{"id":702,"date":"2026-07-02T07:47:45","date_gmt":"2026-07-02T07:47:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/globalriceball.website\/"},"modified":"2026-07-02T12:56:52","modified_gmt":"2026-07-02T12:56:52","slug":"taiwan-high-speed-rail-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/globalriceball.website\/en\/taiwan-high-speed-rail-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"Taiwan High Speed Rail (THSR) Guide: Tickets, Early-Bird Discounts, Foreign Traveler Passes, and a Complete Station Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"<style class=\"lt-tbl-css\">.entry-content table,.lt-tbl{border-collapse:collapse;width:100%;margin:1.2em 0}.entry-content th,.entry-content td,.lt-tbl th,.lt-tbl td{border:1px solid #d4dcd7;padding:8px 11px;text-align:left;vertical-align:top}.entry-content th,.lt-tbl th{background:#eef3f0;font-weight:600}<\/style>\n<p>Updated: 2026-07-02 | For real-time information, always refer to official announcements.<\/p>\n<p><em>Coming to Taiwan for the first time and hoping to tour the north, central, and south within a few days? The HSR is usually the most time-saving option\u2014this article explains the stations, buying tickets, foreigner-exclusive passes, and how to grab early-bird deals, all from a traveler's point of view.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>The Taiwan High Speed Rail (THSR) is the high-speed line running down the length of the west coast, taking as little as about 1 hour and 45 minutes from Taipei to Zuoying in Kaohsiung. For people with only a few days who still want to touch down in Taipei, Taichung, Tainan, and Kaohsiung, it's practically the default way to get around. What really trips people up isn't the ride itself, but a few things: \"which station is close to the city center, which way of buying tickets is smoothest, and can foreign travelers save money.\" Let's start there.<\/p>\n<p>There are currently 12 HSR stations, running from north to south: Nangang, Taipei, Banqiao, Taoyuan, Hsinchu, Miaoli, Taichung, Changhua, Yunlin, Chiayi, Tainan, and Zuoying. The stations travelers use most are the major ones: Taipei, Taichung, and Zuoying (transfer for downtown Kaohsiung). One thing to note: many HSR stations aren't in the city center\u2014for example, the Tainan station is in Guiren and the Changhua station is in Tianzhong\u2014so you usually still have to transfer to the TRA, a shuttle bus, or the MRT to reach the city. Zuoying Station is the southern terminus, where you can transfer directly to the Kaohsiung MRT to get into the city. When planning your itinerary, remember to factor in that last leg from the HSR station to the city center\u2014this is the timing many people miscalculate on their first trip. Actual trains and schedules depend on the timetable for the day, so before booking, please refer to the \"Timetable &amp; Fare Search\" on the HSR official website (real-time data is subject to official announcements).<\/p>\n<table class=\"lt-tbl\">\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Line<\/th>\n<th>Approximate Travel Time<\/th>\n<th>Notes<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>Taipei \u2192 Taichung<\/td>\n<td>About 1 hour<\/td>\n<td>Express trains are faster; trains that stop at every station are slower<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Taipei \u2192 Tainan<\/td>\n<td>About 1.5 hours<\/td>\n<td>From Tainan Station you'll need to transfer again to reach the city center<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Taipei \u2192 Zuoying (Kaohsiung)<\/td>\n<td>About 1 hour 45 minutes at the fastest<\/td>\n<td>Transfer to the Kaohsiung MRT at Zuoying to reach the city center<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>Before boarding, it's worth understanding the seat types\u2014get this straight and you won't buy the wrong ticket.<strong>Standard Car Reserved Seat<\/strong>is what ordinary travelers buy most often: reserved in advance, with an assigned seat, and early-bird discounts apply only to this type of ticket;<strong>Non-Reserved Seat<\/strong>has no assigned seat\u2014you buy it on the day at the station and board as you arrive\u2014which suits people whose itinerary isn't yet fixed, but it can only be purchased at the station on the day of travel, with no advance purchase or ticket collection at other locations;<strong>Business Car<\/strong>has wider seats, includes food, drinks, and service, and costs more; it is reserved seating that must be booked in advance. Also, if you hold an EasyCard co-branded card or an iPASS co-branded card with the \"auto top-up\" function already activated, you can simply tap in and board the non-reserved car directly, which is very convenient; ordinary EasyCards that haven't activated this function don't qualify. For details, refer to the official guidelines.<\/p>\n<h4>Four Ways to Buy Tickets\u2014Which Is Smoothest for Foreign Travelers<\/h4>\n<p>For foreign travelers, the most practical options are booking on the official website and using the T-EX app\u2014both of which have an English interface.<strong>Online Booking on the Official Website<\/strong>lets you check schedules, select seats, and pay by card online. After payment, collect your ticket at a station or convenience store. The advance-sale period opens up to about 29 days before the travel date (including that day), and the latest you can book is one day before travel; actual rules are subject to the official website's announcements.<strong>T-EX Mobile Ticketing App<\/strong> supports booking, payment, mobile ticket collection, and splitting tickets\u2014all done on your phone with no need to print, making it great for people on the go. You can also buy ticket types such as full-fare, child, senior, and university student discount tickets. If you need to travel on short notice or want a non-reserved seat, just head to the station's<strong>ticket machine or staffed counter<\/strong>. In addition, the HSR partners with the four major convenience store chains\u20147-ELEVEN, FamilyMart, Hi-Life, and OK\u2014so you can<strong>convenience stores<\/strong>buy or collect tickets in-store, though each ticket carries an extra service fee (a round-trip counts as 2 tickets), with the exact amount subject to on-site notices. During peak times (long weekends, weekends), the queues at major stations get long, so it's best to arrive early, or better yet, book a reserved seat online or via the app in advance.<\/p>\n<h4>Foreigner-Exclusive Passes and Ways to Save<\/h4>\n<p>If you plan to ride the HSR several times in a short period, the foreigner-exclusive<strong>THSR Pass<\/strong>may work out cheaper than single-journey tickets. It's a discounted pass available only to short-term visitors holding a foreign passport; holders of a Republic of China passport or a valid Alien Resident Certificate (ARC) don't qualify. There are three common types:<strong>3-Day Pass<\/strong>unlimited rides for 3 consecutive days from the designated first day;<strong>Flexible 2-Day Pass<\/strong>unlimited rides on any 2 days you choose within a designated 7-day period, suitable for those with a looser itinerary;<strong>Foreign Traveler Single Ticket<\/strong>is a standard single-journey reserved seat with a discount for foreign travelers, suitable for those taking only one or two trips. The official website lists adult\/child fares for each version, but fares may change, so before buying, please refer to the latest announcements on the HSR's official pass page; this article doesn't list fixed amounts to avoid misleading you.<\/p>\n<p>The pass can be purchased in advance on the official pass website or through partner travel agencies (including some OTA platforms). Once you have the order number and redemption code, the order is valid for 90 days from the payment date. To redeem, you'll need the redemption code, your original passport, and short-term entry documentation, which you present at an HSR station ticket counter to collect the physical pass. Travel dates must be designated within a certain period after redemption; actual rules are subject to the official website. Travelers who want to keep things simple can also buy foreigner-exclusive HSR tickets directly through a ticketing platform and redeem them after arriving in Taiwan. If you're still comparing how to buy, you can first check the other ticket options rounded up in our<a href=\"\/en\/category\/transportation\/\">Transport Guide<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"lt-btn\" href=\"https:\/\/www.kkday.com\/?cid=25297\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow sponsored noopener\">Check HSR passes\/tickets on KKday<\/a><\/p>\n<p><small>This section contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through them, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you, and it doesn't affect our recommendations. See details in<a href=\"\/en\/affiliate-disclosure\/\">Disclosure<\/a>\u3002<\/small><\/p>\n<p>If you don't plan to buy a pass, the most practical way to save on the HSR is<strong>early-bird tickets<\/strong>. Early-bird fares offer limited-quantity discounts of 35% off, 20% off, and 10% off on designated trains, and apply only to standard cars, reserved seats, and single-journey full-fare tickets, with outbound and return legs bought separately. The ticket-grabbing logic is tiered: once the 35%-off tickets sell out, 20%-off goes on sale; once those sell out, 10%-off goes on sale; once those sell out, the early-bird sale ends ahead of schedule and reverts to full price. So the earlier you book, the better your chance of snagging the 35%-off fare. Early-bird tickets are sold up until 5 days before the travel date (inclusive), after which only full-fare tickets are available.<\/p>\n<table class=\"lt-tbl\">\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Discount<\/th>\n<th>Highlights<\/th>\n<th>Applies to<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>early-bird tickets<\/td>\n<td>35% \/ 20% \/ 10% off, limited quantity, sold in tiers<\/td>\n<td>Standard Car reserved seat, one-way full-fare ticket<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>12% off for TGO members<\/td>\n<td>Members get a set number of discounts each month on select trains (frequency per official rules)<\/td>\n<td>Standard Car Reserved Seat<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Foreign traveler pass<\/td>\n<td>Better value for multiple trips<\/td>\n<td>Short-term foreign passport visitors<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>There are also credit card offers, domestic travel combo tickets, THSR holiday packages, and other deals that appear from time to time; their contents and discounts change often, so please refer to the HSR official website's \"Early Bird Discount\" and promotional announcements. Booking HSR tickets, checking schedules, and using the T-EX app all require stable internet, so it's best to have a connection ready the moment you land, so you're not scrambling at the airport. To skip queuing to buy a SIM card on-site, consider an eSIM that works the instant you arrive. Once the HSR links up the north, central, and south, don't forget to plan your accommodation and city transport. For itinerary planning, you can refer to<a href=\"\/en\/category\/taiwan-itinerary\/\">Taiwan Itinerary Planning<\/a>, and to dive deeper into what each city has to offer, see our<a href=\"\/en\/category\/taipei\/\">Taipei<\/a>related articles.<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"lt-btn\" href=\"https:\/\/holafly.sjv.io\/L0RdLZ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow sponsored noopener\">View Holafly Taiwan eSIM plans<\/a><\/p>\n<p><small>This is an affiliate link; see the explanation in<a href=\"\/en\/affiliate-disclosure\/\">Disclosure<\/a>\u3002<\/small><\/p>\n<h4>Frequently Asked Questions<\/h4>\n<h5>Do foreigners have to buy a pass?<\/h5>\n<p>Not necessarily. A pass is best for people who take the HSR multiple times within a short period; if you're only taking one or two trips, buying a foreign traveler one-way ticket or grabbing early-bird tickets may be more cost-effective. Compare based on your actual itinerary.<\/p>\n<h5>Can I buy a foreign traveler pass if I hold an ARC (residence permit)?<\/h5>\n<p>No. The pass is limited to \"short-term foreign passport visitors.\" Holders of a Republic of China passport or a valid residence permit are not eligible, so please buy a regular ticket or early-bird ticket instead.<\/p>\n<h5>Can I pay for HSR tickets with an EasyCard?<\/h5>\n<p>With an EasyCard co-branded card or iPASS co-branded card that has the auto top-up function activated, you can tap in and ride the non-reserved car directly; reserved seats, however, require booking and payment separately. Details are subject to the HSR's official guidelines.<\/p>\n<h5>What if I miss out on early-bird tickets?<\/h5>\n<p>You can switch to a non-reserved seat (board on a first-come, first-served basis), check whether there are TGO member discounts or credit card promotions, or travel outside peak hours. These offers change often, so please double-check the latest announcements on the official website before booking.<\/p>\n<h5>Are HSR stations far from the city center?<\/h5>\n<p>Some stations (such as Tainan, Changhua, and Miaoli) are not in the city center and require a transfer to the TRA, metro, or a shuttle bus. When planning your itinerary, we recommend factoring in the time for that final leg of the transfer.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What's the cheapest way to buy Taiwan High Speed Rail (THSR) tickets? Get a clear rundown of all 12 stations, the difference between reserved and non-reserved seats, tips for grabbing 35%-off early-bird tickets, and how to buy and redeem the exclusive pass for foreign visitors.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":744,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[50,48,49],"class_list":["post-702","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-transportation","tag-taiwan-transport","tag-taiwan-high-speed-rail","tag-thsr-tickets"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalriceball.website\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/702","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalriceball.website\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalriceball.website\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalriceball.website\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalriceball.website\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=702"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/globalriceball.website\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/702\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":807,"href":"https:\/\/globalriceball.website\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/702\/revisions\/807"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalriceball.website\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/744"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalriceball.website\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=702"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalriceball.website\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=702"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalriceball.website\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=702"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}