Traveling to Taitung – By Train

Since the fastest and most efficient means of transportation from northern Taiwan to Taitung and Hualien is by train, it has become the main way of travel.
On holiday weekends or peak tourist seasons, train tickets are especially hard to get. Make sure to plan ahead and purchase your train tickets at least 14 days in advance.

• The earliest Taiwan Railway lets people order tickets is two weeks before their departure date. (Assuming your departure date is July 30, the earliest you can order your tickets is midnight on July 16.)
• If traveling during off-peak hours during weekdays, we suggest you purchase your tickets at least one week in advance using Taiwan Railway’s online ticket platform, or by directly going to a service counter at Taipei Main Station.
• Quick tip: When ordering tickets online double check your information is correct, and screenshot your ticket confirmation. You will then be able to use a Ibon Kiosk found at most convenient stores (7-11, Family Mart, Hi-life) to print out and pay for your tickets.

How to avoid others snatching up all the tickets before you and having a smooth booking process

If you’re planning to travel during long weekends or holidays, be ready to buy your tickets in advance. Know your departure date(s), count backwards 14 days from those dates, and then plan accordingly.

• We recommend hopping onto the Taiwan Railways online booking platform at 11:30pm the night before, filling in all of the required information, and then waiting until midnight to submit your order.
• Remember to buy both departure and returning tickets. Unless you’re planning a one-day-itinerary, you will not be able to order all of your tickets at the same time, so you will end up making multiple orders.

You will want to pay attention to the traveling time when selecting which train to take. Most people want to get to their destination faster, so we recommend taking the Tze-Chiang Limited Express trains: Tarako and Puyuma.

Taking Puyuma or Tarako trains from Taipei to Taitung will take about 3.5 hours, compared to the nearly 6 hours it takes when taking, the more budget-friendly, Chu-Kuang Express trains.

There are currently no trains along the coastline of Taitung or Provincial Highway No. 11.

The main areas of interest passing through the Mountain Line are Chishang, Guanshan, Luye, and Taitung City.

In most cases, Taitung City will be the final destination, but sometimes trains will use the Sea Line (also known as the Taitung South Link) stations like Zhiben and Dawu. This is important to take note if you’re planning to visit Taimaili or Julun.

• Take the Eastern Mainline Line from Taipei to the north of the east coast (such as Changbin Township). The quickest way is to get off at Hualien or Yuli, and then transfer by bus or rent a car to reach Changbin Ningpu area along Taiwan Provincial Highway No. 26.
• To reach the sea-line areas closer to Taitung City in the south (such as Dulan, Donghe, Duli), you can take a train to Taitung, and then transfer by bus or rent a car.
• Since Chenggong Township is located in the middle of Taitung County, the time required for the above two options of transportation is similar, so you can choose whichever route best suits you.

Take the South-Link Line train to Taitung Station. You can then rent a car from Taitung Station to drive along Provincial Highway 11 to get to the East Coast area of Taitung. You can also take the Dingdong Bus from Taitung Station to the East Coast area.