This Filipina budgetarian celebrated her birthday by travelling to Taipei, Taiwan for 4 days & 3 nights under USD$200.



Hi, everyone! Since I’ve been receiving messages on how I did my 4 Days 3 Nights Taipei, Taiwan solo travel for less than US$200,  I’ll share with you a summary of my trip. Everything was DIY or Do It Yourself, and I had no itinerary at first, but I just wrote a list of possible things to do.

My flight happened on 8 Nov 2016, with departure time at 9.45pm and arrival at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport Terminal 1 at 12.25am. This flight schedule is not okay for everyone so I ended up sleeping at the airport.





Initial expenses


  • AT (Airport Tax) – ₱1,620
  • TF (Terminal Fee) – ₱750
  • AFT (Airfare Ticket) – ₱1,020.80 from Cebu Pacific
  • Visa – free with ROC travel authorization certificate, although Taiwan visa is expensive
  • ₱10,000 converted to US$200 – US$1 was around ₱46
  • US$200 converted to NTWD or New Taiwan Dollar which is NT$6,199 (minus charge of NT$30 from NT $6,229)


Purpose of this trip

A solo travel in Taiwan on my birthday week — it’s a first time experience. I should be travelling with a friend, but due to unforeseen circumstances, she had to cancel.

2 Easy ways to reach Taipei Main Station


  • From the airport, there is a bus bound to Taipei Main Station
  • To experience the HSR, take a bus to HSR Taoyuan Station, purchase ticket going to Taipei Main Station


Where to stay in Taipei?

I stayed at Main Inn Taipei which I booked through Hostelworld.

4 Days 3 Nights Taipei – Budget & Itinerary

Day 1 – 9 Nov 2016


  • Sleeping at the airport arrival at 12.25am
  • EasyCard – Top up with NT$200 (Easy Card borrowed from Jeremy, a friend, who had been to Taiwan)
  • Taking a bus to HSR Taoyuan Station in the morning – swipe with EasyCard
  • Taking the High-Speed Rail from Taoyuan Station to Taipei Main Station for NT$155
  • Arrival at Main Inn Taipei – paid NT$1581 for 3 nights
  • Meet up with Janice – we got acquainted through a travel forum and met in person at last in Taipei to show me around
  • Beef noodles for NT$140, Bubble Tea Milk for NT$40, water for NT$20 c/o by Janice
  • Taking the MRT going to XianXiang for Elephant Mountain
  • Elephant Mountain with no cost
  • Family Mart lunch or snack c/o Janice
  • Taipei 101 Building
  • Chiang Kai Shek Hall at night (best to go in broad daylight)
  • Dinner at Ximending Night Market c/o Janice
  • Back to hostel at Main Inn Taipei
  • Drinking beer during my birthday eve c/o Yoshi from Japan until midnight


Day 2 – November 10, 2016


  • Hey shawty, it’s my birthday!
  • EasyCard top up for NT$100
  • Woke up late because of tired legs from hiking
  • Sushi breakfast for NT$60
  • Conversation with Tony from the US talking about Philippines and US politics
  • Meet up with Kohei from Japan in the afternoon
  • Beef Ramen – Late lunch at Taipei City Mall for NT$59
  • Sun Yat Sen Hall at night (best to go there in broad daylight)
  • Taipei 101 Observatory at night for NT$600 c/o Kohei as a birthday present
  • Food hopping at Shilin Night Market
  • $50 chao fan plus drink (Chao fan is $90 c/o Kohei / drink is $30)
  • $40 Fresh Fruit juice
  • $90 (2 bubble tea milk), as you can see Kohei paid almost everything
  • $60 potato fries ($120 per serving)
  • Back to hostel


Day 3 – November 11, 2016


  • $60 sushi for breakfast
  • Easy Card top up for $100 (should have top up $200 or more)
  • $40 bus ($90 bus to Jiufen – use Easy Card or pay exact amount of cash on the bus as there is no change)
  • $400 souvenirs in Jiufen
  • $800 to $1000 Jioufen Tea House
  • $100 bus back to Taipei
  • Dinner at Din Tai Fung c/o Kohei
  • Back to hostel


Day 4 – November 12, 2016


  • $100 sushi for breakfast
  • Meet up with Ghing and Princess
  • MRT to Taipei Zoo
  • $120 Maokong Gondola
  • $60 Taipei Zoo entrance
  • McDonald’s late lunch c/o Ghing






  • Meetup with Kohei and friends
  • Ice cream waffles c/o Kohei
  • $1300 taxi going to the airport due to unnecessary circumstances
  • $40 locker because I accidentally brought Kohei’s pocket wifi and earphone
  • Fortunately, I was able to catch up my flight at 1.00am the next day
  • A bus and HSR is going to the airport which you could pay less.


Itinerary and breakdown of expenses

Please visit this Google doc: Taiwan Itinerary and Expenses to see my itinerary and breakdown of expenses.

Personal budget in Taipei


  • Accommodation for three nights – NT$1581
  • Daily food budget right for three meals multiplied for four days – NT$500 x 4 days = NT$2,000
  • Daily MRT fare multiplied for four days – NT$200 x 4 days = NT$800
  • The rest would be miscellaneous for shopping and souvenirs
  • Conclusion


Four days in Taipei is not enough. I missed visiting some places because of the rain; I preferred staying in bed while waiting for the rain to stop.

Travelling on a budget in Taipei is possible. Taipei 101 Observatory, High-Speed Rail and Dinner at Din Tai Fung are optional. You might want to consider doing the FREE activities instead.

I thank my friends for the birthday treat: Jeremy for the Easy Card, Janice for meeting me and showing me around, Yoshi for the beer, Kohei for the reunion meet-up from Cebu, Ghing and Princess for the fun at Maokong Gondola and Taipei Zoo.

Source by www.tripzilla.com
Contributed by I Travel Rox



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