5 Hours in TPE - Help!
 

I've done this layover twice before and am not looking forward to doing it again. Although I doubt it, does anyone think 5 hours would be enough time to leave the airport? If so, any suggestions on where to go and logistics of clearing customs and returning?

I just find TPE airport extremely boring... I can use the SQ lounge, but 5 hours is just way too long, even for that.

(I know I could change my routing to get a faster connection, but I fly CNX-LAX and this gives me just one change of planes, which I prefer).

Immigration lines depend on the time of day your arrive, but in my experience have never been more than 20-30 minutes, sometimes less. I've never once been stopped by customs (12 visits in the last two years).

If you assume that immigration/customs both ways will take you an hour, it's an hour each way into the city and back and you have to be back in time for boarding, it does not leave you a lot of time for visiting.

If you want to give it a shot, maybe take a trip to the Taipei 101, up to the observation deck, and back to the airport.

Me, i'd just hang in the lounge.

Going into TPE on a 5 hour layover? In my opinion, it is doable but not recommended.

Getting from gate thru customs - 30 to 45 minutes.
Buy ticket and wait for bus -15 to 20 minutes.
Bus ride into Taipei - 45 minutes to 1.5 hour depending on traffic.

Even in best case scenario it will take 1.5 hour one way. Multiply that by 2 and you have only 2 hours left to enjoy Taipei. If your bus gets stuck in traffic (and the odds of that happening is very high), you might find yourself not able to get back to the airport in time for your outbound flight.

The OP didn't say s/he had to go into Taipei city. Taoyuan and Zhongli are closer--though I'd just as soon stay in the airport. What might be really practical for a couple hours, if the weather were decent, is getting a taxi and going to look at the fishing villages on the coast just north of the airport. There's even a park just a few kilometers to the NE up routes 4 & 15, according to the map--I've never been. Guaranteed not to be terrific, but not the airport either.

go to the air musuem just outside the airport front of terminal 2 you can walk it

I think the museum is closed on Mondays - don't know which day the OP is intending to go.

Thanks for all the feedback - I'm going to go with the general consensus to just stay at the airport.

the air museum is at the airport

I have an 11-hour layover in TPE in October. Arrive 8:10 PM and depart 7:20 AM. Does anyone have any advice for inexpensive hotels and what to do? Should I stay near the airport or go into Taipei?

Do you a rest and be prepared in the morning type of person? or are you the party and no sleep lets enjoy Tapei to the max type of person?

7 am flight means you need to be back at the airport 5 am ish right? Means a taxi or a hotel transport to take you back. From Taipei it takes 30 minutes at that time of the morning.....

I will be travelling with 2 friends and I think a combination of light partying (dinner and bar, but no disco) and rest is preferred. Since it's a layover, we'll already be checked in so we'll just need to clear security at the airport in the morning. I figure that being there by 6 should be sufficient. Any inexpensive clean and well-situated hotels to recommend? How about airport-city transit? Are there trains or buses or is taxi the way to go?

Taipei has a plethora of restaurants and great lounges. Getting to Taipei isn't hard, actually quite easy. Run a search as I've typed it in already a few times. Getting back at 5am is not too much harder. Some cab companies charge 900NT tolls included. Unfortunately I left my TW sim card in Taiwan on my last trip so I can't get you the number. It is normally 1000 even.

Can't really help you out on hotels. I know they used to rent out rooms at the JianTan center.

You could consider this hotel in nearby Taoyuan

http://www.monarch-hotels.com.tw/english/index.htm

Many airlines put their crew in there. Easy to get a taxi/limo there and back. (15/20mins when I did it. Also less subject to traffic snarl-ups that sometimes happen arriving/departing central Taipei). I'd only go into Taipei if you really intend to do something when you get there - nightlife etc.

For anyone with a day time layover, there are free half-day tours of Taipei organised by the tourist authority.

To be a real nightbird, you could whip around Taipei and do without a hotel altogether, returning in time to use lounge facilities. You can buy access to the "More" lounge. http://www.moregroup.com.tw/ NT$1500 (VIP), NT$1100 (normal), 50% for kids. Can't remember what VIP gets you, but I'm pretty sure the "normal" ticket gets you showers. Open 06:00 to 23:30.

same boat, 14 Hour layover in TPE and no hotels
 

My mom will be traveling with my sons to the USA soon via TPE. They will have about 14-hour layover in TPE, arriving 6:15 P.M. with KLM and departing the next day at 7:55 A.M. I've tried booking them a reservation at TPE Transit hotel but the hotel wouldn't accept any transit passengers other than those flying with BR or CI. Does anyone have any advice for other options? Thank you in advance.

Does anyone have any info on the transit hotel? How much are the rooms there? How do I make a reservation? I'm thinking it may be worthwhile getting a room there and then head into town for dinner, some bar hopping etc. and then return for some sleep and showers before getting on the connecting flight.

Not a direct answer, but this hotel is in Taoyuan - reasonably near the airport. Many of the airlines put their crew there. I thought it was pretty nice the one time I stayed there...

http://www.monarch-hotels.com.tw/

I remember noseconeflyer also referred to it. Maybe do a search for "monarch plaza", restricting to posts by me and him.

For anyone having to kill a day (rather than a night) at TPE, the tourist authority do free half-day city tours. There is also an "Aviation museum" at the airport... but I'm not sure of opening hours...

The "old" airport transit hotel looks rather dramatic now. Its being demolished - lots of concrete and twisted metal. Would make a good film set....

If you want to pay a visit to Taipei without jams, consider doing the trip on the recently opened high-speed rail line. It's 10 minutes by taxi to THSR Taoyuan station (or 15 min by half-hourly bus) and ~20 min to the city (NT$160 one way), with trains straight to Taipei Main Station roughly every half hour -- check schedules beforehand at the THSR website. On your way back, note that not all trains stop in Taoyuan!

Wow! I didn't even realize there was hi-speed rail servicing close by the airport. Does anyone know the cost of a cab from the THSR Taoyuan station to the airport? Or even the bus?

It would be pretty cool to ride another high speed rail besides the TGV and Shinkasen ^

The bus was around NT$20/head. Taxi shouldn't be much more than NT$100 from the station to the airport, but you may have problems getting a cabbie to take you the other way -- they've queued for hours in anticipation of a >NT$1000 fare to the city!

I hate to disappoint you, but the THSR is built with Shinkansen technology and the 700T trainsets are 99% identical to Japanese Shinkansen 700s. It's still hella cool though :D

So after some further research, I'm not finding any cheap hotels for an overnight for 3 people. Any suggestions for a safe, clean and conveniently located hotel (ideally near gay bars) where we can put our bags down while going out to dinner and bars and then sleeping for a couple of hours befrore heading back to the airport for a 7 AM departure? I'll be there this Thursday so a bit last minute now... Thanks.

not asking for much really then ?