The Taipei sightseeing bus is best for anyone who’s patient and wants a relaxed sitting tour of major tourist hotspots in Taipei. Keep reading to learn more.
I’ve ridden the hop-on, hop-off bus and want to help you figure out whether it’s worth taking. I’ll do so by providing all the facts.
Let’s begin with the most important information.
Key Takeaways
- The cost of a single Taipei sightseeing bus ride is NT$330 per ticket.
- Completing the tour takes around 100 minutes, or 130 minutes during rush hour.
- The best-value pass is the 4-hour pass, available for NT$300.
- Tickets can be purchased using EasyCard, iPass, credit cards, cash, Apple Pay, or Google Pay.
- The Red line operates from 9:10 AM to 10:00 PM with varying frequencies.
- Discounted tickets are often available on travel sites like KKday and KLOOK.
- October to December is the best season for the tour, with lower crowds in winter.
- The sightseeing bus is unique as Taipei’s only double-decker bus.
- There are 23 total stops across two routes, Red and Blue, each covering popular attractions.
Important Information for Tourists
| Cost | NT$300 |
| Is It Worth Riding? | It depends |
| Time to Finish Route | Average time: 100 minutes |
| Rush hour: 130 minutes | |
| Free Wi-Fi? | Yes |
| Air Conditioning? | Yes |
| Best Time to Take | Best time: October – December |
| To avoid crowds: Winter months | |
| To see cherry blossoms: March and April | |
| Tour Languages Available | English |
| Japanese | |
| Mandarin | |
| Korean | |
| Thai | |
| Should I Tip the Tour Guide? | No |
I’m setting expectations here. This isn’t really a “hop-on, hop-off bus.” You’ll learn why in the next section.
Traveler Tips
Here are some tips to consider when taking the sightseeing bus:
- Check the operator’s website in case there are cancellations.
- Wear sunglasses: Don’t let the sun blind you.
- Bring your own headphones with audio jacks.
- You’ll save NT$20.
- Bring a raincoat: They will close the canopy if it rains, but the coat will protect you until they close it.
- Arrive at the bus stop 15 minutes before the estimated departure time.
- Don’t try to get on the bus if it’s not in front of the bus stop.
- They park around the corner until it’s time to board.
I had a hard time finding the bus stop when my wife and I took it.
If you’re in Taipei Main Station, leave through Exit M4, turn right, then you’ll see the bus stop:
You’ll see 2 sets of lines:
- Wait behind the red tape for the Red Route
- Wait behind the blue tape for the Blue Route
I wish that I didn’t have to explain this, but there were 10 people waiting there who didn’t understand this.
They waited behind the blue tape though they wanted to get on the red line.
Also.
The Blue line bus will have blue text on the front that’ll say “Blue Route.”
Get on this bus to take the Blue Route.
Get on the bus with the red text to get on the Red Route.
With these tips in mind, let’s see whether the bus is worth taking.
Is Taking the Taipei Sightseeing Bus Worth It?
Taking the Taipei Sightseeing bus is worth it if you don’t mind guided tours. However. And even if you don’t like it, it’s a more pleasant way to get around Taipei City.
Other than this particular bus, Taipei doesn’t have double-decker buses as public transportation. Thus, it’s a unique experience if you don’t listen to the tour guide.
It also made me actually enjoy bus rides in Taiwan. As most bus rides I’ve been on involve the driver going as fast as they can and suddenly braking.
You, like myself, may hate the wait time for the bus. As with most buses in Taiwan, you might need to wait around 20 or more minutes for it to arrive.
If you’re short on time, don’t take the sightseeing bus.
But why? Because they don’t operate many buses. Hopefully, this’ll change.
Anyway:
I went during COVID-19, so there wasn’t anyone else on the bus except my wife, me, the tour guide, and the driver. Giving us a more personalized experience.
Your mileage will vary.
The guide was extremely friendly, but the upselling — trying to sell us souvenirs — was a bit annoying. It is her job, though…
Do I recommend any souvenirs?
At the time I went, we bought a magnet bottle opener and a hand sanitizer bottle. I recommend the magnet. It’s small and will easily fit in your luggage.
Otherwise, you should refer to my Taipei souvenir guide.
Do you want to ride the sightseeing bus? Let’s see the price.
Taipei Sightseeing Bus Price
- Ticket Cost: NT$330
- Children whose height is under 3’7” (114 cm) ride for free
- Payment methods when entering bus:
Their website is inconsistent with the payment methods. On the booking page, it only shows IC cards, credit cards, and cash. On their FAQs page, they also mention Apple Pay and Google Pay.
Filling an EasyCard/iPass with NT$330 is the easiest and quickest route to go when paying at the bus.
Otherwise, I recommend booking online.
You will also need to pay NT$20 to buy headphones.
If you get a refund from a ticket purchased through the bus operator’s site, you must pay a NT$30 “procedure fee.”
Likely when you buy your ticket you’ll get a QR code. When entering the bus, the staff will scan it and exchange it for a paper ticket.
Don’t lose the paper ticket. They won’t replace it.
KKday and KLOOK always offer discounted tickets — when I see their listings. They also give you a chance to build points with both sites.
They also offer passes.
Is the Pass Worth it?
I, along with many other folks, recommend going with the 4-Hour Pass. This costs as much as the regular ticket and allows you to enter/depart the bus multiple times.
As these passes allow unlimited usage on the sightseeing bus.
Otherwise, let’s compare the other passes and when I’d recommend them:
| Pass | Price | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| 4-Hour Pass | NT$300 | Best overall |
| 9-Hour Pass | NT$398 | Visiting multiple tourist spots |
| 24-Hour Pass | NT$525 | Riding both routes |
| 48-Hour Pass | NT$1,100 | Visiting multiple tourist spots (multiple days) |
Notes:
- 9-Hour Pass is only available on KLOOK
- 48-Hour Pass is only available through the bus operator’s site.
- KKday and KLOOK offer much better deals on the passes.
KLOOK and KKday also offer a “Combo Ticket.” This gives you a single bus ride and entry to the National Palace Museum (NPM).
This isn’t a good deal.
It’s cheaper to buy a 4-Hour Pass and NPM ticket separately.
If you decide to go with the 24-Hour Pass, you should consider the KLOOK Pass for Taipei. It’ll give you up to 35% off admission fees to many popular attractions and comes with a 24-Hour sightseeing bus pass.
Unfortunately…
None of the Taipei FunPASSes include any sightseeing bus tickets. However. It’ll give you free entry to many tourist attractions and offers a much better value than the KLOOK Pass.
Now that you know the price, you should know where it stops.
Taipei Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Route
The Double-Decker bus has the Red and Blue routes.
Here are the stops on each route:
The Blue line:
| Stop | Nearest Attraction | What To Do? |
|---|---|---|
| Taipei Main Station | Shop | |
| MRT Beimen Station | NA | |
| Yanping Station 1 | Dadaocheng | Drink, eat, exercise, waterfront view |
| Traffic Circle (Button St.) | NA | |
| Taipei Circle (Nanjing) | ||
| MRT Zhongshan Station | ||
| Regent Taipei | ||
| Tatung Company | ||
| Taipei Fine Arts Museum | Maji Square | Food, farmer’s market, and bars |
| Taipei Fine Arts Museum | Museum… | |
| Grand Hotel | Sleep if you’re staying there | |
| MRT Jiantan Station | Shilin Night Market | Eat street food |
| Ming Chuan University | NA | |
| Shilin Official Residence | Chiang Kai-shek Residence | Sightsee |
| National Palace Museum | ||
And the Red line:
| Stop | Nearest Attraction | What To Do? |
|---|---|---|
| Taipei Main Station | Shop | |
| MRT Ximen Station | Ximending | Buy things and eat food |
| Xiaonanmen (South) | NA | |
| Longshan Temple MRT Station | Longshan Temple | Religious site |
| Xiaonanmen (North) | NA | |
| C.K.S Memorial Hall | Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall | Cultural landmark |
| Xinyi & Yongkang Intersection | Yongkang Shopping District; and | Buy food |
| Rongjin Park | Historical site | |
| MRT Daan Park Station | Daan Park | Walk |
| Xinyi and Dunhua Intersection | NA | |
| Xinyi & Tonghua Intersection | Tonghua/Linjiang Street Night Market | Eat street food |
| Taipei 101 | Beautiful view | |
| Songshan Rd. Entrance | NA | |
| MRT Taipei City Hall Station | Xinyi Shopping Center | Shop |
| MRT Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall Station | Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall | Cultural landmark |
| MRT Zhongxiao Dunhua Station | NA | |
| Dinghao Market | NA | |
| MRT Zhongxiao Fuxing Station | Guanghua Digital Plaza | Electronics mall |
| Huashan Cultural and Creative Industries Park | Cultural park | |
Here’s a map of both routes that’s hard to read:
Which route should you take?
My wife and I took the Blue line. It doesn’t have as many cool tourist sites as Red, but it was nice getting information about the Grand Hotel.
It’s my favorite piece of architecture in Taipei.
Whatever route you take will depend on what you want to learn about or visit.
I wrote a 3-day Taipei itinerary that mostly follows sights along the Red line. If you follow that, you’ll want to take the Red route.
Let’s see how often this bus runs.
Taipei Sightseeing Bus Timetable
First, let’s go over the times:
| Route | Frequency | Operating Time |
|---|---|---|
| Red | 9:10 AM – 4:30 PM: Every 40 min | 9:10 AM – 8:20 PM |
| 4:30 – 10 PM: Every 30 min | ||
| Blue | Every 40 min | 9:40 AM – 4:30 PM |
The operator’s website has much more thorough information regarding the timetable than I could provide.
There’s not much else I can say here. The operator’s website does a fantastic job with providing a timetable.
Are you not sold on the sightseeing bus? Here’s a possible alternative.
What Would I Recommend Aside from the Sightseeing Bus?
If you have a higher budget (NT$2,200+) I recommend booking a table on the Taipei Restaurant Bus. It’s another “double-decker” bus.
You can eat (or have afternoon tea) while riding by attractions like:
- Taipei 101
- Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall
- Taipei Arena
- Huashan Creative Park
- Presidential Office Building
They’ll also take you to firework shows on specific days. You’d need to read the listing to see where.
It doesn’t have the most attractions, but it’s an interesting experience.
It’s closed on Monday and operates from 2 PM through 7:30 PM.
As for the food, they do offer vegetarian options. But I can’t say anything specific about cross-contamination.
If you have food allergies, ensure you bring an allergy card that’s translated to Traditional Chinese characters.
Here are some “fun” facts.
Fun Facts
| Number of Total Seats | 47 |
| Number of Open-Air Seats | 10 |
| Number of Wheelchair Spaces | 1 |
| Vehicle Cost | NT$15 million |
| Vehicle Length | 12 meters |
| Total Number of Stops | 23 |
And, let’s finish this with some “Q” and “A.”
FAQs
Is There a Hop-on, Hop-off Bus in Taipei?
Yes, there is a hop-on, hop-off bus in Taipei.