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Taipei on Your Own: A 3-Day Self-Guided Tour for First-Timers
Taipei is one of the easiest cities in Asia to explore on your own. The MRT (metro) is clean, cheap, and signed in English.
MoneyWise
10/31/20261 min read
Taipei is one of the easiest cities in Asia to explore on your own. The MRT (metro) is clean, cheap, and signed in English. The food is wonderful, the people are friendly, and you can mix ancient temples, a world-famous museum, a 101-floor tower, hot springs, and night markets into three relaxed days — without a tour guide and without spending a fortune.
This guide follows one simple rule: one area a day, one big sight a day, and plenty of time to just walk and e
How This Guide Works
Base yourself near Taipei Main Station or Ximending. Both are on the MRT, central, and full of food and shops.
Get an EasyCard on arrival. It is a rechargeable tap card that works on the MRT, city buses, the Airport MRT, and even at convenience stores. The card itself costs NT$100 (about US$3) as a deposit, and you load money on top of it. MRT rides cost NT$20 to NT$65 (about US$0.60 to US$2) depending on distance, and paying with an EasyCard gives you a 20% discount on MRT rides. NT$300 to NT$500 loaded on the card covers a few days of travel. Since July 2026, you can tap a contactless credit card — or your phone wallet — right at the Taipei Metro fare gate, no EasyCard needed.
Two things to know: tap the same card or phone in and out, since the fare is worked out by distance. And you won't get the 20% discount that EasyCard riders get, so if you're riding a lot over three days, the EasyCard is still the cheaper option.
From Taoyuan International Airport, take the purple Airport MRT Express to Taipei Main Station. It takes about 35 minutes and costs NT$160 (about US$5) one way. The slower commuter train on the same line takes about 50 minutes and costs around NT$150.
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