Shangri-La's Far Eastern Plaza Hotel Tainan→Keelung Night Market

To take the High Speed Rail (HSR) from Shangri-La's Far Eastern Plaza Hotel Tainan to Keelung Night Market, HSR is comfortable and quick but pricey and has difficult taxi access. From the earliest departure at 06:03 to the latest at 22:23, there are up to 73 high-speed rail from Tainan to Nangang each day. Assuming you depart from Shangri-La's Far Eastern Plaza Hotel Tainan (East District, Tainan City) and head to the nearest Tainan HSR station, a taxi ride would cost about NT$300 and take approximately 24 minutes. After arriving at the HSR station, the time to walk in, purchase tickets, and wait on the platform is about 15 minutes. Then, take a 96-131-minute (115 min on average) HSR ride from Tainan Station to Nangang HSR Station. The ticket price is NT$1,390 per person, followed by a 10-minute walk to exit the station, wait for a ride at the taxi stand, and after a trip of about 29 minutes with a fare of NT$600, you will arrive at your destination at Keelung Night Market (Renai District, Keelung City). The entire journey, including transfers, takes a total of 3 hours and 13 minutes. Assuming 4 people traveling together, the average cost per person for the HSR and transfers is NT$1,620. However, in Tainan City, there are only just over 4,100 licensed taxis. The taxi density is 4.6% of that in the Taipei/New Taipei metro area. In other words, hailing a taxi on the spot is 20 times more difficult than in a major city like Taipei. Even if you are lucky enough to hail a cab, a minority of taxi drivers in Tainan City may not use the meter, and might overcharge or take detours, especially with passengers who appear to be from out of town. In contrast, if you use Tripool for a door-to-door private car service, the average cost per person is about NT$1,520, and the journey takes 4 hours and 18 minutes. For long-distance travel, the HSR is indeed faster, but it comes with an extra transportation cost of about NT$400. Therefore, for those who are not in a major hurry, you may consider a cheaper and door-to-door private transfer option, like Tripool. If you are traveling in a group of three or less, you can also consider Tripool's carpooling service to save up to an additional 50% on transportation costs.

If you have a driver's license, do not mind driving yourself, and you do not need to use the travel time to rest in the car, there are about 10 rental car companies, such as 松興小客車租賃, 伍政小客車租賃, 合豐國際租賃, available in the Shangri-La's Far Eastern Plaza Hotel Tainan - East District, Tainan City area. Typically, car rentals are billed by the day. A small sedan like a Toyota Corolla or Ford Fiesta costs around NT$1500 per day, while a 9-seater van like a Hyundai Staria or Volkswagen Caravelle starts at NT$4500 per day. Extra costs such as fuel (approx. NT$3/km), eTag tolls (approx. NT$1/km), roadside parking (approx. NT$40/hour), insurance, and potential fines are not included. Most rental agreements specify a daily mileage limit of 200-400 km, with surcharges ranging from NT$100 to NT$2,000 for exceeding it. Since the vast majority of rental companies do not offer one-way rentals, assuming you make a same-day round trip between Shangri-La's Far Eastern Plaza Hotel Tainan and Keelung Night Market, the estimated cost for a sedan is NT$4500 or NT$7500 for a 9-seater van. This is, of course, cheaper than taking a taxi. If you plan to sightsee along the way to Keelung Night Market, renting a car for the day is certainly convenient and affordable, but it means the driver will not get to relax or fully enjoy the trip. Moreover, the rental location may be some distance from Shangri-La's Far Eastern Plaza Hotel Tainan, and you must adhere to their business hours for pickup and return. The rental process itself is tedious, often taking an extra 30 minutes for contracts and vehicle inspection. You may even need to refuel the car yourself before returning. If you encounter a dishonest operator, you risk being hit with various unjustified charges upon return.

If you choose to take a taxi directly, in the Tainan City area, you can use apps to hail a cab from 55688 Taiwan Taxi, Uber, Line Go, Yoxi, etc., and if you cannot hail a cab on the street, you can also consider calling taxi fleets near Shangri-La's Far Eastern Plaza Hotel Tainan, such as 台南計程車 Taxi中華衛星大車隊, 鳳凰城無線, 港龍大車隊 to try to book a ride. Based on the meter, the estimated fare is between NT$6,675 and 8,000, but you could save up to NT$1,900 by booking with Tripool instead. But if you cannot book in advance or prefer to hail a cab on the spot, be aware that in the whole Tainan City, there are only about 4,140 licensed taxis. The taxi density is just 4.6% of that in the Taipei/New Taipei metro area, meaning it is 20 times more difficult to hail a cab on the spot compared to Taipei or New Taipei. Furthermore, some taxi drivers in Tainan City flat-out refuse to use the meter. Nearly 17% of them will try to negotiate the fare on the spot—often asking far above the standard rate. If you’re not familiar with local pricing, you are an easy target. To avoid getting ripped off, it is strongly advised to book online in advance. Considering all factors, Tripool is your best choice for traveling from Shangri-La's Far Eastern Plaza Hotel Tainan to Keelung Night Market in terms of both price and service quality.

Tripool provides private day tours and charter services all around the island, including Keelung Night Market and Shangri-La's Far Eastern Plaza Hotel Tainan. Tourists are welcome to choose from point-to-point transportation service to 2~12 hours private trip service. The price is 100% transparent without any hidden fee. What you see on the website/app is the actual price. There is no need to email us or even make a phone call to verify. The full-day service price may not be lower than other providers. But if you only need a few hours or just a one-way transfer service, we can guarantee that our price is the most competitive in the market and tripool is the best choice. We offer 5-seater sedans, SUVs, and 9-seater vans. If your group is more than 9, we can arrange a bigger bus for you.

Passengers can request additional stops for a ride from Shangri-La's Far Eastern Plaza Hotel Tainan to Keelung Night Market. Every 5 km of additional distance for a stop charges NT$200, whether it is along the way or not. It's necessary for the driver's extra time.

Fewer travelers book hotels through traditional travel agents, and most go through OTAs (online travel agents). It is easy to filter areas, prices, types of rooms, special needs on OTAs' websites. Still, customers can also get a 20~40% discount compared to hotels' official websites. The most popular OTAs in Taiwan are Booking.com, Agoda.com, Hotels.com, Expedia.com, and Trip.com. In general, travelers can make reservations on websites or apps. Once finishing the online payment, everything is set, and there is not necessary to double-check the reservation by phone. However, some hotels may oversell their rooms on multiple platforms. To avoid being rejected by hotels once you arrive, choose high-rated hotels with more reviews online or make a phone call to hotels to confirm again. For B&Bs (also called minsus), locals prefer to book rooms through B&Bs' websites or contact the hosts directly. Sometimes, the price is better than OTAs. The downside is that their websites don't accept foreign credit cards or guests have to do wire transfers. If you want to save all these troubles and find decent B&Bs, Airbnb and AsiaYo (a local brand) are the best alternatives.

In common, a 9-seater van can accommodate eight passengers with six 30" luggage. Suppose there are fewer passengers in the car. In that case, our driver can fold down the rear seats. There will be more space for oversized objects, such as surfboards, golf clubs, instruments, foldable bikes, desktop computers, etc. As long as these objects won't block the driver's sight and do no damage to the car body, passengers can put as many luggage and items as they like. But extra charge may be needed. You can find the details in the FAQ section. We suggest measuring the size, telling how many items to our online service first, and making the order afterward.

Some drivers in Line and Facebook groups claim that they can offer private transportation services with a group of more than 8 in a single van, but their services are illegal. According to Taiwan traffic laws, a van can only accommodate nine people maximum, including a driver. Excluding a driver, the maximum number of passengers is 8. If your group is 9 or more and you prefer to travel together in one vehicle, a bus is the only legal option. Some 9-seater van drivers modify their cars and add one or two extra chairs. If these modified vans are detected by the polices on the street, your trip will be terminated immediately. Worst of all, there are additional risks for accidents. And insurance is definitely not covering it. Don't risk your family's and friends' life for a lower price. If your group is no more than 10, we recommend hiring a 9-seater van and a 5-seater sedan. It is cheaper than booking a bus on most occasions. But if your group is more than 12, hiring a bus may be ideal. However, there are few exceptions, such as traveling to mountain areas or narrow lanes. It is better to consult our online service before booking.