Taipei→Caoling Historic Trail

To take the High Speed Rail (HSR) from downtown Taipei to Caoling Historic Trail, HSR is affordable but time-consuming and involves transfer hassles. From the earliest departure at 07:12 to the latest at 23:52, there are up to 103 high-speed rail from Taipei to Nangang each day. Assuming you depart from Zhongzheng District, Taipei City, you may walk or take a bus—if available—to Taipei HSR station. Including walking to the platform, buying a ticket, and waiting for the train, it takes at least 25 minutes. Then, take a 7-9-minute (8 min on average) HSR ride from Taipei Station to Nangang HSR Station. The ticket price is NT$40 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 51 minutes with a fare of NT$900, you will arrive at your destination at Caoling Historic Trail (Toucheng Township, Yilan County). The entire journey, including transfers, takes a total of 1 hour and 34 minutes. Assuming 3 people traveling together, the average cost per person for the HSR and transfers is NT$340. In contrast, if you use Tripool for a door-to-door private car service, the average cost per person is about NT$740, and the journey takes 1 hour and 2 minutes. Although taking the HSR saves money compared to a private car, it requires an additional 32 minutes of travel time. So, if you are on a business trip and your time runs like a stock ticker, or a traveler wanting to get home quickly late at night, spending a little extra money can make your journey much more comfortable. Furthermore, if you have more people in your group, the average cost per person drops significantly when you book with Tripool. 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 Taipei City 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 Taipei (Zhongzheng District) to Caoling Historic Trail is between NT$1000 and NT$1500 (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 Taipei 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, such as 永達交通, 聖惠衛星車隊, 德泰交通 to try to book a ride. Based on the meter, the estimated fare is between NT$1,365 and 1,600. However, when considering the return trip, in Yilan County there are only about 750 licensed taxis. This is about 2% of the number of taxis in Taipei City, and its density is just 0.9% of the Taipei/New Taipei metro area, making it 120 times more difficult to hail a cab there. Although a metered taxi from central Taipei to central Caoling Historic Trail might be cheaper, you still face the risk of not being able to find a cab—or ending up with a driver who refuses to use the meter. If your group has more than four people, splitting into two taxis is inconvenient. In this case, Tripool, which offers pre-booking and reliable quality, might be a more suitable option for you. Considering all factors, Tripool is your best choice for traveling from Taipei to Caoling Historic Trail in terms of both price and service quality.

Tripool provides private day tours and charter services all around the island, including Caoling Historic Trail and Taipei. 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.

Customers are always looking for a lower price with better service. There are Taiwan Taxi, Metro Taxi, Line Taxi, and Uber for short-range service in the Taiwan taxi market. There are CallCarBar, JoinMe, Car Plus, Easy Rent for long-range private car services. And for charter day tour services, there are KKDAY and Klook. Tripool focuses on long-distance point-to-point transportation and hourly ride service. No matter where you're from or where you'll go (of course, including Taipei to Caoling Historic Trail), we guarantee there will be a vehicle available to take you there. Tripool uses AI algorithms to dispatch hundreds of cars around the island to increase efficiency and lower the price by 20~30%. Travelers can easily find that tripool is the best choice for private car service.

There are many gypsy cabs or illegal taxis in Line and Facebook groups. Their fares are cheap but with many risks. If the cabs are pulled over by polices, passengers cannot continue the trip. If there is an accident, none of the insurance companies will settle a claim. Worst of all, illegal drivers may conduct crimes without any trace. Don't put your life at risk for just saving a few bucks. On the other hand, tripool contracts with legal drivers without any criminal record. All vehicles provide up to $5 million in insurance. The easiest way to distinguish a legal vehicle is the car plate number. Unless the initial character of the car plate number is either T or R, the car is 100% illegal for taxi service.

Tripool will send a receipt through the third-party system one week after the ride. If passengers need to claim reimbursement for travel expenses, there is a blank to fill with the company's title and tax ID. It's legal, and there is no extra 5% for the receipt. Once the receipt is received via email, it can be printed out for reimbursement or saved as a PDF.

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.