Taoyuan Airport 桃園機場

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You may have been to the Taoyuan International Airport, Taiwan's largest airport, but do you know about the two plane-spotting balconies in Terminal 2, Lego area, mock old street eating area, or dumpling-shaped benches? In this blog, we will reveal some of the secrets to Taiwan's Taoyuan Airport.

Historical Background:
Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport (aka Taipei-Taoyuan International Airport, or TPE) serves mainly northern Taiwan including Taipei City and is the largest and busiest airport in Taiwan.
The Taoyuan International Airport opened in 1979, due to overcrowding in the smaller Songshan Airport in Taipei City, and was part of the Ten Major Construction Projects under President Chiang Ching-kuo. The airport was originally named after his father, former president Chiang Kai-shek, but was changed to the Taoyuan International Airport in 2006. 
Currently, China Airlines, EVA Airlines, Starlux Airlines, and Tigerair Taiwan have their headquarters at Taoyuan International Airport. 
Terminal 2 in Taoyuan International Airport was opened in 2000 due to more overcrowding.
Terminal 3 is currently under construction and is expected to open in 2026. A fourth terminal is also planned. 
In 2019 the airport saw over 48 million passengers and 265,000 aircraft. ​

Hours:
24/7

Price:
Free

Places to eat / restaurants at Taoyuan Airport:
Terminal 1:
Before Security: B1 Food Court (including Burger King), 1F Subway, 3F Food Court (including Starbucks)
After Security: 3F Departure Hall 
Terminal 2:
Before Security: B2 Food Court, 1F (two coffee shops only), 4F Food Court, 5F Old Street Food Court
​After Security: 3F Departure Hall, 4F Departure Hall
For full food options in the Taoyuan Airport in Chinese, check out this article here. 

Where to stay:
Looking for the best hotels near Taoyuan Airport? We recommend the Novotel Taipei Taoyuan International Airport which has great service and is conveniently located right next to Taoyuan Airport, the MRT, and HSR station (you can book on Agoda here or Booking.com here).  
We also recommend the Fullon Hotel Taoyuan which also has great service and is located in downtown Taoyuan City (you can book on Agoda here or Booking.com here).  
Looking for a hotel? We recommend booking through Booking.com here, which provides the best quality selection of accommodation in Taiwan.
Find out where to stay in our Taiwan hotels guide or search for the best hotel deals in Taiwan here.

Activities in Taoyuan:
Ice Skating, Rock Climbing, Mountain Climbing, Cycling, High Ropes, Ziplining, Archery, Vietnamese BBQ, Batting Cages, Glamping, Van Camping, Photo Shoot, Turkish Mosaic DIY, Thai Massage, Painting, Baking, Go Karting, Imax Theater, Japanese Style Buffet, Tourist Factory Experience, peach and fruit picking, Ring-making DIY, handmade popsicle DIY, and more on on Tripadvisor here, Klook here, or KKday here. 

How to get to Taoyuan International Airport from Taipei:
By Car/Taxi: Take National Freeway 2 to Taoyuan Airport. There is paid parking at the airport. 
If you are looking for car rentals, you can also search  Qeeq here, Klook here, or KKday here. 
Time: about 40 minutes one way.
Price: About 2000 NT one way. 
By Scooter: From Taoyuan, take Provincial Highway 4 to the airport. There is paid scooter parking at the airport. 
Looking for scooter rental in Taoyuan? Search Klook here or KKday here to look for options.
Time: about 1.5 hours one way from Taipei.
Price: A full tank of gas (150 NT) one way. You will not be able to take much luggage.
By Bus: Take Ubus from Kbus from Taipei Main Station straight to the airport T1 or T2. You can book tickets to travel to Taoyuan Airport via inter-city bus on Klook here. 
Time: about 40 minutes one way.
Price: About 160 NT one way. 
By MRT (Mass Rapid Transit): To get to Taoyuan International Airport from Taipei Main Station, take the airport MRT to Terminal 1 or Terminal 2. You can also book an MRT travel pass on Klook here. 
Time: about 40 minutes one way.
Price: About 160 NT one way. 
By HSR (High Speed Rail): Take the HSR to Taoyuan HSR Station, then switch to the Airport MRT. – Gets you quickly from north to south. Besides Taipei and Kaohsiung, most of the stations are far from city centers. It costs about 1500NT to get from Taipei to Kaohsiung. You can book tickets to the high-speed rail (HSR)  on Klook here or KKDay here.  
Time: about 40 minutes one way.
Price: About 180 NT one way. 

How to get from Taoyuan International Airport to Taipei Main Station:
​By Car/Taxi: Take National Freeway 2 from Taoyuan Airport and then transfer onto National Freeway 1. Take the exit to Taipei. 
If you are looking for car rentals, you can also search  Qeeq here, Klook here, or KKday here. 
Time: about 40 minutes one way.
Price: About 2000 NT one way. 
By Bus: There are buses that leave from both Terminal 1 and 2 straight to Taipei Main Station Hourly (Kbus and Ubus). You can book tickets to travel to Taoyuan Airport via inter-city bus on Klook here. 
Time: about 40 minutes one way.
Price: About 160 NT one way. 
By MRT (Mass Rapid Transit): Take the Airport Express Train MRT from Terminal 1 or Terminal 2 to Taipei Main Station. The Express Trains are faster and have space for luggage. You can also book an MRT travel pass on Klook here. 
Time: about 40 minutes one way.
Price: About 160 NT one way. 
By HSR (High Speed Rail):  Take the airport MRT from Terminal 1 or Terminal 2 to Taoyuan HSR station. (High-Speed Rail) – Gets you quickly from north to south. Besides Taipei and Kaohsiung, most of the stations are far from city centers. It costs about 1500NT to get from Taipei to Kaohsiung. You can book tickets to the high-speed rail (HSR)  on Klook here or KKDay here.  
Time: about 40 minutes one way.
Price: About 180 NT one way. 
​
Map:
Check out the map below:

Our Journey: 

I have been to Taoyuan Airport countless times. Even when I lived in Kaohsiung, I would still go to Taoyuan Airport for flights because most of the cheap international flights to the US go through Taoyuan. Terminal 2 is the newer and better terminal and the main focus of this blog. I am also excited to see the new Terminal 3 once it is completed.  

Takeoff from Taiwan Taoyuan Airport pic.twitter.com/PjvheWE1WQ

— Foreigners in Taiwan □□ 外國人在台灣 (@foreignersinTW) May 27, 2018

Check out our video of taking off from Taoyuan Airport above. 

Flying into Taiwan’s Taoyuan Airport #桃園機場 pic.twitter.com/i4oVpFiOu1

— Foreigners in Taiwan □□ 外國人在台灣 (@foreignersinTW) April 5, 2019

Check out our video above of us flying into Taoyuan Airport. 

Terminal 3, pictured above, is still under construction. The completion of this terminal will increase the capacity of the airport to up to 90 million passengers per year. 

Closeup on the construction. 

For some reason, whenever I post about these steamed dumpling-shaped benches it always blows up on social media. You can find these on the second floor near the parking lot at Terminal 2.

On the east wing on the top floor of Terminal 2, you can find the new Old Street eating area. 

They built a full-scale old street in here each with its own little shop. You can visit historic Taiwan without leaving the airport. 

Traditional egg and pork rice bowl enlarged for size. 

Another view of the fake old street.

Also on the top floor of T2 on the east wing, you will find this giant mural of Dadaocheng. 

Endemic bird display in T2.

Photos from local photographers, including this photo from someone who is not Josh Ellis. 

Something you should know when visiting: now all passengers from Asia who come to the Taoyuan Airport must go through a check to make sure they are not bringing any pork products. There is a hefty fine if you are caught with pork products coming into Taiwan. 

There is also a child's playground in T2 at the gates to help kids expend their energy.

On the west end of T2, you can find the best viewing platform in the airport. 

There is also a large Lego model of the airport here and Lego playing area behind it. 

View of the west platform and plane watchers. 

Panorama of the viewing deck. 

View of T1 from T2.

View of the T2 tower.

Closeup on the tower. 

Get your telephoto lenses prepared. This photo is of an EVA flight, flying over Zhuwei Harbor. 

Head-on view of a China Airlines flight.

China Airlines plane taking off. 

Closeup on the plane. 

Closeup on another China Airlines plane.

Another China Airlines flight taking off. 

View of the jet fuel storage tanks and ocean in the background. 

Land based wind turbines in the background. 

View of the National Freeway 2 bridge in Dayuan. 

Another view of Zhuwei Harbor. ​

Jets parked nearby including a smaller aircraft owned by Far Eastern Air. 

Another view looking toward the HSR station. 

You can see more photos I took from the west viewing platform in the gallery above.

The east viewing platform I think is not as good because you do not get a view of the ocean, but there are still lots of airplanes taking off here. 

Head on view of a Philippine Airlines flight. 

View looking south with Yangmingshan in the distance. 

China Airlines flight taking off. 

This time we were taking off from the east side. 

Another view of the west side viewing platform. 

View of Taichung City (left), and Changhua City (bottom right) in central Taiwan from the air at night. You can also see bits of Nantou.

View over Chiayi City at night. 

View from northern Taiwan via airplane. If you look closely you can see snow on top of Snow Mountain and Mt. Nanhu. Also the city of Keelung on the northern coast.

The island of Taiwan seen from a few thousand feet above. The highest mountain you see there is Mt. Jade at nearly 4000 meters high.

Aerial view of Taiwan’s new Taipei Harbor under construction in Bali at the mouth of the Tamsui River in New Taipei.

Aerial view from Tamsui and Bali at the mouth of the Tamsui River in New Taipei.

View over Baishawan Beach in Sanzhi District of New Taipei, one of the best beaches on the north coast and the surrounding area.

There are many other activities available in Taoyuan such as Ice Skating, Rock Climbing, Mountain Climbing, High Ropes, Ziplining, Archery, Batting Cages, Glamping, Go Karting, peach and fruit picking, and more on Klook here, or KKday here. 

Check out our full guide to Taoyuan here.

You can also check out our full guide to Taiwan here. ​

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