If you’re visiting Taipei for the first time, you may very well be wondering what the best and most affordable way to get around town is.
If you don’t plan on renting a car or taxiing everywhere, getting around via public transportation is easy and affordable. This is the way that most out-of-country tourists get around Taipei when visiting.
In short, there are two main options when it comes down to what type of transportation card you could opt for:
- EasyCard: These are super convenient IC cards that not only allow you to take multiple forms of public transportation with one card but also allow you to pay for things at some convenience stores and supermarkets.
- Taipei Fun Pass: These are passes for short-term visitors who plan to use public transportation a lot and/or plan to visit various tourist attractions in a shorter period of time. There are 4 different kinds of fun passes to choose from.
In this post, we’re going to dive into each of these passes in more detail so you can ultimately decide which pass makes the most sense for you.
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Table of Contents
What is the EasyCard?
The Taipei EasyCard is basically an IC card, very similar to how countries like Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, and Singapore have.
They are super convenient transportation cards that not only allow you to take multiple forms of public transportation with one card, but you’ll also get a small discount when transferring onto different types of public transportation.
EasyCards work on all public transportation in Taipei, New Taipei City, Taichung, and Kaohsiung.
You can load as much money as you want onto them and use them to pay for bus rides, MRT, taxis, non-reserved trains, ferries, public bike rentals, parking garages, and street parking meters.
However, they will not work on the High-Speed Rail or long-distance buses.
In addition, you’re also able to use your EasyCard for payment in convenience stores (like 7-Eleven, Family Mart, etc.) and supermarkets which is pretty neat and certainly helps reduce the clutter of having to carry loose change to pay for things.
Where To Buy An EasyCard
You can order an EasyCard online and pick it up when you arrive in Taiwan, or simply buy one in any of the MRT stations and convenience stores such as 7/11 or FamilyMart.
In order to get a card, you’ll need to pay a small fee of NT$100 for your EasyCard – this fee is nonrefundable (it used to be, but not anymore).
If you choose to order it online on Klook, you can buy it in a few different forms:
- Empty card – this just costs NT$100.
- Pre-loaded with NT$200
- Pre-loaded with NT$400
- Packages with EasyCard and SIM Card
By ordering a card that has money pre-deposited into it just means that you won’t need to spend time at the MRT station loading it. It basically just gives you a bit of a head start when you get to Taiwan!
What is the Taipei Fun Pass?
Taipei Fun Passes are tourist passes for short-term visitors who plan to use public transportation a lot and/or plan to visit various attractions around the city in a short period of time.
With a Fun Pass, you’ll choose the number of days you want the pass for, pay a set price for the card, and then get an unlimited number of rides on buses and MRTs in Taipei, New Taipei City, and Keelung. You will also get access to five tourist shuttle buses outside of the city.
The five Taiwan Tourist Shuttle routes you’ll have access to are:
- Beitou-Zhuzihu: gets you to Beitou Hot Springs and Yangmingshan National Park
- Muzha-Pingxi: gets you to Shifen/Pinxi area
- Crown Northern Coast: gets you to places like Juming Museum, Jinshan Old Street, Yeliu Geopark
- Gold Fulong: gets you to Jiufen area
- Coastal Keelung Shuttle Bus: gets you to places like Keelung Night Market and Shen’ao Fishing Port
These Taiwan Tourist Shuttle routes pass through popular areas that tourists tend to day trip to such as Yangmingshan National Park, Yehliu, Shifen, Jiufen, Pingxi, and more.
What’s NOT included with this type of pass: highway buses with 4-digit numbers.
There are multiple types of Fun Passes. These are:
- Taipei Fun Pass Unlimited – unlimited transportation + admission to Taipei attractions
- Taipei Fun Pass Transportation – get this one if you literally just want the unlimited transportation and nothing else.
- Taipei Fun Pass Exploring – EasyCard capabilities + admission to various Taipei attractions
- Taipei Fun Pass Classic – EasyCard capabilities + admission to 2 main Taipei attractions
Let’s dive into each pass a bit more below.
TAIPEI FUN PASS: THINGS TO KNOW
- A “day” on all of the Fun Passes is defined as a given date, and not defined as a 24-hour period. This means no matter when you activete the card for the first time, the card will be valid for the rest of that day (until midnight).
- So for example, if you have a 1-day pass, whether you activate it at 7 am or 10 pm, it will only be good until the end of that day.
- Make sure to get max value from your pass by activating it on the morning of your first full day!
- For the multi-day pass options, they must be used on consecutive days.
- Taipei Fun Pass is NOT valid for travel on public buses with 4-digit route numbers or on the Taoyuan MRT system.
- This means you cannot use it on the train to and from the TPE airport, as the Airport Line is served by Taoyuan Metro.
Taipei Fun Pass Unlimited
The Taipei Fun Pass Unlimited is going to be the best option for travelers that want to experience various popular paid attractions in Taiwan.
This pass comes in 1, 2, or 3-day variations.
With just one Unlimited Pass, you can get unlimited transportation on Taipei MRT, five routes of the Taiwan Tourist Shuttle, Taipei City and New Taipei City Buses, and Keelung Buses. Your pass will also grant you access to 25 popular attractions in Taipei City, New Taipei City, and Keelung City.
In addition to unlimited rides on public transportation, you’re going to get access to the following popular attractions:
- Taipei 101 Observation Deck – top-rated attraction in Taipei
- National Palace Museum
- Maokong Gondola
- Miniatures Museum of Taiwan Ticket
- Yehliu Geopark
- Beitou Museum Entry Ticket
- Juming Museum
- Tamsui Historical Museum
- Jinguashi Gold Museum
- Taipei Zoo
- Miramar Ferris Wheel
- … and a bunch of other attractions! You can find the whole list here.
But that’s not all. For a limited time, the pass is offering a new feature — you get to choose 1 of the following 4 special activities: making tapioca milk tea at Yoshan Tea, a sky lantern experience in Pingxi, a tea bag DIY in Maokong, or The Grand Hotel Taipei Western Secret Slide.
Cost: Unlimited 1-Day Pass = NT$1500 | Unlimited 3-Day Pass = NT$1900 | Unlimited 3-Day Pass = NT$2200
Taipei Fun Pass Transportation
The Taipei Fun Pass Transportation Card gives you unlimited rides on MRT, city buses, and the five Taiwan Tourist Shuttle routes. It’s pretty simple and doesn’t come with any other bells and whistles like the other passes do.
You can opt for a 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5-day pass.
This card is especially good for travelers who plan on visiting lots of different areas in Taipei in a short amount of time.
Cost: NT$180 – NT$700, depending on the length of days needed
During our last 5-day trip to Taipei, we opted for the 5-day Taipei Fun Pass Transportation Card over the EasyCard. Because we were going all over–Yangmingshan NP, Jiufen, Pinxi, Xinyi District, Ximen District, and many more places throughout the city–we knew we were going to be taking the MRT/buses quite a bit.
We liked that it came with access to the five tourist shuttles and the fact that all rides were unlimited, meaning we didn’t need to be bothered with keeping track of how much money was in our cards (which we would have needed to do with EasyCards).
Taipei Fun Pass Exploring
The Taipei Fun Pass Exploring card is a 2, 3, or 4-day attraction pass that gives you access to approximately 23 cultural, creative, and science-based attractions as well as EasyCard capabilities (card will need to be topped up on your own).
Some of the attractions you have access to with this card include:
- Maokong Gondola
- Miniatures Museum of Taiwan Ticket
- Yehliu Geopark
- Beitou Museum Entry Ticket
- Juming Museum
- Tamsui Historical Museum
- Jinguashi Gold Museum
- Taipei Zoo
- Miramar Ferris Wheel
My personal recommendation is to just ignore this one, because it doesn’t actually help you with unlimited transportation–you’ll have to load the card with money whenever you want to take a ride.
Also, if you notice the list above, it doesn’t include Taipei 101 Observatory or the National Palace Museum, two of Taipei’s most popular attractions. Not a strong option on this list, in my opinion.
Cost: NT$650
Taipei Fun Pass Classic
The Taipei Fun Pass Classic is basically an EasyCard bundled up with 2 tourist attractions. With this “package”, you’ll get the following:
- An EasyCard with a special-edition design (card will need to be topped up on your own)
- Taipei 101 Observatory Admission for 1
- National Palace Museum Admission for 1
After the card is used for the first time, you will need to use up the attraction tickets within 14 days of when you first activated the card.
Cost: NT$950
If your priority is to get unlimited transportation for one price, this is not the card for you.
However, if you like the included admission to two of Taipei’s most popular attractions and don’t mind paying for transportation EasyCard style, this could be a good option for you!
Which Fun Pass Should I Get For Unlimited Transportation in Taipei?
If your priority is to get unlimited transportation for one price, there are two passes that can really help.
You would want to go for either the Taipei Fun Pass Unlimited or the Taipei Fun Pass Transportation.
Do you plan on visiting the various attractions listed as part of the Unlimited Pass in Taipei? If so, the Fun Pass Unlimited may be the better option for you.
If you don’t care about the attractions included in the Unlimited Pass or only plan on seeing 1-2 of them, it may be a better value just to get the Transportation Fun Pass and pay out of pocket for the couple of attractions you do plan on visiting.
You can even buy your attraction tickets ahead of time on Klook for discounted admission.
Is Taipei Fun Pass Worth The Money?
Based on all the research I did on the Fun Passes for my very own trip to Taipei, I’ve come to the conclusion that the Taipei Unlimited Fun Pass and the Taipei Transportation Fun Pass are both a great deal and can save you a lot of money and provide that extra layer of convenience that an EasyCard does not provide.
Taipei Fun Pass Unlimited: Even though this pass includes some random attractions that you’re probably never going to make your way to, the fact that it includes the Taipei 101 Observatory is huge.
If you are planning to go to the Taipei 101 Observatory (general ticket cost is NT$ 600), that in itself already covers about half the price of the 1-day Taipei Unlimited Pass (NT$ 1500).
Taipei Fun Pass Transportation: Don’t need attractions included? The Taipei Fun Pass Transportation can be worth the money too.
In fact, this is the exact pass we bought for our 5-day trip to Taipei. Since we didn’t plan on doing Taipei 101 Observatory and only one of us was doing the National Palace Museum, it wasn’t worth it to get the card with included attractions. We were really there for the shopping, hiking, and the night markets!
And since we didn’t plan on returning to Taiwan for another couple of years, I didn’t want to pay the deposit fee for 3 separate EasyCards knowing that we would only really be using them for 5 days in total. So ultimately, we went with the Taipei Fun Pass Transportation.
Having said that, you’re going to need to do the math for yourself, based on your planned activities within Taipei.
I recommend trying to loosely add up the admission costs of all attractions you plan to visit and estimating the number of rides you plan to take in order to decide whether these passes will provide a better value than an EasyCard and buying admission tickets separately.
The reason I say “trying to” is because trying to add up the price of every single MRT/bus ride is going to be cumbersome, and almost impossible to do accurately. This is because trains, city bus, and tourist shuttle bus rides can range from NT$15 to 90 — it’ll be hard to know how much the fare is for each and every ride you take.
Ultimately, if you know that you will take a lot of Taipei metro/bus rides, about 6-7 per day, then the fun pass should be worth it.
If you do the math and find that it’s a close call, I would recommend just choosing the Taipei Fun Pass over the EasyPass simply for the fact that you won’t need to spend time and effort keeping track of how much money is in your EasyCard and having to remember to top it up from time to time.
If you decide not to get a variation of the Taipei Fun Pass, then I would recommend just getting an EasyCard for all your transportation needs, and paying for all your rides as you go.
If you need admission tickets, you can usually get deals/discounts for most of the major sights included on the Fun Passes on Klook! Here are some of the biggies:
EasyCard or Taipei Fun Pass: Which Is Right For You?
In summary, here are some quick notes to determine which pass is right for you.
The EasyCard is for you if:
- You plan to stay in Taiwan for 6+ days
- You are going to be spacing out your sightseeing (thereby not needing to take many forms of public transportation on any given day)
- You plan to take public transportation to and from TPE airport
- If you plan to return to Taipei within the next few years (EasyCard will work for your following trip too)
The Taipei Fun Pass is for you if:
- If you are visiting Taipei for shorter amounts of time (1-5 days)
- If you plan on moving around a lot by train/bus and plan on taking the tourist shuttles
- If you plan on taking the five Tourist Shuttles at some point
- If you don’t want to spend the energy thinking about how much money is left in your EasyCard and when to refill it
- If you plan on visiting paid tourist attractions like Taipei 101 Observatory and National Palace Museum – then the Taipei Fun Pass Unlimited could be good for you
Note: At the moment, Klook only offers the Transport card in 1 and 2-day passes. If you need a 3, 4, or 5-day pass, you can buy them here.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the Fun Pass work to get from Taipei to TPE Airport?
In short, no. The Fun Pass is not valid for Taoyuan Metro trains, such as the MRT to the airport. It is also not valid on any 4-digit bus routes. Most routes to the airport require either a ride on the Taoyuan Metro or a ride on a 4-digit bus.
If you plan on taking public transportation to get to the airport, consider paying in cash or getting an EasyCard instead.
Does the Fun Pass work to get from TPE Airport to Taipei?
In short, no. The Fun Pass is not valid for Taoyuan Metro trains, such as the MRT to the airport. It is also not valid on any 4-digit bus routes. Most routes to Taipei from the airport require either a ride on the Taoyuan Metro or a ride on a 4-digit bus.
If you plan on taking public transportation from the airport to Taipei, consider paying in cash or getting an EasyCard instead.
What forms of transportation do Fun Passes work on?
Taipei Fun Pass is valid for travel on:
– Taipei Metro MRT system
– Public buses in Taipei City and New Taipei City
– Taiwan Tourist Shuttle buses on the following routes: Beitou-Zhuzihu, Muzha-Pingxi, Crown Northern Coast, Gold Fulong, and the Coastal Keelung Shuttle Bus.
Taipei Fun Pass is NOT valid for travel on: public buses with 4-digit route numbers and on the Taoyuan MRT system.
What forms of transportation do EasyCards work on?
EasyCards can be used on the following types of transport:
– MRT
– City Buses
– Taoyuan Airport MRT (Airport Express)
– YouBikes
– Maokong Gondola (cable car near Taipei Zoo)
They offer a 20% discount for standard MRT travel (not including Taoyuan Airport MRT) and a 20% discount for using the Maokong Gondola on weekdays only.
Does the Taipei Fun Pass work to get to Jiufen?
Yes, you can get to Jiufen with a Taipei Fun Pass.
BY CITY BUS: As the Taipei Fun Pass is not valid for travel on public buses with 4-digit route numbers, you can take bus #965 to Jiufen Old Street, Gold Museum, or wherever your first destination in Jiufen will be.
BY SHUTTLE BUS: You can also use the Fun Pass on the government-run Taiwan Shuttle Buses to Jiufen.
Taipei Fun Passes can be used on Golden Fulong Shuttle buses (Jiufen, Gold Museum, Gold Waterfall, Nanya, Bitou, Longdong, and Fulong are all along this bus route).
You can catch the Gold Fulong Shuttle bus (#856) from Ruifang Train Station.
Does the Taipei Fun Pass work to get from Jiufen to Shifen?
Sort of, though it is a bit more time-consuming and you will need to pay in cash for some legs of the trip.
If you wanted to visit Shifen after Jiufen on the same day, you will have to take the Gold Fulong Shuttle bus (#856) back to Ruifang, then take the Pingxi train to reach Shifen. You will need to pay cash for the Pinxi train.
To get back to Taipei from Shifen, you can either:
– come back the way you came (pay out of pocket for the Pingxi train back to Ruifang, then catch a city bus back to Taipei with Fun Pass), OR
– from Shifen, take the Muzha Pingxi Shuttle Bus (another tourist bus included with Fun Pass) to MRT Muzha Station. From MRT Muzha Station, get back to your home base via the normal trains/buses you’d normally take with the Fun Pass.
Remember, Unlimited Fun Passes DON’T include buses with 4-digit numbers.
Tip: For the more complicated portions of the trip, you could always call a taxi to cut out unnecessary back and forth and have a more streamlined day trip.
What are the five Taiwan Tourist Shuttle routes that come with the Fun Pass?
The Taiwan Tourist Shuttle routes pass through popular areas that tourists tend to day trip to such as Yangmingshan National Park, Jiufen, Yehliu, Pingxi, and more. The five Taiwan Tourist Shuttle routes you’ll have access to are:
Beitou-Zhuzihu: gets you to Beitou Hot Springs and Yangmingshan National Park
Muzha-Pingxi: gets you to Shifen/Pinxi area
Crown Northern Coast: gets you to places like Juming Museum, Jinshan Old Street, Yeliu Geopark
Gold Fulong: gets you to Jiufen area
Coastal Keelung Shuttle Bus: gets you to places like Keelung Night Market and Shen’ao Fishing Port
I hope this guide on EasyCards and Fun Passes has helped you better understand which transportation card is best for your trip to Taipei.
Looking for more Taiwan travel tips? You may also like:
Taipei Fun Pass: Is It Worth The Money?
17 Best Things To Do In Beitou For The Perfect Day Trip
Your Itinerary For An Epic Day Trip To Jiufen And Shifen
How To Get To Jiufen From Taipei: 3 Easy Ways
The Perfect 5 Days In Taipei: What To See, Eat, and Do
