Originally Posted by
bocastephen
1. take the airport metro line to the Taoyuan HSR station
2. take Uber or a taxi to the HSR station
3. don't fret and just overnight at the Novatel (higher cost) or Holiday Inn Express (lower cost, but requires uber or bus transfer)
Having done this trip just recently (TPE to Tainan, using Taoyuan MRT to get to the Taoyuan HSR station), I would recommend sticking with the old city bus (NT35* I think) to get from the airport terminal to the HSR station. When I took the MRT, I found out that only the local train runs to the HSR station. It is slow** (many stops), and the headway was maddeningly long (I waited for basically the maximum 30 minutes for the next train--heard the "beep beep beep" of the slamming gates just as I was descending the escalator to the platform). Another frustrating thing about how Taoyuan MRT has been managed so far is that it does not have a published schedule other than the first and last departure times of the day. Until the entire Taoyuan MRT line is completed, and that it operates at the promised frequency, I personally will use the bus to the HSR station. YMMV of course.
* Must buy the bus ticket at the operating company's ticket booth, not on the bus -- sorry I don't remember which bus company it is.