Taking the Taiwan High Speed Rail Taoyuan To Tainan
We’re heading to Tainan on the Taiwan High Speed Rail! Since I’ve never been on Taiwan’s High Speed Rail before, we decided to try taking it this time from Taoyuan to Tainan. I must say, it was a super smooth experience from buying tickets to getting to our destination! Plus, we got their signature train bento boxes on the ride there! Next time I’m heading to Tainan, I’m taking the High Speed Rail for sure.
- Tainan: Taiwan’s Food Paradise
- Taiwan High Speed Rail
- Riding The High Speed Rail
- What I Ate On The Train To Tainan
Tainan: Taiwan’s Food Paradise
Tainan is one of my favorite places in Taiwan! Home to many of Taiwan’s most unique foods, like the room temperature beef hot pot, eel noodles, and coffin board toast, Tainan is a foodie’s must visit city.
Tainan also has tons of key historical and cultural relics and destinations, from Anping Old Street to super popular dessert places. There’s no way to explore Tainan all in a day. I’m so excited to be heading there on the High Speed Rail today.
Getting From Taoyuan To Tainan
There are many ways to get to Tainan from Taoyuan:
- Driving from Taoyuan, like my parents did, takes about 4 hours down Highway 1.
- There are bus routes that will take you as well, so you don’t need to rent a car to make this trip.
- By local train, it takes about 3.5 hours.
Today, we’re taking the Taiwan High Speed Rail, which is the FASTEST way to get to Tainan!
Taiwan High Speed Rail: Schedule, Cost, Bookings
The Taiwan High Speed Rail System is easiest way to get between the biggest cities in Taiwan. Although a bit pricier than the alternative TRA local train system, the high speed rail can get up to 300 km/hour, arriving at destinations in half the speed.
There’s only one route between the northern end and southern end of the island, so it’s easy to figure out. There’s usually a train to Tainan every 30 minutes so there’s no worry of missing a specific one to get to Tainan.
High Speed Rail Ticket Pricing and Discounts
Ticket price range from $1150 to $1990 NTD depending on seat class, separated into non-reserved, standard reserved, and business reserved cars. With reserved car ticket, you’re assigned a seat number, so seating is guaranteed. Non-reserved tickets have open seating, and are only available the day of your travel. Today, we decided to splurge on business reserved car tickets.
The High Speed Rail does offer children, senior, and disability discount with ID as well as large group discounts for 11+ people, so if you’re in Taiwan and fit the requirements, make sure to ask for a discounted ticket at the window.
Where To Buy HSR Tickets
You can buy tickets for the Taiwan high speed rail several different ways:
- Website: Buy HSR tickets Online on the Taiwan High Speed Rail official site
- App: T-Express Mobile App allows you to buy and store tickets in your phone.
- Convenience Store: Buy HSR Tickets ahead of time in any convenient store kiosk in Taiwan and get it printed.
- At The Station: Buy HSR Tickets directly from the ticketing booths or kiosks in the train station.
Riding The High Speed Rail
This was actually my first time on the high speed rails in Taiwan, and I was impressed! From buying tickets to getting seated, the process was just like taking an airplane (minus the security!).
After buying your tickets, make sure to DOUBLE CHECK your station location. The HSR has different station locations in some cities than the TRA train stations, so don’t end up in the wrong station!
Before Your Board Your Train
The ticket looks just like a a boarding pass and tells you everything you need. It’s also mostly translated into English to make it easy for international tourists. Once you’ve got your ticket, you can head over to the platforms anytime. This is a great time to stop by the 7-11 or other food stands inside the station for some train snacks. If you’re not sure what to get, check out this 7-11 guide for all 3 meals of the day!
To get into the station platforms, just tap your ticket on the scanner, and you’re in. The platforms’ are super easy to find, since there’s usually only a Northbound and a Southbound platform. Since we’re going to Tainan, located on the southern tip of Taiwan, we’re headed to the Southbound platform.
Finding Your Assigned Seat
The train cars in the Taiwan High Speed Rail are designed to feel like airplanes. The seat numbers are labeled with little plates over the seats, so just find the seat that matches your ticket.
The cars are brightly lit and comfortable. Their business car seats were so plush! For a train that allow food and drinks the high speed rail cars were super clean. Each seat is equipped with hooks to hang your bags, cup holders, AC vents, and footrests. It was so comfy! Once we got situated, it was time to relax and enjoy the ride.
Riding the High Speed Rail To Tainan
You’re able to go from Taoyuan to Tainan in an hour and a half. Typically, that same drive takes us almost 4 hours! I can’t believe how much it felt like sitting in a plane, because the ride itself felt so weightless! Even if we’re going at such high speeds, you wouldn’t even notice sitting inside that car.
As our ride started, the food carriage came along. We purchased some train bento boxes and drinks and finished them while watching the fields and mountains of central Taiwan go by.
After lunch, we’re able to settle into our books. I’m finally starting the Throne of Glass Series, and I’ll be sharing my thoughts with my book club members! Check out what Iโm reading now. The ride to Tainan was so smooth, we didn’t even realized we arrived!
Read With Us!
Do you also love reading? Come join me and so many other book worm friends in my BOOK CLUB, where we read, discuss, and share!
What I Ate On The Train To Tainan
The High Speed Rail has food trolleys that periodically travel between train cars, selling snacks, drinks, and bento boxes. For an affordable price, you can get drinks, snacks, fresh pastries, or full meals like bento boxes. We definitely took advantage of that, because the High Speed Rail is famous for their train bento boxes! Nothing beats snacking while watching out the train window.
Pork Chop Train Bento
One must-have experience in Asia is their train station food, and Taiwan’s High Speed Rail is no exception. Their bento boxes are just as iconic as the TRA bento boxes, and just as good of a value. For NTD $110, I got a pork chop bento box (้ฆๆปท่ๆ็้ค) in a cardboard box that’s filled to the brim with food. The box is adorned with the High Speed Rail mascots and the name of the bento, and is super cute!
The star of this bento is obviously the pork chop. First deep fried then braised in a flavorful soy-based sauce, the pork is tender but satisfying. The bento is packed with so many side dishes! There was stir fried cabbage, edamame, steamed pumpkins, pickled cucumber, and pickled cabbage. On the bottom, it’s a layer of perfectly cooked white rice soaking up all the sauces from the different side dishes.
High Speed Rail Snacks and Drinks
The train car snack cart sells many drinks and snacks that you can purchase during the ride. Their catalog is on rotation, so you might find something different every time.
They offer drink combos with some of their pastry options, which is a great pick! I got the drink combo for the bento box, which comes with a refreshing bottle of cold green tea. Today, I also got an extra little passionfruit pineapple cake as a after-bento dessert. It was fluffy, and tart, and a great way to end the ride while reading my book.
Travel Taiwan with me for more Street Food and Exploring!
