How to get from Taipei to Taoyuan International Airport

We read few blogs before we tried it out. Some blogs were very helpful, step-by-step instructions on how to get through the maze in Taipei main station.. but it comes with a very little mistake. We know this little mistake can be a matter of dead or alive... ok it's not, but still imagine if you in a rush to catch your early flight, a full backpack on your back, suitcase to lug up and down the staircase, and handfull of shopping bag because you were thinking to carry as much of hand carry to board on plane and oh nooo the crowd in that rush our. So, while the directions still fresh in my head, I'll try my best to put it down as clear as possible, for the future me, and the rest of you who not intend to pay the not-cheap taxi fare.

Okay, basically you just have to get to Taipei Main Station. And look for Taipei West Bus Station Terminal A.

You can get the bus to Yehliu and Taoyuan International Airport at Taipei West Bus Station Terminal A. So we tried out the directions on our way to catch the bus to Yehliu (two days before our departure).

Directions to get to Taipei West Bus Station Terminal A:

1. Once arrive at Taipei Main Station, follow the blue signs for Bannen Line.
2. Go up the escalators (2 escalators)
3. Walk through the corridors, as you follow the Bannen Line sign, you will come to a T intersection.

Step 3: Panorama view at the T-intersection

4. Make a right at the T-intersection.

Step 4: Zooming in the panorama view, you can see the sign 'Zhongxiao W. Road / ShinKong Mitsukoshi'. Turn right.

5. Follow the sign 'Zhongxiao W. Road / ShinKong Mitsukoshi'

6. Exit the station

Step 6: Exit the station

7. Follow the sign 'ShinKong Mitsukoshi / Station Front Metro Mall'

Step 7: After exit the station, follow the sign 'ShinKong Mitsukoshi / Station Front Metro Mall'

8. Go up the escalators.

Step 8

9. Go down the stairs towards the sign 'Taipei West Bus Station'

Step 9: Go down the stairs and keep on the right side

10. Stay on the right side as you head down, coz you wanna look for exit Z3 (exit Z3 is on the right side)
11. Look for exit Z3 (you will walk pass Z1, it's quite further down the hall)

Step 10 and 11: Looking for exit Z3

12. Go out from exit Z3, climb the staircase and you will see Taipei West Bust Station on the right. Go in the station, and you will see ticket counters on the left.

Step 12: Walk up the stairs

Step 12: Taipei West Bus Station on the right

To Taoyuan International Airport: Take the Airport express. NT$125

Airport Express to Taoyuan Airport. One way, non-stop for NT$125

To Yehliu: Take the bus 1815 to Yehliu. (I forgot how much, can pay using EasyCard)

Take bus 1815 to Yehliu

Some remarks:
On our day to Yehliu, the directions that I googled has a little mistake at step 4 and 5. It stated turn right and look for Zhongxiao N. Rd. I guess 'N. Road' stands for North road, we round and round looking for the N. Rd. It was during the rush hour, the crowd made the T-intersection kinda less obvious. I went down the escalators following the Bannen Line, hoping there will be a Zhongxiao N. Rd., but no I end up at the platform for Bannen Line. So I figured I could be wrong and check back again the blog, and it clearly stated 'Zhongxiao N. Rd'. We can't find the Zhongxiao N. Rd and just continued with the Zhongxiao W. Rd. And the directions after that matched our walk all the way to exit Z3. We relieved that this not happen on the day to Airport.

On our day to the Airport, the flight was at 9:55 am. We already checked in but still we have to get there at least 90 minutes before departure time, meaning by 8:20 am. And we still have to drop our baggage, the expected queue, and some room for mistake on the way there. So we head out from minsu at 6:15 am, walked to Sonjiang Nanjing MRT, got to Taipei Main Station, got through the maze, and got on the bus before 6:45 am. The traffic was clear that morning, it was a one-way express bus to the airport. I felt relief when the announcement kept on repeated all the way to the airport. I read some horrible experience where the bus will stop to take passengers on the way to the airport. We made it to the airport by 7:45 am, went through the immigration and still got 45 minutes for a proper breakfast. It felt like a huge victory that day.

If you guys didn't plan to visit Yehliu and Jiufen, I strongly suggest to try out the directions to get to Taipei West Bus station before your departure day. It's cheap to get to the Airport by bus, and Taipei Main station is not really a menacing maze of corridors like others describe.

I hope this little guide was helpful to you. If you've got any suggestion or if I left anything out please feel free to drop me a line below.