Kaohsiung, southern Taiwan's major port city (the city centre, not the whole county): Pier-2 art district, Cijin Island, Lotus Pond, the Fo Guang Shan Buddha Museum and night markets. Well suited to a comfortable month with children: clean metro, a science museum, parks and a high level of safety; November–April is dry and mild, June–September is hot, rainy and carries typhoon risk. Mongolian citizens cannot enter visa-free — a visitor visa must be obtained in advance from the Taipei Trade and Economic Representative Office in Ulaanbaatar.
🛂 Visa: Visa required · 30 days✈ Flight: 11h☀ Best months: January, February, March, April
Like a well-travelled friend for a first-timer: before you go, landing, SIM, transport, money, food, safety, manners, apps, leaving — step by step.
🧳Before you goMongolian citizens need a visa for Taiwan, and it is issued in Ulaanbaatar before you travel. Plan the visa timing before you book flights.+
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Visa: get it in Ulaanbaatar before you travel
Mongolian passports are not on Taiwan's visa-free list and there is no e-visa. Apply for a visitor visa at the Taipei Trade and Economic Representative Office in Ulaanbaatar. You need a passport valid 6+ months, 2 photos, a bank statement, an itinerary and a return ticket. The standard single-entry fee is $50.
Tip: Confirm the exact requirements with the office: we have not verified an official Mongolia-specific list. Until the visa is issued, choose refundable tickets and bookings.
The office sets the permitted stay of a single-entry visa at 14, 30, 60 or 90 days. For a one-month trip ask for 30–60 days. It must match your itinerary, return ticket and hotel bookings. Overstaying is an offence, so check the dates printed on the visa when you receive it.
Tip: Write the itinerary day by day, with hotel names and addresses.
The online Taiwan Arrival Card has replaced the paper form. Fill it in free on twac.immigration.gov.tw within three days before arrival, in English or Chinese. Keep the confirmation email; immigration pulls your data up when they scan your passport.
Tourists are not covered by Taiwan's national health insurance. Kaohsiung has top-level hospitals such as Chang Gung, Chung-Ho and Veterans General, but you pay the bill yourself. Take a policy covering treatment, evacuation and accidents.
Tip: Keep a photo of your policy number and its emergency phone on your phone.
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Do not bring meat or food
Taiwan polices meat-containing food strictly to keep African swine fever out: sausages, dried meat, meat dishes and even leftover meals from the flight. A first offence is a NT$200,000 fine, and if you cannot pay you may be refused entry. Do not bring meat or meat products from Mongolia.
Tip: If in doubt, declare it or drop it in the disposal bins before the exit.
Hot and humid: light clothes, sunscreen, mosquito repellent, a rain jacket and comfortable shoes. Mains voltage is 110V, so check your chargers say 100–240V; plugs usually have two flat pins.
Tip: Metro, shops and cafés are heavily air-conditioned; bring a thin layer.
🛬ArrivalKHH airport is close to the city centre and has its own metro station. Signs are usually in English.+
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Immigration and customs
Have your passport, visa, return ticket and TWAC confirmation ready. Immigration pulls up your online data when they scan the passport. Drop any meat food in the disposal bins on the way or declare it; if you have something to declare, use the red channel.
The airport station R4 is on the Red Line and connects to the international terminal via Exit 6. Ride to Formosa Boulevard (R10) for the city centre and transfer there to the Orange Line (O5). Trains come frequently.
After the international arrivals exit, turn left; the queued official taxis wait outside FamilyMart. They run on the meter, with a NT$50 surcharge for pickups at the international terminal. Do not get into unofficial, unlicensed cars.
Tip: Show the driver your hotel's name and address in Chinese on your phone.
📶Phone and internetCoverage in Taiwan is good. A tourist SIM or an eSIM are both easy, and you only need your passport.+
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eSIM is the easiest
If your phone supports eSIM and is unlocked, buy a tourist eSIM before you leave and activate it on landing. A data-only plan is enough: Google Maps, Uber and LINE all run on data. Keep your Mongolian SIM active to receive bank SMS codes.
Tip: Check before you leave that your phone supports eSIM and is not carrier-locked.
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SIMs at the airport and in town
At the airport and in the centre you can buy tourist SIMs or eSIMs from Chunghwa Telecom, Taiwan Mobile and FarEasTone. Show your passport to register. Plans and validity differ between operators, so compare two or three and take the one that matches your trip.
Tip: Buy a one-month data plan, and ask how to extend it if you stay longer.
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Mongolian roaming and Wi-Fi
Roaming on a Mongolian operator is usually expensive, so use it only in emergencies. Hotels, cafés and big metro stations have Wi-Fi, but do not log in to banking or enter passwords on public networks.
🚇Getting aroundKaohsiung is well linked by metro, light rail, buses and public bikes, and one card covers most of them.+
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Metro: Red and Orange lines
The two lines link the main areas, including the airport, Formosa Boulevard and Zuoying high-speed rail station. The metro is the easiest option for your first days. Eating, drinking and chewing gum are banned on it; follow the signs.
Tip: If you are out late, check the last-train time at the station.
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iPASS and EasyCard
One iPASS or EasyCard card works on the metro, light rail, buses and public bikes. Buy and top it up at metro stations. There are also 1-day and 2-day QR travel passes, handy if you ride many times a day.
Buses charge by distance, paid by card or mobile payment. For YouBike public bikes, register your iPASS or EasyCard on the YouBike website or app, then rent. Bikes are great for short hops, but take care on streets full of scooters.
💳MoneyThe currency is the New Taiwan dollar (TWD, NT$). You will need both cash and a card.+
1
Cash and ATMs
Night markets, small eateries and some shops take cash only. ATMs are common at convenience-store chains and bank branches; your bank may charge a fee on foreign cards. Ask your Mongolian bank to enable foreign transactions before you leave.
Tip: Keep your card details and spare card apart from your cash.
2
Changing money and declarations
Change money at banks or airport exchange counters with your passport. Tögrög is rarely exchanged abroad, so bring dollars from Mongolia. If you carry more than NT$100,000 or USD10,000 in cash when entering, declare it to customs.
Metro, big stores, hotels and restaurants take cards; night markets and small places want cash. Apple Pay, Google Pay and QR payments are widespread, but some need a local account, so whether a foreign card works depends on the place.
Tip: Always carry some cash in small notes.
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🍜FoodKaohsiung is known for seafood, night markets and convenience-store food. Meat dishes are plentiful, which suits a Mongolian palate.+
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What to eat
Beef noodle soup, oyster omelet, danzai noodles (a southern Taiwan noodle dish), grilled seafood and bubble tea. Do not over-order at one place; try small portions at several.
Tip: In Chinese, 牛 is beef and 豬 is pork; learn to spot them on menus.
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Night markets
Liuhe and Ruifeng night markets are famous in Kaohsiung: crowded evenings and a huge range of grilled and boiled snacks. Pick stalls that are busy and cooking fresh. Clean your hands before eating. Choose stalls with clear prices.
Tip: Do not be put off by the smell of stinky tofu; taste it once.
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Water and ice
Do not drink tap water straight; use boiled or bottled water. Drinking-water dispensers are common in hotels and public places. Ice and drinks in restaurants and tea shops are generally safe. Carry water in the heat.
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Dietary needs and allergies
Pork, beef, chicken and seafood are plentiful, and there are many vegetarian (Buddhist) restaurants. If you have allergies (nuts, shellfish, milk), save the words in Chinese via a translation app and show them. Convenience-store chains sell hot food and tea eggs.
🛡️SafetyKaohsiung is generally very safe. The main risks are dense scooter traffic, typhoons, heat and humidity, mosquitoes and earthquakes.+
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Emergency numbers
Police 110, fire and ambulance 119; 119 connects you to fire, police and ambulance. The free 24-hour tourist hotline 0800-011-765 serves visitors in Mandarin, English, Japanese and Korean.
Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University Chung-Ho Memorial Hospital and Kaohsiung Veterans General Hospital are high-level hospitals with children's departments. Tourists are outside national insurance, so call your insurer first and keep all receipts.
Tip: Keep the doctor's report and payment receipts for your insurance claim at home.
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Mongolia's representative office
Without diplomatic relations, Mongolia is represented in Taipei by the Ulaanbaatar Trade and Economic Representative Office, a de facto embassy. We found no office in Kaohsiung, so if you lose your passport, contact Taipei. Look up and save the phone and address before you go.
Tip: Back up photos of your passport and visa page on your phone.
🙏EtiquetteTaiwanese are polite, calm and orderly. A few small habits are enough.+
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Metro and queues
Queue for the metro and buses, and let people off before you board. On escalators people usually stand on the right and leave the left for walkers. Give priority seats to the elderly, pregnant women and people with children.
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Temples
Enter temples quietly, with shoulders and knees covered. Step over the threshold rather than on it, and do not point at statues. Ask before photographing someone who is praying.
Tip: At the Dragon and Tiger Pagodas at Lotus Pond in Zuoying, the custom is to enter by the dragon's mouth and leave by the tiger's.
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Table manners
Do not stick chopsticks upright in rice (it resembles funeral incense), and do not point with them. Take your shoes off when entering a home. Tipping is not needed. Do not talk loudly on the phone on the metro or in restaurants.
Tip: Public bins are few; carry your rubbish until you find the right bin.
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Law and sensitive topics
Drug offences are punished severely. Rules on e-cigarettes and vapes are reported to be strict, so check before bringing any. Discuss politics, especially relations with China, calmly and respectfully; do not call Taiwan a "province of China".
📱Useful appsDownload and register before you fly so everything works on landing.+
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Google Maps (offline)
Shows metro and bus routes and transfers well. Download the Kaohsiung map offline for when the signal drops. Save place names in Chinese and show them to drivers.
For calling taxis and private cars. You pin the destination on a map, so no shared language is needed. Register with your Mongolian number for the SMS code and add a card.
In Taiwan hotels, drivers and shops often communicate on LINE; install it and verify your number. iPASS MONEY lets you pay for metro and buses from your phone; check in advance whether foreign users can register.
🛫LeavingThe metro runs right to the airport, so traffic is no issue. Plan your tax refund and leftover cash ahead.+
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When to go to the airport
Take the metro straight to station R4, which links to the international terminal via Exit 6. Allow more time than usual for international flights, with extra for a tax refund. For a late flight, check the metro's last train.
If you spend NT$2,000 or more (tax included) on one day at a single shop with the "Taiwan Tax Refund" label and take the goods out of Taiwan within 90 days, you can claim a VAT refund. Tell the clerk when paying and show your passport. At the airport, use the refund counters or machines before checking in baggage; this takes time.
Tip: Keep your receipts together with your passport.
When leaving, also declare cash above NT$100,000 or foreign currency above USD10,000. Check Mongolia's rules for bringing meat and dairy home, and buy souvenir food in sealed packs.
The area around Formosa Boulevard, where the two metro lines cross, is the easiest base: close to everything. Zuoying is next to the high-speed rail, while Gushan and Sizihwan are the calmer seaside parts. Pick a hotel within walking distance of a metro station.
Tip: A hotel next to a night market can be noisy in the evening; ask about the room's position.
Taxis run on the meter; call one with Uber or hail it on the street. Renting a scooter is risky for visitors: it is unclear whether a Mongolian licence is valid here, scooter traffic is dense, and insurance may not cover a crash. We do not recommend it.
Tip: Taxis are in demand on rainy days and at night; book through the app early.
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Out of the city
From Zuoying, high-speed rail (THSR) runs to cities such as Tainan and Taipei, and Zuoying connects to the metro. For Cijin island, take the ferry from Gushan. Buy tickets at station counters or in an app.
Tip: Tainan makes an easy day trip from Kaohsiung.
Tipping and prices
Tipping is not customary in Taiwan; some hotels and restaurants add a service charge to the bill. Prices in shops and night markets are usually fixed, and bargaining is rare.
Tip: If unsure about a dish, say no politely; nobody minds.
Scooter traffic in Kaohsiung is dense, and scooters wait in packs at lights and move off together. Cross only on the green and watch for turning cars and scooters. Scooters may also pass along pavements.
Tip: Do not look at your phone while crossing; scooters appear suddenly.
5
Typhoons and earthquakes
Typhoons come between July and October: when a warning is issued, flights and transport may stop, so leave spare days. Taiwan is a seismic zone: in a strong tremor take cover under a table, then go outside when it stops. Check the emergency exit on the day you arrive.
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Mosquitoes, heat and humidity
Aedes mosquitoes are a risk for dengue fever. Use repellent and long sleeves when out in the evening. The heat and humidity are heavy: drink plenty and shelter from the afternoon sun. If you get a fever and joint pain, see a doctor and mention your recent travel.
Few places in Mongolia exchange NT$, so change leftovers into dollars at the airport exchange or spend them at a last café or shop. Use up your metro card balance and spend small change on a snack.
