Taichung

Mongolian ordinary passport holders are on neither Taiwan's visa-exempt list nor its eVisa list. Apply in person for a visitor visa at the Taipei Trade and Economic Representative Office in Ulaanbaatar: BOCA fee $50 single entry, $100 multiple entry. Applications are taken on weekday mornings; the permitted stay is printed on the visa.

Tip: Prepare a passport valid for over 6 months, return ticket, hotel booking, bank statement and employment letter; confirm the document list by phone.

Paper arrival cards were abolished on 1 October 2025: fill in the Taiwan Arrival Card online, free, before you arrive. It reads your details from a passport photo, and one person can submit the cards for the rest of the family.

There is no direct flight, so you connect in Seoul, Beijing or Hong Kong. Through Beijing, check your bag through to the final destination and stay airside — Mongolia is not covered by China's visa-free transit schemes. Many Seoul connections involve an overnight stay, so ask the airline about Korea's transit rules.

Tip: Transiting in Hong Kong is visa-free for Mongolians and the easiest option.

From the Airport MRT station under both terminals to HSR Taoyuan Station (A18) takes ~16–19 minutes and costs NT$35. Tap your EasyCard or buy a token from the machine.

Taoyuan–Taichung on the HSR takes ~40 minutes: a reserved standard-car seat is NT$540, non-reserved NT$520, children half price. Discounted tickets and the THSR Pass for foreign visitors are sold online. Book in the T Express app and board with a QR code.

HSR Taichung station is on the southern edge of the city, linked to Xinwuri local railway station and the Taichung MRT Green Line. Take a local train to the centre (Taichung Station, Miyahara), or the MRT or a taxi to Fengjia and the theatre district.

Chunghwa Telecom and Taiwan Mobile counters in the Taoyuan arrivals hall are open 24 hours. Chunghwa's unlimited 4G data: 5 days NT$300, 10 days NT$500 (with a little call credit). They may ask for your passport plus a second ID (e.g. a driving licence).

Tip: Bring a second ID — Taiwan asks for two documents for a SIM.

If your phone supports eSIM, buy a Taiwan plan from Airalo, Ubigi or similar before you fly and it works the moment you land. No queue, but no Taiwanese number — LINE is enough for booking taxis and restaurants.

An EasyCard or iPASS pays for the Taichung MRT, city buses, YouBike, local trains and convenience stores. On buses tap both when boarding and when getting off. The city's '10 km free' bus scheme is only for registered Taichung residents; tourists pay the normal fare.

From the Nantou Bus counter by Exit 5 on the ground floor of HSR Taichung, bus 6670 reaches Sun Moon Lake in 1–1.5 hours; NT$193 one way, NT$360 return. Arrive early at weekends to get a seat.

Public transport to Gaomei Wetlands, Xinshe and Zhongshe Flower Market is sparse and slow. Use Uber or taxis, or hire a car with driver for a day covering two or three places — the easiest option with children.

Night markets and small eateries take cash only. Withdraw New Taiwan dollars (TWD) with a foreign card at ATMs inside 7-Eleven and at Chinatrust or Bank of Taiwan machines. Department stores, hotels and the HSR accept cards.

Spend NT$2,000 or more in one TRS-labelled shop on one day and you can claim the VAT back — show your passport in the shop for the refund form. Small refunds are paid on the spot in the shop, the rest at the airport.

One of Taiwan's biggest night markets: grilled squid, sausage-in-rice, stinky tofu, scallion pancakes. Most stalls open around 16–17 and run until midnight; the busiest hours are 19–22.

Tip: Go early (around 6 pm) — easier with children; sort your rubbish at the collection points.

Bubble tea — Chun Shui Tang's original shop is in the city; sun cakes (太陽餅) — Taichung's classic gift; beef noodle soup, braised pork rice (lu rou fan), Miyahara ice cream. With children, the ready meals in restaurants and convenience stores everywhere are tasty and cheap.

Tip: No tipping; many restaurants add a service charge to the bill.

Ready meals, onigiri and tea eggs from 7-Eleven and FamilyMart make an easy breakfast. Taiwanese breakfast shops (早餐店) serve sandwiches, turnip cake and soy milk cheaply and fast.

Police 110, ambulance and fire 119 — free, 24 hours. The 24-hour toll-free travel information line 0800-011-765 (English) and the International Community Service Hotline 0800-024-111.

During summer and autumn typhoons the HSR, flights and buses may stop — follow the Central Weather Administration's warnings. Earthquake alerts sound loudly on your phone. The city is full of scooters, so cross at crossings on the green light.

Taichung Veterans General Hospital and China Medical University Hospital have international patient centres and English-speaking doctors. Pharmacies (藥局) are everywhere. Call your insurer's assistance line first.

Eating, drinking and chewing gum on Taiwan's metro and buses are banned and fined. Young people leave the dark-blue priority seats empty. Stand on the right on escalators.

Photos are fine in Taoist and Buddhist temples, but don't walk in front of worshippers or step on the main door's threshold. Taiwanese are polite and helpful — loud arguments or public anger are frowned on. Hand over money and gifts with both hands.

Street bins are rare: put rubbish in your hotel's or a shop's bin. Sorting is strict — recyclables, food waste and general rubbish go separately. Rubbish trucks announce themselves with music.

Google Maps shows Taichung MRT and bus times well. Book HSR tickets in the T Express app and board with a QR code. Uber works in Taichung; unlock YouBike with an EasyCard.

Google Translate's camera mode translates Traditional Chinese menus on the spot; download the offline pack. LINE is Taiwan's main chat app — hotels and tour companies reply on LINE.

Taiwan Arrival Card (TWAC) — before arrival. Taichung Tourism — sights, events, flower festivals. Central Weather Administration — typhoons and rain.

Taichung–Taoyuan on the HSR takes ~40 minutes, then ~16–19 minutes on the Airport MRT. Plan to reach the airport 3 hours before an international flight and book the HSR ahead — it fills up at weekends and holidays.

At the airport, before customs, show your passport, receipts and goods at the tax-refund kiosk or counter. Spend the EasyCard balance in a shop or keep it for your next trip.