Left Luggage Service in Taiwan (TMS)

One thing i've noticed in Taipei is how tourist friendly the city is! All their signages are written in chinese with a corresponding english translation. Very convenient for visitors with no whatsoever comprehension of chinese language.

One thing we find very handy is knowing that there is a left luggage service at the Taipei Main Station.

Find the Left Luggage Lockers in TMS:
At the main station look for signages pointing to building B1. When you get to B1 you will see the TRA/HSR ticketing counter and across it are multicolored lockers .

Baggage Lockers at the B1 of Taipei Main Station

For the Floor Map of the Taipei Main Station :

Download it here.

I've put a pink star to indicate the B1 floor and where the lockers are located. Spotting the multicolored lockers isn't so hard really.

From what i have seen there are 3 types of lockers. One for small bags/backpacks , second is for medium sized luggages and third is for large luggages.

Locker fee is as follows (as of July 2013):
NTD20/first 3 hours - small bags
NTD30/first 3 hours - medium sized bags
NTD70/first 3 hours - large sized bags

You can leave your bags for a maximum of 3 (three) days only.

How to use this facility?
1.Choose a locker which fits your bag. Look for a locker that is unused (door of locker is open).
2. Prepare your payment . You may pay intially the first 3 hours fee if you are not sure how long you will leave your bags.
3. Insert your payment at the coin slot.
4. Claim your confirmation ticket and don't forget to close the locker door.
5. Keep your confirmation ticket. There is a confidential series of numbers written on your ticket. Don't divulge to anyone these numbers or else they may claim your bags :)
6. Don't ever lose your confirmation ticket.

Leaving your bags in your hotel is an option too but we opted to leave it at the main station for convenience because the Airport Bus leaves at the Taipei West Bus Station (K12 exit from the K-underground mall or MRT exit M5 or underground Mall exit Z3).

Sorry but i've not known any baggage lockers in any other part of the Taipei Railway Stations. If you have any other information please feel free to input some info for the other readers. Thank you.

Taipei - day 03 (Taipei 101)

Our last day in Taipei was a bit gloomy with the onset of Typhoon Soulik . It's all over the news even the night before the government was forewarning the locals of possible havoc this typhoon can cause the country. Anway, after our swift hotel checkout at One2Stay in Ximending we went directly to Taipei Main Station ( It's just one stop from Ximen). Our purpose for going to TMS was to look for baggage lockers where we could leave our luggages before we head to the airport for our flight. I have researched and read from other blogs that there are baggage lockers in TMS. And by following directions to the TRA ticketing windows we found what we're looking for. Multicolored lockers with different sizes which you can choose which best fits your needs.

Multicolored Baggage lockers in Taipei Main Station

 How to get to Taipei 101 from Taipei Main Station?
Board the MRT going to Taipei City Hall. Upon exit look for exit 2 then go outside. Wait for the free shuttle bus going to Taipei 101.

After leaving our luggages we then boarded the MRT to Taipei City Hall. At exit 2 you will find free shuttle bus going directly to Taipei 101. It's a short ride to the 2nd tallest building in the world but then the skies are now showing it's gonna pour huge amounts of water so we then immediately sought refuge in Taipei 101. This building houses lots of branded stuff. All very expensive brand (which definitely i cannot afford to buy) but we chanced upon 50% off SALE in Longchamp store. After calculations , it came out cheaper and so was able to buy 2 longchamp bags. So happy with my purchase!!

Longchamp Flagship store in Taipei 101

We were able to collect a TAX refund from our purchase. Our total bill for the 2 bags was NTD6,100 and our refund was NTD300 so that makes our purchase price go down to NTD5,800 (approximately USD190) for 2 bags. One limited edition Autour de Halong (medium long handle) and Poney Patch (large long handle).

After our purchase we went to their foodcourt to spend our tax refund. There was lots of food choices from Korean to japanese food. We opted for local taiwanese food.

Lo rou fan , porkchop cutlet, fishball soup , oyster omelet, kangkong , chinese fried race

Our lunch cost us NTD250 good for 2 (approx usd8). It was a big lunch that would carry us through late afternoon before we get to the airport.

To burn all those food we stuffed ourselves we then walked it off around the mall. And when the rain stopped it gave us an opportunity to take a picture of the building outside.

the famous L-O-V-E sign right outside the building

Taipei 101 building.

See how gray the skies are? We were so pressured to take a picture of the building because anytime rain might fall.

How to get back to the MRT?
You see the LOVE sign? walk behind it then turn right at the corner. A few meters you will see a covered shed with lots of people queueing for the free shuttle bus to the MRT. The bus will drop you off exactly at the mrt exit and then proceed to your destination.

We originally wanted to visit Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall but according to authorities heavy rains are expected that afternoon so for safety, we deleted it in the itinerary. We went back to Taipei Main Station to collect our luggages and headed straight to Taipei west bus station to board a bus going to the Taoyuan International Airport.

Taiwan (Day 1) - Beitou/Danshui/Shilin

Our travel to Taiwan was during the height of an ongoing issue between Philippines and Taiwan. We were resolved to postpone this trip because friends advises us it might not be good timing and safety is in question. But at the last minute when there were peace talks going on with the 2 countries , we decided to go on and apply for a visa because we wouldn't want to waste our tickets (fyi, budget airline tickets can be rebooked but with so many penalties it's better to buy a new one :)).

Visa application was swift and two days before we leave we were granted one. With a sigh of relief, i finalized the hotel and our itinerary for a 3 day trip.

Day 0 - etd MNL 1040pm
Day 1 - eta TPE  1240am
0100 am  Ride a Kuo Kuang Bus to Taipei Main Station
0200 am  Arrive Taipei Main Station and taxi to Ximen Area
0230 am Checkin Hotel (Ximen) / Rest
0900 am Breakfast
1000 am Head to Beitou
1200 pm Head to Danshui Night Market (Lunch)
0400 pm Head to Shilin Night Market
0700 pm Back to hotel
0800 pm Dinner in Ximending street

It was a red eye flight of Cebu Pacific from Manila to Taipei. We arrived on time but after going thru immigration and changing currencies we were out by 0130am. There is only one bus going to the city in this ungodly hour and that is Kuo Kuang bus company. Although there are many buses during the day until around 1100pm. You may choose from Citi Air, Freego Bus , Evergreen Bus etc. depending on where you're heading to. But for us we do not have any choice we took the 1819 Kuo Kuang Bus to Taipei Main Station.

You may also take a taxi from the airport but it would cost you NTD1,300/car (approx P2,000) . If there are 4 of you then taking a taxi would be reasonable. But me being a cheapo i opted to ride the bus which would cost me NTD125 (less than P200) only. The Bus station can be found one floor below the arrival hall in the airport. Upon exiting the baggage carousel just look to your left and you will see a sign directing you to the bus station. You will also find a convenience store there where you must change your money to an exact NTD125 to pay the driver.

This is the bus stand where you wait for bus going to Taipei City

Take note that the Taoyuan International Airport is located in Taoyuan City and is 50mins by land travel to Taipei City.

1819 Kuo Kuang Bus drops you off at the Taipei Main Station where you can get a taxi (or ride the MRT if it's still open) to your hotel. As in our case, our hotel is located in Ximending which is just one MRT stop from the main station. It is best to situate yourself near the main station if you're planning to do some travelling in and around the city. It's convenient and practical. MRT is the best way of transportation. Taxi ride can be very expensive.

I am so happy with my hotel choice. One2Stay is a sister company of Good9Stay. I learned about this when i tried booking for Good9Stay and they informed me that they were fully booked but instead offered me One2Stay. Their building is right beside Ximen MRT Station Exit 1. When exiting you just turn left and a few steps would lead you to their door. The hotel occupies the third floor with  few rooms  only so there are few guests only which makes it quiet and peaceful to stay. Their wifi is strong but the room itself is not so big but they make it a point to clean it everyday so i've nothing to complain. I'm out most of the time anyway.

Red House Theatre right across One2stay hotel. Very very accessible  and convenient!

Contact Good9stay/One2stay at good9stay@gmail.com.

There is no breakfast that comes with your hotel but who needs hotel breakfast ? You're in Taipei! Go out and try the local breakfast joint which are numerous. Our first stop for breakfast is Yong He Chinese Breakfast resto. I wanted to try the famous you tiao , Dou jiang , xiao long bao, egg roll. Everything is yummy. Though we were just limited to ordering what was in their picture menu because we cannot understand chinese :(  Our bill would come up to NTD150 (P225) for 2persons with 2 soy milk , 2 breads with ham and egg, xiao long bao (dimsum), 1 egg roll . So cheap and yet we're full to the brim.

Xiao long Bao

Be there early. Lines can get very long during breakfast hours.

Yong He address : Hankou st. in Ximen Area. Look out for the long lines and you know you're there.

After our breakfast fill we then headed to Ximen MRT Station to buy a ticket (token) to Beitou. After Beitou we plan to go to Danshui then to Shilin for Night Market. Let's look at the Taipei MRT Map:

Yellow marked star are our destination for the day. Pink marked star is where we are staying

It's best to plan your itinerary according to its location. Group together places that are nearest to each other to save time/energy and money. If you look at the map our destination for the day is along the red line (Tamsui Line). There are many places to explore along the red line but since we only had 3 days we chose to see major/popular attractions.

First stop is Beitou. Ride mrt (red line) to Beitou station and transfer train going to Xinbeitou line.Upon exit in Beitou station to transfer to Xinbeitou you will be greeted with this cute creatures.

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