If you’re visiting Taiwan soon and want to save money on transport, check out Taiwan Pass, the best travel pass for Taiwan. But before you buy it, you’ll need to understand how it works.
Taiwan Tourism launched the Taiwan Pass in 2024 as a newer, nationwide version of the popular Taipei Fun Pass (which covers only Taipei). Unlike the Taipei Fun Pass, the Taiwan Pass includes long-distance travel, bundling different types of transport across the country, including extremely valuable early access to Alishan Forest Railway tickets (normally very hard to get).
However, the Taiwan Pass is confusing. There are two main versions – Taiwan Railways (TRA) and High Speed Rail (HSR) – and each one has its own choices, rules, and limitations.
Figuring out how much money these passes can save you is quite the process, but I’ll guide you through it.
By the end of the article, you’ll see that the TRA version won’t save you much (or anything), but the Alishan Forest Railway booking is gold, while the HSR version can save you lots of money AND get you the Alishan train ticket.
Taiwan Pass Key Info
- All Taiwan Passes are valid for 7 consecutive, calendar days.
- You can buy the pass anytime before your trip, and you’ll need to start making some choices and booking them via the app, but the first time you use it to take a ride (or visit an attraction), the seven days begin, i.e. the pass is “activated”.
- The Taiwan Pass – Taiwan Railways Edition (buy here) includes unlimited train rides for 3-5 consecutive days, one MRT pass (Airport MRT return ticket or 2-day MRT pass for Taipei, Taichung, or Kaohsiung), and one Taiwan Tourism Shuttle Bus (Sun Moon Lake, Alishan, Kenting, etc) OR Alishan Forest Railway one-way ticket (Chiayi to Alishan (with one-hour stopover in Fenqihu and park entrance fee) OR Alishan to Chiayi (no Fenqihu stopover, no park entrance fee).
- The Taiwan Pass – High Speed Rail Edition (buy here) includes unlimited HSR rides for 3 consecutive days, one MRT pass, and one Taiwan Tourism Shuttle Bus pass OR one Alishan Forest Railway ticket (either direction).
- Both passes have different versions (see them all here on the official site), including Classic, Attraction, and EasyGo versions. Only the Classic and EasyGo versions come with the Alishan Forest Railway option. I’ll introduce all the versions in more detail below.
Please note, if you are interested in this pass only for the Alishan Forest Railway ticket, you can get the early tickets without buying this pass. See my Alishan Forest Railway guide for the details.
- There are also cheaper Children’s Taiwan Passes (meant for ages 6-11). Under 6 is free for most transportation in Taiwan so they don’t need a pass.
- After buying the pass on Klook, you’ll use the Taiwan Pass app (iPhone / Android) to make your bookings. It has the option to choose English, Mandarin, Japanese, or Korean. There’s no physical pass.
- Instructions will be provided on where to pick up the various transportation passes or tickets.
- The HSR version of this pass should NOT be confused with the HSR Unlimited Pass – a totally different pass which gives unlimited HSR rides for a set number of days.
Comparison to Other Passes
Deciding which pass (or passes) to get can be overwhelming. This table should help to clear up some differences between the main travel passes for Taiwan.
| Pass | TRA | HSR | MRT | Buses | Attractions | Days |
| Taiwan Pass (TRA) | ✓ (3-5 days) | X | 1 city of your choice | 1 Taiwan Tourism Shuttle | Option to add 1 | Use within 7 days |
| Taiwan Pass (HSR) | X | ✓ (3 days) | 1 city of your choice | 1 Taiwan Tourism Shuttle | Option to add 1 | Use within 7 days |
| HSR Unlimited Pass | Option to add some | ✓ | X | X | X | 2, 3, or 5 days |
| Taipei Fun Pass | X | X | Taipei only | Taipei only | 30+, Taipei only | 1, 2, or 3 days |
From the above table, you should be able to see that the Taiwan Passes include more items than the usual HSR Unlimited Pass.
The Taipei Fun Pass is totally different. It is focused on Taipei City only. Note: there’s also a a brand new Kaohsiung Fun Pass.
Find more money saving tips in my budget travel guide for Taiwan.
Should I get a Taiwan Pass AND a Taipei Fun Pass?
The Taiwan Pass and Taipei Fun Pass cover different regions. You should consider each one separately.
The Taipei Fun Pass is focused on Taipei only and can really save a lot of money for your 1-3 days of exploring Taipei. See my Taipei Fun Pass guide for how to maximize it and buy the pass here.
The Taiwan Pass is meant for traveling around Taiwan and can also save you money on your train/HSR rides around the country.
Please note that the Taipei Fun Pass includes unlimited rides on the Taipei MRT but it does NOT include the Airport MRT (from Taoyuan Airport to Taipei and back).
Therefore, if you get both passes, you can choose Airport MRT return tickets for the MRT option on the Taiwan Pass. Don’t choose Taipei MRT for your Taiwan pass because that’s already included on the Tapei Fun Pass.
Or you can choose a 2-day MRT pass for Taichung or Kaohsiung on your Taiwan Pass. Then you will have zero overlap between the two passes.
Taiwan Pass vs. EasyCard
You may also be wondering how the Taiwan Pass compares to EasyCard (see my EasyCard guide / buy on Klook), Taiwan’s most common and popular transportation card.
Again, they are totally different. The Taiwan Pass (and Taipei Fun Pass) are mainly for tourists. They offer convenience and savings to short-term visitors.
EasyCard is used by locals and visitors alike. It is a reloadable smartcard used for swiping on the MRT and local buses in all cities, plus local trains. It can also be used to pay at convenience stores, some foods stalls, some taxis, YouBikes, ferries, and a few other things. It doesn’t work for reserved seats on trains or for the HSR.
EasyCard costs TWD 100 (non-refundable deposit) plus any funds you load onto it.
If you plan to get a Taipei Fun Pass only, you won’t need an EasyCard for Taipei, but you might use it on other city MRTs (like Kaohsiung) or for buses in Taiwan (Sun Moon Lake, Alishan, Kenting, etc).
If you plan to get a Taiwan Pass only, it depends what choices you make for the MRT option. For example, if you choose the Airport MRT option, you’ll still probably want an EasyCard for MRTs in Taipei and other rides around Taiwan.
If you plan to get BOTH passes, there’s a higher chance you don’t need an EasyCard. The Taipei Fun Pass will include everything in Taipei. And the Taiwan Pass will add Airport MRT tickets or a MRT pass in one other city. It will also add one Taiwan Tourism shuttle bus ride.
But if you’re doing a big Taiwan trip, there might still be other times you’ll wish you had an EasyCard too. For example, if you need to ride the MRT in multiple cities, or you need to ride more than one Taiwan Tourism Shuttle on your trip.
Yes, you can pay for the extra MRT rides in cash each time, but that’s less convenient. And paying for Taiwan Tourism Shuttles in cash is especially inconvenient because you’ll need to find out how much they cost and pay in exact change.
What’s Included on the Taiwan Pass
Now I’ll introduce what each of the Taiwan Passes includes. The details get complicated, so I’ve also added several tables.
First let’s look at what each of the items on the passes mean. Important note: not every pass includes every item in this table. This is just an explanation of what the various possible items mean.
| Pass Item | Notes |
| HSR | – Unlimited HSR rides for 3 consecutive days within your 7-day pass. – Book reserved seats via Taiwan Pass app or just show up at station and show QR code to ride non-reserved (cars 10-12, first-come, first served). – Only included on HSR edition of Taiwan Pass |
| TRA | – Unlimited TRA rides for 3 to 5 consecutive days within your 7-day pass (depending which one you choose) – Book reserved seats (express trains) via Taiwan Pass app or just show up at station and show QR code to ride local trains. |
| MRT | Each pass includes your choice of only one of the following: 1. Taoyuan Airport MRT return ride (Airport to Taipei and back) 2. Taipei 2-day unlimited MRT pass. 3. Taichung 2-day unlimited MRT pass. 4. Kaohsiung 2-day unlimited MRT pass. |
| Taiwan Tourism Shuttle Buses (or Alishan Forest Railway ticket) | For passes with this item, they include your choice of only one of the following: 1. Yilan 3-day unlimited bus pass (Taipei to Jiaoxi, Yilan, or Luodong) 2. Taichung 2-day MRT and local bus pass 3. Taichung to Qingjing Farm return bus ticket 4. Taichung to Sun Moon Lake return bus ticket 5. Chiayi to Alishan return bus ticket 6. Chiayi to Alishan one-way on the Alishan Forest Railway (one-way) with Alishan park entrance fee and one hour stopover in Fenqihu, including 60-day advance access to tickets (quota of 23 per day for pass users) – see availability and read my Alishan Forest Railway guide. 7. Alishan to Chiay one-way ticket on the Alishan Forest Railway (with no entrance ticket or Fenqihu stopover), also with 60-day advance booking. 7. Zuoying (Kaohsiung) to Kenting return bus ticket |
| Attractions | For passes with this item, add your choice of only one of the below attractions: Yilan National Center for Traditional Arts, Yehliu Geopark, National Palace Museum (Taipei or South Branch), Taipei Zoo, Miramar Ferris Wheel, Taichung National Museum of Natural Science, Cingjing Farm, Sun Moon Lake boat day pass, Alishan Forest Recreation Area park fee, Pier 2 exhibitions, Kaohsiung Hamasen train, Love River boat ride, Kenting National Forest Recreation Area ticket |
Taiwan Pass – Taiwan Railways (TRA) Version
The Taiwan Pass TRA Version (buy here) is ideal for those who intend to take several regular train rides within 3-5 days.
Regular trains are better for shorter rides (1-2 hours, such as Taipei to Taichung or Chiayi to Kaohsiung) or for the East Coast where there’s no HSR (Taipei to Hualien, Hualien to Taitung, etc.)
Here’s a table showing the different editions available for this pass when you buy it on Klook, and what’s included in each one. All are valid for seven days.
| Edition | Price* | With Klook Discount** | Includes |
| Classic | 4150 | 3200 | – 5 days unlimited TRA rides – 1 MRT pass – 1 Tourism Shuttle or Alishan Forest Railway |
| Attraction | 3190 | 3000 | – 3 days unlimited TRA rides – 1 MRT pass – 1 Tourism Shuttle – 1 Attraction |
| EasyGo | 2602 | 2500 | – 3 days unlimited TRA rides – 1 MRT pass OR Tourism Shuttle OR Alishan Forest Railway |
*Adult price. Cheaper children’s ticket also available.
**Discounted price may change over time
As you can see from the table, the Classic Edition is the best one. It gives you five days of unlimited travel on any Taiwan Railways trains, one of the MRT passes, and one Taiwan Tourism Shuttle OR Alishan Forest Railway (one-way) ride.
The Attraction Edition is only a little cheaper after the discount, but the value drops a lot. You only get three days of train rides, and there’s no option to choose the Alishan Forest Railway – but it does have the option of return Alishan bus tickets. You gain one attraction, but the most valuable attraction is only worth half the value of the Alishan train ride.
The EasyGo is the cheapest one. Again you only get three days of train rides. You can only choose one MRT pass, Taiwan Tourism shuttle, or Alishan Forest Railway ticket, but at least the Alishan train is available.
Taiwan Pass – High Speed Rail (HSR) Version
The Taiwan Pass HSR Version (buy here) is better for those who plan to take at least a few HSR rides within a short time (3 consecutive days within your 7-day pass).
As long as you take at least two or three HSR rides in those three days (and ideally at least one longer one, like Taipei to Zuoying/Kaohsiung), this pass will be worth the money.
Let’s look at the pass options on Klook. There are only two for this pass. Again, both are valid for seven days after activation.
| Edition | Price* | With Klook Discount** | Includes |
| Classic | 3990 | 2500 | – 3 days unlimited HSR rides – 1 MRT pass – 1 Tourism Shuttle or Alishan Forest Railway |
| Attraction | 3590 | 2800 | – 3 days unlimited HSR rides – 1 MRT pass – 1 Tourism Shuttle – 1 Attraction |
*Adult price. Cheaper children’s ticket also available.
**Discounted price may change over time
In this case, both passes are very good. The Classic Edition gives you three days of unlimited HSR rides, one MRT pass, and one Tourism Shuttle OR Alishan Forest Railway.
The Attraction Edition gives you the almost exactly the same things. You lose Alishan Forest Railway as one of the options (value TWD 750), but you gain one attraction (max. value 350). So this is a poorer deal, but could still make sense for you if you weren’t planning to ride the Alishan Forest Railway.
Real Examples of Pass Savings
Determining whether these passes are worth the money is tricky. You’ll first need to figure out which pass is better for you (TRA or HSR) and which edition (classic, attraction, or EasyGo).
Then, you’ll need to add up the costs of all the items if you paid for them individually, including any discounts you might get for them on Klook (like the 15% off and buy-one-get-one deal for HSR tickets).
It will be easiest if I give you some examples. The first two show that the TRA version will save little (or no) money, but I feel it’s still worth it for the Alishan Forest Railway booking opportunity.
The second two examples show that the HSR version can easily save you money, plus you also get the Alishan train benfit.
Example 1 (TRA Pass)
Here’s a real-life example of how much value you’d save with the TRA Pass (Classic version), in the order you might use it.
| Pass Item | Uses | Value |
| TRA | Taipei to Hualien | 583 |
| Hualien to Chishang | 343 | |
| Chishang to Kaohsiung | 603 | |
| Kaohsiung to Chiayi | 341 | |
| MRT | Kaohsiung 2-day MRT pass | 260 |
| Tourism Shuttle | Alishan Forest Railway to Alishan | 750 |
| Total Value | 2880 | |
| Pass Cost | 3200 | |
| Overall Value | -320 |
As you can see from this example, despite taking four train rides within 5 days (which honestly, would be rushed!), this pass still had negative value.
In other words, it would be TWD 320 cheaper to book all these items individually.
So why would anyone choose it? Well, being able to book the Alishan Forest Railway 60 days in advance is a HUGE perk. Normally, you can only book this train two weeks in advance and the tickets always sell out instantly. Many travelers don’t succeed in getting tickets until 1-3 days before, which is stressful.
If getting a ticket on the train to Alishan is a priority, I would honestly still buy this pass for that reason alone.
If you don’t plan to use this pass for the train, maybe don’t bother. The value with drop even more because the other shuttle bus options have lower value, not to mention most are easier to book on their own.
Example 2 (TRA Pass)
Let’s look at one more totally different example, where I can *almost* get this pass to be worth the money.
| Pass Item | Uses | Value |
| MRT | Taoyuan Airport MRT (return ticket) | 310 |
| TRA | Taipei to Kaohsiung | 994 |
| Kaohsiung to Chiayi | 341 | |
| Chiayi to Taipei | 750 | |
| Tourism Shuttle | Alishan Forest Railway to Alishan | 750 |
| Total Value | 3145 | |
| Pass Cost | 3200 | |
| Overall Value | -55 |
As hard as I tried, I couldn’t come up with a realistic itinerary that actually saves money with this pass. I got close, but not quite.
And the above itinerary assumes: you’ll take the Airport MRT in and out within seven days (i.e. your total trip is only seven days). It also assumes you’ll take the regular train all the way from Taipei to Kaohsiung (for a long ride like this, the HSR is much better, so consider the HSR pass).
Other realistic itineraries I tried all came up with bigger negative values.
But, again, I can’t understate how valuable the Alishan Forest Railway advance booking item is.
Overall, you’d have to take a lot of trains in a short period of time (5 days) to make this pass a money saver. But most tourists just don’t travel around that quickly. It’s pretty unrealistic to take more than 2-3 train rides in five days.
Example 3 (HSR Pass)
Taiwan’s High Speed Rail is quite a bit more expensive than the TRA, so this pass is going to offer higher saving possibilities.
Let’s jump to an example:
| Pass Item | Uses | Value |
| MRT | Taoyuan Airport MRT (return ticket) | 310* |
| HSR | Taipei to Zuoying | 1264* |
| Zuoying to Chiayi | 410 | |
| Tourism Shuttle | Alishan Forest Railway to Alishan | 750* |
| Total Value | 2734 | |
| Pass Cost | 2500 | |
| Overall Value | +234 |
* With maximum discount if purchased on Klook
With the Taiwan Pass HSR Version, it was pretty easy for me to come up with a realistic itinerary that actually saves money.
The above itinerary assumes you will take the Airport MRT twice in 7 days (i.e. your trip is only 7 days). But you could also swap that for a Taipei or Kaohsiung 2-day MRT pass.
I only had to choose two HSR rides to make this pass worth the money, but the biggest challenge is that they have to be within 3 days.
If you plan to ride the HSR from Taipei to Zuoying AND BACK in only three days, it will be even more worth the money. Or if you plan to somehow ride the HSR three (or more) times in only three days, the value will also increase.
Example 4 (HSR Pass)
Here’s another realistic example where I got this pass’s value to be very high. It involves using Taipei as a base and taking several day trips by HSR. As you can see, the savings quickly add up.
| Pass Item | Uses | Value |
| MRT | Taipei 2-day MRT pass | 340* |
| HSR | Taipei to Zuoying (Kaohsiung day trip) | 1264* |
| Zuoying to Taipei | 1490 | |
| Taipei to Taichung (Sun Moon Lake day trip) | 594* | |
| Taichung to Taipei | 700 | |
| Taipei to Taoyuan (Xpark day trip) | 135* | |
| Taoyuan to Taipei | 160 | |
| Tourism Shuttle | Sun Moon Lake Shuttle (return) | 386 |
| Total Value | 5069 | |
| Pass Cost | 2500 | |
| Overall Value | +2569 |
* With maximum discount if purchased on Klook
In this case, by squeezing in six HSR rides in only three days (as return day trips), I was able to boost this pass’s savings to TWD 2569.
I could have got it even higher if I replaced the little Taoyuan day trip with a Tainan day trip. Not every traveler will really want to travel like this (three long day trips in a row), but some really do!
Conclusion: Is Taiwan Pass Worth the Money
As you can see from my above examples, the Taiwan Pass – TRA Edition might actually not save you any money. It might even cost more than booking things individually.
However, the ability to book the Alishan Forest Railway 60 days in advance with the Classic or EasyGo versions is a massive perk that, in my opinion, still makes this pass worth the money.
The Taiwan Pass – HSR Edition is where you can get into some real savings, even if you only ride the HSR two times in three days. And if you ride the HSR 3+ times in three days, the savings potential grows significantly.
The HSR edition’s Classic Version also unlocks the Alishan Forest Railway booking, which adds even more value.
Thank you very much for this great overview.
I would like to book the Taiwan Pass HSR Edition just for the Alishan Forest Railway option to have a better chance of getting a ticket. Is it correct that this option is called Taiwan Haoxing Shuttle Bus on klook? It’s a bit confusing, so I’m hesitating to book.
The Klook page is not very clear. But as long as you choose the Classic Edition of the pass, you get to choose one Taiwan Shuttle Bus (aka Taiwan Haoxing Shuttle Bus) OR the Alishan Forest Railway ticket. This is better explained on the official Taiwan Pass website and my article above. Don’t worry that the Klook page doesn’t mention it. It’s because the page is old, and this is a recent addition. But it will definitely be one of the options in the app after you purchase the pass.
You say “read my Taiwan Pass guide to find out how it works” but that article gives no information on
how and where to book
likely availability
the different departures
the direction of travel
whether returns are really available or only “downbound”
stopover in fenquihu possible or not
whether the app is in more than one language
whether you can pick a seat
whether you need to have activated the pass or not
How and where to book: My article has links to the Klook page for buying the pass and the app where you will manage the pass. You’ll choose your pass items (like Alishan Forest Railway) in the app.
likely availability – I literally linked to the availability schedule.
the different departures: Read my Alishan Forest Railway guide for departure times. That is beyond the scope of this article. This article is about the pass. The train article is about the train.
the direction of travel: My article mentions you can use this pass to go in one direction only, up or down. If you want to go both ways, you’ll need to book the second ride seprately. But I don’t recommend going both ways. It’s a long ride and the scenery would be the same. Buses are twice as fast.
whether returns are really available or only “downbound”: As above.
stopover in fenquihu possible or not: Read my Alishan Forest Railway guide. You’ll learn that the train makes a one-hour stop on the way up, but not on the way down. You can’t stop overnight and get back on the train the next day on one ticket.
whether the app is in more than one language: English, Mandarin, Japanese, Korean.
whether you can pick a seat: Read my Alishan Forest Railway guide. Seats are auto assigned.
whether you need to have activated the pass or not: My article says “the first time you use it to take a ride (or visit an attraction), the seven days begin.” So you’ll need to book any seats in advance that require reservations (like Alishan Forest Railway), but the pass is activated (i.e. countdown of days begins) when you take the first ride.