You’re excited. You’ve finally found a cheap flight deal! The only downside: a 10 hour layover. I love hanging around airports, but after a couple of hours I’ve seen it all. Even though you just carry around your hand luggage, it still seems like too much. Plus, most of my valuables will be in there.
Taipei airport has a great service for those who have a good few hours to spare: a free tour around the city, with two options to chose from. The most popular one must be the tour venturing into the heart of the city. This tour brings you to some highlights, like Taipei 101.
I’d already spent time in Taipei and opted for the morning tour that went to a different area of Taiwan: Yingge. Yingge is the pottery and ceramics center of Taiwan. At the airport I was picked up by a lovely guide and directed towards the bus. I was the only one in there, but luckily a stop at the other terminal gave me some company. I was surprised there weren’t more people who took this opportunity to see the city.
Our first stop was at a temple. The Chinese new year had just started, so people were coming in and out, performing their rituals. It was beautiful to see the temple with everything that was going on. Nearby was a bridge with stalls selling all kinds of food and the town had the cutests of streets close to the temple.
A short drive from the temple was the long street full of pottery shops. I wasn’t out to buy anything, but it was fun to listen to guide, who was obviously very impressed with all the pottery and also new many of the shop owners. He brought us to all the special pieces in the shops. After a few hours a couple of people to a train into the city and I boarded to bus to go back to the airport.
Taipei city is pretty far from the airport, so these tours are a great option for people with limited time. They are absolutely free and the people are happy to show you their country. You can secure your spot on the tour at the information desk in the airport hall. To see if you’re eligible and what you can see exactly, check out the free tour page.
