Best apps for travelling to Taiwan

Google Maps: to have the map of Taipei and Taiwan off-line

It is ideal to know how to get from one place to another, and to have updated information and schedules of restaurants and places to visit.

Download the Google Maps application on your mobile (Playstore and Apple version).
Open it, login with your Google / Gmail account and search for TAIPEI.
Click on the menu (three lines at the top left) and choose "Offline Maps".
Click on "Select your own map".
Select the entire Taipei area (or Taiwan if you are traveling throughout the country).
Click on "Download".
While the Map is downloading on your mobile you can edit the name of the map.

Attention: Google Maps does not always update in real time the exact time of the buses passing by each stop. In general it is not a problem but some lines have a very low frequency, up to half an hour, so you can die of boredom at the stop.

That is why we recommend you download the Bus + application (you also have Bus Tracker Taipei but Bus + is more friendly). There you can see the times of passage of each bus for each stop. Once Google Maps gives you the route to reach your destination, open the Bus + application. Put in the search engine the number of the bus, above you choose the direction in which you are going and at the moment the whole route will appear. Look for your stop and you will see how long it will take for the bus to arrive.

Another easier way to have it on hand, at least for the stop that is closest to the hotel or apartment, is to scan the QR code at each station. A website will be opened directly where you will see the time of passage through that stop of all the buses.

Uber:

It is the best way to get around Taipei along with the subway and Youbike (shared bikes). Taxis are also a good option, but sometimes it is difficult to get along with the taxi driver. With Uber you always know the route and the price in advance.

Download the Uber application on your mobile (Playstore and Apple version).
Register if you do not have an account.
If you register in Taiwan, you will need to have the phone number of your Taiwanese SIM card at hand.

Youbike:

To find out locations and availability of the shared bikes.

Download the Youbike Taiwan application on your mobile (Apple and Android version).
It is not necessary to do any type of login.
In order to use the shared bike service in Taipei, you will need an EASYCARD (the same as for the subway and bus) and activate it in advance on their website.
In our section on How to get around Taipei we explain where to buy the card and how to activate it, as well as how Youbike works.

Taiwan Railway:

It is ideal if you plan to travel by train. With it, you can easily see all the available trains, with their timetable, price and duration for a specific route and date.

Download the Taiwan Railway application on your mobile (version Apple and Android).
It is not necessary to do any type of login.
Notice that above you have two tabs, one for TRA (normal trains) and the other for THSR (high-speed trains).
Choose date, station of origin and destination and press the magnifying glass icon (if you only want to see local trains or only trains with a reserved seat, you can also mark it there).
You will get all the available options right away. If it is the same day, you will see the trains that have already left in grey and those that are about to leave in bold. When you see a crossed out train, it means that it is a few minutes late (not that it is canceled).

Google Translator:

To translate from Chinese to any language.

Download the Google Translator application on your mobile (Playstore and Apple version).
Enter the application and download Chinese and your own language so that it works off-line.
It will help you to show the translations of what you write (clicking on the speaker will also be heard)
By clicking on "Camera" you can also use it to translate any written text. It does not always work with commercial fonts (eg in product packaging or advertisements) but for official texts (eg transport and restaurant menus) it does work very well.

Pleco and Papago are other translation applications known to work very well with Chinese but they have paid services and Google Translator is actually simpler, more functional and also free.

In general, remember that with the Google Chrome browser you can also directly translate any website. You simply have to right-click on any point on the screen and choose "Translate to".

Currency converter:

Best application for exchange rate: XE converter

Download the XE converter application (Playstore and Apple version).
Open and click on EDIT to choose the currencies you want to have available at hand
Mark the currency of the country to visit and you will get the first

Best take-home apps in Taipei:

In principle, if you go on a trip to Taiwan, you will not need these applications ... but in case you are expatriates or for example you travel with children, they can be good for you. With children many times one ends up having dinner in the hotel or apartment because they end the day exhausted. It is not a bad idea to use these platforms to eat local food instead of going down to 7-11 for a snack!

In this case it is better to use the web-version of these companies because the applications are all in Chinese (or at least the description of the dishes). If you open them in the Chrome browser, you can do the translation.

Uber Eats, the best for us
Foodpanda

In this post you can see the best restaurants at home in Taipei.

App with Way Away routes on offline maps:

We advise you to install the Way Away app on your smartphone or tablet and download the guide with the maps of your destination before leaving home (available for iOS-Apple and Android).

You'll have detailed maps with your daily itinerary, without the need of an Internet connection. Besides, there is a GPS geo-location tool that will allow you to know where you are at all times (even if you're not online).

Download it on to your device, log in with your user and password and you'll have access to the travel guides you have previously purchased at our website.

Different travel itineraries for a range of days
How to get from city to city
Detailed daily schedule of visits and how to get from one to the next
Offline map with geo-located daily itinerary
Authentic restaurants along the route
Recommended hotels according to your budget
Practical info about visas, vaccinations, currency...
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