Chiayi city is located in Chiayi County, an administrative area in southwest Taiwan.
International Airports
For those travelling to Taiwan from abroad, Chiayi City is accessible from two international airports - Taoyuan International Airport (formerly Chiang Kai-shek Int'l Airport or CKS Int'l Airport) in Taoyuan City, Taoyuan County in the North and Kaohsiung International Airport (also known as Siaogang Int'l Airport) in Kaohsiung City (in Siaogang District) in the South.
Below is information related to how to travel to Chiayi from each of the main international airports. [Please note that the fares listed below are approximate and may have changed since the time of writing.]
Ground Transportation
Getting to Chiayi will depend on which airport is your entry point (check with your travel agent which airport is possible for you as it can vary depending on your country of departure and airline). Though Kaohsiung International Airport is in fact closer, most visitors to Taiwan tend to enter through Taoyuan International Airport. Also, traffic to Kaosiung International Airport usually comes from Hong Kong and Southeast Asia.
1. From Taoyuan International Airport (TPE) (aka CKS Int'l Airport):
Taoyuan International Airport is located about 50 km west of central Taipei City. To get to Chiayi, please note the following possible steps.
The first thing to do is to take a bus from the airport. However, the bus you will take depends on what transportation you plan to take to Chiayi. If you plan to take the regular train to Chiayi see a) while if you plan to take the highspeed train to Chiayi see b).
a) Regular train. If you plan to take the regular train to Chiayi from Taipei, you can take a bus directly from the airport to Taipei Train Station, where you will take your Chiayi bound train. The best bus to take is the Kuokuang Line bus with Taoyuan (Taiwan) Bus Corporation (approx. 50 mins. to Taipei / bus fare NT$125 / pay the fare on the bus). Note: Be sure to doublecheck that your Kukuang bus is going to Taipei Train Station and not to Songshan Airport (domestic airport). For bus routes, fares, and other related information please click here (from the Taoyuan Int'l Airport website).
The time for the train trip from Taipei to Chiayi varies. It is possible to take a faster train that costs approx. NT$600 (3 hours) or a slower train that costs approx. NT$462 (4.5 hours). You would begin your journey from Taipei Train Station.
b) Highspeed railway (HSR) [Recommended].A different bus will take you to the HSR Taoyuan Station, which is 25 mins. from the airport. Buses run every 20 mins. From this HSR station it is possible to go to Chiayi by HSR. The bus fare to the HSR station in Taoyaun from the airport is NT$30. A timetable/map for this bus route is available from the Taoyuan International Airport website at this URL. A map for the HSR system is available at this URL:
Note that once you arrive at HSR Chiayi Station you will still need to travel to Chiayi itself as the HSR station is a few minutes away from downtown Chiayi. However, there is a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) bus every 20 minutes (NT$42) and it takes about 40 minutes to travel to downtown Chiayi (exit at Chiayi Train Station - the regular train station). From Chiayi Train Station take a taxi to your hotel or other destination in Chiayi.
2. From Kaohsiung International Airport (aka Siaogang Int'l Airport):
Take a bus to Kaohsiung Train Station. Then, take a train from Kaohsiung Train Station to Chiayi Train Station. The trip will take you about two to three hours. Then, you can take a taxi to your hotel or other intended destination in Chiayi.
For further information contact:
Asia Association for Global Studies (AAGS) 2-1-27 Sakurabashi Chiyoda Bldg. 6F Doujima, Kita-ku, Osaka 573-0003 JAPAN E-mail: aags@asia-globalstudies.org
