GuideTaipei
Where to Stay in Taipei: Six Areas Compared by MRT Time, Airport Access and Budget
Taipei Main Station and Zhongshan, Ximending, Xinyi, Da'an, Songshan or Beitou? MRT times and fares to both airports checked in September 2026, what a late Taoyuan landing changes, and how to confirm a hotel is licensed on the government's Taiwan Stay site.
Updated: About 11 min read
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Taipei is compact and nearly every hotel area sits on the MRT, so the choice comes down to three questions: which airport you use, how late you land, and what you want outside the door at night. Songshan Airport (松山機場, TSA) is inside the city, with flights from Tokyo Haneda, Seoul Gimpo and several mainland Chinese cities; Taoyuan International Airport (桃園國際機場, TPE) is out in Taoyuan, linked to Taipei Main Station (台北車站) by the Airport MRT.
Below are the six areas most visitors choose. MRT times and fares come from Taipei Metro's fare finder (transfers included, waiting not), airport times from the airports and Taoyuan Metro, all checked in September 2026. Room rates change nightly, so prices are only compared relatively.
The short answer: six areas side by side
| Area | Stay near | Best for | From Taipei Main Station | From Songshan Airport | Relative price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Taipei Main Station and Zhongshan (台北車站／中山) | Taipei Main Station, Zhongshan | First visits, the Airport MRT, High Speed Rail day trips | Zhongshan 2 min, NT$20 | Taipei Main Station 15 min, NT$25; Zhongshan 15 min, NT$20 | Wide range |
| Ximending (西門町) | Ximen | Tight budgets, late nights, shopping | 2 min, NT$20 | 17 min, NT$25 | Lower to mid |
| Xinyi and the East District (信義／東區) | Taipei City Hall, Taipei 101/World Trade Center, Zhongxiao Fuxing | Malls, Taipei 101, bars | City Hall 11 min, NT$20; Taipei 101 14 min, NT$25 | Zhongxiao Fuxing 7 min, NT$20; City Hall 14 min, NT$25 | Higher |
| Da'an and Yongkang Street (大安／永康街) | Dongmen | Food, quiet evenings, second visits | 7 min, NT$20 | 15 min, NT$25 | Mid, fewer hotels |
| Songshan (松山) | Nanjing Fuxing, Songshan | Songshan Airport flights, Raohe Night Market | Nanjing Fuxing 7 min, NT$20; Songshan 14 min, NT$25 | Nanjing Fuxing 5 min, NT$20; Songshan 18 min, NT$25 | Mid |
| Beitou (北投) | Xinbeitou | Hot-spring hotels, one slow night | 28 min, NT$35 | 41 min, NT$40, three changes | Higher for hot-spring rooms |
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簡化的台北捷運示意圖，標出六個住宿區域。台北車站與中山：機場捷運 A1 終點，中山到台北車站 2 分，松山機場到台北車站 15 分。西門町：台北車站 2 分 NT$20，松山機場 17 分 NT$25，板南線台北車站末班 00:49。信義與東區：台北車站到市政府 11 分 NT$20、到台北101/世貿 14 分 NT$25，松山機場到忠孝復興 7 分 NT$20。大安與永康街：東門到台北車站 7 分 NT$20，松山機場 15 分 NT$25。松山：南京復興到松山機場 5 分，松山站（饒河夜市）到松山機場 18 分、到台北車站 14 分。北投：新北投到台北車站 28 分 NT$35，到松山機場 41 分 NT$40，台北車站最後可達班次 23:45。桃園機場機捷直達車 35 到 39 分 NT$160，末班 T2 22:55、T1 22:58，A1 首班 05:30；國光 1819 巴士 24 小時約 55 分，1840、1841、1842 到松山機場 50 到 60 分，大有 1960 到市政府一帶 60 到 70 分；計程車約 NT$1,200 到 1,900；台北車站捷運末班 00:36 到 00:49。松山機場站首班 06:03，往動物園末班 00:27，往南港展覽館末班 00:43。/ Simplified Taipei MRT map of six hotel areas. Taipei Main Station and Zhongshan: end of the Airport MRT at A1, Zhongshan 2 minutes from Taipei Main Station, Songshan Airport 15 minutes away. Ximending: 2 minutes and NT$20 from Taipei Main Station, 17 minutes and NT$25 from Songshan Airport, last Blue line train from Taipei Main Station 00:49. Xinyi and the East District: City Hall 11 minutes and NT$20, Taipei 101/World Trade Center 14 minutes and NT$25 from Taipei Main Station, Zhongxiao Fuxing 7 minutes and NT$20 from Songshan Airport. Da'an and Yongkang Street: Dongmen 7 minutes and NT$20 from Taipei Main Station, 15 minutes and NT$25 from Songshan Airport. Songshan: Nanjing Fuxing 5 minutes from the airport, Songshan station for Raohe Night Market 18 minutes from the airport and 14 minutes from Taipei Main Station. Beitou: Xinbeitou 28 minutes and NT$35 from Taipei Main Station, 41 minutes and NT$40 from Songshan Airport, last connecting train from Taipei Main Station 23:45. From Taoyuan Airport the Airport MRT Express takes 35 to 39 minutes for NT$160, last Express 22:55 from T2 and 22:58 from T1, first Express from A1 05:30; bus 1819 runs 24 hours in about 55 minutes, buses 1840, 1841 and 1842 reach Songshan Airport in 50 to 60 minutes and bus 1960 the City Hall area in 60 to 70 minutes; taxis about NT$1,200 to 1,900; last metro trains from Taipei Main Station 00:36 to 00:49. Songshan Airport station: first train 06:03, last toward Taipei Zoo 00:27, last toward Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center 00:43.
The six areas in detail
Taipei Main Station and Zhongshan (台北車站／中山): easiest for airports and day trips
The safest base for a first visit. Taipei Main Station is where the Airport MRT ends at station A1, High Speed Rail and Taiwan Railway trains stop, and the Red (Tamsui-Xinyi) and Blue (Bannan) metro lines cross; Taipei Bus Station (台北轉運站), the city end of the 24-hour 1819 airport bus, is next door. On your last day, A1's free in-town check-in (06:00 to 21:30, at least 180 minutes before departure, for same-day flights on China Airlines, Mandarin Airlines, EVA Air, UNI Air, Cathay Pacific and STARLUX) lets you drop your bags and keep the afternoon. One stop north, Zhongshan (中山, 2 minutes, NT$20) is the nicer place to come home to, with department stores, a long linear park, cafes on Chifeng Street (赤峰街) and Ningxia Night Market (寧夏夜市) nearby. The catch: the walk between the Airport MRT and the Taipei Metro platforms is long, so check which exit your hotel is near, not just the station name.
Ximending (西門町): cheap sleeps and late nights
Ximen (西門) is one stop west of Taipei Main Station on the Blue line (2 minutes, NT$20), and Ximending around it is Taipei's pedestrian shopping district and youth-culture hub: cinemas, anime shops, street dancers and snack stalls busy until late. Great for tight budgets and night owls, bad for light sleepers: ask for a high floor. Songshan Airport is 17 minutes and NT$25 away with a change at Zhongxiao Fuxing (忠孝復興), and the last Blue line trains leave Taipei Main Station at 00:49.
Xinyi and the East District (信義／東區): shopping, Taipei 101 and the priciest rooms
Xinyi (信義) is the district of towers and malls around Taipei 101; the older East District (東區) runs along Zhongxiao East Road (忠孝東路) from Zhongxiao Fuxing to Zhongxiao Dunhua (忠孝敦化). The big international hotels are here, so expect the highest prices. The upside is the brown Wenhu line (文湖線) to Songshan Airport: Zhongxiao Fuxing is 7 minutes and NT$20 from the airport, Taipei City Hall (市政府) 14 minutes and NT$25. From Taipei Main Station, City Hall is 11 minutes (NT$20) and Taipei 101/World Trade Center (台北101/世貿) 14 minutes (NT$25). From Taoyuan Airport, Evergreen Bus (大有巴士) 1960 reaches the City Hall area in 60 to 70 minutes.
Da'an and Yongkang Street (大安／永康街): eat well, sleep quietly
Around Dongmen (東門) station the city slows down. Yongkang Street (永康街) and its lanes are full of beef noodle shops, dumpling houses including Din Tai Fung, tea shops and cafes, with Daan Forest Park (大安森林公園) one stop further on the Red line. The area is mostly residential, so hotels are fewer and smaller and nights are quiet. Dongmen is 7 minutes and NT$20 from Taipei Main Station; Songshan Airport is 15 minutes and NT$25 away with two changes.
Songshan (松山): for city-airport flights and Raohe Night Market
Songshan Airport sits on the north side of this area, so the business hotels along Nanjing East Road (南京東路) suit anyone flying in from Haneda, Gimpo or Shanghai. Mind the station: Nanjing Fuxing (南京復興) is 5 minutes (NT$20) from the airport on the Wenhu line, but Songshan (松山) station, the stop for Raohe Street Tourist Night Market (饒河街觀光夜市, open 17:00 to midnight), is 18 minutes (NT$25) with a change, and 14 minutes (NT$25) from Taipei Main Station. From Taoyuan Airport, Kuo-Kuang (國光客運) buses 1840, 1841 and 1842 run to Songshan Airport in 50 to 60 minutes.
Beitou (北投): a hot-spring night, not a base
The one area where the room itself is the attraction: a valley of hot-spring hotels, many with private baths, a walk from Xinbeitou (新北投) station and Thermal Valley. As a base it is awkward. Xinbeitou is 28 minutes (NT$35) from Taipei Main Station with a change at Beitou, the last connecting train from Taipei Main Station leaves at 23:45, and Songshan Airport is 41 minutes (NT$40) away with three changes. Taiwan Stay, the government lodging search below, can filter for the hot-spring mark (溫泉標章).
Beitou and Wulai hot springs: public baths, prices and etiquetteBeitou and Wulai Hot Springs: Public Baths, Thermal Valley and Bus 849How to do Taipei's two hot-spring valleys on an EasyCard: Beitou's public outdoor bath (closed for rebuilding until late September 2026), the free Thermal Valley and Hot Spring Museum, then Wulai by MRT and bus 849, with the etiquette for swimsuit baths, nude baths and tattoos.Read the full article
Airports, late arrivals and early flights
Landing at Taoyuan (TPE)
The Airport MRT Express reaches Taipei Main Station in 35 minutes from Terminal 1 and 39 from Terminal 2 for NT$160; the Commuter train takes 49 and 52 minutes. The last Express leaves Terminal 2 at 22:55 and Terminal 1 at 22:58, the last Commuter trains at 23:35 and 23:37. The last Taipei Metro trains out of Taipei Main Station leave at 00:36 (Red line toward Tamsui, for Zhongshan), 00:45 (Red line toward Guangci/Fengtian Temple, for Dongmen and Taipei 101) and 00:49 (Blue line, for Ximen and City Hall); the last connection to Xinbeitou leaves at 23:45.
- On the last Express, every area except Beitou still works by train; just allow for the long walk from A1 to the metro.
- The last Commuter trains reach Taipei Main Station around 00:26, too tight for most metro connections: stay within walking distance or take a taxi.
- Later than that, the Kuo-Kuang 1819 bus runs 24 hours to Taipei Bus Station via Zhongshan North Road (中山北路) in about 55 minutes for NT$133 to 164; the official taxi rank estimates NT$1,200 to 1,900 to Taipei City, meter plus tolls.
- Early Taoyuan flight: the first Express leaves A1 at 05:30, before the Taipei Metro starts (06:00 at Taipei Main Station), so unless you can walk to A1, budget for a taxi.
Landing at Songshan (TSA)
Songshan Airport has its own Wenhu line station and forgiving hours. On the regular schedule the airport publishes for September 2026 the last international arrival lands at 21:55, while the last train toward the city centre (direction Taipei Zoo) leaves at 00:27, the last toward Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center at 00:43, and the first trains at 06:03. Nanjing Fuxing (5 minutes), Zhongxiao Fuxing (7), Taipei City Hall (14) and Taipei Main Station, Zhongshan and Dongmen (15 each) are all within a quarter of an hour. Only dawn departures are tight: the first Haneda flight leaves at 07:20.
Book a licensed hotel: a two-minute check
Taiwan licenses three kinds of accommodation: tourist hotels (觀光旅館), hotels (旅館) and homestays (民宿). All three must hold liability insurance and display an official sign, and hotels and homestays must show their registration number in advertising, online included. The Tourism Administration's Taiwan Stay site (臺灣旅宿網, taiwanstay.net.tw), with English, Japanese and Simplified Chinese versions, is the national search: each listing shows the registration number, address, room count, list price range and the languages the staff can handle.
- Find the registration number on the booking page or the property's own website.
- On Taiwan Stay, choose 臺北市 (Taipei City) and search for the name or street.
- Check that the name, address, number and category (hotel or homestay) all match.
- Bring your passport to check-in: hotels are required to register every guest.
Homestays are where Taipei bookings go wrong. Within a city, homestay licences are only issued in designated places such as scenic and tourist areas or leisure farms, and generally not in apartment buildings, so a city flat rented out by the night needs a hotel licence to be legal. Unlicensed hotel business is fined NT$100,000 to 2,000,000, an unlicensed homestay NT$100,000 to 1,000,000, and advertising either NT$100,000 to 1,500,000. Fines hit the operator; a closure order hits your booking.
Before you book: entry and getting around
Passports from the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, the EU and Schengen area, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and South Korea get 90 days visa-free, Singapore and Malaysia 30; the Bureau of Consular Affairs (BOCA) keeps the full list. Everyone files the free online Taiwan Arrival Card within the seven days before arrival. Since 1 July 2026 every Taipei Metro gate also takes contactless credit and debit cards, foreign ones included, and phone wallets such as Apple Pay and Google Pay; card fares get no MRT-bus transfer discount, which an EasyCard (悠遊卡) keeps.
Taoyuan Airport to Taipei: MRT, bus and taxiTaoyuan Airport to Taipei: Airport MRT, Bus, Taxi and the HSR ConnectionChecked September 2026: how to get from Taoyuan International Airport (TPE) into Taipei by Airport MRT (NT$160, 35 to 39 minutes), the 24-hour 1819 bus, a metered taxi, or straight onto the High Speed Rail for Taichung, Tainan and Kaohsiung, plus what to do when you land after the last train.Read the full article
Four days in Taipei for first-timersTaipei 4-day itinerary for first-timers: Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, National Palace Museum, Jiufen and Taipei 101 by MRTA day-by-day plan for four days in Taipei: which MRT station to get off at, opening hours and ticket prices checked on the official sites in September 2026, what to eat in each neighbourhood, and the swaps that save you a wasted Monday or a rained-out sunset.Read the full article
Plan the rest of your Taipei trip
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Sources
- Tourism Administration, Taiwan Stay: search for licensed hotels and homestays · Checked:
- Taiwan Stay: single-use hotel amenities rules in force from 1 January 2025 · Checked:
- Ministry of Environment: restrictions on single-use hotel amenities · Checked:
- Regulations for the Management of Hotel Enterprises (旅館業管理規則) · Checked:
- Regulations for the Management of Home Stay Facilities (民宿管理辦法) · Checked:
- Act for the Development of Tourism (發展觀光條例): licensing and penalties · Checked:
- Taipei Metro: fare and travel time finder · Checked:
- Taipei Metro: first and last trains at each station · Checked:
- Taoyuan International Airport: Airport MRT (journey times, fares, first and last trains) · Checked:
- Taoyuan International Airport: buses (routes 1819, 1840 to 1842, 1960) · Checked:
- Taoyuan Airport taxi rank (official operator): estimated fares · Checked:
- Highway Bureau intercity bus information: route 1819 timetable and fares · Checked:
- Taoyuan Metro: A1 Taipei Main Station timetable · Checked:
- Taoyuan Metro: In-Town Check-In at A1 and A3 · Checked:
- Taipei Songshan Airport: regular international and cross-strait flight schedule · Checked:
- Taipei Travel: Raohe Street Tourist Night Market · Checked:
- Bureau of Consular Affairs: visa-exempt entry · Checked:
- National Immigration Agency: Taiwan Arrival Card · Checked:
- Taipei City Government: credit cards and phone payment at every Taipei Metro gate from 1 July 2026 · Checked:
- Taipei City Government FAQ: no transfer discount when paying the MRT by credit card · Checked: