I fell in love with Taipei during my late autumn trip a few months back and fell in love with it all over again this month after a lovely long layover between EVA Air flights.
24 Hours In Taipei: Church, Coffee, MRT, And The Perfect Layover
I arrived in Taipei around 9:00 pm from Bangkok and did not fly out again until 8:00 pm the following evening, giving me almost 24 hours in the Taiwanese capital. With such a late arrival, I booked the Hyatt Regency Taoyuan International Airport, which is very close to the airport via free shuttle or Taipei Mass Rapid Transit (MRT).
My room was nothing special, but I slept well and arose at 6:00 am to have breakfast. The breakfast buffet was excellent and I fueled up for my ambitious joinery into Taipei…for church and coffee.
Checking transport options, there was a bus (the same bus CitiAir Bus 1960, as it turns out, I took a few months earlier) from the airport directly to the city that would drop me off a few blocks from St. John’s Episcopal Cathedral in Taipei, where I would attend church. The English service began at 9:00 am, necessitating the early wake-up and departure.
Arriving at the bus depot at Taipei Airport, I noticed the bus I was planning on taking was not listed on the departure board. I inquired and was informed, “It broke down.”
According to Google Maps, I now had no way of making it to church on time unless I took Uber, but I hopped on the MRT Taoyuan Airport Line (purple line), which provides express service into Taipei. Not only was that a picturesque ride, but it was a very productive one…Wi-Fi and power outlets were available onboard and I had brought my laptop along because I figured the journey back and forth into the city would be lengthy.
Once at Taipei Main Station, I connected on the MRT red line (Tamsui–Xinyi) to Daan and then walked about 12 minutes to church, making it on time.
The church service was nice, but I truly enjoyed the fellowship over coffee after church. I spoke to a young attorney who had just finished her certification; it was such a fascinating conversation that gave me insight into the Taiwanese legal system. She also loved coffee and made two recommendations.
One was a place called Rufous Coffee, which was just a few blocks away, but sadly closed (until noon) and I was not going to wait 90 minutes for it to open.
Although it was raining softly, I spent the next 30 minutes walking toward the other coffee shop she recommended called KITE Coffee. It was totally worth the walk and I enjoyed two delicious cortados.
I then returned to the airport, again via the MRT and this time went one extra stop beyond the airport to “Airport Hotel” station. From there, it was just a few paces to the Hyatt Regency.
After getting some work done in case my flight did not have WI-Fi, I spent a couple hours working out in the hotel gym then using the wellness facilities, including the pool, sauna, and steam room. Next time, I want to return to Taipei city, but this was an ideal hotel for my layover.
Returning to the airport, I parked myself in the EVA Air Lounge and got some more work done ahead of my flight back to the United States.
commendations for seeking out a church service as part of a very short stay in Taiwan
+ 1 , we need to do a better job attending church when we travel.
I’m not a religious man, but I’m pleased that the Taiwanese enjoy the freedom to worship as they wish, in stark contrast to the ghastly religious repression that we see on the mainland.
Indeed – a key point of distinction between the two NATIONS.
Hi Matt, I probably did not pay enough attention, but BKK to KUL, and BKK to TPE? I imagine that both are different trips?
I’m a sucker for all the cartoon characters and mascots, whether in Taiwan, Japan, South Korea (Kakao Friends on all the taxis), etc. So, that charging area on the train was so cute!
Thanks for sharing the trip report. Great city. Surprisingly good coffee city.
For future stopover purposes, Songshan has a decent number of international flights (many to mainland China of course) and is close to the city center. Good plane spotting from the top of Taipei 101, should you wish to climb up there (or take the elevator).
Best planespotting for Songshan is at “Airplane Alley”/Binjiang St. Ln. 180 right beyond the threshold of Runway 10. Taipei 101 is way too far.
Sure but hard to make a free solo climbing joke about the ‘best’ plane spotting location. Still a ‘good’ plane spotting location, however, and kind of fun to track the planes with binoculars from height.
There’s a cheap hotel called the Attic (not related to another Attic Hotel in Taipei and not attic in Chinese) that has good views of Songshan Airport’s runway. I stayed there one night and saw the presidential 737 take off.
It’s a shame that someday Beijing will invade and even cause the coffee shop to go bankrupt. Taiwan should be allowed to join NATO as a member state and/or become a province of Greenland.
great cities in china
The church is within a block of the Vatican embassy (Apostalic Nunciature of the Holy See to the Republic of China-Taiwan). It’s the only standalone embassy building in Taipei. Other embassies are in an office building. The Vatican occupies the whole building. There’s a security man in the front standing outside.
lol of course you’re a churchgoer. Explains so much.
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Here I was thinking from the headline we were going to get some amazing, new innovative, breakthrough on Taiwan. Alas, not.
Sometimes simple things like church and coffee are the most profound and are indeed amazing.
With church attendance so low, it’s “innovative” too…
This Hotel used to be a Novotel. Stayed there before an early departure two years ago and really enjoyed the warm pool there.
giving me flashbacks to getting lost on the tokyo subway lol