Sun Moon Lake→Orange Hotel - Han Zhong (Xi Men)

To take the High Speed Rail (HSR) from Sun Moon Lake to Orange Hotel - Han Zhong (Xi Men), HSR is quick but pricey and has difficult taxi access. From the earliest departure at 06:05 to the latest at 23:03, there are up to 105 high-speed rail from Taichung to Taipei each day. Assuming you depart from Sun Moon Lake (Yuchi Township, Nantou County) and head to the nearest Taichung HSR station, a taxi ride would cost about NT$2,500 and take approximately 70 minutes. After arriving at the HSR station, the time to walk in, purchase tickets, and wait on the platform is about 20 minutes. Then, take a 43-69-minute (57 min on average) HSR ride from Taichung Station to Taipei HSR Station. The ticket price is NT$700 per person, followed by a 15-minute walk to exit the station, wait for a ride at the taxi stand, and after a trip of about 16 minutes with a fare of NT$200, you will arrive at your destination at Orange Hotel - Han Zhong (Xi Men) (Wanhua District, Taipei City). The entire journey, including transfers, takes a total of 2 hours and 58 minutes. Assuming 3 people traveling together, the average cost per person for the HSR and transfers is NT$1,600. However, in Nantou County, there are only just over 300 licensed taxis. The taxi density is 0.2% of that in the Taipei/New Taipei metro area. In other words, hailing a taxi on the spot is 500 times more difficult than in a major city like Taipei, and since Sun Moon Lake is not located in a downtown area, it may be impossible to find a taxi at all. Even if you are lucky enough to hail a cab, a minority of taxi drivers in Nantou County 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$1,440, and the journey takes 3 hours and 19 minutes. For long-distance travel, the HSR is indeed faster than a car by 21 minutes, but it comes with an extra transportation cost of about NT$480. Therefore, for those who are not in a major hurry, booking with Tripool is the more cost-effective option. If you are traveling with just one other person, you can also consider Tripool's carpooling service to save up to an additional 50% on transportation costs.

If you have a Taiwanese driver's license, are confident in your driving skills, and you do not need to rest in the car (since you will be the one driving), and most importantly, if you plan to make a same-day round trip, then iRent, which allows you to pick up and drop off a car on the street in the Nantou County area, is likely your cheapest option. After registering on the iRent app, you can rent a small car for NT$115-205 per hour with an additional charge of NT$3.2 per kilometer. The estimated cost from Sun Moon Lake to Orange Hotel - Han Zhong (Xi Men) is between NT$3150 and NT$3850 (the price difference depends on weekday/weekend rates, car model, and how soon you make the return trip after reaching your destination). Although the estimate already includes potential eTag tolls and a roadside parking fee of NT$40 per hour, you are responsible for any additional car insurance and potential traffic fines. Furthermore, iRent by Hotai only offers basic models like the Toyota Yaris, Prius C, and Vios—functional, yes, but far from the comfort you'd expect for anything beyond a grocery run. If your group has more than four people, larger 7-seater or 9-seater vehicles are not available. Moreover, the most common complaint about self-service car-sharing services is the vehicle's condition; you might open the door to find trash left by the previous user or unrepaired dents. Every rental feels like opening a blind box—sometimes fine, sometimes frustrating. Additionally, you might occasionally face issues like the previous user not returning the car on time for your reservation, or being unable to find a parking spot when you need to return it. This poses a significant risk for those in a hurry or traveling with other passengers. Finally, while picking up and dropping off the car on the street seems convenient, it is restricted to specific operational zones. The available parking spots may still be some distance away from your actual departure or arrival point, making it very inconvenient in rainy weather or when carrying luggage.

If you choose to take a taxi directly, in the Nantou County area, you can use apps to hail a cab from 55688 Taiwan Taxi and Yoxi, and if you cannot hail a cab on the street, you can also consider calling the only neighborhood taxi company in Yuchi Township, Nantou County, 日月星光計程車 to try to book a ride. Based on the meter, the estimated fare is between NT$5,950 and 8,900, but you could save up to NT$4,600 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 Nantou County, there are only about 340 licensed taxis. The taxi density is just 0.2% of that in the Taipei/New Taipei metro area, meaning it is 500 times more difficult to hail a cab on the spot compared to Taipei or New Taipei. Furthermore, some taxi drivers in Nantou County flat-out refuse to use the meter. Nearly 58% 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 Sun Moon Lake to Orange Hotel - Han Zhong (Xi Men) in terms of both price and service quality.

Among these options, Uber is the only one with broad and reliable coverage in Taiwan, available in major cities such as Taipei, Taichung, and Kaohsiung. Grab does not operate in Taiwan. Didi previously entered the market but has since exited. Bolt has just launched in Taiwan and is currently limited to Taipei. Lyft is not available in Taiwan. If you are choosing among these five, Uber is by far the most practical and widely used option in Taiwan. However, for longer intercity transfers, airport rides, or day trips, tripool is often a better choice—offering transparent pricing, professional drivers, and coverage across Taiwan.

The quote on the website and the app already include the car rental fee, driver's fare, cost of gasoline, toll fee, insurance, and tips. Passengers don't have to pay for the driver's meals and accommodation fees. There is no other hidden fee. What passengers see on the website is the actual price.

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.

Whether going from Sun Moon Lake to Orange Hotel - Han Zhong (Xi Men) or to anywhere in Taiwan, tripool can be your driver for long-distance traveling. You can reserve a ride online for all kinds of purposes, such as a private day trip, attending a wedding, checking out from a hospital, going hiking/camping, moving, a business trip, picking up your pet, or airport transfer. As long as your reservation is made one day before by 6 pm, tripool guarantees a car for you tomorrow. If you need a receipt for a business trip, you can provide your company's title and tax ID on the checkout page. We will send the receipt which is accepted by the government via email within a week.

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.