Pacific Airways, Jin Air, Juneyao Airlines, Korean Air, Malaysia Airlines, Malindo Air, Peach Aviation, Philippine Airlines, Philippines AirAsia, Scoot, Sichuan Airlines, Spring Airlines, Thai Airways, Tigerair Taiwan, T'way Airlines, Vanilla Air, VietJet Air, Vietnam Airlines.
Terminal 2
China Airlines flights to North America, Oceania, Japan & mainland China
Air Busan, Air Canada, Air China, All Nippon Airways, Asiana Airlines, China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airlines, EVA Air, Hainan Airlines, Hong Kong Airlines, Japan Airlines, KLM, Mandarin Airlines, Shandong Airlines, Shenzhen Airlines, Singapore Airlines, Turkish Airlines, Uni Air, United Airlines, Xiamen Airlines.
Transfers between terminals can be made on foot airside, or through the Taoyuan International Airport Skytrain both landside and airside.
The Taoyuan Airport MRT rail is the fastest travel option to/from the airport.
Express airport buses cost between NT$120-150 depending on the bus company, 50–70 minutes depending on traffic and there are stops at both terminals. Most Taipei routes are divided into West and East, with each company operating a service every ten to fifteen minutes on each route. The western line bus terminates at Taipei Main Railway Station and also makes a stop at Yuanshan MRT Station on the Xindian line (The Airbus company buses on the western line meander through local towns before joining the freeway and therefore take much longer than the blue and white Guoguang buses which enter the freeway directly). Buses plying the eastern route terminate at the Taipei Grand Hyatt Hotel and make a stop at Zhongxiao-Fuxing MRT Station on the Nangang and Muzha lines. There is also a bus connecting to the domestic Songshan Airport. Ticket counters display route maps showing all stops. In addition, there are some non-express buses which are slightly cheaper, but pass through towns such as Taoyuan (桃園), Nankan (南崁) or Kueishan (龜山) before arriving in Taipei.
When returning to the airport, express buses can be caught at various stops throughout the city. One major one leaves every 15–20 minutes from Taipei West Bus Station 📍 adjacent to Taipei Main Railway Station (near MRT exit M5 and underground mall exits K12 and Z3). Another is at the terminal at the Songshan Domestic Airport (松山機場). Other stops are outside major hotels and also in front of Minsheng MRT Station. For people taking early morning flights, the earliest available buses to the airport leave at around 04:00 from the Far Eastern Plaza Hotel (台北遠東國際大飯店) (201 Dunhua South Rd Section 2).
Direct bus connections between the airport and other cities in Taiwan are also available. U-bus also runs shuttle buses every 15 min from both terminals to THSR Taoyuan station (15 min away), from where you can continue your journey by high-speed train.
There is night service, although it's really hard to find information about it. Best source is the airport website. As of February 2012 there is overnight bus service to Taipei Railway station at the following times 01:30, 03:00 for Terminal 1 (exit B5), add 10 mins for Terminal 2 (bus station, 1819 stand). Ticket can be purchased from the driver - NT$165. Another bus at 04:00, Wednesday & Saturday at Terminal 2, is unconfirmed. From the Taipei Railway you can take overnight train to connect to other cities or bus from the adherent bus station. It takes about 55 min from the airport to the city (at night).
A one-way taxi fare between the airport and Taipei will cost at the minimum NT$900 (generally NT$1,000-1,200 from the airport). In Taipei, don't make the mistake of asking a taxi driver to take you to the Taipei airport (Songshan) if you actually mean Taiwan Taoyuan Airport. The international airport is actually about an hour's drive from Taipei, while Songshan is in downtown Taipei.
A one-way pre-arranged car fare between the airport and Taipei will cost at the minimum NT$1,300-1,500. Generally these sedans are pre-arranged through your hotel and the car company or driver will meet you as soon as you exit baggage claim. Since the price is not much more than taking a taxi, it is usually recommended that you ask your hotel if they offer this service. This is a more comfortable half-hour ride to the hotel.
The Taoyuan International Airport Skytrain (dead link: August 2020) can take people on both groundside and airside (using separate trains) between Terminal 1 and Terminal 2.
The gate areas of Terminal 2 have various themes to keep you occupied while you wait for your boarding call.
The airport has free showers available to all passengers on the first and second floors of Terminal 1, and on the first and fourth floors of Terminal 2.
For arriving passengers, currency exchange is available both before and after immigration. The exchange rate is a bit better after immigration. There are ATMs too.
For departing passengers, try to exchange your leftover Taiwanese dollars before going through security, as it's hard to find currency exchange airside.
Vending machines airside accept EasyCards, so you can use the last 20 or 30 dollars on your card to buy a drink or a snack.
In addition to the transit hotel within the airport terminal, there are several hotels near the airport if you desire more comfortable quarters for an extended transit or for some other reason would rather lodge by the airport than in Taipei. The Novotel Taoyuan International Airport, next to the China Airlines headquarters building, is minutes from both terminals and has commanding views of the airport's runways. Also nearby is the CitySuites Gateway Hotel, 10 minutes from the Cing-pu High-speed Rail Station and three minutes away from Taoyuan International Airport.
2nd-order administrative division
Primary administrative division