International air travel
Taiwan has two international airports, Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport (TPE, https://www.taoyuan-airport.com/english ) and Kaohsiung International Airport (KHH, https://www.kia.gov.tw/english/ ). Kaohsiung International Airport is a 45-minute drive from CJCU and is much closer to the University than Taoyuan International Airport (a 4-hour drive); however, there are more available flight Taoyuan International Airport.
Both airports have public transportation links to the Taiwan High Speed Rail (HSR). In Taipei, there is shuttle bus service that goes through the airport and the Taoyuan's HSR station; in Kaohsiung, the city's MRT run along the airport (R4 Station) with both the Kaohsiung train station (R11 Station) and the HSR station in Zuoying (R16 Staion).
Taiwan High Speed Rail
The opening of the Taiwan High Speed Rail (English version website: https://www.thsrc.com.tw/en/Home/Index )in 2007 has made travel between the major cities of Taiwan's populoued west coast extremely convenient.Travel time between CJCU and Taipei on the HSR is 1 hour 45 minutes, while the travel time between CJCU andTaoyuan is 1 hour 24 minutes. However,those planning to take the HSR to Taoyuan International Airport should plan to leave at least 4 hours before their departure departure to ensure some time for the shuttle ride to reach the airport and for check-in procedures. In addition, to have manageable travel with HSR to Taoyuan Airport, it is best to schedule flights that board at Taoyuan before 20:00 at night and depart after 11:00 in the morning.
Rail link to CJCU
With the opening of the CJCU rail station on the Shalun Line in January 2011, railway transportation is now available at the front gate of the University; the HSR station of Tainan is only 5 minutes through the railway. This train also connects CJCU to Taiwan’s regular train system, which remains as a good, low-cost option for transportation to many Taiwanese communities and locations of Taiwan’s scenic east coast.
There are 5-day, 7-day, or 10-day Taiwan Railway passes with relatively cheaper prices for visitors with short-term visas.
Schedules for rail services are available on the English version website of the Taiwan Railways Administration (https://www.railway.gov.tw/en/index.aspx ).
Metropolitan Rapid Transit Systems
Even though Tainan doesn’t have MRT services, both Taipei and Kaohsiung have MRT systems that are linked to the general and high-speed rail systems.
Tainan city buses
In recent years, the city of Tainan has put a great deal of effort into promoting the city bus system. The present public buses located on each of the city’s routes can be tracked on a website entitled “Tainan City Dynamic Bus Information System” (http://2384.tainan.gov.tw/NewTNBusWeb/ ). Route 88 runs from Tainan City Park and the train station to the city’s main tourist sites, including Koxinga Shrine, Confucius Temple, and the Anping Historical District.
Taxi service
Taxi service in Taiwan is relatively inexpensive (NT$85 for the first 1.5 km and NT$5 for each additional 250 m, with surcharges for late night service and traveling to Taipei and Kaohsiung airports). Traveling by taxi from CJCU to the downtown area of Tainan costs approximately NT$350-400. Most local taxi drivers do not speak English, so anyone who does not speak Chinese should entail the address of their destination. It is generally easy to hail a taxi on the main streets of Tainan, but anyone who wants to take a taxi from CJCU will need to call (or ask a native speaker) to arrange for a pick-up taxi.
