Longtan

Understand

Often considered an industrial region, Taoyuan City has more foreign laborers working there than any other region of Taiwan. Though it is the second most populated district in Taiwan, it is usually not a major destination for travelers except for those with an overnight stopover at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport. Taoyuan and Jhongli are the two largest cities in the district. Away from the crowded plains, in the mountainous area, there is still natural beauty and aboriginal culture to be seen.

Taoyuan district is primarily an industrial district and has few distinctive features. However, if you get stranded at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport overnight and don't want to pay for the airport hotel or travel the extra kilometers into Taipei, you might consider spending the night here. Despite lacking tourist sites, the district does have several large shopping malls, good coffee shops and, due to a large number of overseas workers employed at local factories, also has several cheap South Asian eateries.

Getting there

Taoyuan is about a 25-minute taxi ride from the international airport and around 30 to 40 minutes from Taipei. There's also a NT$60 bus that leaves from the bus terminal of Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport (TPE). It is clearly marked with English and traditional Chinese characters.

By plane Everyone arriving at 1 Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport (台灣桃園國際機場) (TPE IATA) begins their journey in Taoyuan City. The Taoyuan Airport MRT rail is the fastest travel option to/from the airport. You can reach the Taipei railway station or Taoyuan high-speed railway station by that. There are 2 local bus routes, one for Taoyuan and one for Jhongli. The buses depart once or twice an hour. They don't have a separate luggage space so it's quite a hassle if you are traveling with bulky luggage. The bus trip takes about 50 minutes, so travelers who are in a hurry or don't like local bus services are advised to take taxi instead.

By train Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) (臺鐵) has a few stations in Taoyuan District. Every local train and most (but not all) express train stops at the district's two largest train stations: Taoyuan and Jhongli (Zhongli). Train is a convenient method to visit Taoyuan City when coming from other parts of Taiwan. Taoyuan City also has a separate High Speed Rail (HSR) station next to the 'Taoyaun HSR (A18)' MRT Station in Zhongli District . The station is remote from major settlements, but has free shuttle services to the airport, Taoyuan City and Jhongli (Zhongli). Estimated travel time is 45 minutes to Taoyuan and 25 minutes to Jhongli. See 'Get around' in the below for stations locations and url links.

By bus Inter-city buses are available at Taoyuan and Jhongli (Zhongli). Some other cities can also be reached by express buses from Taipei. Traveling by bus in Taiwan is usually much cheaper than trains, but this may not be the case if you are coming from Taipei—they are too close to each other.

By car Serving as the location of the m

Getting around

Like many other places in Taiwan, every city and town in Taoyuan can be reached by bus. However, English bus information almost doesn't exist. If you don't understand any Chinese, hiring a cab or renting a car may be your best bet.

The downtown area is small enough to cover on foot. Taxi cabs are relatively cheap, starting at around NT$100 plus $37.5 per 1 km, and $275 per hour to wait (Dec 2024). The district has its own bus system which is decent and covers the major parts of town, but nowhere near as convenient as Taipei's MRT/bus system. Click here and on the Chinese Wikivoyage for online bus schedules and route information. The main stations for local, airport, regional (to the surrounding districts) are in: 2 Taoyuan bus station. There are also additional bus stops for multiple routes along Zhonghua Rd at the north side of Tonlin Plaza mall, a couple blocks north of the train station on Zhongzhen Rd. 3 Zhongli bus station By the train stations in their respective districts. They also make multiple stops along any given route where passengers can board and get off at.

The 4 Taoyuan Station 桃園站 (main train station) is in downtown, and fares are more than affordable. Additional stations in the greater Taoyuan Municipal Area are: 5 Neili 內壢 6 Zhongli (Jhongli) Taoyuan Station 中壢站 7 Puxin Station 埔心 8 Yangmei Station 楊梅站 The new High Speed Railway (HSR) has its own stop at the 9 Taoyuan HSR Station in the Zhongli District near the Airport which can shuttle people from Taoyuan to Taipei in around 12 minutes for around NT$120. The HSR covers almost the entire length of Taiwan, but a trip spanning the entire length will cost around NT$2200. It is also connected to Taipei via the airport by the Taoyuan MRT from the MRT Station of the same name (A18). Buses run to other districts as well. A bus trip to Taipei will cost NT$65. Zhongli can be accessed by a number of options. A number of bus companies service the city and there is a train station as well. Travelers can a

See

1 At-Taqwa Mosque (大園淸眞寺), No. 8-2, Zi Li 1st Road, Dayuan District. The seventh mosque built in Taiwan, built in 2013. (updated Jan 2018) 2 Cihu Mausoleum (Tzuhu Mausoleum, 慈湖陵寢). closed on Tuesday. The temporary resting place of former President (the first President of ROC) Chiang Kai-shek. (updated Feb 2019) 3 Daxi Old Street (Heping Old Street, 大溪老街). One of Taiwan's famous old streets. (updated Jan 2018) 4 Shihmen Reservoir (石門水庫). One of Taiwan's major reservoirs, near the Daxi Old Street. (updated Jan 2018) 5 Dasi CKS Residence, No. 21-3, Puji Road, ☏ +886 3 388 8600. Built in Japanese colonial time. President Chiang used it a residence. King Hussein of Jordan stayed here with President Chiang before. 6 Suspension Bridge (大溪情人橋). 7 Longgang Mosque (龍岡清真寺), No. 216, Long Dong Road, Zhongli. The fifth mosque built in Taiwan, built in 1967. (updated Jan 2018) 8 Taoyuan Martyr's Shrine. One of the best-kept Shinto shrines outside Japan. (updated Jan 2018) 9 Window on China Theme Park (小人國), No. 891, Gaoyuan Road, ☏ +886 3 471 7211. 09:00-18:00. One of Taiwan's earliest theme parks. A small-scale replica of many famous landmarks (mostly Asian) and a small amusement park - south of Longtan, next to Aspire Technology Park. (updated Jan 2018) 10 Lala Shan Nature Reserve (拉拉山自然保護區), ☏ +886 3 391 2142. 08:00-17:00. Lalashan is one of natural protection zones in Taiwan. There are 500– to 2800-year-old divine trees and the No.5 divine tree is older than Confucius. (updated Feb 2019) 11 Xiao Wulai Scenic Area (小烏來). Waterfall and ancient redwood forest. (updated Jan 2018) 12 Galehe (四稜溫泉). Wild hot spring. (updated Feb 2019) 13 Dongyan Shan National Forest Recreation Area (東眼山國家森林遊樂區). A popular hiking area. (updated Jan 2018) Chatian Shan Nature Reserve. An ancient beech forest. (updated Jan 2018) Xiebai Shan. (2444 m) - ancient cypress forest. (updated Jan 2018) 14 Fugang Village (富岡). A Hakka village in Yangmei Township noted for its trad