Taoyuan Airport (TPE)→AJ Hotel Hsinchu

It is not recommended to take the High Speed Rail (HSR) from Taoyuan Airport (TPE) to AJ Hotel Hsinchu. HSR is quick but pricey and involves transfer hassles. Although there can be up to 61 trains from Taoyuan to Hsinchu a day, running from the first at 06:49 to the last at 23:21, once service ends for the night until early morning, alternative transportation is still required. Assuming you depart from Taoyuan Airport (TPE) (Dayuan District, Taoyuan City) and head to the nearest Taoyuan HSR station, a taxi ride would cost about NT$400 and take approximately 20 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 9-11-minute (10 min on average) HSR ride from Taoyuan Station to Hsinchu HSR Station. The ticket price is NT$130 per person, followed by a 5-minute walk to exit the station. Depending on the area, you may take a short walk or catch a bus (if available) to reach your final destination. The entire journey, including transfers, takes a total of 50 minutes. Assuming 6 people traveling together (and have to split into two taxis), the average cost per person for the HSR and transfers is NT$260. In contrast, if you use Tripool for a door-to-door private car service, the average cost per person is about NT$250, and the journey takes 54 minutes. For long-distance travel, the HSR is indeed faster than a car by 4 minutes, but it comes with an extra transportation cost of about NT$60. Therefore, for those who are not in a major hurry, booking with Tripool is the more cost-effective option. 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 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 Taoyuan 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 Taoyuan Airport (TPE) to AJ Hotel Hsinchu is between NT$900 and NT$1350 (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 Taoyuan 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 Taoyuan Airport (TPE), such as 大園多元化計程車聯合車隊, 大園義交計程車, 游輝益自營計程車 to try to book a ride. Based on the meter, the estimated fare is between NT$1,435 and 1,700, but you could save up to NT$600 by booking with Tripool instead. However, when considering the return trip, in Hsinchu County there are only about 730 licensed taxis. This is about 15% of the number of taxis in Taoyuan City, and its density is just 1.3% of the Taipei/New Taipei metro area, making it 80 times more difficult to hail a cab there. Considering all factors, Tripool is your best choice for traveling from Taoyuan Airport (TPE) to AJ Hotel Hsinchu in terms of both price and service quality.

Generally, international travelers have to reach the airport to check-in at least 2 hours before departure. However, we highly recommend having another 30 minutes buffer time. Taking a ride from Taichung City to Taoyuan Airport, for example, takes 1.5 hours to travel on a regular day. If your flight is 10 AM, it's better to schedule a taxi before 6 AM. After a plane landing, Taiwan citizens may take 30~40 minutes to collect their luggage but 60~90 minutes for foreigners. To avoid extra cost, reserving a taxi one hour later the arrival is ideal.

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.

According to the latest Taiwan government announcement, all international inbound travelers cannot take public transportations but only wait for quarantine taxis. If you go to a quarantine hotel near Taipei, it takes around 5 to 10 minutes to leave the airport. Bad news for passengers who will travel down to Taichung or Kaohsiung, it may take up to one hour to wait for a quarantine taxi at the airport. There is no timeline for when the government will loose the regulation. Our suggestion is staying a hotel near Taipei. It is not only the waiting time at the airport for a taxi is shorter, but always it is easier to find an available room in Taipei. After 14-day quarantine, you are welcome to reserve a ride from the hotel to your home or dormitory. Tripool guarantees to provide private car service from anywhere to everywhere in Taiwan.

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.