# What to do on a Taipei layover

Six hours is enough for the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, two metro stops from Taipei Main Station. With 6.5 hours add Longshan Temple and Ximending, or the view from Taipei 101; with 8 the National Palace Museum. Land early enough and Taiwan's Tourism Administration takes you on a free guided half day.

- Web page: https://taipeilayover.com/itineraries/
- Guide: [Taipei Layover](https://taipeilayover.com/), an independent layover guide to Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport (TPE), part of City Layover
- Updated 10 November 2026; facts checked 9 November 2026

## How much of Taipei can you see on a layover?

With 6 hours, the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall and its changing of the guard, every day except 18 and 19 November 2026. With 6.5 hours, Longshan Temple and Ximending, or Taipei 101's observatory (NT$600). With 7.5 hours and a late flight, Shilin Night Market from 4pm; with 8, the National Palace Museum, Tuesday to Sunday (NT$350). With 8.5 hours and a landing by 6:50am or 12:20pm, a free half-day tour from the airport. Landing at night, rest near the airport and be at Longshan Temple soon after 6am.

## At a glance

- **Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall**: 9am to 6pm, guard changes hourly 9am to 5pm; closed 18 and 19 Nov 2026
- **Longshan Temple**: 6am to 10pm, last entry 9:45pm
- **Taipei 101 Observatory**: 10am to 9pm, last entry 8:15pm, NT$600
- **National Palace Museum**: 9am to 5pm, Tuesday to Sunday, NT$350
- **Shilin Night Market**: 4pm to midnight, every day
- **Free half-day tours**: 8:30am and 2pm, 4 hours; book 5 to 90 days ahead

Every plan below starts and ends at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport (TPE). The times in Taipei allow an hour for immigration, about 55 minutes on the Airport MRT to Taipei Main Station with the wait for an express, 70 minutes back to the terminal, and a return 90 minutes before your flight with its boarding pass in hand. Still to check in or drop a bag? Leave more time.

Before planning, check that you can [leave the airport](https://taipeilayover.com/visa-and-transit/): most Western passports need no visa, only the free online arrival card, but Indian passports need a Travel Authorization Certificate. Then check the day. The **National Palace Museum** is closed on Mondays. The **Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall** is closed on 18 and 19 November 2026, on 5 and 6 February 2027 for Lunar New Year, and on 28 February. The metro rides and walks in town below are this guide's allowances, at 2 to 3 minutes a stop. Every plan pays by tapping a contactless card or phone on the trains.

## 6 to 7.5 hours: the Memorial Hall, Longshan or Taipei 101

You'll have about 1.5 hours in town on a 6-hour layover, and about 2.5 hours on a 7-hour one.

### Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall

The quickest plan, and a free one: a white memorial hall with a blue octagonal roof, set in a large park two metro stops from Taipei Main, where soldiers change guard every hour. It suits the shortest layover into town. It needs about 6 hours, which leaves about 1.5 hours.

1. Airport MRT to **Taipei Main Station**: 37 minutes by express from Terminal 1, 39 from Terminal 2.
2. Walk through to the metro and take the red Tamsui-Xinyi line two stops to **Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall** station, about 5 minutes. The hall is about 10 minutes on foot.
3. Climb the 89 steps to the **Memorial Hall** and give it about 40 minutes. Time it for the **changing of the guard**, every hour on the hour from 9am to 5pm, which takes about 15 minutes.
4. Back the same way to Taipei Main, leaving the hall about 2 hours 55 minutes before your flight.

**Opening hours.** The hall is open 9am to 6pm every day, so the earliest useful landing is about 6:50am. The park around it opens at 5am and closes at midnight, so outside the hall's hours you can still walk the grounds and see it from outside. The guard ceremony doesn't take place in rain.

**Pick your day.** The hall is closed on 18 and 19 November 2026 for maintenance, when the park stays open, and on 5 and 6 February and 28 February 2027.

**Bags.** Leave them at the airport: lockers there cost NT$40 to NT$80 for each 3 hours.

### Longshan Temple and Ximending

Taipei's best-known temple, then the pedestrian shopping streets of Ximending, a short walk away. There are no tickets, and the temple opens at 6am, so it suits an early landing as well as an evening. It needs about 6.5 hours, which leaves about 2 hours in town.

1. Airport MRT to **Taipei Main Station**.
2. Blue Bannan line two stops west to **Longshan Temple**, about 5 minutes.
3. About 40 minutes at **Longshan Temple**, built in 1738 and dedicated to Guanyin, the goddess of mercy. It's open 6am to 10pm, with last entry at 9:45pm.
4. Walk about 15 minutes, about 1 km, to **Ximending**, a district of pedestrian streets, shops and street food, and spend about 40 minutes there.
5. Blue line one stop from **Ximen** back to Taipei Main, leaving Ximen about 2 hours 45 minutes before your flight.

**Opening hours.** Ximending is a public district with no opening hours, though its shops and stalls keep their own. The temple is a place of worship: dress modestly and keep your voice down.

### Taipei 101 Observatory

The city from near the top of Taipei 101, its tallest tower, reached by a lift that climbs from the fifth floor to the observatory in 37 seconds. It suits a first visit and a clear day. It needs about 6.5 hours, which leaves about 2 hours in town.

1. Airport MRT to **Taipei Main Station**.
2. Red line seven stops to **Taipei 101/World Trade Center**, about 15 minutes, then about 10 minutes to walk in and buy a ticket.
3. About an hour at the **Taipei 101 Observatory**: NT$600 for an adult, open 10am to 9pm every day, with last entry at 8:15pm. Going up to the 101st floor costs NT$380 more.
4. Red line back to Taipei Main, leaving the tower about 3 hours 5 minutes before your flight.

**Opening hours.** The observatory opens at 10am, so the earliest useful landing is about 7:40am. It stays open late, so it suits an afternoon or evening landing too. Hours may change over long holiday weekends.

**Bags and weather.** The tower has a bag check, but leave large cases at the airport. On a cloudy day the view may be poor: look at the weather before you choose it over the Memorial Hall or Longshan Temple.

## 7.5 to 12 hours: Shilin Night Market or the National Palace Museum

About 3 hours in town on a 7.5-hour layover, 3.5 hours on an 8-hour one and 7.5 hours on a 12-hour one: time for one of the plans above at an easy pace, or one of these two.

### Shilin Night Market

One of Taipei's best-known night markets, a warren of food stalls selling oyster omelettes, fried chicken, stinky tofu and shaved ice. Entry is free; you pay for what you eat. It needs about 7.5 hours, which leaves about 3 hours in town, 2 of them at the market.

1. Airport MRT to **Taipei Main Station**.
2. Red line five stops north to **Jiantan**, about 10 minutes, then about 4 minutes on foot from exit 3 to the market.
3. About 2 hours at **Shilin Night Market**, open 4pm to midnight every day.
4. Walk back to Jiantan and take the Red line to Taipei Main, leaving the market about 3 hours before your flight.

**Pick your time.** The stalls open at 4pm, so the plan suits an afternoon landing and an evening or late-night flight. If you land earlier, start with the Memorial Hall or Longshan Temple and come here last. The market stays open until midnight, but the last Airport MRT leaves Taipei Main at 11:38pm, so leave by about 11:15pm whatever your flight: that only matters for a flight after about 2:20am.

### National Palace Museum

Taiwan's national museum of Chinese art and antiquities, north of the centre, a metro ride and a short bus ride from Taipei Main. It suits anyone who wants culture, and children on a rainy day. It needs about 8 hours, and 8.5 to be comfortable, which leaves about 3.5 hours in town, 2 of them in the museum.

1. Airport MRT to **Taipei Main Station**.
2. Red line six stops north to **Shilin**, about 12 minutes. From exit 1, the bus stop is a minute or two on foot: take bus R30 (Red 30) to the museum, about 15 minutes. Pay the bus with an EasyCard or coins.
3. About 2 hours at the **National Palace Museum**: NT$350, open 9am to 5pm, Tuesday to Sunday, with tickets sold until 4:30pm.
4. Bus and Red line back to Taipei Main, leaving the museum about 3 hours 20 minutes before your flight.

**Pick your day.** The museum is closed on Mondays, apart from special openings on 7 December 2026, and on 18 January, 1, 8 and 22 February and 1 March 2027.

**Opening hours.** It opens at 9am, so the earliest useful landing is about 6:30am, and as tickets stop at 4:30pm, land by about 2pm.

## Tours from the airport

Taiwan's Tourism Administration runs free tours for connecting passengers: two guided half days by bus, and a self-guided option that comes with an Airport MRT round trip. Private tours that collect you at the airport cover the other landing times.

| Tour | Length | Layover you need | Price |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Free morning tour: Tamsui | 4 hours, 8:30am to 12:30pm | About 8.5 hours, landing by about 6:50am and flying after 3pm | Free |
| Free afternoon tour: Taipei landmarks | 4 hours, 2pm to 6pm | About 8.5 hours, landing by about 12:20pm and flying after 8:30pm | Free |
| Free self-guided tour | Your own pace | Up to 24 hours | Free, with an Airport MRT round trip (and an airport shopping voucher while it lasts) |
| Private Taipei layover tour from the airport | 6 to 8 hours | The tour's length plus about 2.5 hours | Live price on GetYourGuide |

**Who can join the free tours.** Connecting passengers flying on to a different destination from the one they came from, with six months left on their passport. The guided tours take layovers of 7 to 24 hours and a visa-free passport or a valid Taiwan visa. The self-guided tour takes layovers of up to 24 hours and also accepts a Travel Authorization Certificate; if you hold one and want a seat on the bus, email the organisers at halfdaytour@mail.tad.gov.tw before you book. You go through immigration, then meet at the **Tourist Service Centre** in the arrivals hall with your passport and both boarding passes, where staff check your details and give you a tag. Terminal 2's centre opens at 5:30am and Terminal 1's at 7am.

**Booking.** Register on the [Free Half-Day Tour site](https://halfdaytour.taiwan.net.tw/) 5 to 90 days before you land. Each guided tour has 18 seats online; if seats are left on the day you can still join, but you must register online first. You can join only one tour per stopover.

**The rules on the bus.** Large luggage isn't allowed, so leave it in a locker in the terminal first. There are no child seats: infants sit on a lap. The Tourism Administration can cancel a tour in bad weather, so have a plan of your own as well.

**The self-guided tour.** If you're heading into Taipei on your own anyway, register for this too, any time up to 90 days ahead. Between 7:30am and 10:30pm, at a Tourist Service Centre, you collect a round-trip Airport MRT voucher, and while the campaign lasts, an NT$600 voucher for shops and restaurants in the airport: ask at the desk, as the voucher may have ended. Choose route E (Ximending, Longshan Temple and the Memorial Hall) or route F (Taipei 101's mall and the Xinyi shops; the observatory ticket isn't included), the two that ride the Airport MRT to Taipei Main and back: routes A and B stay at the airport and come with no MRT voucher. The scheme runs until the end of 2028 or until its funds run out.

**Private tours.** For a landing at another time, a guide meets you after immigration and brings you back. GetYourGuide lists a private layover tour from the airport, and Viator has a layover tours category. Check whether the price is per person or for the group, what's included, and what happens if your flight lands late.

### Free morning tour: Tamsui

A guided half day in Tamsui, the old port town where the Tamsui River meets the sea: Danjiang Bridge, Fuyou Temple, Tamsui's temple to the sea goddess Mazu, and Tamsui Old Street. It suits a first visit with an early landing: someone else handles the route and the timing.

1. Land by about 6:50am (the organisers accept landings up to 7am), clear immigration and go to the **Tourist Service Centre** in arrivals.
2. The bus leaves **Terminal 2** between 8:05am and 8:15am and **Terminal 1** between 8:20am and 8:30am.
3. **Danjiang Bridge**, **Fuyou Temple** and **Tamsui Old Street**, from 8:30am to 12:30pm.
4. Back at the airport at 12:30pm. Your flight must leave after 3pm: the organisers refuse bookings for earlier flights.

**At Terminal 1.** Its Tourist Service Centre opens at 7am, so if you land there earlier, wait for it to open; the bus doesn't leave Terminal 1 until 8:20am.

### Free afternoon tour: Taipei landmarks

A guided half day through Taipei: the old merchant street of Dihua Street in Dadaocheng, with its red-brick shophouses; Liberty Square and the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall; and Ximending. It suits a morning landing and an evening flight.

1. Land by about 12:20pm (the organisers accept landings up to 1pm), clear immigration and go to the **Tourist Service Centre** in arrivals.
2. The bus leaves **Terminal 2** between 1:35pm and 1:45pm and **Terminal 1** between 1:50pm and 2pm.
3. **Dadaocheng and Dihua Street**, **Liberty Square and the Memorial Hall**, then **Ximending**, from 2pm to 6pm.
4. Back at the airport at 6pm. Your flight must leave after 8:30pm.

**Staying on in town.** You can leave the group at the last stop, Ximending, once you've told the guide and signed a form. Ximen station is one stop from Taipei Main on the Blue line, so with a late flight you can have dinner in Ximending and take the Airport MRT back yourself, leaving Taipei Main 2 hours 40 minutes before your flight.

## Overnight: rest at the airport, then Longshan and the Memorial Hall

### Rest, then Longshan Temple and the Memorial Hall

For a night landing and a flight from about 12:40pm, if you can enter Taiwan.

1. Rest near the airport. Plaza Premium's lounge in Terminal 2 is past security but closed from midnight to 5am, so for most of the night the bed is the **Hyatt Regency** at Airport Hotel station (A14a): by Airport MRT before the last train, or a taxi of about five minutes after it. Leave your bags there or in an airport locker.
2. Take the first Airport MRT into Taipei: the express leaves Terminal 2 at 5:55am and Terminal 1 at 5:58am, and reaches **Taipei Main Station** at about 6:35am.
3. Blue line two stops to **Longshan Temple**, open from 6am, and give it about 40 minutes.
4. Metro back through Taipei Main to **Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall**, about 20 minutes with the change. The park opens at 5am, so walk the grounds until the hall opens at 9am, with the first changing of the guard.
5. Back to Taipei Main by about 10am, and the Airport MRT to your terminal, there by about 11:10am.

That gets you to the airport about 11:10am, so your flight should leave after about 12:40pm. A 4am landing with a 12:40pm flight is a layover of about 8 hours 40 minutes; allow 9. With a later flight, add Taipei 101, which opens at 10am.

## 24 hours

A full day and a night: enough for three of this guide's plans, or one at an easy pace and an evening at the night market.

- **Store your bags** at the airport first, or check into the Hyatt Regency by the airport. [At the airport](https://taipeilayover.com/airport/) covers the lockers, the lounge and the hotel.
- **Start early** at Longshan Temple, open from 6am, then walk to Ximending and ride on to the Memorial Hall for the changing of the guard.
- **Add a museum or the view**: the National Palace Museum from Tuesday to Sunday, or Taipei 101 from 10am.
- **Finish at Shilin Night Market**, open 4pm to midnight.
- **Or join a free tour**: with up to 24 hours you qualify, and the afternoon tour ends at Ximending, where you can leave the group and stay on.
- **On separate tickets with bags**, check them in at Taipei Main Station on your way back, if you fly on with China Airlines, Mandarin Airlines, EVA Air, Uni Air, Cathay Pacific or Starlux: free, from 6am to 9:30pm, at least 3 hours before departure.

Most Western passports can stay up to 90 days without a visa, so a night in a hotel in town is no harder than one at the airport.

## Rest at the airport

The only hotel the airport lists is past immigration. Connecting passengers can rest in Plaza Premium's lounge in Terminal 2, open 5am to midnight; for a bed through the night, you pass immigration and stay at the Hyatt Regency, one stop down the Airport MRT. [At the airport](https://taipeilayover.com/airport/) covers the showers, lounges and left luggage.

### Plaza Premium Lounge suites, Terminal 2

In Zone A of Terminal 2's departures area, on the fourth floor, past security. Entry costs from NT$1,500 (seen November 2026), and you can book a private resting suite with a bed and its own toilet, priced when you book. It's open 5am to midnight, so it won't cover the small hours. You must already be checked in for your next flight, with its boarding pass: get it at a transfer counter if you need to. From Terminal 1, take the Skytrain inside security to Terminal 2.

### Hyatt Regency Taoyuan International Airport, landside

At Airport Hotel station (A14a), one stop beyond Terminal 2 on the Airport MRT, about 6 minutes by commuter train: the express doesn't stop there. The ride from either terminal is free with a contactless card, phone or EasyCard. Trains run from about 6am until late evening; after the last one, take a taxi from the rank, about five minutes. You pass immigration, so you need permission to enter Taiwan. Check prices and check-in times when you book.

## Tips that make a Taipei layover easier

- **File the arrival card before you fly.** The Taiwan Arrival Card is free online, within the 7 days before you land, and takes a few minutes.
- **Tap to pay.** A contactless Visa, Mastercard, JCB or UnionPay card, or a phone, works on the Airport MRT and the metro. Tap out with the same card you tapped in with.
- **Carry a little cash.** Lockers, buses and street stalls want New Taiwan dollars or an EasyCard. Terminal 1's arrivals area has a currency exchange counter open 24 hours.
- **Express or commuter?** Both cost NT$160. If the express is due within about 12 minutes, wait for it; otherwise take the commuter train in front of you.
- **Check your terminal before you head back.** The Airport MRT stops at Terminal 1 first on the way from Taipei, then Terminal 2. If you land at one and fly from the other, the train between them is free.
- **Watch the clock at night.** The last trains back leave Taipei Main at 11pm (express) and 11:38pm (commuter). They only matter for a flight after about 1:40am.
- **Rain.** The changing of the guard doesn't take place in rain; the National Palace Museum and Taipei 101 are the indoor choices.

## Questions people ask

### What can I see in Taipei on a 6-hour layover?

The Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall: two metro stops from Taipei Main Station, open 9am to 6pm, with the changing of the guard every hour from 9am to 5pm. A 6-hour layover leaves about 1.5 hours in town once you allow for immigration, the Airport MRT both ways and being back 90 minutes before your flight. With 6.5 hours, Longshan Temple and Ximending or Taipei 101 fit instead.

### How long a layover do I need for a tour from Taipei airport?

About 8.5 hours for the Tourism Administration's free half-day tours, and the right landing time: before 7am and a flight after 3pm for the morning tour to Tamsui, or before 1pm and a flight after 8:30pm for the afternoon tour of Taipei. Allow an hour for immigration, so aim to land by about 6:50am or 12:20pm. A private tour that collects you at the airport needs its own length plus about 2.5 hours.

### Is the National Palace Museum open on Mondays?

No, except on a few special Mondays: 7 December 2026, and 18 January, 1, 8 and 22 February and 1 March 2027. From Tuesday to Sunday it's open 9am to 5pm, with tickets (NT$350) sold until 4:30pm. On a Monday, see Taipei 101 or the Memorial Hall instead.

### Can I take children into Taipei on a layover?

Yes. Children under 6 ride the Airport MRT free with a paying adult. The Memorial Hall's park and its changing of the guard suit children, and Taipei 101's lift and view usually do too. The free half-day tours have no child seats on the bus; infants sit on a lap.

### What can I do with my luggage while I see Taipei?

Leave it at the airport: lockers in both terminals cost NT$40 to NT$80 for each 3 hours, paid in cash or with an EasyCard, and the left-luggage counters are open 24 hours. The free tours don't take large luggage on the bus. Flying on with a Taiwanese airline or Cathay Pacific, you can also check bags in at Taipei Main Station, at least 3 hours before your flight.

## Sources (checked 9 November 2026)

- [Taiwan Tourism Administration: Free Half-Day Tour, registration rules (checked 10 Nov 2026)](https://halfdaytour.taiwan.net.tw/Register)
- [Taiwan Tourism Administration: Free Half-Day Tour, FAQ (checked 10 Nov 2026)](https://halfdaytour.taiwan.net.tw/FAQ)
- [Taiwan Tourism Administration: Free Half-Day Tour, self-guided tour (checked 10 Nov 2026)](https://halfdaytour.taiwan.net.tw/Schedule/self)
- [Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall: visit information (checked 8 Nov 2026)](https://www.cksmh.gov.tw/en/cp.aspx?n=6369)
- [Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall: closed 18 and 19 November 2026 for maintenance (checked 9 Nov 2026)](https://www.cksmh.gov.tw/News_Content.aspx?n=6217&s=264625)
- [Taipei City Government: Longshan Temple (checked 8 Nov 2026)](https://www.travel.taipei/en/attraction/details/487)
- [Taipei 101: observatory tickets and hours (checked 8 Nov 2026)](https://www.taipei-101.com.tw/en/observatory/ticket)
- [National Palace Museum: opening hours and tickets (checked 8 Nov 2026)](https://www.npm.gov.tw/Articles.aspx?sno=02007001&l=2)
- [Taiwan Tourism Administration: Shilin and Raohe Street night markets (checked 8 Nov 2026)](https://eng.taiwan.net.tw/m1.aspx?sNo=0002040)
- [Taipei City Government: Shilin Night Market, hours and nearest station (checked 9 Nov 2026)](https://www.travel.taipei/en/attraction/details/1692)
- [Taoyuan Metro: Airport MRT, first and last trains from Taipei Main (A1) (checked 8 Nov 2026)](https://www.tymetro.com.tw/tymetro-new/en/_pages/travel-guide/dep-A1)
- [Taoyuan Metro: Airport MRT, first and last trains from Terminal 2 (A13) (checked 8 Nov 2026)](https://www.tymetro.com.tw/tymetro-new/en/_pages/travel-guide/dep-A13)
- [Taoyuan Metro: tickets and payment (checked 8 Nov 2026)](https://www.tymetro.com.tw/tymetro-new/en/_pages/travel-guide/ticket.html)
- [Taoyuan Metro: in-town check-in at Taipei Main and A3 (checked 8 Nov 2026)](https://www.tymetro.com.tw/tymetro-new/en/_pages/checkin/index.php)
- [Taipei Metro: lines and service hours (checked 8 Nov 2026)](https://english.metro.taipei/)
- [Taipei Metro: tickets and bank cards (checked 9 Nov 2026)](https://english.metro.taipei/cp.aspx?n=BECC2E7AC426F659&s=74E62C405BBE3069)
- [Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport: left luggage and lockers (checked 9 Nov 2026)](https://www.taoyuan-airport.com/save_luggage?lang=en)
- [Plaza Premium Lounge: The Terroir, Terminal 2, Zone A (checked 9 Nov 2026)](https://www.plazapremiumlounge.com/en-uk/find/china-regions/taiwan/taipei/taiwan-taoyuan-international-airport/international-departures-terminal-two-zone-a)
- [Hyatt Regency Taoyuan International Airport: hotel page (checked 8 Nov 2026)](https://www.hyatt.com/hyatt-regency/en-US/tpera-hyatt-regency-taoyuan-international-airport)
- [Taoyuan Metro: Airport Hotel Station (A14a) (checked 8 Nov 2026)](https://www.tymetro.com.tw/tymetro-new/en/_pages/travel-guide/A14a)
- [Directorate-General of Personnel Administration: 2027 holidays (checked 8 Nov 2026)](https://www.dgpa.gov.tw/information?uid=82&pid=12983)