Before You Book

PREPARING TO GO TO TAIWAN

 

CAPITAL

Taipei

LANGUAGE

Mandarin Chinese

LOCAL TIME

CST (China Standard Time) UTC/GMT: +8 hours

ELECTRICITY

110 volts AC, 60Hz. American style plugs with two flat pins (and sometimes a third grounding pin) are used.

PASSPORT & VISA

A valid passport is required by all nationals. All Passengers are responsible for securing proper documentation prior to joining the tour. Please ensure that passport/s are valid for a minimum of 6 months beyond the intended date of return and contain between 2-6 blank “Visa” pages. You should have at least two free pages in your passport. Please access the Travel & Visa Requirements Section on the top of this page for the latest visa entry requirements for the country/ies you are visiting. Passports are required; in addition, travelers are also advised to check with local consulates for full details regarding visa requirements. Please note securing a valid visa for entry is the sole responsibility of the traveler.

Requirements:

1. A passport with validity of at least six months upon entry.

Visa-exempt entry only applies to foreign visitors holding formal passports (i.e. ordinary, official/service and diplomatic passports), not including those holding emergency, temporary, other informal passports or travel documents.

2. A confirmed return air/sea ticket or an air/sea ticket and a visa for the next destination, and a confirmed seat reservation for departure.

3. No criminal record and you are not already prohibited by the local authorities to enter the R.O.C.

LOCAL CURRENCY

New Taiwan Dollar (TWD; symbol NT$) = 100 cents. Notes are in denominations of NT$TWD2,000, 1,000, 500, 200 and 100. Coins are in denominations of NT$50, 20, 10, 5 and 1.

Money Exchange: All travellers are required to make a currency declaration in writing together with the baggage declaration. Unused currency can be reconverted on departure, on production of exchange receipts. Various bureaux de change are on hand to convert international currency into New Taiwan Dollars, although the rate of exchange offered by ATMs is generally more attractive. 

Credit cards:  American Express, MasterCard, Visa and Diners Club are accepted in most hotels, restaurants, and shops.

ATM: ATMs are found in all major towns, cities and airports and – with a few exceptions that only handle domestic accounts – are mostly compatible with international debit and credit cards. A lot of 7Eleven stores have cashpoints inside, which tend to be a safe bet for withdrawing with an international card.

Banking hours: 

Mon-Fri: 0900-1530

CLOTHING

Light- to medium weights, with rainwear advised. It’s a good idea not to wear overly skimpy clothing when visiting some of the stricter Buddhist temples, although light trousers and a t-shirt will always be considered perfectly acceptable for both sexes.

It’s a wise idea to pack swimwear for the hot springs, although some single-sex bathing areas require no costume to be worn. Bring a pair of sturdy shoes too – even if you’re not intending to go trekking, there are some enjoyable short walks to be had at natural attractions like Taroko Gorge.

COMMUNICATION

Telephone: The country code for Taiwan is 886. Taiwan's telephone carrier for domestic and international calls is Chunghwa Telecom (www.cht.com.tw/en/).

Mobile Phones: Most foreign mobile phones can use local SIM cards with prepaid plans, which you can purchase at airport arrival terminals and top up at telecom outlets or convenience stores.

Internet: Taiwan is internet-savvy; most people own laptops, tablets and smart phones. In urban areas free wi-fi is widely accessible in hotels, hostels, homestays, cafes, restaurants, and in some shopping malls.

The government's free Wi-Fi, iTaiwan (https://itaiwan.gov.tw/en/), has hotspots at MRT stations, government buildings and major tourist sites. Sign up at any one of the tourism bureau's Travel Information Service Centers. Once you are registered you can also use hotspots offered by TPE-Free, New Taipei, Tainan-Wifi and TT-Free (in Taitung). Service is spotty and slow, but it's better than nothing.

If you don't have your own device, you can find computers with internet access at libraries, visitor information centres and internet cafes. The latter are not as common as they used to be, though most towns and cities do have them. Ask for a wǎngbā (網吧).

Post:  Chunghwa Post (www.post.gov.tw), is fast, efficient, and inexpensive. A postcard to the UK, for example, costs NT$12 and takes about a week to arrive.

Post office hours: 

Postal Business Hours:(07:30-21:00)

Banking Service Hours:(08:00-21:00)

Saturday Business Hours:(08:30-16:30)

Sunday Business Hours:(08:30-12:00)

FOOD

Chinese cuisine goes back to ancient times and achieves its present level of excellence through the accumulation of thousands of years of practical knowledge and experience in cookery. Emphasis is placed on the perfect combination of color, aroma, flavor, and appearance, through which the most common ingredients are transformed into culinary tours de force. In Taiwan, cooking techniques from all areas of China have fused; the Taiwanese have not only mastered the traditional local Chinese specialties but have also used traditional techniques to develop new culinary treats. These features attract many tourists to Taiwan every year to savor these Chinese specialties, ranging from small, steamed buns to boiled dumplings.

Traditional Chinese food to be found all over Taiwan, next to Taiwanese and Hakka-style dishes, mainly including dishes from Fujian, Guangdong, Jiangzhe, Shanghai, Hunan, Sichuan, and Beijing.

Next to these Chinese delicacies, the enormous variety of typical Taiwanese snacks is unique in the world and most snacks perfectly illustrate the important place that the food culture takes in the lives of the Taiwanese people.

Famous and unique Taiwanese snacks include:

• Oyster omelets,
• Fried rice noodles,
• Tempura,
• Tainan Danzai noodles,
• Taiwanese spring rolls,
• Rice tube pudding,
• Braised pork rice.
• Steamed dumpling,
• Stinky Tofu,
• Meat Rice Tamales
• Crushed ice dessert,
• Pearl milk tea

This food is cheap and delicious, and by no means inferior, with each specialty giving you an insight in the people of the area from which it originates.

Typical Taiwanese snacks are found everywhere, but the island's night markets, are the places where these snacks can be found in abundance. Trying out these snacks, tourists will be able to learn about different specialties, cultures, and people from different areas, and gain a whole new perspective on traveling.

Specialties: 

• Cantonese food: Fried shrimp with cashews and deep-fried spring rolls and tarts. 
• Pekinese food: Peking duck, steamed prawns, eels with pepper sauce and ham marrow sauce.
• Szechuan food: Mother Ma's bean curd, aubergine with garlic sauce, fried prawns with pepper sauce, minced chicken with gingko nuts and fried breads.
• Shanghai food: Shark's fin in chicken, mushroom with crab meat, ningpo (fried eel), shark's fin soup and West Lake fish.

MEALS

Simple snack: $3.00 USD

Low-range restaurants: $3.00 - $5.00 USD

Mid-range restaurants: $15.00 USD

DRINKS

Tea is a major component of Taiwanese culture, with the island producing many acclaimed varieties – oolong being the most famous. Teahouses are found in great numbers, ranging from the traditional to the contemporary. Many teashops embrace modern innovation – one result is the global popularity of bubble tea (a cooled tea-based drink containing small tapioca balls and drunk through a straw), which originated here.

Alcohol is easy to come by, although there’s not always a huge variety on offer. The most popular tipple is Taiwan Beer, while something stronger is the local firewater, gaoliang jiu, which is made from sorghum

SHOPPING

From the north to the south, there are many large shopping centers and chain department stores in Taiwan. Combining diverse leisure and entertainment facilities, these venues offer designer clothing, lifestyle products, food outlets, bookstores, movie houses, wholesale warehouses, amusement centers, and other attractions, providing the ultimate shopping environment. Moreover, several theme streets have sprung up, exhibiting an exciting blend of history and style, including Taipei's Ximending and Kaohsiung's New Juejiang commercial area, attracting different consumer groups. Other venues, including the weekend jade markets and the computer lane in Taipei's Guanghua Digital Plaza, are very good places to find unexpected bargains.

Aside from keeping up with the latest international trends, Taiwan offers local delicacies, each unique to its own area, that constitute another big reason to visit Taiwan; for example, old food companies and century-old pastry shops have retained the unique tastes produced by the local culture. And if you want to pick up some historic and finely crafted objects of art, then Taiwan is the place to be. Shopping here will surely enrich your travel experience.

TIPPING

Except for bellhops and service personnel in International Hotels, tipping in Taiwan is generally not expected.  

Social conventions: Taiwanese are very polite in both the way they speak and how they treat other people.

Transport: Be aware of priority seating in buses and the MRT (the seat is usually a different colour). Most Taiwanese would never think of sitting here unless they are disabled, aged or pregnant. They also readily give up their seat to anyone who needs it.

Queues: Taiwanese queue for transport and in shops.

Greetings: It's fine to shake hands or just smile when meeting someone for the first time. Accept and offer business cards with both hands.

WEATHER & CLIMATE

Taipei: (approx)

HEALTH & MEDICAL REQUIREMENTS & GUIDELINES

As a general recommendation, it is advisable to check with your family doctor or travel clinic for latest health information.

TRAVEL INSURANCE

It is highly recommended that you purchase travel insurance from your travel agent. Health plans only provide limited coverage while traveling outside of the country. Indus Travels can offer you a complete travel insurance package. Some credit cards do offer travel insurance; however, they do not always provide adequate coverage. Review and understand the terms of your credit card insurance policy. Extra travel insurance can be purchased.

Most insurance companies do have exclusions in their coverage. Pre-existing medical conditions are not insurable. High risk activities such as skydiving, parachuting, and bungee jumping are also not covered by insurance. Understand the complete insurance coverage you have before travelling out of the country.