1. Taipei Bus Station is nearby, across the street on the north side.
2. The Q square building adjoins the bus station (on the north side). Shopping and new cinemas. Underground passage to and from bus station.
3. A MRT (local fast railway) entrance is on the south-east side of the main station building. Other entrances all over the place.
4. THSR (Taiwan High Speed Rail) is downstairs in the main building.
5. Numerous quality restaurants are upstairs.
6. There are three or four underground malls on the north and south sides of Taipei Main Station, running east – west. Bargain prices for most things.
7. Conventional country trains depart from underground in the Main Station.
8. Buses to Taoyuan International Airport (NT$125) depart from a different building to the west of Taipei Main Station, opposite the pink skyscraper (Shin Kong Mitsukoshi).
9. Buses arriving from Taoyuan International Airport drop passengers on east side of Taipei Main Station.
10. Numerous hotels are in the area south and south-west, or across the road from Taipei Main Station. The further west the cheaper.
11. City Inn Hotel are a pair of good medium priced, new hotels next to each other (NT$1400 per night) in ChangAn West Road, which is one block north of Taipei Main Station. Weekdays are 30% cheaper than weekends. They have a website.
12. When raining street vendors sell umbrella’s outside station on south side. NT$100
13. Taipei streets may have East or West as part of their name. A street becomes either east or west determined by its place from Taipei Main Station – the centre point.
Have a personal treasure hunt and find this ginseng sake bottle with contents for sale. Sake is a brewed Japanese wine about 15% proof. Ginsen has healing properties – exactly what and how is another story. Located near the front door. West side of Taiwan National Museum (outside the park of course). Restaurant staff speak no English yet will happily respond to sign language. Have some fun.
